Star Speedway facts for kids

Star Speedway is a cool race track located in Epping, New Hampshire. It's a place where many exciting car races happen, especially for a type of race car called "modifieds." The Webber family helps run the track today.

The track had some tough times in 2010 and was closed for most of the year because of disagreements between the track manager and the town of Epping. But it's back and better than ever!

A Look Back: Star Speedway's History

Star Speedway has a long and exciting history filled with famous race car drivers. One of the most legendary drivers was Ollie Silva, also known as "Dynamite Ollie." He was amazing at driving both super-modified and modified cars. Ollie won races all over, from Canada to Florida, even when his cars weren't the newest or fastest.

In the 1970s, Star Speedway held races every week for Supermodifieds and Modifieds (which were sometimes called "late models"). Fans loved watching Ollie Silva have thrilling races against other top drivers like "Big Daddy" Don McLaren, Eddie West, Jim Cheney, Dick Batchelder, and Paul Richardson. These races created many great memories for everyone watching!

Did you know that in the 1970s, the track even hosted what was thought to be the heaviest wedding cake ever? It weighed over 700 pounds! A local writer named Russ Conway was also part owner and helped run the track from 1965 to 1989.

Big Races at Star Speedway

Star Speedway has hosted many important races over the years:

• It held one NASCAR North Tour race in 1985.
• The track hosted 20 NASCAR Busch North Series events between 1987 and 2001.
• It also had four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events between 1985 and 1990.
• The facility welcomed two ACT Late Model Tour races, one in 2013 and another in 2019.

Hockey Stars on the Track

In the 1970s, Star Speedway held special celebrity races! These races featured players from the famous hockey team, the Boston Bruins. Sometimes, a former Bruins player named Don Awrey would even come back to race and often beat the local Bruins players!

The Star Classic Race

Every fall, Star Speedway hosts a very special event called the Star Classic. This race features the amazing ISMA Super Modifieds. Many famous drivers have raced in this 200-lap event, including Chris Perley (who won in 2005), Russ Wood, Mike Ordway, and even Indy car veteran Bentley Warren.

Star Speedway Today

The track faced some challenges in the early 2000s, sometimes having trouble passing town inspections. It was closed for most of the 2010 racing season. However, the town of Epping allowed it to open for three days at the end of October, after necessary repairs were made.

In 2008, Bobby MacArthur took over the management and even renamed the speedway "All-STAR." He planned many different types of races, including Supermodifieds, Modifieds, and Late Models. Unfortunately, not enough fans came to these events, which caused financial difficulties for the track and the promoter.

Now, the owner, Bob Webber, has been running the track since Bobby MacArthur left. He has made many great improvements! Star Speedway currently hosts many popular racing series. These include PASS, ISMA, Granite State Pro Stock, Tri-Track Modified, and Northeast Classic Lites, just to name a few. In 2015, Star Speedway had a "sold out" event, which means every ticket was bought – something that hadn't happened in a long time!