Headlined by Supermodifieds, Star Classic Weekend celebrates New England racing

What was once Star Speedway’s signature race has become the cornerstone of the New Hampshire bullring’s biggest weekend of the year.

And as New England’s short tracks dive into their big season-finale festivals, the first big racing weekend of the fall celebrates one of the region’s favorite niche circle track disciplines.

Thursday evening kicked off four days of racing at Star, with weekly divisions and live entertainment setting the tone for the 60th Annual Star Classic Weekend, a weekend that peaks Saturday night with one of the most storied Supermodified races in New England.

Under track owner and promoter Bobby Webber, Jr., a Saturday-night spectacle has evolved into a full weekend of racing, featuring Star’s weekly classes along with touring Late Models, pavement midgets, Tour-type Modifieds, and of course the beloved big-block winged Supermodifieds.

With weekend-long camping and representation from 18 classes of New England short track racing, Star Classic Weekend reflects the energy of the region’s more tenured season-ending specials, like nearby Lee USA Speedway’s Oktoberfest or Thompson Speedway’s World Series.

Supermodifieds, though, are central to the story of Star Speedway. Bob Webber purchased the Epping, N.H. quarter-mile in 1980, intent on keeping the no-rules open-wheeled division as a regular part of the track’s schedule. While the Supermodified’s origin traces directly to upstate New York’s Oswego Speedway, and while other tracks in New England would welcome the winged warriors with open arms, Star became the epicenter of Supermodified racing within the six-state region.

While the original “Supermodified” platform borrowed heavily from Indy-style open-wheel racing and was often reputed to have a rulebook that merely dictated a big V8 engine and four wheels in the usual positions on a chassis, modern Supermodifieds are far more adherent to convention. For years, that convention dictated wide tires, a roof-mounted wing for stability, and a big-block Chevrolet V8 mounted alongside the driver with 900 horsepower channeled directly to the rear axle. In the late 1990s, rising costs spurred the evolution of a “small block” Supermodified powered by a General Motors 350 V8.

Big-block engines remained the preference of the New York-based International Supermodified Association for touring races, while the cost-conscious “350 Supermodified” became the preferred platform for weekly racing at tracks like Lee and Star.

The New England SuperModified Racing Association sanctioned its first Super Classic at Lee USA Speedway in 1966, after which the event moved to Star for its 1968 running. NESMRA’s sanctioning gave way to ISMA in 1976, with ISMA backing the Classic through 2022.

But shifts within the Supermodified community, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, led ISMA to withdraw from New England after the 2022 season. ISMA, now working in conjunction with the Midwest Supermodified Series, re-established itself with a stronger base between New York and Michigan, returning to New England for limited shows in 2024 and 2025.

Bobby Webber, Jr., meanwhile, elevated his weekly 350 Supermodifieds to headline the Star Classic in 2023. Big-block cars returned last year under the banner of the Maine-based New England Supermodified Series, a new sanction started by Pro All Stars Series founder Tom Mayberry in 2022.

Despite an unraveled track sale in the late 2000s and the passing of the elder Webber in 2018, Star has hosted its eponymous Star Classic for the better part of the last sixty years.

Saturday’s program is headlined by a potent Supermodified double-bill. Star’s 350 Supermodifieds will contest the fourth Dennis McKennedy Memorial 75, the longest event of the year for the speedway’s top division. NESS and its big-block cars will carry the torch for the 100-lap Bob Webber, Sr. Memorial Star Classic.

One of the early favorites for both races, naturally, is one of Star’s own racers. Jeffrey Battle has established himself as a dominant force in Star’s 350 Supermodifieds, winning countless features and multiple track championships, as well as the inaugural Dennis McKennedy Memorial in 2021 and the final running of the Randy Witkum Memorial that preceded it. Battle is a scion of the Witkum family, the family often credited with the development of the 350 Supermodified in the late 1990s.

This season has been a breakout year for Battle in NESS competition. The Dunstable, Mass. wunderkind leads the NESS points standings with four wins in eight starts this year, sweeping NESS’ Oxford 250 doubleheader and taking his first big-block win at Star in June.

While Star’s 350 Supers have long played the undercard to the big blocks at the Star Classic, the two series have their own base of stars. A Star Classic sweep would likely be a first.

However, Battle will not be without stout competition. Defending Star Classic winner Jon McKennedy’s status was in doubt earlier this week, but the Chelmsford, Mass. veteran finally got his ride back together after an engine failure early in the summer. McKennedy, a former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champ, has won the Star Classic five times, one of only four drivers to do so. New Hampshire’s Russ Wood has seven wins in the Star Classic. Supermodified legend Bentley Warren has six, while Christopher Perley, the “Rowley Rocket,” is tied with McKennedy.

In the small-block cars, Battle’s chief rival is fellow legacy racer Bobby Timmons III. Timmons is a third-generation racer and fabricator, racing both big-block and 350 Supermodifieds on a shoestring budget. A deluge of frustrations had “BT3” reeling heading into the Star Classic, but he rebounded to win the Dennis McKennedy Memorial and place third in the big-block Classic feature, ultimately clinching the NESS championship at season’s end.

Citing his ailing powerplant and some off-track concerns, Timmons and his father parked the big-block car after the Oxford 250, allowing him to focus on the 350 Supermodified, where he leads Battle by a whisker with Star’s track championship in sight.

But the winged Supermodifieds are only part of the weekend’s story.

Thursday’s opener incorporated the featured divisions of Star’s “Five Dollar Fridays” program. Inspired by the defunct Beech Ridge Motor Speedway’s “Thursday Thunder” program, Star hosts selected entry-level divisions for a series of Friday-night shows with discounted admission. Star’s Street Stock class highlighted the night’s card, with Pure Stocks, Mighty Trucks and the new “Beer Wagon” minivan class rounding out the schedule.

Friday’s program introduces the touring portion of the weekend, with the PASS Super Late Models headlining the evening card. Making their third appearance at Star this year, the Maine-based series will contest the inaugural Chummy Brown Memorial 144. The race is Star’s tribute to Maine racing legend Kennison “Chummy” Brown, who passed away last December. Brown’s grandson, Rusty Poland, won last year’s PASS prelude to the Star Classic, racing for speedway owner Webber.

The PASS Modifieds are making their third Star appearance of the year with the Super Late Models, with Star’s weekly Slingshots and Six Shooters adding local flavor to the touring program.

Saturday’s program is open-wheel centric as always, with the Supermodified features the undisputed headliners. The Modified Racing Series, the Northeastern Midget Association’s NEMA Lites, and NELCAR Legends round out the evening’s action-packed schedule. Battle will add a third race to his Saturday schedule, racing Webber’s Tour-type Modified in the 75-lap MRS feature.

Sunday includes a mixture of touring and local features. Visiting from out of town are the Evolve Pro Truck Challenge, the New England Pro-4 Modifieds, and the New England Dwarf Car Series, while Star’s Late Models and Crown Vic divisions close out the weekend.

It’s a weekend that has everything a pavement short track fan could hope for, from conventional weekly divisions to the most boutique of boutique short track series, many paying homage to an era in which they were more common, even more sustainable. It’s a weekend where tributes flow freely, where nearly every major feature pays its dues to someone who made it possible many years ago.

And while the focus of the weekend is clear, each series gets a moment to shine.

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