The driver and co-owner of the No. 52 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Halmar Friesen Racing, Friesen is a native of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario – about an eight-hour drive west of the track – and now lives only three hours away. He is well aware of the spirit New England and Canadian fans bring to tracks around the U.S. and southern Canada throughout the racing season.
“We have a lot of great race fans from Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick,” said Friesen, who enters this weekend’s Kansas race 11th in the NCTS point standings with one top-five and three top-10s on the season. “We got to race up there last year and meet some of those people, so it’s a great melting pot for the Canadian fans to come down and get their NASCAR fix.”
Loudon, NH — Blue skies and sunshine greeted the teams and fans at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday morning for the 4th annual Northeast Classic. The season opener for the American-Canadian Tour also served as the third round for the PASS Super Late Models and lid-lifter for the R&R Race Parts Street Stock Open Series while also featuring a pair of exhibition events for the Open Tour-type Modifieds and the new Sunoco 604 Modifieds.
The Crayon 301 NASCAR Cup Series race is just around the corner, and the drivers are gearing up for an action-packed weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, and Chase Elliott recently took part in a Goodyear Tire test at the track, getting valuable laps and insights that will be beneficial when they return in July.
For Bell, who drives the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, the test was crucial in securing his spot in the playoffs. While last year saw many winners, this year is proving to be more challenging, so every race matters. He believes that the test will help him and his team be successful when they return for the race.
“We are thrilled to welcome race fans to ‘The Magic Mile’ to enjoy the many racing events we’ve got lined up throughout the season,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “The past year has given us the opportunity to host a variety of events that are outside of our typical wheelhouse, but we’re excited to get back to our motorsports and fan entertainment roots.”
