(Aug. 25, 2015) Speedway 660 holds its annual Night of Champions on Saturday. The 2015 titles will be handed out in our five divisions. Randy Moore is one of the drivers with a shot of winning a championship this year. Wade Wilson recently caught up with the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman point leader. 

 A Conversation with Randy Moore

 

Wade: Hey Randy the Night of Champions is this weekend and you’ve got a shot at your first ever Sportsman title. How do you feel about your chances heading into the weekend and what would a title mean to you?

Randy: I feel really good heading into the Night of Champions. I’ve been around this sport for a lot of years, so I’m pretty comfortable. I’ve seen guys make up a lot of points on the last race to win a title and I’ve seen other guys give up a big points lead and lose a championship. You never know what’s going to happen until the checkers come out after the last race. Winning the championship would mean a lot for my family and friends. But I also would love to win it for our car owner Bob Colquhoun who owns Pub’s Drive Through Bottle Exchange. It would also mean a lot to Norm Hamilton who has been with me for years. Norm makes the 34 get around the track. And I can’t forget our fans, a championship would mean a lot to them too.Randy Moore is a second generation driver who is having an awesome year in the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman Division. Randy has got a real shot at claiming the 2015 championship.

Wade: You took last year off and have really come back strong in 2015. How hard was it to sit in the stands and watch the races last year and how did the year off help you prepare for this season?

Randy: I don’t think it helped or hurt us in terms of racing. We still get around the track pretty good and are still competitive. The year off gave me a lot more time to spend with my boys. Jackson is twelve and Andrew is eight, so it was nice to be able to spend some extra time with the boys. We did come to the races and it was fun sitting in the stands with them to watch the cars go around in circles. Randy finished just behind Dave O’Blenis and just ahead of Brent Roy a couple of weeks ago in the Firecracker 150. Moore is looking for another good run this weekend in the final point race in the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman Division.

Wade: I can’t talk to you without asking you about your Dad. Frankie Moore was one of New Brunswick`s motorsports legends. Can you take us back to when you were a kid going to the races with your Dad? What are your earliest memories of racing?

Randy: My earliest memories are cheering for Dad and going crazy when he got all of those checkered flags. I remember Dad racing with Caleb Dunn, Fearless Frank Fraser (Hot Tea), Adelard Cormier, Billy Sommerville (Corners), and Ken “Apples” Paisley at Hammond River and Riverglade. Never got to see him race at the Airport Raceway though. He always ran a Ford and always had a “sizzling 289 cubic inch“ motor in his cars. The racing wasn’t as high tech back then as it is now, but it sure was competitive and fun to watch. Back then the fans were every bit into it as they are now.Frankie Moore won more than his fair share of races and championships in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s.  This vintage photo, from the 1960’s, shows Frankie with legendary Flagman Ken Brace at Riverglade Speedway. 

Wade: How hard was it for you to go racing especially since your Dad was such an established star in our sport and so respected.

Randy: Well it really wasn’t hard at all, because I wanted to be like Dad and drive a race car. He let me get into one at 15 and I was so young that I didn’t really think about pressure or trying to be as good as he was. I started in a Street Stock. He didn’t even let me drive a Ford at first, he put me in an old Dodge (sorry George)! I got to race with him a few times and he didn’t cut me any slack because he even put the bumper to me a time or two, just before he blew by me! My Dad was a legend in our sport and I’m just a race car driver. Frank Moore sure would have been proud of Randy’s run in 2015. Randy races hard, takes care of the car, gets great finishes and has the respect of the other Sportsman drivers.

Wade: Your Father helped a lot of guys out behind the scenes. For example Robert Raynes told me that Frank Moore encouraged him to go racing and provided a lot of advice and help. I know he also was a positive influence on a lot of other drivers too.

