Lee USA Speedway is a short-track oval

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also u ...

located in

Lee, New Hampshire Lee is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,520 at the 2020 census. The town is a rural farm and bedroom community, being close to the University of New Hampshire. History Lee was first settled by Eur ...

History

The facility opened as Lee Raceway in 1964 as a dirt

tri-oval A tri-oval is a shape which derives its name from the two other shapes it most resembles, a triangle and an oval. Rather than meeting at sharp, definable angles as the sides of a triangle do, in a tri-oval these angles are instead rounded into sm ...

, in length. Original owner Bob Bonser later recounted that he initially bought the land the track is located on in order to have a site along

New Hampshire Route 125 New Hampshire Route 125 is a north–south state highway in Rockingham, Strafford and Carroll counties in southeastern New Hampshire. The southern terminus is in Plaistow at the Massachusetts state line, where the road continues south into Ha ...

to place advertising for a

nudist camp A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation (or at least camping space) and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practise naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual socia ...

that he owned and operated. Bonser paved the track the following year, and it became home to the New England Super Modified Racing Association (NESMRA). In late 1983, the facility was purchased by Kenny Smith,

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one ...

, and Charlie Elliot, who had previously owned and operated Star Speedway in nearby

Epping, New Hampshire Epping is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,125 at the 2020 census, up from 6,411 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. The ...

. Renamed as Lee Speedway, the track was changed to be an oval, in length, and reopened in the fall of 1984. The first event held at the reconfigured track reportedly drew 236 entrants. A section of the original tri-oval is still used as a pre-race staging area. The facility was sold to Red and Judy MacDonald in December 1986. Their son,

Eddie MacDonald Edward MacDonald (born July 7, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He most recently competed part-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, 2018, a series which he competed in for over a deca ...

, became a professional race car driver. Branding of the track as Lee USA Speedway dates to at least 1996. The MacDonalds operated the track until February 2018, when it was sold to Norman Wrenn Jr. of

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

. Wrenn bought

Monadnock Speedway Monadnock Speedway is a paved oval race track in Winchester, New Hampshire. Located south of Keene, the track is nestled between New Hampshire Route 10 and the Ashuelot River. The track hosts various races for regional touring series, includin ...

Winchester, New Hampshire Winchester is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,150 at the 2020 census. The primary community in the town, where 1,606 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Win ...

, the same year.

Events

The track has hosted various racing events, including for

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

. Notable drivers who have competed at Lee include

John Andretti John Andrew Andretti (March 12, 1963January 30, 2020) was an American race car driver. He won individual races in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR during his career. He was the son of Aldo Andretti, older brother of racer Ada ...

Gary Bettenhausen Gary Bettenhausen (November 18, 1941 – March 16, 2014) was an American auto racing driver. He was born in Blue Island, Illinois, raised in Tinley Park, Illinois, graduated in the class of 1962 from Bremen High School (Midlothian, Illinois) in ...

Brett Bodine Brett Elias Bodine III (born January 11, 1959) is an American former stock car racing driver, former driver of the pace car in Cup Series events, and current NASCAR employee. Brett is the younger brother of 1986 Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine ...

Todd Bodine Todd Martin Bodine (born February 27, 1964) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 62 Toyota Tundra for Halmar Friesen Racing, and current racing a ...

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

Terry Labonte Terrance Lee Labonte (born November 16, 1956), nicknamed Texas Terry or The Iceman, is an American former stock car driver who raced from 1978 to 2014 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup and Sprint Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series). A two ...

Ollie Silva Oliver W. Silva (May 14, 1929 – August 15, 2004) was an American auto racing driver. He raced in the Northeastern United States, winning many races, track championships, and touring-series championships. Silva drove in modifieds, supermodifie ...

, and

Bentley Warren Bentley Warren (born December 10, 1940, in Kennebunkport, Maine), is an American racecar driver. He is best known for racing in the United States Automobile Club, USAC Championship Car series, and for some New Englanders, even more so for his rac ...

. Snowmobile racing,

demolition derby Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehic ...

, and motorcycle races have also been held. On August 20, 1973, a driver from nearby Madbury was killed in a racing accident at the track. On October 27, 1985, a driver from nearby Epping was killed in a racing accident at the track. The track is a member of the New Hampshire Short Track Racing Association (NHSTRA). Entering the 2022 season,

modified stock car racing Modified stock car racing, also known as modified racing and modified, is a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other on oval tracks. First established in the United States after World War II, ...

is planned, including a

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) (previously the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour and NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series from 1985 until 2005) is a modified stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified Division. The Mod ...

event.

Notes

References

External links

*
Lee USA Speedway race results
at Racing-Reference {{American Canadian Tour late model racetracks Motorsport venues in New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Strafford County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Strafford County, New Hampshire NASCAR tracks Sports venues completed in 1964 1964 establishments in New Hampshire

History

Events

See also

Notes

References

External links