It’s hard to believe, but another racing season has wrapped up. They say: “Time goes fast when you’re having fun”. Perhaps that is why the 2010 season flew by so quickly. We certainly had our fair share of fun and witnessed some of the best racing in the 17 year history of Speedway 660.

Camp Fire Talk
Saturday night after the Enduro wrapped up and the curtain came down on the 2010 season, folks gathered around a camp fire or two. Everyone knew the season was over, but no-one really wanted to say good-bye knowing that it will be nine months or so before many of us see each other again.

The camp fire talk was focused on the great season of racing at Speedway 660. And it was an exceptional year. Large crowds, great car counts and even better racing was the order of the day in 2010.

Memories Are Made of This
There were so many memories this year that it’s hard to figure out where to start. But let’s begin with the Bandoleros. A brand new class of racing thrilled fans this year. Kids between eight and 15 years of age were amazing in this new class. From what I hear, there will be several more Bandos in 2011.
Our championship battles all came down to the final point night and what a dramatic night it was. Fans were on the edge of their seats or on their feet as the divisional championships were decided on the final laps of the features that night.

Matt Maillet won the Firecracker 150. The young driver from Burton has had a few good nights over the years, but none better than that. He finally won a big one and I can still see his big ear-to-ear smile in Victory Lane!

And what about Johnny Clark? Two for two at Speedway 660 this year. Clark not only won the Auto Value 250, he took top spot in the Pro All Star Series 150 as well. No wonder he loves coming here. Clark is hotter than a two dollar pistol these days. He followed up his Auto Value 250 win on SpeedWeekend with a big win this past weekend in the PASS 300 at Beechridge Speedway down in Scarborough, Maine.

Saturday Night Heroes
I had a lot of fun this year picking Saturday Night Heroes after each race event. It was a way to acknowledge someone, usually a driver, for an exceptional night at the track. So, in keeping with that theme, I would like to name my Saturday Night Hero of the Year.

He’s a driver we didn’t know much about when the season started. In the past we had seen this guy a time or two, usually on SpeedWeekend. But this year he decided to race full time in our Sportsman Division. He earned the respect of the other drivers and our fans in the first month of the season and began a steady climb in the point standings.

He didn’t win a Sportsman feature all season, but was consistent and had lots of top five finishes. On the Night of Champions, this Salisbury driver, battled hard and proved that he is a true champion. So, Ken MacKenzie is my Saturday Night Hero of the Year.

Congratulations Shawn
Speaking of Heroes, how about Shawn Tucker? Shawn capped off an incredible year by winning his third Carquest Pro Stock title this past weekend at Scotia SpeedWorld. What made this championship sweet was that he did it without winning a race! Shawn consistently was in the top two or three all year, including third in the Auto Value 250. Congratulations to Shawn, Darcy, LeRoy and the entire Tucker racing team.

GoodBye…For Now
I want to end by thanking all of the volunteers, employees, management, sponsors, race teams and especially the fans at Speedway 660 for an amazing 2010 season. We’re a pretty tight-knit family who loves short-track racing.
Have a great winter, be safe, be good and I look forward to seeing everyone in late May, 2011.