Nick Huff is cautiously optimistic he can make a go of it as a race promoter or lessee at Unity Raceway next season.
Huff is currently managing the track. He has already run two race cards and has two more on deck, including the Long John 114 that will pay $2,500 to the winner on Oct. 12.
There will also be racing on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. which will feature former NASCAR cars that had been driven by Sprint Cup drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Newburgh’s Ricky Craven.
Huff, a 25-year-old graphic designer who grew up in Orrington and lives in Hampden, is the son of a race car driver, Kris Huff, and has also raced.
He organized and promoted a snowmobile racing series this past winter and Unity Raceway owner Ralph Nason’s son Ron “put in a good word for me,” according to Huff.
Ralph Nason then contacted him.
“He made a real good offer, one that he said he had never offered to anyone else before,” said Huff who took Nason up on his offer to run a limited schedule this season.
Nason and Huff would not disclose the details of the arrangement.
Following the final two race weekends, Huff anticipates sitting down with Nason and working out a deal for next season.
Huff’s goal is to have two race weekends a month with different classes at each. For example, he may have three regular Unity divisions and one special class per race date.
“That will give drivers one weekend of racing a month and there will be six points races for each class [over the course of the season],” said Huff. “I’ve got a pretty good idea what works. I’ve been around racing my whole life and I’ve seen what mistakes have been made.
“Racing is getting more and more expensive. If you have people racing for points every week, they have to get the car ready to go every week. It becomes quite a burden. People can’t afford it,” said Huff. “This way, if somebody wrecks their car, they’ll have a whole month to get it ready.”
He also stressed that even though the drivers will race just once a month, they will still have the chance to race for a points championship.
“Everyone loves to win a championship,” he said.
In addition, Huff noted that it will give drivers more time for other activities during the other three weekends of the month. That includes racing at other tracks.
Nason has been impressed by Huff and intends to help him make a go of it.
Nason has previously charged a $25,000 fee to lease his track for a season but he said he is willing to adjust it for Huff.
“If he can’t make any money, I’m not going to charge him as much,” said Nason.
Huff said if Nason can give him a deal similar to the one he currently has, he will lease the track next year.
Huff has been encouraged by what he has seen so far.
“The first (racing weekend) went real well. The second one didn’t do as well but we still came out on top,” said Huff.
The money he has made will go toward the purse fund for the Long John 114.
“There will probably be a purse of between use of between $8,000-$10,000 for the Long John,” said Huff.
He also intends to book some snowmobile races into Unity Raceway this winter.
Huff said one of his downfalls as a promoter is his reluctance to seek sponsorships dollars.
“I’m not very good at asking people for money. I know how tough times are these days,” he said.
However, there is a link on the Unity Raceway website for people who want to donate or provide sponsorship dollars.
His first two experiences running the track were eye-opening for him.
“I was real nervous. I never thought I’d be able to run a track with 25-30 employees working for me,” said Huff, a Brewer High School graduate. “I really didn’t get to see much of the racing.
“I can’t say it was fun. But it was definitely rewarding,” he said.