Spud Speedway on fast track in racing’s return County facility draws cars, fans

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Greg Veinote hoped to eventually have the car counts and attendance figures he attained at Caribou’s Spud Speedway this summer. He just didn’t expect them this soon.

“I had all the confidence in the world people would come back and support this thing. But I didn’t anticipate seeing these kinds of numbers until the beginning of next year,” said Veinote, who bought the track from Ralph and Nancy Nason earlier this summer and provided Aroostook County with its first stock car racing action since 2000.

There were a total of 32-34 cars spread among three classes on July 22, the first day of racing.

Now there are five classes. The Northern Lights division [four-cylinder cars] had between 42-48 cars alone every week which prompted Veinote to split the class into two divisions: A and B.

He said he gets between 26-32 in the street stocks class [6- and 8-cylinder cars] and up to 16 in the Young Guns division for 13-16 year-olds.

“We had six [Young Guns] on opening day,” Veinote said.

The other class he added was the Powder Puff division for women.

“Two or three races into the season, I got e-mails and telephone calls from women. They wanted their own division,” said Veinote. “I told them if they could get 10-15 cars every week, I’d put one together. And they delivered.”

Veinote said he has been getting 10-18 Powder Puff cars every week.

He said the grandstands has been “three-quarters to completely full” which translates to 1,800-2,500 per racing card.

“We’ve been real lucky from the weather to the crowds. The crowds have been well above what we expected,” said Veinote.

Races are held every Sunday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. and Veinote had been holding motocross races on Saturday.

Motocross racing involves dirt bikes on a dirt course with jumps and a variety of turns.

The motocross season has concluded but Veinote will continue the Sunday afternoon race card as long as the weather cooperates.

In fact, he has scheduled a pair of 50-lap feature races for the Northern Lights and Street Stocks on Sunday, Oct. 7.

Veinote said he doesn’t plan to “sit back and rest on my laurels” and is already preparing for next season.

Sponsors have been coming on board which “really gives us a good feeling we’re going in the right direction.”

He intends to upgrade the facility and diversify his race card.

“We need a nice concession booth. We had portable concessions this season,” he said. “We also want to add a nice restroom facility.”

He also intends to clear out a wooded area so he can expand the pit area.

“When you have 80-plus cars in the pits, it’s hard to move,” he explained.

Adding a portable grandstand is another definite possibility.

He will add a five-race series for limited/super street cars.

“We’ve had a ton of interest in that class. We’d like to get the cars that run at Fredericton (New Brunswick International Speedway) to come and run with us,” said Veinote.

Veinote will not add a Pro Stock class because of its expense but said hosting one special Pro Stock race isn’t out of the question.

“Never say never,” said Veinote.

He will look to use the facility for snowmobile/snocross racing this winter.

He intends to open the 2008 stock car season on Memorial Day weekend.

Mike Rowe wins PASS 300

Turner’s Mike Rowe won the D.J. Equipment PASS 300 last Sunday at Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and pocketed the $10,000 winners check.

Hebron’s Alan Wilson was second and Derek Ramstrom of West Boylton, Mass. was third.

Chris Smith captured the Price-Right Fuel Modifieds 70 followed by Jason Taylor and Tom Oliver; J.R. Baril won the Norway Savings Bank 100 Outlaws race with Tony Ricci and Joe Decker finishing second and third, respectively, and Terry Merril took the checkered flag in the Pullen Heavy Industries 100 Sportsman race with Shane Tatro and Dan McKeage completing the top three.