Palmer Motorsports Park (PMP) was intended to be the flagship track of the New England Region Sports Car Club of America (NER SCCA). NER SCCA formed a "New Track Committee" and LLC (NER Investments). After five+ years, a 500+ acre lot atop Whiskey Hill in Palmer was found.
In the following year, NER Investments produced and submitted building plans for a motorsports park. In December 2007, after professional review and public hearings, the Palmer Planning Board issued a special-use permit. A local racer then took control and filed an amended site plan: a new circuit (shown here), a hotel, garages suites and Barkow Leibinger building,summary, which was approved in February 2009.
Following the 2008 recession, the project stalled out. When funding, land and permits were finally in hand, ground was broken in late 2013 by J. Read Corp (Groundbreaking Memo). After much work and a few hiccups, in May 2015 Whiskey Hill Raceway opened: a bidirectional 2.3 mile circuit with 500+ feet of elevation and vistas into New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and New York. Road & Track magazine proclaimed Whiskey Hill Raceway one of the top 10 race tracks to drive in North America.
No history is complete without naming names. First and foremost, NER SCCA's Dick Patullo, Bruce Allen and Rob Laverty, who: chaired the committee, Excel'd a biz plan, and designed a 2-mile balanced-site circuit; SCCA and town officials who cut red tape – Kathy Barnes, Bob Ring & Don Duffy, Mike Marciniec & Linda Leduc; Tim Pappas, for his eco-prescient plans; Glenn Conser and Bill Kephart for their "Rocky Mountain High" Plains support. Credit (literally) goes to Don Anderson & Hampden County Bank for their good-faith money and Greg Read & Dan Moeller for their dogged labor; and to HMS’ Joe Marko & TMS’ Will Turner for their advice; and lastly, your court jester & scribe "Fast Fred."
History continues to be made by: Christopher Tier, Al Sandy, JC, Kaleigh, Kevin, Matt, Mark, Nick, Stan & staff who scrub floors, wack weeds, wave flags, pump gas, guard the gates, post the pics & keep the lights on; and by our sponsors and members and everyone who races around the circuit or just hangs out in the paddock.