Kelly Moore had not won a Busch North series race in more than two years.

And, this past winter, he had to battle a more formidable opponent than any he would face on a race track: cancer.

But things have fallen into place nicely for the Waldoboro native.

Moore is winning his battle with cancer and it was his Tic-Tac Pontiac Grand Prix that crossed the finish line first in the Gumout Long Life Formula 100 last Saturday at New Hampshire International Speedway.

He did it in front of a national audience as the race was televised by TNN.

“It’s always great to get a win. It was pretty special because I hadn’t won in such a long time and it was on national television,” said the 39-year-old Moore, whose victory was his third Busch North win at NHIS.

Moore had earned the pole with a lap of 123.143 miles-per hour and, after leading much of the way early, regained the lead with 30 laps remaining and never looked back for his 16th career Busch North win.

As for his health, Moore said, “I feel better than I did at this time last year.”

That’s because a cancerous mass was forming in his lower stomach. That mass was detected on Dec. 16, according to Moore.

“It’s a very curable cancer. But it was kind of trying on me. It works on your mind. Any kind of cancer does,” said Moore.

He had the mass surgically removed and underwent three weeks of radiation at a clinic near his Scarborough home to kill any leftover cells.

“It does a lot of different things to you. It affects people differently. I was one of the people it made real sick,” said Moore. “I got very nauseous. There was vomiting, lightheadedness. The first day you’re a little tired. The next day you’re a little more tired. It takes all the life and energy out of you. It takes your appetite away. Just when you get over the affects, you’ve got to go in and have it done the next day.”

But once the process was finished and Moore regained his energy, he became more determined to get his health back in order.

“I try to take better care of myself now. I go to the gym and work out a couple hours a day, four days a week,” he said.

His outlook on life also changed.

“When you go through something like that, you don’t take quite so much for granted afterward. You appreciate every day you wake up,” said Moore, who is married and has two teen-agers.

“He wants to live life to the fullest and he is a little more determined now,” observed Moore’s crew chief, Jamie Lorfano. “He’s back to his old style. He’s more aggressive in the race car. After he won the points championship , he became a little more passive.”

Moore, who works for his father Richard’s company, R.C. Moore Trucking Inc., has been racing on the Busch North tour since its inception in 1987 and has never finished lower than sixth.

His career highlight was that points title three years ago.

He currently sits in fifth place in the points after three races.

Lorfano said watching Moore suffer through the bout with cancer made him and the entire crew more determined.

“We all saw how sick he was this winter so we wanted to get him back to the winner’s circle and make this one of the best years of his life,” said Lorfano.

Moore feels his crew has rallied behind him and pointed out that “racing is more of a team sport than most people realize. You’re only as good as the people around you.”

He added that winning another points championship possible.

“It’s very possible. We have a real strong team and a lot of good support behind us,” said Moore, a 1977 graduate of Medomak Valley High School who began his racing career at age 19.

Moore is happy on the Busch North tour but said “if a golden opportunity” came along on the Busch Grand National South tour, he’d give it serious consideration.

RACING NOTEBOOK: Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre has moved back into the Raybestos Rookie of the Year points lead on the Busch South tour.

Santerre finished 17th in the Gumout 200 at NHIS last Saturday after qualifying sixth. He is 20th in points entering Sunday’s Corestates 200 in Nazareth, Pa.

Newburgh’s Ricky Craven, the Winston Cup driver currently recuperating from post-concussion syndrome, said Santerre has done a “good job.

“It’s a big adjustment. The important thing is he has qualified for all the races [except one],” said Craven. “That was my approach in 1992. You can’t learn anything if you’re sitting home on the couch. You need laps for experience.”