A little bit of hockey and a little bit of rock 'n roll - that's how two of the biggest races of this weekend will start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Boston Bruins forward Tim Schaller and Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard will serve as honorary Toyota Camry pace car drivers for the NASCAR XFINITY Series AutoLotto 200 on July 16 and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 301 on July 17.
"It's been a whirlwind week or so. First signing with the Bruins, which is a dream come true for me, and now I get the chance to drive the pace car before a NASCAR race," said Schaller, who signed with the Bruins on July 1. "I really couldn't be more excited to be a part of this. I'm a huge race fan and have been going to the races in Loudon for the last 10 years. I can't wait to actually get on the track."
"This is such a cool opportunity to be able to lead some of the best race car drivers in the world to the start of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race," said Lessard, who's been with Dave Matthews Band since 1991. "I think the hardest part for me will be pulling off the track and down pit road. I'm going to want to stay out there and race."
Schaller, a 25-year-old native of Merrimack, N.H., will lead the XFINITY Series field to green for the AutoLotto 200 at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 16. Schaller played his collegiate hockey at Providence College and is entering his fourth season as a professional. Schaller has two goals and three assists in 35 games at the NHL level. He scored his first NHL goal against Bruins All-Star goaltender Tuukka Rask as a member of the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden on Dec. 21, 2014.
Lessard will make a pit stop from the Dave Matthews Band's summer tour, including two sold out concerts here in New Hampshire, and pace the field for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, July 17 at 1:30 p.m. As a member of Dave Matthews Band, Stefan has sold more than 20 million tickets and a collective 38 million CDs and DVDs combined. Dave Matthews Band is also the first group in history to have six consecutive studio albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Schaller and Lessard join an exclusive list of celebrity pace car drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including New England Patriots Julian Edelman and Rob Ninkovich, Olympic triathlete Sarah True, and Boston Bruins legend Brad Park.
Schaller and Lessard will be required to go through a mandatory pace car orientation class on the morning of their respective races. The AutoLotto 200 and New Hampshire 301 can both be seen live on the NBC Sports Network.
To see Schaller and Lessard and be a part of the largest sporting event in New England, purchase your tickets, VIP exclusive opportunities and premium parking to the July New Hampshire 301 or September New England 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends by stopping by our ticket office, visiting the speedway website at www.nhms.com, or calling our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931.
