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NHMS Announces Plans for Northeast Motorsports Museum
LOUDON, N.H. (Nov. 15, 2011) - Stock cars,vintage open-wheel cars,
dragsters and motorcycles all have a spot in the history books when it
comes to racing in the Northeast, and now, all of these forms of
motorsports will be featured in the new state-of-the-art Northeast
Motorsports Museum at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Racing History Preservation Group and "The Magic Mile" announced the
beginning of fund raising efforts to create a 20,000-square-foot
motorsports museum on Rt. 106 in Loudon, N.H. The announcement was made by
Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of the
speedway, RHPG president Dick Berggren, New England fan favorite and
former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ricky Craven.
"We are working hard to develop year-round tourism opportunities and good
economic development here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The museum will
serve as one of those anchor attractions," said Jerry Gappens, executive
vice president and general manager of the speedway. "This is a major coup
for the state of New Hampshire to have it located here and not in another
New England state. I'm sure with Dick's passion and energy, plus the
support of race fans and nearly 400,000 visitors a year to this site, this
will be a very successful project."
The Board is filled with New England racing greats including Ricky Craven,
Ron Bouchard, Lew Boyd, Russ Conway, Andy Cusack, Ken Smith, Ed Shea, Joe
Lombardo, Ric Mariscal, Skip Matczak, R.A. Silvia, George Summers and Pete
vonSneidern.
"It's great to be home," said three-time NHMS winner Ricky Craven. "This
museum is such a great opportunity to protect some of the things that have
been a big part of my life and a big part of my career. How I preserve
those things is important to me, and what Dick is doing is motivation for
me to bring some things to the table for this attraction, one of which is
the car I raced during the Thanksgiving race here. It's also the car I won
my first race in at Martinsville. I have that car, and my objective is to
get that car refurbished and make it part of the display, mainly because I
want people to understand the history of the sport."
The museum will display numerous cars on the first floor of the building.
The second floor will house a library, memorabilia collection that will
include helmets and trophies, as well as a theatre that will show videos
of the regions motorsports history. The museum's library will include
photographs, slides, negatives, programs, books, posters and magazines.
"We feel an urgency to preserve as much of the Northeast's racing history
as we can," said Dick Berggren. "Too many photo collections, newspapers,
books, programs and even cars have already been lost. The sport will
benefit when folks can come to a first class museum and learn about as
much of the area's rich racing history as we can save and make available
to the public."
Every collector that's been contacted has agreed to loan cars and/or
motorsports artifacts to the museum. An ever-changing array of items will
mean that repeat visitors will see something new each time they visit.
Displays will focus on racing history in the Northeastern part of the
United States, focusing mainly on the New England region although eastern
New York and eastern Canada tracks are included.
RHPG has been awarded 501 (c) 3 (non-profit) status, which results in tax
advantages for donors. To receive a literature package on the new museum,
please call (978) 471-9161 or write Racing History Preservation Group, 7
Bayview Rd., Ipswich, Mass. 01938. For more information please visit
www.NEMSMuseum.com.
Last Updated on 11/16/11
By George Campbell or Greg Fish
Email: neracing@neracing.com