Speedway 95, Hermon, Maine

I came across a 1/3 mile paved oval in Hermon, Maine, just off of I-95 that race on Wednesdays. Take exit 180 in the western direction and turn right at the first road, Odlin Road, go another mile and you'll find it waiting for you on the right hand side. What I thought was fun is the name for races on Wednesday nights, "Wacky Wednesdays". Big Enduros, Little Enduros (Class A and B), Ladies, Trucks and Racing Stars of Tomorrow make up the show. The "B" class of the Little Eduros, a new entry level class, is required to be ready to race both clockwise and counter-clockwise. If you think about it, it makes sense. Set the car up so the weight is even all around the car and leave it alone.

The night I was there it had a pretty good crowd and the fan sitting next to me confirmed that it was a normal crowd, not bad for that time of the week. Just goes to show you, if you put together the right formula you can make it successful no matter what night you run. They also race on Saturdays, with the more powerful and customary Late Models, along with Sportsman, Street, Sport-4, Bomber & Maine Mods. As you can see, you have a better chance of getting in some great racing if you're headed down, or up, I-95 in Maine. I was able to pitch my tent there, but that's only because I had room to ride my Burgman Super Scooter around their gate the next morning. Check with the track to make sure you can get out if you are driving anything with four wheels.

The parking lot seemed to get pretty full so I would advise to get there well ahead of time. If you get there early enough, you might be able to walk in and mark your spot before they officially start selling tickets. However, you will have to go back out before things get started. I know I wasn't going to mention prices, but if you go to their website, you'll find out that the grandstand admission for Wednesday nights is just $6.00 and Saturday nights is $8.00. Man, you just can't beat that. I didn't take notes, but with that kind of break on ticket prices you can afford purchasing more food and souvenirs.

The races were run in a timely manner, friendly atmosphere, decent prices, safe stands and good entertainment. I didn't find any reason why I wouldn't want to return to Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine. Well, except for the fact that trekking there from Port Byron, Illinois would only be chance, but not out of the question. If you're in the area of Hermon, Maine, put it on your list.

http://www.speedway95racing.com/

Thunder Valley Speedway, Bishop's Falls, Newfoundland, Canada

We all know what it takes sometimes just to get your race car to the track, but when you live in Newfoundland, Canada, it’s a little more involved. Thunder Valley Speedway, located near Bishop Falls, NL, is a 3/8 mile, hand laid asphalt track out amongst the rocks and the bears. It’s one of two tracks, the other being Avondale Speedway and that one is dirt. Newfoundland is separated from mainland Canada by a six hour ferry ride to Channel-Port aux Basques and is not small. It’s the fifteenth largest island in the world and covers 42,000 square miles.1 Some of the teams tow from Saint John’s, which is 300 plus miles away,  or from the Eastern Provinces, and this is just for a regular race night.

“Hand laid” did you say? Yes I did. Here’s the story as told to me by the promoter; the track was laid out, messaged, graded and slightly banked, which is not easy on an island affectionately named “The Rock”. The Trans Canadian Highway had recently been resurfaced and piles upon piles of used blacktop were left over. They obtained truck loads of the “left-overs”, reheated it, raked it all out, leveled it and rolled it into a smooth and raceable surface. Pretty impressive.

The track sits about a mile off of the TCH down a rocky road, which is owned by the Newfoundland government, and at times felt more like Roman cobblestones. This is especially true if you are riding a Suzuki Burgman 650 Super Scooter like I was, of course, the Honda Goldwing I was following was having just as much trouble as I was. Once in the parking lot, you’ll find a few more large rocks so watch where you’re walking. Did I mention that Newfoundland is called “The Rock”?

Although the electrical power servicing the facility is enough for the public address system and other 120 volt systems, it wasn’t enough for track lighting. For that they installed a large sized gas generator in the infield and just crank it up when it’s time to light it up. Sometimes when you want to go racing, you have to be creative.

The stands are placed to where you walk up a grade and behind the stands, so you have to go downwards to find your seat, instead of walking in front of the stands and then climbing up. I much prefer this setup. You can stand behind everyone if you desire, or walk around if you’re antsy. It’s a small operation with a concession stand made out of a little camper, so the track food won‘t be the same as some of the other tracks. Not all tracks are going to have a high class menu, but you’ll enjoy what they have.

There are only two divisions at Thunder Valley, eight cylinder Sportsman and four cylinders. This night they had only seven Sportsmans and fourteen four cylinders, but I wasn’t disappointed. Like always, I didn’t know how they were going to be run, especially with so few cars. What they did was run 20 to 30 lap qualifier races and then a 40 lap feature race for the four cylinders and an 80 lapper for the Sportsman division, so there was plenty of racing. It was a relaxed, family type atmosphere that I really enjoyed.

If you're looking to camp here, it probably should be in a trailer or motor home, which they do here. I saw a grassy area at the back of the parking lot so I enquired about a place to put my tent. "Well," the woman taking tickets said, "you might try that area back there." She was pointing to the spot I thought would be a nice soft place to sleep for the night. "But," she added "I heard there's been a problem with a bear back there." Well, ok then, time to look elsewhere. There is a motel nearby, a town park that has a campground (does not accept credit cards) and Brookdale Country Inn on the west side of town.

