Del Merritt and Alice Baker will remain co-owners of Hermon’s Speedway 95.

A press release on the track’s website said the proposed deal to sell the track to Liberty’s Dave St. Clair was null and void.

“I guess I couldn’t part with it,” said Merritt. “I told [St. Clair] I didn’t really want to leave.”

Merritt and Baker agreed last Thursday to sell the track to former Wiscasset Raceway owner St. Clair. St. Clair agreed to withdraw the deal.

St. Clair, who owned Wiscasset Raceway from 1991-2007, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Merritt said St. Clair had the finances in place to purchase the track and that he “really would like to have it.

“He’d been a track owner and realized how I felt,” said Merritt, who has owned Speedway 95 with Baker since 1984. “He wished me well and luck and said he’d do everything he could to help me.”

Merritt said he and St. Clair parted on good terms.

“I’ll have to buy him a lobster and a steak, I guess,” laughed Merritt. “We’ll stay friends. It didn’t turn into a bitter thing.”

Co-owner Alice Baker has agreed to remain with Merritt for “at least one more year” and will continue her role at the speedway for next season.

“I told her if she was unhappy that I would buy her out,” said Merritt.

Merritt said he had some ideas for he would like to implement for next season.

“I’ve got quite a few things in mind that I want to change. First of all I need to get my ducks in row [before I announce all the changes],” said Merritt.

He said the track won’t open until after Mother’s Day next year.

He also would like to have a few races on Thursday nights.

“I’ve already been interested in seeing if a Thursday night will draw. I’ve got some other ideas that I haven’t incorporated before and now I’ll be able to,” said Merritt.

He noted that the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway and NASCAR races at Loudon, N.H., hurt attendance and car counts at Speedway 95. Moving those races from Saturday to Thursday would “be a plus for us.”

Merritt also said he’s looking at solutions to increase car counts in supporting divisions.