WMUR News
Katie Arnold may only weigh 5 pounds but she has become the luckiest NASCAR fan of the year. How can a newborn baby be so lucky as to win a lifetime supply of two NASCAR tickets? Let’s just say it was not a normal pit stop for Katie’s mom, Shawna Arnold.
Katie was born at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway this past Friday. Here’s the kick: she was born in the parking lot, and it was not planned to go that way.
Shawna was in the car with her boyfriend on the way to the hospital when she figured out the baby wasn’t going to wait any longer after her water broke. They immediately pulled into the NASCAR parking lot as Shawna’s boyfriend ran inside the ticket office to alert them of the situation
When he got back to the car, it was time for the delivery; the couple began to self-deliver the baby in their Saturn Sedan. Afterwards, Arnold’s boyfriend rushed to the main office for help.
Luckily Tom Blanchette, the Operations Director for the Speedway had an EMT background and was within close distance to the parking lot. The couple felt very comfortable and appreciated the help with their newborn baby.
In addition to his help, since there was a motorcycle event going on, there were extra EMT staff and ambulances on-hand in case of an emergency on the track. The crew was able to transport Katie and Shawna to the hospital where they found out that Katie was a normal healthy newborn with no complications.
Due to their unexpected birth in the parking lot, General Manager Jerry Gappens awarded them with two free tickets for life and needless to say, this was the first birth to ever occur at the New Hampshire Speedway.