However, I took a chance when I came to Newfoundland specifically to see racing. In this part of the world, the track may still be in operation or it may not. The weather may be good or it may not, so while you’re there, explore the smaller villages along the coast. As a matter of fact, every September, Targa Newfoundland is raced through twenty of their most scenic and beautiful villages, rain or shine. Check out their site at the bottom of the page.

The beauty of the scenery and friendliness of the inhabitants in little places like Brigis, Leading Tickles and Greenspond is unequaled to anywhere I’ve been. I can’t explain it, but when I get back on the ferry to go back to Nova Scotia I feel like I’m leaving home.

Noteable Sites:
http://www.thundervalleyspeedway.ca/
http://www.targanewfoundland.com/

1 http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_(island)

Southern New Mexico Speedway, Las Cruces

My visit to the Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, New Mexico, was to watch the exciting ASCS 360 Sprints two day event in November. I would say it got “extremely” chilly during the night, ok…make that COLD! Someone mentioned it got down to 28° F over night. Could be, I was in my tent at the local KOA and my nose got cold enough to at least agree with that.

Speedwaysonline.com has the track listed as a 5/16 mile, dirt track. Dirt it is, but 5/16 of a mile? I don’t know if I can actually tell the difference between a 3/8 or a 5/16 mile track from the stands, but I certainly couldn’t tell with these sprint cars.

At the time, I didn’t realize that ASCS was the 360 class of sprinters. To me they looked like 410s going around, but I was informed by ASCS driver Calvin Landis‘s mother, who happened to be sitting next to me, that they were in fact 360s. They were a perfect fit for this track.

You can find the track tucked up tight behind the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds. The parking seems a bit haphazard and the hilly road that separates the track facility from the fairgrounds is packed with large rocks. However, they have installed a concrete pad for handicapped parking near the grandstand entrance, with a small amount motorcycle parking on one end of the pad.

If you’ve never been there, the grandstands don’t go up very high, but they stretch out completely from one end to the other. The view isn’t bad, but I think if the stands were two or three feet higher it would be even better. They do have a small playground area for kids, and we all know how bored they can get at the races sometimes. One of the best features here is Family Section. There just aren't enough family sections at tracks in this country.

If you plan on eating before you go to the races, you might want to think about dining here. I’ve never seen such an extended menu at a race track. The prices are about the average for a track, which are usually a bit higher, but at least they do have Kids Meals. I really liked the bean tacos.                         

The track prep for the first night seemed to be a bit unusual to me. They seemed to be putting on an awful lot of water and that was bore out by the amount of time it took to iron out the track. They were out there packing, and packing, and packing for what seemed like an hour, yet when the hot laps began it was still greasy. After two sets of hot laps it was finally ready for racing.

The racing really did turn out pretty good. Plenty of passing, slide jobs, and last ditch efforts to advance to the “A” main. As a fan sitting close to the track, I felt the lack of dust and a tacky track is a must here in order to make the race even more enjoyable for these winged sprints. It also didn’t hurt to have “The King” Steve Kinser, NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart, four-time ASCS Nation Champ Gary Wright, Sammy Swindell, or “The Dude” Danny Lasoski mixing it up. But it was 20 year-old Jack Dover besting Johnny Herrera and Kinser to take home the honors.

Night two’s track prep was better and again it had very little dust with a tacky track. The racing was great all night long, and with a passing points format they just couldn’t make any mistakes to advance to the “A” main. Stewart found trouble in the Second “B” main as he dove under another car in turn one. He found a slick spot and slid up, collecting the other car and tumbled to a stop in turn two. Steve Kinser took control in the “A” main and came out on top. This weekend was the first race ever for Steve Kinser in a 360 sprint car. I’d say he did okay.

The regular shows at Southern New Mexico Speedway includes; 305 Renegade Sprints, UMP Late Models, USRA Western Modifieds, SW Super Trucks, Legends, Street Stocks, Hornets, Enduros, and Limited X-Mods.

However, not all on one night; Sprints, Streets, Trucks and X-Mods run one week; then the USRA Modifieds, Late Models, Streets, Legends and Hornets the following week, rotating this schedule from week to week. Interesting concept, nine different classes, but spread out through the year. If there isn’t anything you like with this format, then you just may be too picky.

If racing just in the spring, summer and fall seasons aren’t enough for you, or you want to find a way to get your kids started in racing, then there’s always the winter Go Karts and Quarter Midgets. From the end of November, through the end of April, the little guys and gals get their turn to run a few laps every other week.

In other words, Southern New Mexico Speedway seems to have something going on pretty much most of the year. They truly seem to enjoy putting on a great show for you. It would be a good track to hit while you’re out there trekking from track to track. Check out their schedule at: http://www.snmspeedway.com/

Camping is available at the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, where the track is located, however, you need to call first as there may be restrictions. Check the fairgrounds website at: http://www.snmstatefair.com/pages/camping.html