Merritt cancels PASS race at ’95’ after Unity date change

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A full card of Pro All-Stars Series racing scheduled for Sept. 10 at Hermon’s Speedway 95 has been cancelled.

And there may not be another PASS-sanctioned race at Speedway 95 in the foreseeable future if Speedway 95 co-owner Del Merritt has his way.

PASS founder and president Tom Mayberry explained that a PASS Outlaws division race was scheduled for Aug. 27 at Unity Raceway, but Unity owner Ralph Nason asked to re-schedule the race for Saturday night, Sept. 9.

“We had two earlier Outlaw races on Sunday afternoon and they didn’t do well [attendance-wise]. Typically, Sunday afternoons don’t do well. So I told Tom I’d like the next one to be on a Saturday night,” said Nason. “Tom suggested we do it on Sept. 9.”

That would have created a doubleheader weekend with Outlaw races at Unity and Speedway 95 on successive nights.

“That would have saved on travel costs for the drivers, especially the ones from New Hampshire,” explained Mayberry.

But Merritt took exception to the idea when it was relayed to him by PASS media coordinator Bill Quirk.

“That doesn’t make sense,” said Merritt. “I told [Quirk] it wasn’t a very good plan. The car count wouldn’t have been very good on Sunday night. Some of the cars would be all ‘stove up’ [from the Saturday race at Unity].”

Mayberry, who rents the facility from Merritt, said he fully understood Merritt’s point of view.

“There could have been a big wreck on Saturday night,” said Mayberry. “But I thought there would have been a larger car count for a doubleheader weekend. We’ve had doubleheaders before. They would have had to race with their heads [to avoid wrecks] on Saturday night.”

In addition, the Dysart’s 150 PASS North Super Late Model race that had been rained out July 22 at Speedway 95 was tentatively scheduled for Sept. 10, along with a PASS Modified race.

“But [Bill Quirk] said it wasn’t financially feasible. It would have required too much of a payoff [in purse money from PASS],” said Merritt.

Mayberry explained they would have had to bring in more than $40,000 from ticket sales to break even and “there’s no way we could have done that.”

So everything was cancelled.

Instead, Merritt has scheduled a full program of racing for Sept. 9, going head to head with the PASS Outlaws race at Unity.

Merritt is irritated by the fact he hasn’t been able to discuss the situation with Mayberry. The two had a 15-second phone call earlier this week that was cut short when Mayberry’s cell phone cut out.

“I was in a bad cell area,” explained Mayberry, who was been traveling to Canada for Saturday’s Atlantic Cat 250 at Scotia Speedworld in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“Tom knows my number. He knew it when he wanted to schedule a race so I assume he knows it now,” said Merritt.

Mayberry said he has been busy and admitted, “I’ve probably spread myself way too thin,” with the five PASS series he is overseeing.

Merritt said he and Mayberry have always been on “good standing” but feels slighted because he was always willing to schedule PASS races at Speedway 95 even when the six-year series was in its infancy and trying to book in to tracks.

Merritt said as far as he is concerned, he has no interest in scheduling any future PASS races.

Mayberry hopes to smooth things over.

“I have never had a problem with Del. We have always gotten along really, really good,” said Mayberry, who added, Del, co-owner Alice Baker and their staff members are “awfully good people.”

Unity Raceway rebuilding

Ralph Nason Jr. and his staff are in a “rebuilding” mode at Unity Raceway this season.

Nason Jr., son of racetrack owner Ralph Nason, is the track manager and race director this season. He was just the manager last year but assumed the race director role this season when Scott Pooler didn’t return.

His father eliminated the Pro Stock division during the 2005 season and then shut down the track a month early, citing dwindling attendance and car counts.

There are no Pro Stock or Super Sportsman classes this season.

“I’m pleased with what we’ve accomplished so far,” said Nason Jr. “Any time you delete a couple of divisions, you’re going to get controversy. We knew we were stepping on some toes. There was a lot of bad blood.

“We’re on the right track but the racer in me wants it to happen quicker,” said Nason Jr.

They have five classes on Saturday night: Super Street, Wildcats, Mini-Stocks, Mini-Trucks and Pro-Fours.

They have five classes in their “Thursday Thrillas” program for entry level drivers: Men’s and Women’s Peanut Divisions, Teenage division, Wildcats and the Ramp Race class.

Nason Jr. said he spent the early portion of the season establishing the rules and guidelines for the drivers.

He said the car counts are growing.

“We had 40 or 50 cars on Saturday night [early] but now we’re up into the 80s,”

said Nason Jr. “We were in the 30s and 40s on Thursday nights but now we’re up into the 50s and 60s.”

He also said attendance has been on the increase. They average 1,000 on Saturday and 500 on Thursday.