Kevin Moore is one of the veteran drivers at Speedway 660. “Big Kevin” has been a Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock competitor for many years and is getting ready for this weekend’s Night of Champions. Wade Wilson recently spoke with Kevin Moore about his career, Pro Stock racing at 660 and this Saturday’s race.
Talkin with Big Kevin Moore
Wade: Hey Kevin, tell us how and when you got into racing and what still excites you about this sport?
Kevin: I heard a lot of people talking about the new race track down in Geary, but I never made it out that first year back in 1994. But I did get down to the Geary Woods early in 1995 and was blown away but what I saw. I became an instant fan and just loved going to the races. It didn’t take too long before I started thinking about driving a race car and well a couple of decades later I am still at it and considered to be one of the veterans in the Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock Division.
Kevin has been racing Pro Stock at Speedway 660 for almost two decades. This photo, from a few years ago, shows Kevin in his #88 racing hard against Brent Wiggins and Chris Duncan.
Wade: You’ve always been a steady Pro Stock competitor. How tough is it, to come to the track every week to face this competition?
Kevin: You wouldn’t believe how tough it is. These cars are tricky to set-up and can change week to week depending on the weather conditions. And everybody in this division works hard to run up front every week. They are all strong drivers and have great crews too. You can’t stand still, you’ve always got to be trying to up your game to improve your chances to get to the Riverview Ford Victory Lane or have a podium finish.
The chase is on! Big Kevin (#88) is in hot pursuit in this year’s Maritime Pro Stock Tour race. Kevin raced to an 11th place finish in the race and is looking to improve on that result in the upcoming Re/Max 250 on SpeedWeekend.
Wade: The Pro Stock championship has always eluded you. You’ve always been right in the thick of things, but so far you haven’t been able to crack that nut. What would a championship mean to you and do you think this might be your year?
Kevin: Heck, why did you have to remind me of that? It hasn’t been for a lack of effort or upgrading equipment. We’ve worked so hard over the years, like you say we’ve come close, but so far we haven’t been able to get it done. A championship would mean a lot to me personally and probably even more to the guys on the crew. We’ve had good success in lots of races at Speedway 660, but just haven’t had a season where everything went our way. Even though we work hard, it would be nice to get a little luck once in awhile and believe it or not luck does play a role in being successful.
Big Kevin Moore has won lots of races over the years, but has yet to claim a Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock championship. This Saturday night Moore has got a shot at a title, but he’s going to have to have a big night to get it done!
Wade: The Night of Champions is this Saturday night. That’s a pretty special night for the rookie and championship contenders.
Kevin: It’s exciting for sure, but nerve racking too. Not just for the drivers who have a chance to win championships or Rookie of the Year. If you are sitting sixth or seventh, a big night could get you into the top five or if you are 11th or 12th a great run on the Night of Champions could give you a top ten in points. And that’s a big deal. So we’ll just go out on Saturday night, give it our best shot and see what happens. By the way, I want to wish all of the drivers in all of the divisions the best of luck Saturday night. Like I said before you need a little luck to be successful.
Wade: We know you’ve got a great car, a capable crew and dedicated sponsors. Tell us about them and why car, crew and sponsors are so important?
Kevin: There are a lot of dedicated crews down in the Geary Woods in every division. Drivers really appreciate their hard work, dedication and support. They put a lot of time and effort into getting the cars ready and keeping them competitive so guys like me can do the fun part. I want to acknowledge and thank my own crew for what they do for this race team and for putting up with me every week. Wesely Smith, Robert Lee, Dennis Carelton, Terry Morgan and Mike Plume are not only great team-mates, they are my friends and I thank them for all they do. When it comes to sponsors I’ve got some good ones and as you’ve heard a lot of drivers say, we just couldn’t go racing without them. Sue Mulligan, from Re/Max, Robert Lee Renovations, Laking Financial and Blue Ridge Water are my sponsors and I really appreciate their support. I urge fans to remember the folks who help out the racers and when it comes time to buy a product or service please consider giving them a call.
