Bahre recognized for work with Buddy Shuman Award

NEW YORK -- Bob Bahre, long a champion promoter and supporter of stock-car racing in the New England region, collected one of NASCAR's most prestigious and longest-running awards Thursday in New York.

Bahre received the Buddy Shuman Award during the 2008 NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Media Luncheon. Presented since 1957, the award annually recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to NASCAR racing.

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It honors the late Buddy Shuman, a pioneering NASCAR driver who died in a hotel fire in November 1955.

"Bob was a pioneer in NASCAR's growth in the northeast," said NASCAR president Mike Helton. "He's one of the most respected men in the sport -- ever."

Bahre, 80, is the former owner of New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Oxford Plains Speedway. A resident of Paris Hill, Maine, he purchased what is now New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 1989 and re-opened it -- following reconstruction and renovations -- in 1990.

NASCAR events have been held at the track since July 1990.

Bahre also owned and operated Oxford Plains Speedway from 1986-'94. He's also renowned for his collection of vintage cars, which he shares with the public each summer during a Founder's Day festival in Paris Hill.

As New England's largest sports facility, New Hampshire Motor Speedway includes a 1.056-mile oval track and a 1.6-mile road course and room for 105,491 spectators. A new chapter in the track's history began in November 2007, when Bahre and his son Gary sold the facility to Speedway Motorsports Inc.

More recognition is forthcoming: Bahre will be inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame on Jan. 25.