Race Tracks Near Boston
Boston is ringed by one of the country's busiest short-track scenes, with weekly paved ovals scattered across eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and northeastern Connecticut. Seekonk Speedway and Norwood's former Arena kept local stock car racing alive for generations, and today Seekonk, Hudson, Star and Lee USA speedways all run Saturday-night programs within about an hour of the city. New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon is the marquee venue, hosting a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity weekend each summer roughly ninety minutes north. Road racing options widen the picture further out: Palmer Motorsports Park's technical 14-turn layout, Thompson Speedway's oval-and-road-course combo, and Lime Rock Park and Club Motorsports at the edge of the two-hour radius all draw club racers and track-day drivers from Greater Boston. New England Dragway in Epping covers NHRA-sanctioned drag racing, and Southwick's Wick 338 hosts the AMA Pro Motocross tour every summer.
14 venues listed across 5 categories. Venues with a full RaceTrackWorld guide are linked.
Road courses in Boston
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Motorsports Park | Palmer, MA | 1 h 15 min | 2.3 mi | Technical 14-turn, 2.3-mile road course in central Massachusetts (also known as Whiskey Hill Raceway) used for club racing, HPDE and motorcycle track days. |
| Club Motorsports | Tamworth, NH | 2 h | 2.5 mi | Private members-only road course in the White Mountains with over 300 feet of elevation change across 2.5 miles. |
| Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, CT | 2 h 10 min | 1.53 mi | Historic 1.53-mile road course in Connecticut's Litchfield Hills hosting IMSA, NASCAR Modifieds and vintage weekends. |
Ovals and speedways in Boston
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seekonk Speedway | Seekonk, MA | 55 min | 0.333 mi | "The Nickel" — a third-mile paved oval near the Rhode Island line running weekly modified, late model and street stock programs since 1946. |
| Hudson Speedway | Hudson, NH | 55 min | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile paved oval running weekly street stock, legends and mini-stock programs. |
| Star Speedway | Epping, NH | 1 h 5 min | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile paved oval hosting weekly street stock, mini-stock and pro 4 modified programs plus touring series dates. |
| Thompson Speedway | Thompson, CT | 1 h 5 min | 0.625 mi | Historic 5/8-mile paved oval dating to 1940 and a companion 1.7-mile road course, together running NASCAR Modified, sports car and vintage events. |
| Lee USA Speedway | Lee, NH | 1 h 10 min | 0.375 mi | Third-mile paved oval running weekly late model, sportsman and pro stock programs since 1971. |
| Stafford Motor Speedway | Stafford Springs, CT | 1 h 20 min | 0.5 mi | Half-mile paved oval, home of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and a Saturday-night SK Modified program dating to 1870s roots as a fairgrounds track. |
| New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Loudon, NH | 1 h 20 min | 1.058 mi | "The Magic Mile," a 1.058-mile oval hosting a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity weekend each summer plus NHRA drag racing on an adjoining strip. |
| Waterford Speedbowl | Waterford, CT | 1 h 40 min | 0.375 mi | 3/8-mile paved oval in southeastern Connecticut running weekly late model, modified and street stock programs since 1951. |
Drag strips in Boston
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Dragway | Epping/Brentwood, NH | 1 h 5 min | 0.25 mi | NHRA-sanctioned quarter-mile strip hosting an NHRA New England Nationals event plus weekly Test 'n' Tune and bracket-racing nights. |
Motocross and off-road in Boston
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wick 338 (Southwick Motocross 338) | Southwick, MA | 1 h 40 min | — | Legendary sand-based motocross track, the longest-running round on the AMA Pro Motocross tour, held every summer since 1976. |
Closed and historic in Boston
| Venue | Town | Drive | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwood ArenaClosed | Norwood, MA | 25 min | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile paved oval a few miles southwest of Boston that ran NASCAR-sanctioned stock car racing from the 1940s until closing in the early 1970s. |
Major race weekends in Boston
| Event | Venue | When | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup/Xfinity weekend | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | July | NASCAR |
| NHRA New England Nationals | New England Dragway | June | NHRA |
| Southwick National (Wick 338) | The Wick 338 (Southwick Motocross 338) | July | AMA Pro Motocross |
| NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour feature | Stafford Motor Speedway | April-September | NASCAR Modified |
Track days and driving experiences in Boston
Boston-area drivers most often head to Palmer Motorsports Park, about 75 minutes west, for NASA and SCCA-region HPDE days on its technical 14-turn layout; Thompson Speedway's road course and New Hampshire Motor Speedway's road course also host regular club events. A typical instructed lapping day runs $250-$500. Motorcycle riders gather at the same Palmer and Thompson road courses for organized track days, and New England Dragway runs Test 'n' Tune bracket nights for street cars through the season.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest race track to Boston?+
Norwood Arena's former site is about 25 minutes from downtown, but for active racing, Seekonk Speedway and Hudson Speedway are both roughly 55 minutes out, the closest weekly ovals to the city.
Is New Hampshire Motor Speedway close to Boston?+
Yes — Loudon, NH is about 80 minutes north of Boston, making the track's NASCAR Cup weekend a straightforward day trip.
Does this guide cover Suffolk Downs?+
No. Suffolk Downs in East Boston was a thoroughbred horse racing track (closed in 2019 and now redeveloped), not a motorsport venue, so it's outside the scope of this guide.
Where can I see NHRA drag racing near Boston?+
New England Dragway in Epping, NH, about an hour north of the city, hosts an NHRA New England Nationals event plus weekly bracket racing throughout the season.
Is Lime Rock Park a reasonable day trip from Boston?+
It's toward the edge of a comfortable radius — roughly two hours fifteen minutes via I-90 and Route 7 — but it's a popular destination for Boston-area track-day drivers heading to the Litchfield Hills.
What happened to Norwood Arena?+
The quarter-mile paved oval a few miles southwest of Boston ran NASCAR-sanctioned stock car racing from the 1940s until closing in the early 1970s; the site was later redeveloped.
Venue list checked against 11 sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.
Track guides within 120 miles of Boston
Palmer Motorsport Park
Address: 58 W Ware Rd, Palmer, MA 1069 USA Website: http://www.palmermotorsportspark.com Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (413) 967-3560 Hote...
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Address: 1122 NH-106 Loudon, NH 3307 USA Website: https://www.nhms.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 603-783-4931 Hotels Near New Ha...