Palmer Motorsports Park
Whiskey Hill Raceway — 2.3 miles up and down a New England mountainside, with a paid club on top of a public calendar.
Photos
Real photos of the facility, contributed to Google by visitors and members, refreshed automatically as new ones are posted. Click any photo to expand.
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Video: fast laps & facility tours
Curated onboard and tour footage from members and visitors.
The verdict
Palmer Motorsports Park is built into Whiskey Hill in central Massachusetts, and its 2.3-mile circuit is one of the most dramatic in the Northeast: 14 cambered corners, 40 feet of width, roughly 190 ft of absolute elevation and about 509 ft of cumulative elevation change over a lap, run in either direction. It came out of the New England Region SCCA, opened in May 2015, and works as a hybrid — public track rentals and driving programmes share the calendar with a paid membership programme. Palmer publishes real numbers for its entry tiers, which is rare: a $2,500 trial membership with four member days that credits fully toward a full membership, and a $5,000 annual membership covering ten club member track days. The full Drivers Club tier is by application. There is no garage-condo or residential product here — this is a driving club, not a real estate play.
Best forBoston, Hartford and Springfield drivers who care more about the road course than the clubhouse, and anyone who wants to trial a club membership before spending big.
Ratings by category
Every club on this site is scored on the same eight categories. See our method.
- Value for money
- Cost of entry and dues versus what a member actually gets.
- Amenities & service
- Clubhouse, dining, garages, staff, trackside support.
- Technical challenge
- How demanding the circuit is to learn and drive quickly.
- Fun factor
- Flow, elevation, commitment corners — how good it feels.
- Track time access
- Realistic open-lapping availability across the year.
- Member community
- Culture, events, coaching, racing series, no-jerks factor.
- Real estate & garages
- Quality and availability of trackside garages and homes.
- Weather & driving season
- Calculated from NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals: dry days, snow-free days, temperatures and comfortable driving months.
- 282 dry days/yr350 snow-free days/yrAvg 58° / 38°F7 comfortable driving monthsNOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, nearest station USC00190562 (6 mi).
Membership & costs
Joining fee is the one-time cost to become a member. Dues are the recurring monthly or annual cost. Property costs are separate — buying or leasing a garage or home at the club is not the same as a membership fee.
Membership fees & dues
| Tier | Joining fee | Dues | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trial membership | $2,500 | Included | Four member days; 100% of the fee applies toward a full membership. |
| Annual membership | $5,000 | Annual | Ten club member track days including open lapping dates; convertible to full membership. |
| Drivers Club | Contact club | Contact club | Full membership tier, by application. |
Palmer is not exclusively members-only: the venue also runs public track rentals and driving programmes, so members share a busy calendar. Entry tiers are openly priced, which makes it one of the easiest clubs in the country to try before committing.
Fee sources: Palmer club membership, Palmer Motorsports Park events
What works
- About 509 ft of cumulative elevation change per lap — among the best terrain in the Northeast
- Runs in both directions, so the circuit reads as two tracks
- Openly published trial and annual membership pricing
- Trial fee credits fully toward full membership
What to weigh up
- A hybrid venue, not a members-only club — the public shares the calendar
- No garage condominiums or on-site real estate
- New England weather shortens the season considerably
- Full Drivers Club pricing is not published
Amenities
- 2.3-mile bidirectional mountainside circuit
- 40 pit stalls and 14 flag stations
- Member club days and open lapping
- Cars & Coffee and marque club events
- Charity and car-club programming
- Upper paddock with phased expansion
- Driving programmes and instruction
What members and guests are saying
Aggregated public feedback from Google reviews, plus quoted member, owner and guest comments from public forums.
From member forums
Verbatim excerpts from public owner and enthusiast forums, quoted with attribution and linked to the original thread. These are member and guest opinions, not our own, and they never influence our editorial rating.
“Got to go for some instructor laps around pmp this weekend. It exceeded my expectations, I really liked the layout and think it will be a truly great racetrack. It has a TON of elevation change and some really nuanced sections that will take a bit of time to learn.”
sesto elementoEvent attendee· May 17, 2015Grassroots Motorsports forum: Palmer Motorsports Park“$350 for the track's open lapping days, which gives you something like 4.5 hours of track time, but they fill up early.”
WonkoTheSaneEvent attendee· Aug 11, 2017Grassroots Motorsports forum: Palmer Motorsports Park“You might say I have a love-hate relationship with it and with management. … It is a fun roller coaster track though. I find it quite challenging.”
ScargodEvent attendee· May 17, 2015Grassroots Motorsports forum: Palmer Motorsports Park
Upcoming events
Public track days, racing, schools and social events at this facility, refreshed weekly. Member-only sessions are usually not listed publicly.
Current weather
Live conditions at Palmer, MA, so you know what the track is doing today.
Location
Palmer, MA · open the map for Google Maps directions.
Getting there
- Springfield, MA~30 min
- Worcester, MA~40 min
- Hartford, CT~50 min
- Boston, MA~1 hr 30 min
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