Coastal 200 at Wiscasset Sunday worth $10,000/Bend OVER Maine Smokers!!

The Bangor Daily News ^ | May 24, 2002 | Larry Mahoney

[SheLion]

A pro stock driver could be making a $14,000 deposit into his checking or savings account on Monday.

It won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

But it is possible.

The Pro All-Stars Series will hold a 150-lap race at New Brunswick International Speedway on Saturday afternoon and, on Sunday, the prestigious Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine Kick Butts Coastal 200 will be run at Wiscasset Raceway.

The PTM Kick Butts Coastal 200 will pay the winner $10,000 while the PASS victor will earn $4,000.

The Coastal 200 had been a July race but Wiscasset Raceway owner Dave St. Clair opted to take the advice of his daughter, Tammy Reynolds, and hold it on Memorial Day weekend. Reynolds is the vice president of the track.

“There aren’t any big races this time of year other than some PASS races, so we thought we’d try something different. Plus, we have a rain date [Monday] because of the holiday [Memorial Day],” explained St. Clair.

St. Clair has been encouraged by the number of inquiries about the Coastal 200 and said “It should be a good race. We should have 30-35 cars.

“But we never know who’s coming to the race. We don’t charge an entry fee so won’t find out until Sunday,” added St. Clair.

He said there will be drivers who intend to run both the PASS race and the Coastal 200.

“I’ve heard from a few that they will be coming back [from Fredericton to Wiscasset] if they don’t get wrecked during the PASS race,” said St. Clair.

Ken Minott, the track announcer and media relations director at Wiscasset, explained on the MaineRacing.com Web site that “things were getting a little crowded” in July with the Oxford True Value 250, the Winston Cup race in Loudon, N.H., and the Coastal 200.

“It made it especially hard on the diehard race fans who wanted to experience all three. It also made it difficult on the budget of race teams who wanted to run both of Maine’s biggest races,” said Minott.

Minott also said Wiscasset Raceway used to hold a big race on Memorial Day and “it was always a huge success. Fans have been asking us when we’re going to bring it back. I think the St. Clairs have made a great choice in moving the Coastall 200 weekend.”

The drivers who haven’t raced at Wiscasset will notice a difference at the track.

The wall has been extended through turns three and four so the track is completely surrounded by a wall.

In addition to the $10,000 winners purse, the runnerup will pocket a cool $4500.

Wiscasset’s Scott Chubbuck is the defending champ.

Wiscasset Raceway has been on the market for nearly two years but St. Clair said there hasn’t been any serious offers.

The asking price is $1.3 million.

Featherlites returning to Beech Ridge

The touring NASCAR featherlite modified series will return to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough on Saturday night, July 13.

“It’s the first time we’ve had the featherlite modifieds since 1995 and just the second time we’ve had them since 1990,” said Beech Ridge owner Andy Cusack. “We used to run them in a weekly series but it was one of those divisions that evolved to a point it was too expensive for weekly racing at a local track like Beech Ridge. The number of cars dwindled to a point we had to throw in the towel.”

Cusack said the last modified race at Beech Ridge was won by current Winston Cup driver Steve Park and he said several Winston Cup drivers used to race modifieds including Park and Geoffry Bodine.

“The modifieds are definitely a hybrid race car. They’re a racing version of a street hot rod. They’re the stock car version of an Indy car,” said Cusack.

They are very fast and, because they are smaller than pro stocks, there is more passing.

“Ever since we made the announcement in February, the phone has been buzzing,” said Cusack. “If things go on schedule, we’ll have a sell-out crowd.”

That would be more than 5,500.

The New England Dodge Dealers are sponsoring the 150-lap event.

Beech Ridge will also hold Busch North races on June 8 and Aug. 24.

As for their weekly racing, Cusack said they have added a fifth division on Saturday night, a lightning bug class for four-cylinder race cars.

They will begin their Thursday Night Thunder racing on June 13. He said there will be are five divisions and seven races as two of the divisions have been split.

And the major improvement to the facility has been a $20,000-$25,000 sound system that Cusack said “gives us the best public address system for a short track in the nation. The speakers will rival any high-end home stereo system.”

He added that in addition to announcing the races, they pipe in music to make the experience even better for the fans.

[SheLion]

Maine has its priorities crossed. Back in January, health advocates urged lawmakers to spare successful programs in anti-smoking funds.

Maine receives annually $55 million from the Tobacco Settlement, to which the smokers in Maine are paying for. Although Maine had a choice how to spend the money, it was intended for education and to pay for any sick smokers on welfare, should there be any.

House Speaker Michael Saxl said that given the $248 million budget shortfall facing the state, there must be room for some cuts in the health programs.

