Star Speedway is a short-track oval

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

located in

Epping, New Hampshire Epping is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,125 at the 2020 census, up from 6,411 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. The ...

. It hosts a tour-type

modified stock car racing Modified stock car racing, also known as modified racing and modified, is a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other on oval tracks. First established in the United States after World War II, ...

division under the management of the Webber family.

History

Star Speedway opened in 1966, having been primarily built by Charlie Elliot, a contractor, restaurant owner, and car enthusiast from nearby

Dover, New Hampshire Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the fifth largest municipality in the state. It is the county se ...

. The prior year, Elliot had gone into business with Kendall C. Smith and local journalist

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number on ...

to build a race track on what had formerly been Star Brick Yard in

. Elliot, Smith, and Conway sold their interests in the track by late 1983, when they purchased Lee Raceway (later known as

Lee USA Speedway Lee USA Speedway is a short-track oval race track located in Lee, New Hampshire. History The facility opened as Lee Raceway in 1964 as a dirt tri-oval, in length. Original owner Bob Bonser later recounted that he initially bought the land the ...

) in nearby Lee, New Hampshire. The track has a long history of notable drivers, highlighted by

Ollie Silva Oliver W. Silva (May 14, 1929 – August 15, 2004) was an American auto racing driver. He raced in the Northeastern United States, winning many races, track championships, and touring-series championships. Silva drove in modifieds, supermodifie ...

, a modified and supermodified standout who won features races from Canada to Florida with less-than-top equipment. In the 1970s, Star Speedway hosted modified and supermodified races weekly, and Silva's battles with "Big Daddy" Don McLaren, Eddie West, Jim Cheney, Dick Batchelder, and Paul Richardson provided fans with great thrills and memories. The speedway also held promotional races featuring some

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

players. It even hosted what was then thought to be the heaviest

wedding cake A wedding cake is the traditional cake served at wedding receptions following dinner. In some parts of England, the wedding cake is served at a wedding breakfast; the 'wedding breakfast' does not mean the meal will be held in the morning, but ...

in history, tipping the scales at over . Star Speedway hosted one

NASCAR North Tour The American Canadian Tour (ACT) is a late model stock car racing series based in the northeastern United States, and Quebec, Canada. The current American-Canadian Tour Late Model Tour was founded in 1992 as a cost-cutting, regional touring divisi ...

race in 1985. The track hosted 20

NASCAR Busch North Series The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) an ...

events between 1987 and 2001, and four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events between 1985 and 1990.

Since 2000

The track struggled in the early years of the 21st century, often failing town inspection. In 2008, Robert MacArthur took over the management, renamed the speedway "All-STAR", and promoted a very aggressive and diverse program including Supermodifieds, Modifieds and Late Models. Unfortunately, the promotion did not draw enough fans to be successful, leaving the track and promoter seriously in debt. The track was closed for most of the 2010 season due to issues between track manager and promoter MacArthur and the town of Epping. The track was permitted by the town of Epping to be open for three days at the end of October, subject to the completion of required repairs to the facility. The facility had two ACT Late Model Tour races, one in 2013 and the other in 2019. The track hosts the Star Classic every fall, featuring the ISMA Super Modifieds. Drivers such as Chris Perley (the 2005 winner), Russ Wood, Mike Ordway and

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

veteran Bentley Warren have participated in the 200-lap race. Owner Bob Webber has been operating the track since the departure of MacArthur and has made many improvements. Star Speedway currently hosts many popular touring series including PASS, ISMA, Granite State Pro Stock, Tri-Track modified and Northeast Classic Lites to name some. Star Speedway "sold out" an event in 2015, something never seen before in the modern era.

References

External links

* {{Valenti Modified Racing Series racetracks Motorsport venues in New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Epping, New Hampshire NASCAR tracks Sports venues completed in 1966 1966 establishments in New Hampshire

History

Since 2000

See also

References

External links