Former car owner, racing consultant Bahre dies at 76

LOUDON, N.H. -- Former NASCAR car owner, Richard "Dick" Bahre, 76, passed away on Saturday in Statesville, N.C.

Bahre was the brother of New Hampshire Motor Speedway founder, Bob Bahre, and the uncle of former track president, Gary Bahre. Dick helped build the speedway with Bob and Gary in 1989.

"Dick Bahre was an integral part of the speedway's history," said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "He worked side-by-side with Bob and Gary to build a first class facility for race fans to enjoy. As a car owner, Dick gave many drivers the opportunity to compete in NASCAR's elite divisions. This is a tremendous loss for the Bahre family, the speedway, and the entire motorsports community."

Bahre was involved in auto racing for more than 50 years starting with the midget racing circuit in the late 1950s and early 1960s with Bob. When Bob purchased Oxford Plains Speedway, Dick joined as him as the track manager.

From 1981 to 1993, Bahre fielded cars in 31 races on what is now the Sprint Cup Series. Geoffrey Bodine, Charlie Glotzbach, Sterling Marlin, Morgan Shepherd, Dave Mader, and Michael Waltrip all competed in Bahre-owned cars.

Dick and Chuck Rider formed Bahari Racing with young Waltrip behind the wheel in the mid-1980s.

Later in his career, Dick stayed close to the sport as a consultant and occasionally fielded cars in ARCA and what is now the NASCAR Camping World Series East.

He is survived by his wife, Orene; a daughter, Dawn Nickloy of Statesville; a step-daughter, Cynthia Mae Bray of Caribou, Maine; a stepson, James Osgood of Newry, Maine; two grandchildren, Nicole Drake and Christian Evans-Bahre, both of Statesville; five step-grandchildren, Teresa, Jennifer, and Tommy Bray, and Erin and Wade Osgood, all of Maine; seven great-grandsons; two brothers, Robert "Bob" Bahre and his wife, Sandra, of Alton, N.H., and Everett Bahre and his wife, Rowena, of California; and seven nieces and nephews, Gary, Terry, Shawn, Amy, Kyle, Tina, and Katie.

The family will receive friends from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET Monday, at Bunch-Johnson Funeral Home, 705 Davie Ave., Statesville, N.C. A second receiving for friends will be held at Oxford Hills Funeral Services, 1037 Main St., Oxford, Maine on Wednesday with visiting hours to be announced. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Catherine of Sienna Church, 32 Paris St., Norway, Maine, and burial will take place at Riverside Annex Cemetery in South Paris, Maine.

The family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, 4500 Adam's Way, Randleman, N.C. 27317; or Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County, 2347 Simonton Rd., Statesville, N.C. 28625; or to the American Cancer Society, 6000 Fairview Rd., Suite 200, Charlotte, N.C. 28210.