Melanie Judkins’ middle name could be Speed.

In the spring, when she isn’t blowing an overpowering fastball past hitters for the Eastern Maine Class A champion Brewer High School softball team, she is racing her Mitsubishi Eclipse in the Sport-4 class at Hermon’s Speedway 95.

“I don’t like being slow at all,” grinned the 16-year-old sophomore, who led the Witches to the title with her 11-1 record, 0.80 earned run average and 147 strikeouts in 87 innings.

Judkins began racing in eighth grade, at the age of 13.

It’s in her blood.

“My dad, Jimmy Goodman, has been racing since he was 16,” said Judkins. “It’s really fun.”

She has never raced in the ladies division because she didn’t envision it being a stepping stone to her eventual goal.

“Everyone asks me why I didn’t start in the ladies division. If I ever want to race in a higher class, it’s going to be with guys. So that’s what I started with,” said Judkins.

She finished ninth in points among 30-plus Sport-4 drivers last year and said her highest finish was a fifth.

Judkins said the two sports are “nothing alike” and there is more pressure in softball than in racing even though racing is more dangerous.

“I don’t feel as much pressure in racing because I’m doing it for myself. At first, I was pretty scared. But I haven’t felt scared this year because I’m the only girl and I’m the youngest one. It’s a lot different,” said Judkins.

Her mental approach to each is similar.

“Before I go out to the mound, I try to get focused. It’s the same when I’m sitting in my car [before a race]. I’m a little nervous before I go out [to race] but as soon as I get out there, I know you can’t feel nervous or something is probably going to happen,” said Judkins, who also plays soccer and basketball at Brewer High.

She has escaped serious injury although she noted that she missed a week of soccer after injuring her knee in a race.

“My car is pretty safe. I rolled it over twice and didn’t get hurt. I’m not too worried about it,” said Judkins.

The same doesn’t go for Brewer coach Harry ‘Skip” Estes and some of her teammates.

“She scares me half to death,” chuckled Estes. “I called her to tell her the other night not to pitch on Sunday, to take the day off. I said, ‘How’s it going?’ She said ‘Well, I don’t know, coach. My car was awful loose in the corners in the first heat. It felt like it was going to spin out.’

“I go, ‘That’s what I did not need to hear,’ quipped Estes. “Then I heard the next morning she blew her engine and I said, ‘Good. I know you’re not riding right now.'”

Estes said, “We have a lot of fun with it. It’s great to have kids do other stuff. She loves racing.”

“I’m always worried she’ll get hurt,” said senior second baseman Sarah Risser. “But I know she can do it and she’ll always be there for us.”

Sophomore left fielder Dominique DeFilipp said she thinks it’s awesome Judkins goes from one sport to another.

“And Mel doesn’t get hurt. She’s tough. She can get through anything,” said DeFilipp. “I think it’s cool.”

Judkins prefers softball to auto racing “because I’ve been doing it longer and I’m better at it.”

She would like to post a first-ever top-three finish in a heat or feature race this season but, for now, her focus is on Saturday’s 4 p.m. state championship game against Biddeford in Standish.

“I’m so excited. That’s all I’ve been thinking about,” said Judkins.

But the game may not be her only activity of the day.

“I think I’m going to have to miss the racing Saturday night. But if our [Sport-4] class goes off last, I might be able to be back for the feature. It would start around 9. So I may try to do it,” said Judkins.

NHMS gearing up for Cup race

New Hampshire Motor Speedway will host the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Sprint Cup race a week from Sunday as part of a four-race weekend.

The track is under new ownership as Bruton Smith bought the facility from Bob Bahre for $340 million in November.

Smith’s Speedway Motorsports Inc. now owns seven Cup tracks.

Fred Neergaard, the public relations director, said people shouldn’t have any concerns over the new ownership.

“The same family feeling at the track is very much there. Everything the fans loved about New Hampshire International Speedway is here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” said Neergaard. “There are a lot of similarities between Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre. They are both self-made men and very strong family men. They are both visionaries in the sport who have been very successful.”

Neergaard said Smith and executive vice president and general manager Jerry Gappens “try to bring something new to every facility.”

The prerace activities before the LENOX 301 will include an elephant race, an X-Games motorcycle stunt show and a concert with rock band Kansas.

Several improvements have been made to the facility and more are forthcoming.

Neergaard said future plans including trying to bring back the Indy Racing League for a race between the June and September Cup races as well as a pro motorcycle racing tour race and a major car show.

“We’re hoping to have five major events a year,” said Neergaard.

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

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