Robert Lee (left) is a former Speedway 660 driver. Nowadays he works in the shop & pits and sponsors Big Kevin Moore. Kevin says Robert and the rest of the crew are the reason he can bring a competitive car to the track every week.
Wade: We’ve seen some dominate Pro Stockers in the Geary Woods over the years and you’ve raced against all of them. Glenn Rassmussen, Brad Mann, Greg Fahey, Chris Duncan, Larry Gulliver and Dave O’Blenis have all won multiple championships.
Kevin: All of those guys are great and I’ve enjoyed racing with them. I respect other guys like Leon Christie and Robert Thomlinson who I’ve also raced with for years. And there’s a whole new group of kids on the way and I know they’ll be fun to race with too. Once in awhile you might have a little run-in with someone, but the bottom line is we’re all part of the Speedway 660 racing family and even though we all want to win, at the end of the night we can usually shake hands with the guys we raced against.
Kevin Moore has enjoyed racing with a lot of drivers over the years including Leon Christie and his son Derek. Leon, who is now Derek’s crew-chief, is one of the nicest guys in the pits!
Wade: Now we are seeing teenagers moving up to Pro Stock right out of the Bando Division. Dana Hamm was the first to do it and Cole Boudreau has come along and is setting the Geary Woods on fire. What do you think of these kids and the future of our sport?
Kevin: All I can say is wow, these kids are incredible. Dana, Cole and I pit in the same neighbourhood and I’ve gotten to know them and watch the way they prepare for the races. I’ve also raced alongside them and they both race like veterans. Dana and Cole don’t hesitate to ask me and the other Pro Stock drivers about different ways to set-up a car and talk about driving styles. I’m really happy to see them move-up to our division and I’m encouraged that our sport has a bright future with kids like this.
Dana Hamm is one of the bright young Pro Stock stars at Speedway 660. Big Kevin Moore has become a mentor to Dana and some of the other young drivers in the Geary Woods.
Wade: You’ve been a regular here for a long time. You have also run PASS and Maritime Tour races and have traveled to other tracks for big events. What is it about Speedway 660 that you like?
Kevin: Earlier this year we went up to Quebec to run a PASS race and we’ve been around the Maritimes for some MPST event. But Speedway 660 is our home track. This is where I learned to race and we’ve always run pretty good here. Over the years the staff and three different sets of owners have treated me well. They put on a great show and this is the only track in our region that runs a weekly Pro Stock division. But the number one reason I like it here is because of our fans. They are incredible. They come out in all kinds of weather and they really know their racing too. I like meeting and talking with the fans, but most of all I love racing in front of them every week.
Wade: A lot of folks don’t realize just how much work goes into preparing a car for competition. What’s a typical week like in terms of making sure your car is ready for Saturday night?
Kevin: Well most everybody down in the pits have day jobs, so we work all day, rush home, get a bite to eat and head to the garage. A typical week’s preparation takes about ten hours. That’s if you didn’t get wrecked the week before. When that happens it takes a lot more time and if the car hasn’t been handling properly or if you’ve been struggling, you tend to spend a lot more time in the garage fiddling with the car looking for answers.
Kevin enjoys racing in front of the Speedway 660 fans. He’s raced at other tracks but this is his home track and there’s no place he’d rather be on a Saturday night during the racing season!
Wade: Thanks for doing this Kevin and best of luck in Saturday’s Night of Champions.
Kevin: There’s that word luck again! We’ve had another pretty decent season, but we’ll have to run hard this weekend to win our first championship. Dave O’Blenis is looking for his third straight Speedway 660 championship and he’s always tough. Derek Christie has really stepped up this year and he’s in contention too. We’re going to give the car a good going over this week and come out on the Night of Champions to have some fun and see what happens!
