The race track buying spree of Norm Wrenn Jr. over the last 15 months has brought a third New Hampshire facility into the burgeoning portfolio of the former racer.
It was announced Saturday at a motorsports show in Portland, Me. that Wrenn has partnered with Hudson (N.H.) Speedway owner Ben Bosowski to purchase Claremont (N.H.) Speedway.
Wrenn purchased Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H. in February 2018 and closed on the purchase of Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. in December 2018. Bosowski purchased Hudson Speedway in early 2018.
Wrenn and Bosowski agreed to purchase Claremont from co-owners Phil Hayes and James Ambrose. Hayes will stay on at Claremont as the track’s general manager.
“We signed the paperwork yesterday,” Hayes said during the announced Saturday in Portland. “It’s a done deal. … I’m looking forward to working with these guys, the Wrenn family and Ben. I think we’ll be able to leap forward with huge steps. … I’m very excited. I can’t wait. I think this season is going to be great.”
Said Norm Wrenn III, son of track purchaser Norm Wrenn Jr.: “I’m real excited to get involved with any track I possibly can. But the way we’re looking at it is that we can standardize everything and get everyone on board and do the same thing and it’s only going to be better for the drivers in the long run.”
Said Bosowski: “The outcome of this I think is going to be huge for racing in this area. … This is pretty cool to be a part of it.”
Norm Wrenn Jr. had been in talks to purchase the New London-Waterford Speedbowl in the spring of 2017, but his attempts to acquire the shoreline oval from current owner Bruce Bemer fell short.
New England short track racing is very fortunate to have the Wrenn & Bosowski families stepping up and investing in the sport, which is declining, we all love. Kudo’s to them! Hopefully the racing community supports their efforts! Thank-you Norm & Ben.
I don’t get it. Bosowki is up to his neck in major improvements at Hudson. Wrenn just can’t stop buying tracks.
Boy what a missed opportunity at Waterford to end that drama when Wrenn walked away.
It’s all very exciting for New Hampshire asphalt oval track racing. The perception being that racing is dying and a loser money wise and these guys can’t seem to stop buying tracks and improving them. It’s hard enough with one track. The idea that you can run multiple tracks in just exhausting.
New Hampshire is definitely the place to be now for grass roots racing.
Well, with ownership consolidation, hopefully there will be better coordination of dates.
Strange all sorts of tracks changing hands lately. These two gentlemen have 4 tracks between them. Malone and Michaud now have TR and White Mtn.,and reportedly have eyes on 51. Bruno running two tracks in western Vt.
I am sure that they have looked at this in a carefull plan. They will make it work. Smar t people surround themselves with dedicated friends and employees. They have done that.
Were these tracks in trouble and looking for a buyer or did Wrenn give them an offer they couldn’t refuse?
And Waterford is still …..
Let’s put it this way it is almost March 1st and the entire grandstands are complete rubble.
We’re happy for the New Hampshire fans. Looks like they have a solid future ahead of them.
If only!
And your point is? The new stands are not up? Maybe you should go back and read the original story on the demolition. You and dafella must be tight.
Any fool with loads money to burn can put in new grandstands, concession booths and catch fencing. Ooooh yeah, this will be great; now we can sit in a new grandstand to watch a terrible race program! Let’s see them fix the real problem, which is crappy racing from top to bottom. I didn’t see anything new at Lee to write home about after they took over last year. And I don’t expect anything new to be happy about in NH racing this year. Claremont had new owners a couple of years ago; they put in new walls, new “VIP’ area, etc etc. The stuff any ignorant businessman would focus on. And you know what? The racing still sucked and they might have had 100 people in the stands. 4000+ people overflow the old cement stands and sit in the dirt and grass at Thunder Road because, DUH, they have fantastic racing as their top priority.
I get it. Some of the New Hampshire tracks have had sketchy schedules and 8 to 12 car features are the rule more then the exception.
When people with resources are taking risks with their money to improve venues for the sport we love it’s just uncool to be calling them ignorant and labeling them as incompetent.
In order to get great racing, you need to improve the competition. What better way to improve it than to bring in more racers? There was something going on in NH with tracks making their rules more alike to allow racers more opportunities to race. I would think having multiple tracks with the same owners would increase those opportunities. Back in the day when racing wasn’t so sophisticated, you could run many tracks with the same car without having to swap 1/2 the suspension and mechanical parts to be competitive. Now rules differences make that difficult at best. If a Friday racer knows he can run another track Saturday or Sunday without major changes, then maybe he will! More racers = more + better competition = good racing!