Ben Rowe was named Maine Driver of the Year.
By Phil Whipple
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA – After a year of planning by members of the Maine Vintage Race Car Association, 12 racing pioneers were inducted Saturday into the inaugural class of the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame.

The history-making event was held in conjunction with the 16th Annual Northeast Motorsports Expo & Trade Show.

The organization also awarded the Maine Driver of the Year trophy to PASS champion Ben Rowe. The other finalists were Big Dawg Challenge winner Sam Sessions and Corey Williams, the 18 year-old sensation who dominated the Legends class in 2003.

Rowe posted eight wins on the PASS tour and won the Oxford 250. The likable second generation driver from Turner was thrilled with his award.

“To actually meet some of these guys tonight, to put faces with the names, is quite an honor,” said Rowe. “They were winning races and titles before I was even a thought. I’m honored to accept this award, and will sit down and enjoy some more great stories.”

Of the 12 inductees, nine are still alive. The three awards given posthumously went to Bob Bushley Sr., who passed away last May, Dr. Robert Christopher, who died in 1985, and George Damon, the man who built Oxford Plains Speedway.

Bushley was honored first with his son Dave accepting the award. This was the first of many emotional responses of the evening. Dave’s father was a true legend, loved by thousands across the racing fraternity.

Christopher was a fixture at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and was the first official “Track Physician” in the state. Accepting the award for Christopher was his daughter, Bonnie Coffin, current publicist at the speedway.

Damon was a Norway businessman who had seen races at the Lewiston and New Gloucester fairgrounds, and had also heard about the newly-built Beech Ridge Speedway in Scarborough. He wanted a track in the Oxford Hills region and bought a flat piece of land along then-undeveloped Route 26.

On May 27, 1950, Oxford Plains Speedway held its first race. The Damon family operated the track until 1961. Bill Damon, a Norway native and nephew of George, accepted the award on his uncle’s behalf.

Of the remaining nine inductees, eight were on hand to accept their awards.

Bob Bahre, who had a prior commitment and could not attend, brought the sport to a higher level with his continual improvements to Oxford Plains Speedway. He turned the place into a showcase facility, creating special events to draw new fans.

Dave Darveau of Chelsea was the first inductee to address the crowd. Best known for the stuffed frog that rode along with him, Darveau enjoyed success at many tracks, competing at 18 different speedways from Florida to the Canadian Maritimes.

Ralph Cusack enjoyed much success at Beech Ridge – a track he would later own – posting 12 championships during an illustrious 30-year career. Driver of the famed “Blue Deuce,” Cusack captured the hearts of thousands of race fans across the state.

Other inductees on hand included Dick Garrett of Scarborough and Phil Libby of Buxton. Both were beloved drivers with strong resumes and legions of fans. Garrett, born with polio in his left leg, was known as the “Crippled Duck,” but could handle a race car. He earned six titles at Beech Ridge and was dominant in the early 1950s.

Libby ran his first race in a 1937 Ford sedan, and was aptly initiated into the sport when he was hit by another car and flipped over. Libby was a six-time president of the Maine State Stock Car Racing Association.

Homer Drew, originally from Raymond, drove the famed “P-38” for Bob Bushley after he retired from driving. Drew won three Class A championships for Bushley and also won two titles in the Jerry Seavey-owned Class B coupe. In 2000, Drew was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame.

Blackie Hilliard of Manchester was a dominant force on the dirt ovals during the 1950s and early ’60s. He won 12 track championships at Unity.

Jim McConnell, the man who built Maine’s first track (Beech Ridge) in Scarborough, was honored as a visionary man known for his hands-on approach. He saw the need for a speedway in southern Maine and had the energy and resources to build one.

Now 91 and a resident of Florida, Jim made the trip back to Maine to proudly accept his award.

Dick Wolstenhume of Windham was the final inductee, a driver who allegedly hit everything, including an outhouse. Known as the “Iron Man” for his great stamina and tremendous talent behind the wheel, he recorded 10 championships in a storied career.