Campers Rolling in; NBIS Ready for Big CrowdsNBIS Makes Additional Parking, Grandstands, and CampingAugust 31st - Fredericton – It’s that time of the year again. Summer vacation is just about over. Teachers are back in school. Kids are almost ready. And time to start camping at New Brunswick international Speedway??? That’s right, NBIS management has spent that last month bracing for the onslaught of campers this weekend. So, far, over 100 campers have rolled into the facility with more to come today and tomorrow. Management have also been working hard to accommodate the huge crowds with more parking and seating. The success of Speedweekend has given NBIS management a few “good” problems. Where do you put all the campers, the fans, and their cars? The more campers, the less parking. “One of the major challenges we had last year was parking. It was pretty tight last season especially when the additional campers took over some of the parking,” said co-owner Steve Burns. Camping has grown into a big part of Speedweekend which takes place from September 1st-4th this year. It started modestly enough with about 150 campers in 2001 when the Irving Oil 250 which was a single day event. Next year came Speedweekend, a two-day event and the camping grew to just over 200. In 2004 it went to over 350 and last year 415. To address the challenges caused by the huge crowds, NBIS has cleared land at the back for additional camping and parking. Management and staff have also been busy this past week putting up new grandstands in turn two to accommodate what hopes to be another record breaking audience. “We are expecting over 500 campers and have prepared extra camping and parking this year. We probably created additional parking for 1,000 people,” said Burns. As for the campers, they’ve been rolling in steadily for the past week in increasing numbers each day. “It’s just one RV or camper after another all week long,” said Burns. The Irving Oil 250 The 2006 Irving Oil 250 will take place on Sunday, September 3rd, 2006 and will be the highlight of the sixth annual Speedweekend. The event will showcase the NBIS CARQUEST Pro Stocks against the best of the Eastern Canada and New England. The purse for 2006 will be over $60,000 with a guaranteed $15,000 to the event winner and possible winner’s cheque of $27,500. Three years ago, the late Scott Fraser took home a record $25,400 including lap money. Only six years old, the event as grown in crowd, atmosphere, and car count every year since its inception. Over 7,500 people attended the 2005 event to break attendance records at Canada’s Fastest Short Track. A record 39 pro stock cars, including several Maine drivers, attempted to qualify for 28 spots on the starting grid. Visit www.nbisonline.com/250 for more info. Speedweekend Just like the Irving Oil 250, Speedweekend continues to grow every year with over 12,000 people attending the weekend in 2005. In 2006, the four-day stock car fest is scheduled for September 1st-4th and includes a corn boil on Friday night, O’Leary Pontiac Excitement Sportsman 150 race on Saturday night, the Irving Oil 250 on Sunday, and finishes up with an Enduro 200 on Monday. While the Irving Oil 250 is the highlight of the racing events, the weekend has developed into an event on its own with over 400 campers turning NBIS into a small town over the weekend. It has become the destination of choice for the region’s stock car fans. New Brunswick International Speedway New Brunswick International Speedway is Canada’s Fastest Short Track. The 1/3 of a mile high-banked paved oval features three classes of racing on a weekly basis: CARQUEST Pro Stocks, Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman, and Coast Tire Street Stocks. Over 60,000 people are expected to attend over 25 events during the 2006 season. NBIS is located off Highway 7 on Route 660 in Geary, NB, and is within minutes of Saint John and Fredericton. NBIS can be found online at www.nbisonline.com.
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