2/4/24 A January afternoon to remember .. 

Every long time race fan has a favorite era of the sport in their memories. The years, tracks, tours and even type of racecars might differ, but it’s typically a period that we can call our own
golden age of racing. The competition was close, the drivers were larger than life and the
stories were legendary.

For me, one of those eras were what I considered to be the glory days of the NASCAR Busch
Grand National North (later just the NASCAR Busch North) Series. The most memorable
seasons for me were from the early 1990’s through the first years of the new century.

The memories of this era can be relived through photographs, the occasional YouTube video
and a pair of excellent books written by former Busch North Scene publisher George Campbell.
I’d highly recommend his works, Busch North Scene – a Ten Year Retrospective and Busch
North Scene – the Busch Years if you would like to know more about this period of the sport.

Now, thanks to a collaboration between the Maine Vintage Race Car Association and Lincoln
County Television, there is another way to relive the memories. That is through a 90-minute
roundtable television program.

The three featured guests on this program made history during the era. Even better, they are all
great storytellers. Those three guests were Joe Bessey, Brad Leighton and Andy Santerre.

I was blessed to have been a part of this program along with show emcee Ken Minott and host
Pete Silva. Ken got the show going and kept its pace, Pete was the lead interviewer and I had
the chance to insert a few memories from my own head to lead into getting the insight from the
men who made that history.

To say that the show was a success would be a big understatement. It will be an experience
that I will never forget.

All three drivers shared very candid memories and insights about their experiences. We
discussed rivalries, victories, paths to go racing in the big leagues down south and the
importance of Mainers in their racing careers.

To get the opportunity to bench race with Hall of Fame level legends of the sport is a priceless
experience. I think that anyone who remembers those days, along with anyone who wants to
hear stories from a truly special time in short track racing, will really enjoy this show.

One of the coolest things about the production was that it took place in front of a live studio
audience at Steve Perry’s Northeast Motorsports Expo in Augusta. The room was full of fans
and racing insiders who endured a snowy Maine morning to come out and join the fun. There
were crew members, track owners, fans and other drivers in the crowd. A special treat for me
was that the aforementioned George Campbell, who was so much a part of bringing stories from
that tour to the fans, was in the crowd in person. In addition to being such a valued part of the
series history, George is a great friend who spends most of his time outside of New England
these days. To have him there was very special to me. Former Busch North Scene columnist,
the one and only George Fish was also in attendance.

I’m not going to try and tell any of the stories from the roundtable here. You can hear those
firsthand from the men who made the history but watching the roundtable program. I will tell
you though that there are not very many better ways to spend 90 minutes of your time.

There are many different ways to preserve history. The MVRCA does a great job of using
different projects to keep memories alive. The MVCRA Mobile Museum, Hall of Fame
inductions, and so many other projects do a wonderful job of this. The Busch North roundtable
is just the latest in the series of ways to pass down stories directly from the racers themselves to
fans who get to watch the program. Enjoy the show – I know that I certainly did.