Tom Curley, NEAR Hall of Famer, Northeast Racing Pioneer, passes at 73

 

 

Longtime Thunder Road Speedbowl co-owner and promoter Tom Curley died  last Friday following complications from a lengthy illness. He was 73 years old.

A pioneer for his sport of auto racing, Curley was involved in local and regional competition for most of his adult life. After spending considerable time at Thunder Road as a spectator and driver in the 1960s, he became the NASCAR Northeast regional director in 1978, and a year later created the NASCAR North Tour. He and Thunder Road founder Ken Squier then acquired the track in 1982 from former owner Tommy Kalomiris, a news release from ACT stated.

Though his health had declined in recent years, Curley continued to be a presence at Thunder Road. He and Squier had recently completed the sale of the track prior to his passing. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

After leaving NASCAR, Curley created the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) sanctioning body in 1986. Under Curley’s leadership, Thunder Road and ACT became household names for racers and fans throughout the Northeast, making the Barre high banks one of the most popular auto racing destinations in the region. Among his many accomplishments, he helped relaunch the famed Flying Tiger division that has competed since 1982, and created the ACT Late Model rules package used at Thunder Road and numerous other tracks.

Racing Promotion Monthly named Curley the North American Promoter of the Year in 2004. He also received the Lowes Motor Speedway National Short Track Promoter of the Year Award in 2003 and the Trackside Magazine Promoter of the Year Award in 1992. Curley was inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2009. Thoughts  from  the entire NEAR  community are with Tom’s family.

 Obituary courtesy of the Burlington Free Press

Summer Knights Car Show-1st NEAR Event of 2017

SUNDAY, APRIL 30TH, 2017  SAW  THE  MEMBERS  OF  NEAR  PARTICIPATE  IN  THE SUMMER  KNIGHTS  CAR  SHOW  AT  THE   BERLIN  FAIR  FACILITY  IN  CT.  A  BANNER  CROWD  WAS  ON  HAND,  ALONG WITH  A  FINE  SELECTION  OF  HOT  RODS, DRAG  CARS, STREET  SLEEPERS,  AND  RACE  CARS.  ANGIE  BULLOCK  AND  BILL  KEMP  HAD THE BEAUTIFUL  88  COUPE  AND THEIR  NEW  DESPERADO  RACING  “LAMBORGHINI” GOLF CART ON HAND.  THE  COUPE  LATER  WON A TROPHY,  AS  DID  THE #19  PINTO  OF  TOM  MACIAG.  ALSO  IN  ATTENDANCE  WERE  THE 7NY  OF  JIM  WILLIAMS,  THE  #5   OF  GEORGE  CLEVELAND,  AND  THE  #53  VEGA  OF  STEVE   ZUKOWSKI.  PLENTY  OF  NEAR  MEMBERS  WERE  ALSO  THERE  HELPING  DISPLAY  THE  HALL  OF  FAME  TRUCK  AND  RECALLING  GOOD  TIMES  FROM  LONG  AGO.  THANKS  TO  ALL  WHO  CAME  OUT, AND  CONGRATULATIONS  TO  THE  TROPHY  WINNERS!