By Patrick Adrian
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CLAREMONT — The owners of Claremont Motorsports Park will lease the speedway next race season to Mike Parks, New Hampshire racing promoter, who will take over operations of the track beginning in April.
Ben Bosowski and Norman Wrenn, the owners of three other speedways in the state, purchased Claremont’s 72-year-old speedway in February from former owner Jim Ambrose. They offered to lease the track to Parks last month.
The agreement will enable Bosowski and Wrenn to concentrate on their other tracks and allow Parks to pursue “a lifelong dream.”
“This is my hometown track,” Parks said in an interview with the Eagle Times yesterday. “I’ve been involved in races there since the late 70’s. I want the speedway to be successful and to bring back excitement.”
Parks is the founder of Granite State Pro Stock Series, a traveling company that operates races at speedways across New Hampshire, including in Claremont. He currently resides in Walpole, New Hampshire.
He will oversee all daily operations at the track next season, including marketing, events and staffing.
However, other than a few positions, the current staff will continue under the new management, according to Parks.
“The track has a very good staff already in place,” Parks said. “The operation next year will essentially be the same.”
Perhaps the most immediate change next season will be an earlier start time of 7:30, according to Parks. In consideration of people’s work schedules, Parks will aim to end races by 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m the latest.
“People don’t want to stay there all night,” he said. “Our plan is to provide a crisp, clean three-hour show.”
Parks is currently building next season’s schedule but noted that there will be a “combination of old and new on several fronts.”
The track will continue its tradition of Friday night races for NASCAR and New Hampshire short-track (NHSTR) sanctioned events, which will alternate bi-weekly with “mini stocks,” or a mid-stock racing class, which Parks anticipates on building.
In a press release, Parks said that he is discussing memorial races that have been a staple of Claremont’s schedule, and is also in talks with other groups about possible events.
“We are in talks with numerous other groups about the possibilities for next season,” Parks said when asked about other visiting tours. “We will also be participating in the NHSTRA battle for the belt series for all divisions involved.”
The leasing of the track is completely separate from Bosowski and Wrenn’s plans to build a 149-site campground on the property, according to Parks. If approved by Claremont’s planning and zoning boards, the campground will cater primarily to racing teams during the season. The campground will feature sites with RV-hookups for season-long rental, a swimming pool, recreation hall and two comfort stations.
Bosowski met with the Claremont Planning Board on Oct. 14 for a preliminary discussion.
The previous track owner received a variance from the Claremont Zoning Board in 2016 to build a similar campground, but a combination of cost overrun and personal health issues forced Ambrose to sell.
Parks plans to open the facility for the 2020 season on Saturday, April 25, and kick off the Friday night schedule on May 1.
“I have to thank Norm and Ben for giving us this opportunity,” Parks said. “We have held several one off events over the last couple of years, and this is the next step in the progression.”
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