They say that Walt Disney World is the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” but for the drivers of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, that place is actually New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Located in a small town called Loudon, New Hampshire, the one-mile oval will play host to Saturday's Whelen Manufactured in America 100.

For those who might still be new to Modified racing, the place they call “The Magic Mile” is the Modified equivalent to the Daytona 500. Visiting victory lane at New Hampshire is one of the greatest achievements a Modified driver can add to their racing resume. 

The Modifieds have been racing at NHMS since the track opened in 1990 and the names of those who have visited its victory lane are legendary. NASCAR Hall of Famer Mike Stefanik, Reggie Ruggero, “Magic Shoes” Mike McLaughlin, Steve Park, Tony Hirschman, Ted Christopher, and John Blewett III are just a few of those legendary names who have parked it in the winner’s circle at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Justin Bonsignore, Doug Coby, Bobby Santos III, and Ryan Preece are some of the modern day legends who have won at New Hampshire as well.

But to really get a full grasp on why New Hampshire Motor Speedway is so magical for the Modifieds, we asked the drivers themselves.

“Racing in front of such a large crowd on Cup weekend is really special and an awesome experience,” said three-time series champion Bonsignore, whose only points-paying victory at New Hampshire came in 2016. “(And) the long history of great races that the Tour has had at NHMS just makes the entire weekend special each and every year.”

New Hampshire is one of those places where a driver can be so close to victory only to have it snatched away in the blink of an eye. Bonsignore experienced that in 2018 when contact with Ryan Preece led to both drivers crashing from the top two positions on the final lap. Fortunately, Bonsignore had already won at New Hampshire before then, in 2016, and earlier that year in the non-points 30-lap All-Star Shootout event.

“Winning at New Hampshire is a crown jewel of our series, and winning there isn’t easy,” said Bonsignore. “So many things have to go your way for it to happen.”

One driver who has certainly made winning at New Hampshire look easy is Bobby Santos III. Santos has won here six times, including three straight wins from July of 2017 to July of 2018. The amazing thing is that out of those five race wins, in only two of them did Santos lead more than 10 laps.

“They are always so difficult to win because everyone brings their best effort there,” Santos said. “But for me, I’ve just been very lucky to be driving good equipment and being in the right place at the right time. Loudon definitely comes down to luck a good portion of times.”

For Andy Seuss, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is home. Seuss, a two-time champion of the old NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour grew up in Hampstead, New Hampshire, a town where less than 10,000 people live, located just an hour to the southeast of NHMS.

“Growing up in New Hampshire, Loudon was the pinnacle of racing,” said Seuss. “The Modified race quickly became my favorite race of the weekend and I just dreamed of racing there. The excitement hasn’t changed. This is a highlight of my year, and I’m still chasing that win there.”

Seuss has mostly swapped his seat from behind the steering wheel to on top of the pit box as he’s now the car chief for the No. 16 car for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. But the potential for winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is worth balancing the stresses of preparing and racing his family-owned Modified with that of his Cup Series responsibilities.

“To win there would be huge,” Seuss said. “As long as I’ve been dreaming about it, having so much family and friends there, it would be a dream come true.”