Doug White to purchase racetrack

Doug White’s “lifetime dream” of owning a stock car track has come true.

The 58-year-old White has agreed to a deal to buy Wiscasset Raceway from Liberty’s Dave St. Clair.

Terms of the arrangement were not disclosed, and the deal is expected to be completed in September.

White was the co-owner of DNK Select Cars and Trucks in Farmingdale but sold his share to his partner, Charlie Clark.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and the circumstances were right [to sell his share of the business and buy the track],” said White.

“I’m looking forward to running the facility and keeping Wiscasset Raceway for the local people,” said White. “We’re going to keep the local racing program just the way it is. Dave has a good program. And we’ll add some special events. I’m sure we’ll have the PASS [Pro All-Stars Series] here next year three or four times. I’d like to have some monster truck shows and bring [Nextel Cup driver] Ken Schrader back. We’ll have some diversity.”

Schrader has come to Wiscasset to race a Late Model car each of the last two years and has won both races.

St. Clair bought the raceway in 1991 but has had it on the market for several years.

“I feel good. Doug is a good guy. I’ve been here long enough. It needs some new blood. And I have some things I want to do,” said St. Clair. “I tied my family down long enough. This will give my family and friends an opportunity to do something else if they want to.”

St. Clair said he would like to devote more time to his own racing career. He has a stable of 14 cars and enjoys racing his Late Model and Super Street cars. He often races against his son, Puncin, and grandson Josh.

He added that this will also give him a chance to watch his grandson, 10-year-old Ashton Reynolds, race his go-kart.

Away from racing, St. Clair intends to take a cross country trip with wife Sandra in the RV they bought two years ago.

“I’ll do a little gambling. It’s always 70 degrees in casinos and there aren’t any clocks,” quipped St. Clair.

St. Clair admitted he will miss owning the track.

“I’ll miss the people. I’ve always gotten pretty good respect from the fans and the drivers. They know what I expect,” said St. Clair. “As far as I’m concerned, this is still the best track in the state to race on. Some of the drivers may not have liked me but they always liked the racetrack.”

White said he intends to “update the facility a little bit. I’ll brighten everything up and try to get a lot of advertisers and community people involved. To have the community behind you and working with you is a key to any good business.”

White brings an extensive background in racing to the table.

He has raced either stock cars or dragsters for 33 years and he runs a summer snowmobile drag racing series at Oxford Dragway on Friday nights.

In addition, his former company, DNK, has been one of the state’s most prolific sponsors of auto racing.

White and his wife, Rebecca, will live in a motor home at Wiscasset Raceway and he hopes to employ the same people who have worked for St. Clair.

“Dave has had a good bunch of people around him and I’d like to keep the same people around me as long as they want to stay,” said White.

White, who started DNK in Machias before moving it to Farmingdale, is in the process of making the transition.

“Dave and Sandra have been fantastic making sure it will be a smooth transition,” said White. “They have given me ample time to get my finances straightened away.”

He said the St. Clairs have showed him the ropes and Dave St. Clair said they will continue to continue to offer their assistance to him.

“There are a lot of internal things I have to learn, more than anything,” said White, who hopes to have everything under control as soon as possible so St. Clair can pursue his racing career and cross country RV excursion.