Pumpkins and lemons take over New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend

LOUDON — The Extreme Chunkin Festival and the 24 Hours of Lemons Halloween Hooptie-fest arrive at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend.

Pumpkins will fill the sky as 23 teams battle it out at the Extreme Chunkin Festival, looking to break a world record for shooting a pumpkin one mile. The fall festival at New Hampshire Motor Speedway features two days of pumpkin launching, a car show, live music, kids archery, face painting, carnival rides, food and drink vendors, and more.

American Chunker will return to the competition as current world record holder (4,694.68 feet) and 2017 ExtremeChunkin Festival top winner. Last year, this air cannon launched 4,381 feet, but this weekend, the team from Merrimack has their eyes set on breaking a world record by reaching one mile. 

The Yankee Siege medieval trebuchet from Greenfield, a six-time world champion weighing 58,000 pounds, will return for exhibition launches sending a car, piano, snowmobile and two nearly 1,500-pound pumpkins — grown in Merrimack by the New Hampshire Giant Pumpkin Growers Association — into the air.

While pumpkins rule the S9 campground, lemons will take over the infield as the 24 Hours of Lemons Halloween Hooptiefest returns to the 1.6-mile road course. The 24 Hours of Lemons is the world’s first endurance race series for cars that cost $500 or less.

This year’s event has more than 100 teams from all over the country competing with vehicles of all ages, including Nuthin’ But A Z Thang’s 1976 Datsun. During the two-day, 14.5-hour endurance race, infractions may send teams to the penalty box for a time out. Speedway Children’s Charities New Hampshire Chapter sells passes that will get the team out of penalty box. Teams, which each include two drivers and as many crew members as they want, are encouraged to decorate the lemons and wear costumes to the event.

Tickets include infield access, with a portion of the proceeds going to Speedway Children’s Charities New Hampshire Chapter.

For further information, visit www.NHMS.com or call Fan Relations at 603-783-4931.