Attorney General Rowe said that Maine is one of the few state’s that has committed "most" of the money to health programs. I say "Show me the programs!" Most of this money is being spent on pet programs.

For instance: The Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine is sponsoring Speedway 95, and Wiscasset Race Track. Memorial Day, the "prestigious" Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine is awarding the winner of the Coastal 200- $10,000. With $4500 going to the runner-up.

I wonder how many people this money could have helped that can’t afford health insurance. I wonder how many people this would have helped in nursing homes who have no insurance. I wonder how this money could have helped with children’s nutrition, prescription drugs, child care and substance abuse.

Governor King states Maine Health Care is failing. The money PTFM is wasting at a racetrack could have been spent in a kinder more gentler way.

William Corr, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free kids says Big Tobacco is targeting our kids, while Corr is targeting the wallets of all who pay cigarette taxes in Maine.

This is a blatant slap in the face to all that pay cigarette taxes.

[SheLion]

"Prestigious"? More like windfall profiteers in the demonize & pickpocket industry.

Now the state AG's are going after the securities industries. They have money that's for sure. And the AG's get ink, that's for sure. And the idea that we live under a Constitution and a Federal system of govenment is well.......not as sure as it once was.

[Phantom Lord]

The drivers who haven’t raced at Wiscasset will notice a difference at the track.

If they haven't raced there before, how would they notice differences?

[SheLion]

The drivers who haven’t raced at Wiscasset will notice a difference at the track.

LMAO!! Your RIGHT! How WOULD they notice a difference. LOL!

What a statement. That flew right over my head. heh!

[Madame Dufarge]

“I’ve heard from a few that they will be coming back [from Fredericton to Wiscasset] if they don’t get wrecked during the PASS race,” said St. Clair.

So let me get this straight - the "prestigious" Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine, those saints who care so deeply about everyone's health, see no problem sponsoring a car race where the possibility of one or more of the participants' dying or being maimed is pretty good.

Next on the agenda for the PTFM: Sponsorship of the Russian Roulette Junior Championship Playoffs - FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

[SheLion]

Oh sure! PTFM gets that big grant money, and they waste it on stupid TV ads made my teen-agers with no skills, but are horribly obese.

The PTFM has so much MONEY in their coffers, they can afford to pull the wool over the stupid chits in southern Maine at the RACE TRACK!

The PTFM has so much MONEY in their coffers, to which WE SMOKERS in MAINE pay for! No one knows that, do they?!

The PTFM has so much MONEY in their coffers that they can well afford to pay thousands to a race track winner! While our people on welfare sit around with a finger up their whatever.

This is REALLY a blatant SLAP in the FACE to all who pay CIGARETTE TAXES. Hello! Wake UP Mainers!

[Leisler]

I hope all those cars have their emissions systems installed and working. I won't mention the small particles being lifted off the road surface by the tires and carried by the hundrend mile per hour airstream of the cars. Can anyone say future lawsuits, a la "I got asthma/cancer etc at the racetrack?" What is the air quality at the track, or by the urban FEDERAL highways for that matter.

Sorry about the facts trimmed with bitterness.

Nothing to see, move along shee....oops...folks.

[bogeybob]

Don't forget about the $10 million Maine paid 4 lawyers ( that's right ... 4 lawyers ) for writing a 40 page brief as part of the original settlement effort. All 4 lawyers were big Democrat contributors and one of them is now a Clinton appointed Federal Judge!

[SheLion]

Nothing to see, move along shee....oops...folks.

If your not from Maine, Leisler, then, your right. Nothing to see. However, if you ARE from Maine, there is plenty to see in this article.

How our Maine Board of Health formed the Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine Coalition, and are using the Tobacco Settlement Money, OUR cigarette tax money, to fund their little pet projects to ban Maine smokers while having their hands in our wallets.

How "they" are using our cigarette tax money for their low-life TV ads and the campaign on the war on smokers. There is plenty to see here. But only if your a Mainer.

[lewislynn]

This is a blatant slap in the face to all that pay cigarette taxes.

That tax is truly voluntary...Stop paying it if you don't like the way the money's spent.

. Although Maine had a choice how to spend the money, it was intended for education and to pay for any sick smokers on welfare, should there be any. ....LOL!

Sick smokers on welfare?.....Nah, couldn't happen.

[SheLion]

That tax is truly voluntary...Stop paying it if you don't like the way the money's spent.

Let me tell you something: I haven't paid those taxes in a year! I found a "better" way to spend my money and still enjoy a legal commodity!

[Just another Joe]

I haven't paid those taxes in a year!

Neither have I.