Palmer Motorsports Park
Palmer Motorsports Park is an operating motorsports park in Hampden County, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of West Ware Road and Bacon Road in the town of Palmer. The creation of the track was approved by Palmer on December 4, 2007, and in 2009 underwent review by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.[1]
Palmer was to be a "flagship" track of the New England Region (NER) of the Sports Car Club of America. Like Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California, owned and operated by SCCA's Cal Club Region, Palmer was to be owned and operated by a limited liability company created by NER. The Track search commission started in the early 2000s. In addition to Palmer, as of 2015 NER operates at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, Connecticut.[2] Due to their heavy use by NASCAR and other racing entities, the costs of renting these tracks has become higher (combined with the remote location and high cost of lodging at Lime Rock), and as part of the club's continuing mission to provide more opportunities for its members to race, NER proposed the creation of their own track.[3] However, the region has divested itself of any legal and financial responsibility for the creation and operation of the track as of early 2015. Despite delays with the previous developers, work on Palmer continued by partners Fred Ferguson and Jonathan Fryer in 2014–2015.
Palmer Motorsports Park opened in May 2015. The Whiskey Hill Raceway at Palmer Motorsports Park features a 2.3-mile road course with 190 feet of elevation and 14 turns. It can be driven in both the Clockwise or Counter-clockwise direction(different days only) The turns are numbered the same regardless of direction being run. This makes for easy discussion of a specific turn when learning. The track is very technical and deserves full attention and respect from drivers. Stay on the pavement and you will have a great time! The track is accessible to club members and general public on various days designated by their website calendar. Instruction is required for first time track drivers and recommended for others who wish to improve their skills. Professional coaching is available through the track by appointment. Whiskey Hill Raceway is the shining star in motorsports in Massachusetts/New England and is becoming legendary.
Road & Track magazine has named Palmer Motorsports Park one of the top 10 racetracks to drive in North America.