New Hampshire

After a succession of temporary street circuits joined the Champ Car calendar during the 1980s, the short oval at Loudon, New Hampshire, was a refreshing addition to the series. Bob Bahre’s new speedway was built on the site of Bryar Motorsports Park, which had held car and motorcycle events from 1965-89. New Hampshire is just over a mile long with 12-degree banking and was praised for its state-of-the-art facilities when it opened. The 1993 Champ Car race saw Nigel Mansell win a mighty contest with Paul Tracy by less than half a second. After four years, Loudon switched allegiance to the rival Indy Racing League, but this too ended in 1998. The Indycar race was reprised as a one-off in 2011 but its NASCAR Cup race is now the annual highlight.