Newburgh’s Ricky Craven said he has always had a “passion for motorsports outside of auto racing.”

So the Winston Cup driver for the Midwest Transit team has announced that he is opening Ricky Craven Motorsports North in Belfast on Nov. 1. The building is 7500 square feet and a portion of it will contain a Gambino’s sub shop.

“I’ve had it in my plans for three years. I bought a building in Belfast that overlooks the harbor. We’ll be selling snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and NASCAR collectibles,” said Craven. “I have shied away from putting my name on other businesses because I wanted to do something the way I wanted to do it. I wanted to build something enjoyable, something I really love. I’ve been riding four-wheelers and snowmobiles my entire life. I wanted to wait for the right time to do this and this is the right time.

“And I wanted to have a place people can enjoy.”

Craven would not divulge any financial numbers but quipped, “I borrowed plenty of money.”

Craven and wife K.K. are the majority owners and Searsmont’s Jim Leo is a percentage owner. Craven’s sister, Lauri Matheson, will handle the retail aspect of the business.

There will be plenty of trophies and memorabilia from Craven’s career on hand.

“There are so many memories and I want to share them with people,” said Craven, the 1995 Winston Cup rookie of the year.

The resurgence of Belfast, thanks to MBNA, made it an attractive site for Craven.

“I’m so proud of Belfast, Maine. I can’t believe the effort people put into it. It’s a beautiful area and a great place to live and raise kids. And it’s only about 15 miles from Newburgh,” said Craven, who intends to fly in once a month to spend time at the business.

He said he would eventually like to sell motorcyles and boat He said he would eventually like to sell motorcyles and boats “as well as a variety of other things.”

The 34-year-old Craven is currently 46th in Winston Cup points for his underfinanced and undermanned team. There is no primary sponsor and, being a two-year-old team, they can’t earn provisionals. So they have to pick and choose their races and then qualify. He has run nine of the 23 races and his average finish has been 34th. His average start has been 21st.

He said he has had several offers to drive for Busch Grand National teams next season but that is not the direction he wants to go.

“I’m not saying I won’t consider that down the road. But I believe, under the right circumstances, that I’m a top 10 Winston Cup driver and that’s what I’m holding out for,” said Craven, who intends to finish the season for the Midwest Transit No. 50 team.

“Our program has a lot of potential,” said Craven. “But we have to have our A game every week.”

They won’t run the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (S.C.) on Sunday but will try to qualify for the Chevy Monte Carlo 500 in Richmond the following Saturday, Sept. 9.

Three vying for IPSC crown

The International Pro Stock Challenge series is down to two races and just six points separate leader Andy Shaw of Center Conway, N.H., second-place John Flemming of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and Turner’s Benji Rowe.

The White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. will host Sunday’s noon 150-lap race, the 10th of 11 in the series.

Rowe, who won last weekend’s race, the Motor Home Vacations 150 at the Centre For Speed in Shediac, New Brunswick, was second in the series to Scott Fraser (by six points) a year ago and doesn’t want to repeat that this year.

“Last year, it came down to me and Scott. Hopefully, we’ll come out on top this year. To have three of us separated by just six points is pretty neat,” said Rowe, who particularly enjoys racing long-time friend Shaw.

“Andy and I are good friends. We used to race each other in Busch North. We hang out together sometimes. I have my good days, he has his good days and we sit back and joke and laugh about it,” said the 25-year-old Rowe. “All three of us are running good right now. It may all come down to bonus points.”

Drivers get bonus points for leading a lap and for leading the most laps.

Rowe said it will be very important to earn a top qualifying spot during time trials over the quarter-mile track at White Mountain because more accidents occur in the middle and back of the pack.

He said if any of the three drivers finish out of the top 10 on Sunday, they could very well be eliminated from competition for the points title.

Rowe likes his chances because he and his team are on a roll after a shaky start.

“In the beginning of the year, we had flat tires, we got into accidents, we couldn’t do anything right. But we never stopped digging and, right now, we’ve got momentum on our side. We’ve finished in the top three the last three or four races,” said Rowe, who drives a 1999 Chevy Monte Carlo.

The final race, the Parts for Trucks 150, will be on Sept. 9 at Scotia Speedworld in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On Friday mornings, the NEWS will feature a person, site, or event in the Maine auto racing scene.