The No. 20 NASCAR Cup Series hauler passes in front of the State Capitol on Main Street in Concord Friday during NHMS' first ever hauler parade through downtown to kick off the NASCAR Playoffs Weekend. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/NHMS)

LOUDON – NASCAR fans showed up in droves as the opening day of New England’s only NASCAR Playoffs weekend delivered a full slate of on-track action capped by a night of dirt racing under the lights in front of a full house at The Flat Track.

Before engines fired at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), the day kicked off by the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Hauler Parade through downtown Concord, drawing tremendous crowds of race fans. With a police escort and horns blaring, the brightly colored transporters rolled down Main Street as families lined the sidewalks, waving checkered flags and snapping photos and Governor Kelly Ayotte waved the green flag to officially mark the start of The Granite State’s annual NASCAR weekend.

On-track action continues on Doubleheader Saturday with the Mohegan Sun 100 NWMT race, the Team EJP 175 NCTS Playoffs race and NCS practice and qualifying. The on-track action culminates Sunday with the NCS taking on “The Magic Mile” to kick off the Round of 12 with the Mobil 1 301.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) started things off with practice and qualifying for Saturday’s Mohegan Sun 100. Justin Bonsignore, a three-time NHMS NWMT race winner, secured the pole position and will lead the field to green at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday. Bonsignore, chasing his fourth victory (third consecutive) at “The Magic Mile,” emphasized the stakes.

“It’s always important to win the pole,” he said. “This is our biggest race of the season. We’re behind in the points right now, so we’ve got to go out and try to win as much as we can and see what we can do.”

At midday, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) made its long-awaited return to NHMS for the first time since 2017. Qualifying for the Team EJP 175 set the stage for Saturday’s playoff battle, with current points leader Corey Heim earning the top spot on the grid. The 175-lap event will mark a pivotal step in the championship hunt.

“It’s definitely a big advantage to be out front here,” Heim said. “Track position makes a huge different, so starting on the pole is important. Now it’s about staying there.”

Friday’s schedule wrapped up just outside the main oval with the annual SIG SAUER Academy Dirt Duels event at The Flat Track. Fans were treated to an evening of high-intensity dirt racing, highlighting the variety of disciplines and excitement that have become staples of NHMS’s annual NASCAR weekend.

Friday Flat Track feature winners included:

Travis Billington (Sprint Cars of New England Feature One), Matt Tanner (Sprint Cars of New England Feature Two), Robert Leonard (Granite State Micro Sprints 500s Feature),Jacob Perry (Xtreme Dirt Midget Association Feature),

Chase Rodgers (Granite State Micro Sprints 600s Feature),Will Hull (Sprint Cars of New England Showdown Race).

Of note, a miscommunication by the flagger resulted in Jake Wolf slowing one lap too early, allowing Robert Leonard to bet by and win the Granite State Micro Sprints 500s Feature.

Hull, a two-time Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) champion (2018, 2019) from Plainfield, Vt., is now a three-time NHMS Dirt Duels champ and third on the all-time SCoNE win list.