Steve Park said it's like being home when he's here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He said there's a lot of inexperience with the youth in the Camping World East Series today. He does ask his spotter to keep him informed of who he is racing around on the track and what their experience level is because he just doesn't know.

Park was asked what his goal was. His answer: "to win races." He said there is nothing on the horizon right now for the Modified Tour.

Austin Dillon also came in to chat with us in the media center. First, I have to say that he looks much too young to be driving a race car. When asked how he felt about the pressure to drive the number 3 car, he said he didn't have any. He said you have to look at it as fun. His grandfather (Richard Childress) tells him to just have fun and to stay in the gas coming off the corners.

Ricky Carmichael and Austin Dillon

Ricky Carmichael came into the media center to chat with all of us. I think I was a bit awe struck when I first saw him. He says the transition to racing is going really good. He's happy with how things are shaking out so far. It's been fun for him. He really likes the sport.

The competetive nature in car racing is the same as it is in motocross. He says however, driving a car requires more mental concentration than driving motorcycles.

There's yet another reason for me to like Ricky Carmichael...he's life-long friends with Clint Bowyer. Their family's are really close. When asked if he has visited Clint Bowyer's track at his house, he said he hasn't. Then he said that he jokes around with Bowyer and calls him "Hollywood" because he's always so busy.

He said he will never turn his back on motocross. He is still contracted with Suzuki for this year and next year. "It's the sport that made me who I am and I will never turn my back on it." He said although he is done racing, he will however, be competing in the X games. He talked about the step up competition which he said doesn't require much practice. He said Schrader was giving him a hard time about the step up competition he was in this year but then said that Schrader's just as crazy as he is.

Jerry Gappens, Executive Vice President & General Manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, came in and spoke about what changes will be coming our way.

He said that now that the snow is out of the way, he can take a much clearer look at what needs to be done around the facility. He said when he came to Loudon in November, NHMS reminded him of what Bristol Motor Speedway looked like 12 years ago, when Bruton Smith bought the track. Gappens sees this track as being the Lowe's Motor Speedway of New England.

One change you will see by the June race is electronic directional signs at the front entrance. There will be banners on the back side of the grandstands, for possible advertising. There will be 10 transportation vehicles to give campers and fans rides to and from the camping areas and parking lots to the grandstands.

He says the road racing is not in jeopardy. He would not speculate at what the road racing would look like in 3-5 years, but said it was here first so it's an important part of NHMS. Another change in the future could be possibly flipping the front stretch and back stretch. He mentioned that a couple times today.

He said there are still tickets available for the June race but isn't too worried about them being filled. With the economy as it is today, people are making last minute decisions to purchase tickets and make the decision to attend the race.

As for lights at the racetrack...the agreement that was written 18 years ago, prevents that. It is something that may be revisited. He thinks that in the not so distant future that most tracks will be required by NASCAR to have lights in place.