Santerre’s race career stuck in neutral Sponsorship is major concern

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Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre has won three consecutive Busch North points championships but he may not be back to defend his title.

However, he said he could be in a part-time Busch Grand National or NASCAR Craftsman Truck series ride, or might find himself working in a race shop instead.

Santerre said he will be back in Busch North if primary sponsor Aubuchon Hardware is willing to come up with the $400,000 it spent a year ago.

It costs $500,000 to run a Busch North race team for a year, he said.

But he is hearing the company doesn’t want to allocate that much money to the program, and coming up with another primary sponsor could be difficult.

“I’m going to talk to Aubuchon next week to see if we can come to an agreement. If not, I’ll start looking for something else,” said the 36-year-old Santerre who has 11 wins, 33 top-five finishes and 39 top-10s in 49 Busch North races over the past three seasons.

He won five of 13 races this past season.

He also has a Busch Grand National win to his credit and was the BGN Rookie of the Year in 1998.

Scarborough native Joe Bessey, Santerre’s team owner, has decided to get out of the business because he has several other ventures and he wasn’t making any money in the Busch North Series, according to Santerre.

Bessey intends to sell the equipment, which includes four cars.

“Joe would like to see me get the equipment if I want it,” said Santerre. “Then I would end up owning the team.”

However, he reiterated that Aubuchon Hardware’s financial commitment will dictate whether or not he purchases the equipment at the shop in Harrisburg, N.C.

If they do make the necessary financial commitment, he said he has a partner lined up who will help him purchase his two favorite cars and much of the other equipment including the trailer. The price tag would be in the $250,000 range.

One of the stumbling blocks, according to Santerre, is the uncertain future of the financially-strapped Busch North Series. NASCAR is contemplating expanding the northeast-based series to tracks in the south with more seating.

That could lead to a better TV deal.

Busch North hasn’t released its schedule for 2005 and that has left Aubuchon Hardware in limbo.

Aubuchon Hardware has 140 stores throughout five New England states, excluding Rhode Island, and New York.

“If they move some of the races down south, that doesn’t do Aubuchon Hardware any good,” explained Santerre. “That won’t do any [northeast] regional sponsor any good.”

However, he has learned that only one race is scheduled for south of the Mason-Dixon line and that will be Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Labor Day weekend.

Meanwhile, he has offers to drive a limited schedule for some truck teams and a prominent Busch Grand National organization.

“I won’t just drive a limited Busch North schedule. I can’t make a living and I can’t keep all the other people working,” said Santerre.

“I would like to drive a full Busch North schedule and also do 8-10 truck races,” said Santerre.

If that doesn’t come to fruition, he could drive limited schedules in both series or he could land a ride with that Busch Grand National team.

He wouldn’t divulge the team but said, “It will have a Nextel Cup driver for 20 races, but needs somebody else for the other 16. They aren’t tied in to any Nextel Cup teams. I’m waiting to hear back from them.”

He would also consider a full-time truck or Busch Grand National series ride if it came his way.

“I want to keep driving but I’m real particular about what I drive. I want to drive something that is capable of winning,” said Santerre. “If not, I won’t do it.

“I’m making a living. I’m not getting rich but I’m having fun. That means a lot to me. When you get to the higher levels, there’s more stress. It’s a lot tougher and there’s a lot more things you can’t control. In Busch North, I can control my own destiny. I work on my own cars and hire my own people. That continuity is why we’ve been so successful,” said Santerre who added that he will apply for a job in the Hendrick Motorsports shop if his rides fall through.

If he drives in the truck series, he will be racing against Newburgh native Ricky Craven. Former Nextel Cup driver and two-time winner Craven will be driving the No. 50 truck for Roush Racing next season.

“That’s a good deal for him,” said Santerre. “He’s going to win races and make people see that if he gets good equipment, he can still do it behind the wheel. He couldn’t prove that with the equipment he had the last year and a half. That equipment [Tide No. 32] wasn’t up to par.

“In this business, you’re only as good as the car you’re driving,” added Santerre. “Hopefully, he’ll get back to where he wants to be in the Nextel Cup series.”