Randy: He lived racing. That was his passion. He always liked to help people out. At the track or at our garage Dad was always a guy who would give other people advice, encouragement or a hand to get their cars ready to race. Everybody liked Dad and we all miss him. I wish he could be here to see his grandsons grow up and to see his son race for a championship.Randy Moore’s #34 has been right in the thick of things all season long. He’s lookin for something special this weekend at Speedway 660’s Night of Champions. 

Wade: It takes some great sponsors and an awesome crew to help a driver compete for a championship at Speedway 660 and I know you want to thank the folks who’ve supported your racing this year.

Randy:  Huge thanks to Bob who has sponsored the 34 for a few years now. Last winter he decided to buy a Sportsman car and asked me to drive it. It has been a great opportunity and I really appreciate Bob’s confidence in me to drive his car. A special thanks to Norm Hamilton for all he does for us. He’s one of the best chassis set-up guys around and he makes the 34 get around the corners. Also want to thank Ron Conley for all his help. And I couldn’t race at all if my family didn’t love the sport. My wife Melissa is always around to help with anything to do with the car we need. And my boys Jackson and Andrew really enjoy the races.Before the 2015 began Bob Calhoun (left), from Pub’s Drive Through Bottle Exchange,  asked Randy to drive the car Bob bought from Matt Harris. Bob’s confidence in Randy and Randy’s appreciation for this opportunity has been one of the great stories at Speedway 660 this season. 

Wade: You won a feature, earlier this year and have been pretty consistent with top five finishes almost every week. It’s been awhile since you’ve had that kind of success, so you must be feeling pretty good about the way things are going.

Randy:  The car Bob bought from Matt Harris was good to begin with and with Norm doing the set-up it`s even better.  It’s been a lot of fun running up front and winning some heat races and that feature. I’ve been around long enough to look at the big picture, so I’ve been trying to be consistent, taking care of the car and getting as many championship points as we can each week.

Wade: We’ve seen Sportsman numbers dip a little for a couple of years, but they’ve rebounded nicely in 2015. Six rookies compete in the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman division this year. How do you feel about the future of our sport, especially in the Sportsman division?

Randy: I think it’s going pretty good and that the numbers will continue to go up a bit. It’s a strong division with great drivers. The rookies are all good drivers too. The Bando division has been great for our sport, by the time these kids are 15 they’ve got several years experience and are ready to jump into the higher classes.Randy Moore is happy to see the next generation of drivers developing their skills at Speedway 660. Randy knows kids like MacKenzie Brewer are going to keep this sport vibrant for years to come. 

Wade: The Sportsman championship point race has been close all season long. You are leading the points, but it`s pretty tight and we`re bound to see some incredible racing this weekend.

Randy:  Yeah it’s been tight for sure. We’ve raced each other hard all season long. Everyone gets along pretty good and I think we’ve given the fans their monies worth. There are four or five drivers who have a legitimate shot at the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman Championship and whoever does win it is going to have to earn it.After taking a year off “to go fishing with my boys”, Randy has been a force to be reckoned with at Speedway 660!  He`s hoping for a good run Saturday night and maybe, just maybe get his hands on the championship trophy!

Wade: You’ve been around this sport all of your life. Can you tell our fans what racing means to you?

Randy: To me it means history. I know it’s important to live in the moment, but I think we also have to look at where our sport came from and how it has grown over the years. Back in the sixties and seventies fans had a real passion for racing and although times have changed I think the passion has remained. Every time I roll into 660 I take a moment to think about Dad and what racing meant to him. He shared his love for the sport with me and I will be forever thankful for that.There will be lots of folks cheering for Randy this weekend including his sons Andrew and Jackson. 

Wade: Thanks a lot for doing this Randy and good luck this weekend. I know you’ll do your best to try to win that Sportsman title.

Randy:Thank you Wade, I just want to thank all the other Sportsman drivers, Richard and Anne Martin for sponsoring the division, and the Roy and the Foley families for giving us a great place to race. But most of all I want to thank the great fans who come out to Speedway 660 to see us race.