Nason resumes hands-on oversight at Unity Raceway

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Ralph Nason is back as a hands-on owner of Unity Raceway, one of three stock car tracks he owns.

Nason also will race a Chevy Monte Carlo sponsored by Hight Chevrolet “eight or nine times.

“I’m excited about that but I’m looking more forward to working at the race track, getting it ship-shape and making everything work good,” said the 65-year-old Nason who spent a lot of his time the past few years commuting between his home in Unity and Autodrome Montmagny, the track he owns in Quebec.

There also would be occasional stops to his other track, Spud Speedway in Caribou.

But Spud Speedway is still dormant, and Nason is leasing Autodrome Montmagny this year to three Quebec businessmen

John Crawford had leased Unity Raceway the past three seasons but met with Nason after the 2004 season and decided not to return.

Nason feels Crawford did an exceptional job running the track the first year but said things deteriorated after that and he wants to improve it.

“Some of the equipment didn’t work because he didn’t maintain it,” said Nason, who was still willing to let Crawford lease it again if he made some necessary changes but Crawford was reluctant to do so.

“It was his decision,” said Nason.

Crawford said he asked Nason “to do a few things for me but Ralph said it wasn’t going to happen.”

Paving the pit area and improving the restroom facilities were two improvements Crawford sought.

“I wasn’t going to hot-top the pit area for $20,000- $30,000- $40,000,” said Nason who had lost confidence in Crawford’s direction.

“When you come right down to it, I didn’t want to do it again. It takes a lot of time and I was disappointed with the weather the last two years. That really takes a toll,” said Crawford, who added that the death of driver Allen Fletcher due to head injuries suffered during a Unity race in 2002 had a negative impact on him.

“It made me nervous every time I saw another wreck,” said Crawford, who added that his relationship with girlfriend Tammy Pooler also suffered.

Crawford acknowledged that Nason owns the track and he makes the final decision on any improvements.

“I don’t blame Ralph. He owns the place. If I owned the track, things would have been different,” said Crawford.

He was taken aback by Nason’s criticism.

“We didn’t lose any fans or sponsors and in the three years Tammy and I were here, we went from 60 to 95 to 135 [cars] in the pits,” said Crawford. “I don’t understand how he could say that.”

However, he admitted that “my personal life was an issue.”

Crawford said he put between $30,000 and $45,000 of his own money into the track and that Nason also put money into it.

Despite their differences, they harbor no ill will.

“I’m not mad at him and he’s not mad at me,” said Nason.

“Ralph and [wife] Nancy were very good to us,” said Crawford, who is now producing and co-hosting his own hour-long cable motorsports show with Marco Thomas called ‘Mainely Motorsports.’

Crawford, a Newport native, feels Unity Raceway will have a productive year.

“Ralph should do well. We had the second-largest car counts in the state on Saturday nights behind Oxford Plains [Speedway],” he said. “I hope he does well. I grew up going to races at Unity.”

He feels if Nason had been able to be attend more Unity races the past couple of years, “things would have worked better. It we were involved more together, it would have been a grand slam.”

Last month, Nason had to smooth over a move by Unity townspeople to restrict operations at the track. Late-night noise was the biggest culprit.

“It was the first town meeting I had attended in 18 years,” said Nason, who told the townspeople “we’ll be done by 11 to 11:30. That’s what we’re shooting for and I think we’ll do it.”

Nason has eliminated the 15-minute intermission and replaced race director Dan Ayotte with Scott Pooler.

In addition, much of Nason’s family will be involved in running the raceway, especially on race nights.

Meanwhile, Crawford said he “loves” doing his weekly TV show and that “sponsors are coming out of the woodwork to be on it.”

The Unity Raceway season will get under way Sunday, May 8. A 105-lap pro stock Triple Crown Series feature, which will pay the winner $3,500, will headline the card. Racing will start at 1.

It had been scheduled to open this Sunday but rain forced a postponement.