Dave Coutermarsh

Gaining his introduction to the sport from behind the wheel of a race car at Oxford Plains for a short period of time, Dave Coutermarsh’s rise to Maine motorsports prominence would escalate as a car owner. Venturing to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway at the turn of that track’s Super Modified era in the ‘70’s, Coutermarsh secured his first five championships with Ralph Cusack (2004 Inaugural Hall of Fame) in his driver’s seats through 1980. Two additional titles came with drivers Larry Tanguay (2009 Hall of Fame) in the early ‘80’s Modified period; and three more at the close of the ‘80’s with driver David Pinkham, including one at Claremont Speedway in New Hampshire. Dave’s ten championship titles as a car owner as well as his influence as a Director with the Maine State Stock Car Racing Association and his membership in the Beech Ridge Hall of Fame left an indelible standard within the state’s motorsports arena.

Goodwin Hannaford

Living out his childhood dreams, inductee Goodwin Hannaford’s bond to racing started as a wide-eyed boy walking to a nearby garage where Phil Libby (2004 Inaugural Hall of Fame) worked on his race car. Goodwin possessed a natural aptitude for mechanical workings. He built his first motor for a Beech Ridge race car at age 14, before he was old enough to get into the pit area to watch it race. A high school Industrial Arts teacher, Goodwin’s reputation for genuine service and reliable motors would earn him a statewide racing portfolio. He prepared motors for names synonymous with victory such as Homer Drew (2004 Inaugural Hall of Fame) and Jerry Seavey (2010 Hall of Fame), Bob Babb (2007 Hall of Fame), Al Hammond (2009 Hall of Fame), Dick McCabe (2009 Hall of Fame) and Russ Nutting (2008 Hall of Fame). More than two dozen championship titles were earned throughout New England with Hannaford’s motors serving as power plants. A renowned restorer of classic Corvettes and Chevelles, Goodwin was recognized by General Motors for his pioneering work on fuel injection motors. He is also a member of the Beech Ridge Hall of Fame.

Ralph Nason

A three-time winner of the state’s prestigious Oxford 250, Ralph Nason’s contributions to motorsports in Maine—and the Northeast—are far reaching. Emerging into the game in the 1960s, Nason’s name drove into the spotlight in 1974 when he became the first to purchase, build and race the newly conceived Chrysler Kit Car in partnership with Richard Petty Enterprises. The yellow and black Dodge, emblazoned with the Partner Chain Saws sponsorship, combined with Ralph’s driving tenacity to prove a formidable force across the Northeast for a period of years. In his first Kit Car year alone, Nason racked up 23 feature wins spread among his home track of Unity Raceway, Bangor’s Speedway 95 and Wiscasset Speedway. A business entrepreneur, Ralph went on to purchase the track at which he became fabled—Unity—as well as Caribou’s Spud Speedway and Quebec’s Montmagny Autodrome. When Pro Stock racing hit an insurmountable wall in the mid-1990s, Nason stepped up to form a new Pro tour of his own under the New England Pro Stock Association (NEPSA) title—a tour that successfully morphed into new touring title names after Ralph’s initiation of it. His three 250 titles—1998, ’99 & 2000—saw him again defeat unlikely odds by becoming the first—and the only, to date—to capture Maine’s biggest race three times in a row.

Wally Patrick

During a comparatively short driving career, Wally Patrick nonetheless imprinted his name and style upon Maine’s racing community with a hard-charging style that earned him the nickname “Wild Child”. Debuting in 1965 at Oxford Plains Speedway, Patrick would soon prove himself to be a worthy contender. Racing through a period of some ten years, Wally established an impressive winning percentage, collecting 26 wins, two championships, and winning Oxford’s Triple Crown race series three times. He also became the first person to accumulate more than 1,000 championship points in a single season at Oxford. Out-dueling more than 90 other drivers through qualifying for a tail-end starting position in Speedway 95’s $2,500-to-win “Bud 2500” in 1967, the Wild Child gave the crowd a show, driving his way forward to win the landmark event. Dick Bahre (2008 Hall of Fame) recognized Wally’s talent and in 1972 put him into the driver’s seat of his car for Daytona’s Permatex 300 Sportsman race, where a mechanical issue took them out of contention.

Larry Pottle

Larry Pottle commandeered short track motorsports in Central Maine over a span of three decades between 1965 and 1999. His introduction to the driver’s seat came with less than a couple hours’ notice on race day when a friend asked him to fill the seat of his Unity Raceway Hobby car, vacated by his regular driver’s call to military active duty. Pottle delivered an impressive performance in his first outing among a crowded field of amateur drivers, recording a top five finish. He continued racing and finishing up front, moving on to build his own cars, motors and equipment throughout his career. Eventually preparing and winning with a Limited Sportsman car at Unity, Larry would be invited to join the driving roster of Dick & Donna Whitney’s (2009 Hall of Fame) teams in the Late Model Sportsman division. Together, they would become dominant figures in Ford cars, winning Unity’s 1975 championship under NASCAR’s Winston Racing Series sanction, repeating the effort in 1982, and becoming perpetual winners of 100-lap open comp races throughout the state.

Jerry Seavey

Opening his motorsports career as an 18-year-old driving a ’34 Ford of his own at Beech Ridge in the 1950’s, the famed involvement of Jerry Seavey would blossom as a car owner. The ‘60’s would bring a respite from active racing while he served as a Director with the Maine State Stock Car Racing Association, opened one of the state’s first made-for-racers speed shops, and began an apprenticeship in the family’s furniture and appliance business. It was the decade of ‘70’s that paired Seavey and hot shoe driver Homer Drew (2004 Inaugural Hall of Fame) together, forming a team that would launch both careers to greater heights. Making the numbers 22 and J2 the high bar to beat in pit areas throughout Maine, Jerry’s sharp business sense and Homer’s tenacious talent landed the duo eight out of twelve ‘open comp’ races across the state in a single season. They raced and won and raised the level of competition across Maine, Vermont, Martinsville, Virginia and Sanair, Canada and placed the Seavey name among the most prominent in motorsports in their era.