Ricky Craven’s store in Belfast gutted by fire

BELFAST – A Sunday morning blaze gutted Winston Cup racer Ricky Craven’s store in Belfast.

Fire departments were alerted at about 7 a.m. and stayed at the Searsport Avenue site until about noon. Nobody was in the building at the time.

The business, Ricky Craven Motorsports North, opened in September 2000 and sold all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and racing paraphernalia. Lauri Matheson, Craven’s sister and manager of the store, described the fire as a setback that will not put an end to the business.

“We are ready to fight and build a new business,” she said, also expressing relief that nobody was hurt. “It’s life, it does happen,” Matheson said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Matheson said that in addition to merchandise, trophies and other memorabilia were destroyed. As to a value estimate, Matheson said, “A lot of it’s priceless.”

Matheson said the store would open a temporary office Monday morning.

She said Craven was upset when he heard the news. It was just before he was to race in the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., but Matheson decided Craven would rather hear from her than through the grapevine.

“Then he went out there and raced a great race,” Matheson added. Craven finished in eighth place.