CARIBOU, Maine — Spud Speedway celebrates 50 years of hosting stock car races this summer with special events including a Motorsports Fair from July 10-13, New England Legend Cars (NELCAR), Atlantic Modified series, Day of Destruction and more.
Over the years, the track has hosted NASCAR drivers Jamie Aube, Randy Lajoie, Kevin LePage, Bobby Allison, Robbie Crouch, Sterling Marlin, Chuck Bown, Stubb Faden and Wes Rosner. Bobby Isaac’s record-setting Dodge Daytona made its appearance in 1972 shortly after setting several world records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the summer of 1971.
Honda Performance Development’s Phil Lapointe, a Van Buren native now based in Valencia, Calif., got his start at Spud Speedway racing karts in the early 1980s. Lapointe currently designs parts for Honda-powered Indy Cars, Formula Fit, street cars and other race cars.
The Skoal Bandit Championship Auto Racing Team (CART) March Cosworth, driven by Teo Fabi, has been on display as well as numerous local street cars and hot rods.
Spud Speedway is the home track for Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault, who has begun his quest to move into the NASCAR ranks. Theriault started in the four-cylinder class and at age 15 took the inaugural Late Model Sportsman Spud 150. Excellent results at that race seemed to vault his career forward as those in the industry noted his prowess behind the wheel of a stock car.
The Caribou race track, nicknamed “the County’s Center of Speed,” had its first two racers named to the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame earlier this year. Presque Isle’s Rodney “Chink” Maynard and former Mars Hill resident Bobby Alexander, now living in Ellsworth, will be honored at the Motorsports Fair on July 12. The pair will be recognized for their accomplishments prior to the 100-lap Outlaw Sportsman race.
The track was built as a one-third mile dirt track in 1964 by Wayne Sousee of Pittsfield. It was paved for the 1965 season. Sousee operated the track from 1964-66. After closing for one year, the track re-opened under new owner, Robert Knowles of Unity, who operated the track from 1968-72.
After sitting idle for the 1973-74 seasons, the track re-opened in 1975 under a joint agreement between Bob Knowles, John Bishop of Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield’s Barry Thibeau. In April of 1976, the track was purchased by Thibeau and Presque Isle’s Terry Brewer, who together operated the track until 1978.
Thibeau bought out Brewer in 1979 and ran the track from 1979-81. In 1982, he sold one-half interest to Herb and Iris Towle of Presque Isle. The Towles bought out Thibeau in January of 1983. They ran the track until 1987, when they joined in with Gene Lynch of Presque Isle.
Lynch remained the owner until 1993. During most of the time Lynch owned the track, it was operated by John Albert, who promoted the races until 1993. The new owners in 1993 were Bill Rodgers and Randy Preston. They ran the track for only the summer of 1994.
Unity’s Ralph Nason purchased the track in the fall of 1994. He rented the track to the Caribou Lions Club for two years: 1998 and 1999.
The track sat unused from 2000 to 2007 when Newburgh’s Greg and Becky Veinote purchased it from Nason. They cleared away the growth of trees and weeds and re-opened late in the summer of 2007 after intensive efforts to prepare for racing.
When failing health plagued Veinote, the track was sold to Caribou’s Troy Haney in 2010. He has run the track the last four years. Haney built two concessions stands, bathrooms, and more to bring the facility up to the family-friendly standard which currently marks the facility.
Tom Hale, third from left, won his first feature in 1977. He stands with his crew, which includes, from left, Red O’Neal, Jim Ower, Ralph Steinman, Myron Hale and George Thomas. He won four features and 10 heat races in three years, then served as a track reporter which launched an interest in motorsports journalism that contiues to this day.
Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, right, was 15 years old when he won the Spud 150 in 2009. Theriault currently races for JR Motorsports as he works his way up the NASCAR ladder.
