Speedway 95 on track to improve 2nd groove Owners hope to increase side-by-side racing

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Drivers at Hermon’s Speedway 95 regularly complain that there is just one racing groove, the outside groove, and that it is nearly impossible to pass someone while running on the inside groove.

In fact, Speedway 95 co-owners Del Merritt and Alice Baker have allowed the leaders of races to choose either the outside or inside groove on restarts following cautions and virtually all of the race leaders elect to start on the outside groove.

At most tracks, the leaders have to re-start on the inside groove.

Merritt said improving the track so there are two equal racing grooves will be a top priority after the season, which ends later this month.

“We have to make sure to get that fixed,” said Merritt. “We’re in the entertainment business. We have to be entertaining. And what makes racing interesting is side-by-side racing. That’s what makes it fun.”

His primary concern isn’t the complaints, it’s the fact “people may stop coming.”

He said there are some drivers who have set their cars up to run effectively on the inside groove but “it’s very few.”

The track was re-paved five years ago but Merritt and Baker were hit by what he termed a “$50,000 mistake.”

He explained that they re-paved the inside groove to make it faster but, unfortunately, it became considerably faster than the outside groove.

“We wound up with freight-train racing on the inside groove,” explained Merritt, referring to the fact it was extremely difficult to pass on the outside groove. “Fans don’t go to see the freight train [racing].”

So they re-paved the outside groove and installed some banking at an added expense of $50,000.

But that has now become the faster way around the track because there is more grip and drivers stuck on the inside are doomed.

Bangor’s Gary Smith, a long-time Pro Stock veteran both at Speedway 95 and on the Pro All-Stars Series tour, said the fact Merritt and Baker are going to address the situation is good news.

“We’ll be able to race [side-by-side] again. It isn’t racing now,” said Smith. “A lot of the PASS drivers don’t like to come here because it’s so hard to pass.”

Smith also pointed out that the current situation at the track can lead to plenty of driver frustration.

Frustrated and impatient drivers on the bottom will sometimes run the driver in the car on the outside groove up the track and that can result in a wreck or the car in the outside groove being pushed off the track.

“And both drivers wind up mad,” said Smith.

Merritt said he plans to check out all of his options to ensure side-by-side racing next year.

“They have to be careful not to make the inside faster than the outside,” said Smith.

Merritt explained, “We’ve got to make the inside groove faster or the outside groove slower. It may just be slowing down the outside groove by a tenth of a second or making the inside groove a tenth of a second faster.”

Smith disagrees.

“Making the outside groove slower isn’t going to help. Making it slippery, with the bottom already being slippery, doesn’t make sense,” said Smith.

Merritt said they would like to come up with a solution that will be economical as well as effective.

“If we find a liquid we can apply to the inside groove for two to three thousand dollars that will make it quicker for a couple of years before we have to apply it again, I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” said Merritt.

However, he noted that they may have to spend considerably more.

“I’m sure if we need to, we’ll be able to find the money,” he said.

Speedway 95 twinbill on tap

Speedway 95 has a rare doubleheader this weekend.

Regular racing divisions wil be held along with the half-scale, Mini-Cup cars beginning on Saturday night at 7.

Then, on Sunday afternoon at 2, the PASS Late Model Outlaws and Sportsman divisions will hold features to go with the Speedway 95 regulars in the Sport-4s and Strictly Streets.

The Speedway 95 Pro Stock cars can race with the Outlaws and the Super Streets can race with the PASS Sportsman class if they so desire.

The Speedway 95 Limiteds won’t be racing Sunday.