Star Speedway is located in Epping, New Hampshire

Epping, New Hampshire

Epping is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,411 at the 2010 census. Epping includes the area known as Camp Hedding....

. In 2011 it will host a tour-type modified division under the management of the Webber family. The track was closed for most of the 2010 season due to issues between track manager and promoter Robert MacArthur and the town of Epping.

History

The track has a long-history of legendary drivers, highlighted by Dynamite Ollie Silva

Ollie Silva

Ollie Silva was an American Modified and Supermodified auto racing driver. He raced in the Northeast United States, winning many races, track championships, and touring-series championships. Silva drove in modifieds, supermodifieds, pro-stocks, late models and sprint cars...

, a super-modified and modified standout who won features races from Canada to Florida with less than top equipment. In the 1970s Star hosted the Supermodifieds and Modifieds (called late models) weekly, and Ollie's weekly battles with "Big Daddy" Don McLaren, Eddie West, Jim Cheney, Dick Batchelder, and Paul Richardson provided fans with great thrills and memories. In the 1970s the track hosted what was then thought to be the heaviest wedding cake

Wedding cake

A wedding cake is the traditional cake served to the guests at a wedding reception after a wedding. In modern Western culture, it is usually a large cake, multi-layered or tiered, and heavily decorated with icing, usually over a layer of marzipan or fondant...

 in history, tipping the scales at over 700 lbs.

Boston Bruins race

Star hosted celebrity races in the 1970s featuring Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 players. Often Don Awrey

Don Awrey

Donald William "Elbows" Awrey is a former professional hockey player, who played 979 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins, St...

 (after being traded) would invade Star and beat the local Bruins.

International Classic

The track has hosted the International Star Classic in the fall, featuring the ISMA Super Modifieds. Stars such as Chris Perley (the 2005 winner), Russ Wood, Mike Ordway and Indy veteran Bentley Warren

Bentley Warren

Bentley Warren , is an American racecar driver. He is best known for racing in the USAC Championship Car series, and for some New Englanders, even more so for his racing in the Supermodified winged cars now called ISMA.He had his first win 1957 at West Peabody, Massachusetts. As of 2007 he has won...

have participated in the 200-lap race.

Today

The track has been struggling in recent years, often failing town inspection. It was closed for most of the 2010 season, but 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. In 2008, Bobby MacArthur 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 the red.

External links

• Star Speedway