Northern New England’s short track auto racing community was dealt another tough loss on Friday night with the news of American-Canadian Tour founder and promoter Tom Curley’s passing.
Curley passed away on Friday after a long battle with Cardio Pulmonary Disease.
Race fans in central and western Maine were still processing the deaths of longtime driver Wally Patrick and veteran journalist Bob Morris when they received more sad news, this time from Waterbury, Vermont.
While Curley’s health had been on the decline in recent years, his passing comes as a particularly hard blow for many local drivers.
In the early 1990s, Curley managed Oxford Plains Speedway for Mike Liberty. His impact on Maine’s racing scene touched two generations of racers, mechanics and fans.
Mike Rowe is one local driver with a closer connection to Curley than most. The Hall-of-Fame driver from Turner won the 1994 ACT points championship driving for MGM Racing, a two-car team that Curley co-owned with a partner.
“Beaver Dragon and I were teammates at MGM,” Rowe said from his home Saturday afternoon. “Tom was always telling us we had to be straight, because he owned the car. There was no gray area there.”
Curley always ran a tight ship on his tour, and his driver’s meetings were legendary. Rowe says if you did something wrong, he definitely got his point across.
“He was tough, but he also cared for the racers and acted in our best interest. He was just a great guy and was top-notch in everything he did. This has been a sad week to lose Wally, Bob and now Tom.”
Glen Luce is another local racer with fond memories of Curley. After his PASS race was canceled in Epping, New Hampshire, on Saturday, he took some time to reflect on one of racing’s top promoters.
“A lot of people didn’t realize what a big race fan Tom really was,” Luce said. “I had no idea he was up in the stands at a lot of the 250s in recent years before his health declined. It meant a lot to me to hear from him after our big win in 2015.”
When Curley ran the show at Oxford, Luce was running in the old Pro Stock class but about to take a leave of absence from his driving career. His early encounters were brief, yet they taught respect.
“We were a low-budget team with hand-me-down equipment at the time,” Luce said. “We might have had a few top-three finishes, but were never really a factor to win like we’re doing today. Tom was all business when he managed the track. Love him or hate him, he always got the job done.”
One of Luce’s best memories about the beloved promoter centers around his own well-known habit of being late for everything. There are those who are always prompt; Glen Luce is not one of them.
“I’m always late,” he admitted. “I was on my way to Thunder Road one time on Vermont Rte. 14. I was just rolling past Joey Laquerre’s shop when my phone rang. I busted out laughing after the call, and my crew asked me who it was. It was Tom, telling me practice was on and asking where the hell I was.”
The Turner native’s other fond memories of Curley are tied to the two biggest wins of his career.
“When we won the second PASS North race at Thunder Road, that was a big deal to us. I dedicated that win to Tom. And after we won the 250, when I got done with post-race interviews, technical inspection and finally got back to my phone, a couple of the messages on there will never be forgotten.
“Of the 200 messages waiting for me, there were a couple on there from Tom. The first one came at lap 200, saying ‘Luce takes the lead,’ like he was announcing the race. The next one from him said ‘Yo, b***h, you just won the Oxford 250.’ I kept the phone, and still haul it out to play that message.”
Among the list of awards Curley received during a stellar career are the Trackside Magazine Promoter of the Year Award in 1992; the Lowe’s Motor Speedway National Short Track Promoter of the Year Award in 2003; and the North American Promoter of the Year Award from Racing Promotion Monthly in 2004.
Curley was inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame this past April.
Curley’s impact on racers around the northeast will be felt for decades to come. For Luce, precious moments in time will forever be linked to the Hall of Fame promoter.
“I’m proud to have known the man,” Luce said, “and I’m proud to have won a race at his track. There will never be another speedway owner or touring series promoter like Tom Curley.”
pwhipple@sunjournal.com
American-Canadian Tour founder and former Thunder Road International Speedbowl co-owner Tom Curley addresses a driver’s meeting at his beloved Thunder Road. Curley passed away on Friday after a long battle with CPD.
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