Russ Dowd, who for decades was known as the voice of Thompson Speedway, passed away Sunday.
Dowd was 75.
Dowd was best known in racing for his place behind the microphone, but his career in the sport started behind the wheel.
Dowd began racing in Go-Karts at Thompson Speedway at eight years old. He moved on to run Mini-Midgets before getting behind the wheel of Modifieds, racing at Thompson, Stafford Speedway and even Pocono Raceway.
Dowd began announcing at Go-Kart events as a teenager. He began calling races at the big track at Thompson Speedway in 1980. His deep voice, understated rhythm and overall coolness made him one of the most memorable announcers in short track racing history in the Northeast. He would rule the announcers booth at Thompson for 37 years.
Dowd called over 600 events at Thompson Speedway, including over 130 NASCAR Modified Tour events.
Dowd retired from the announcer’s booth at Thompson following the 2015 season. Over his span at Thompson he also spent time serving as the track’s general manager and director of operations.
Dowd also spent 13 years in the announcer’s booth at Stafford and could be heard over the years at numerous other tracks across the region.
Dowd was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2024.
Dowd was lifelong resident of Woodstock. He joined the Muddy Brook Fire Department in East Woodstock in 1967 and served the department for 58 years including serving as the department’s fire chief.
Dowd got his first job in radio in 1969 while stationed in Washington DC with the US Army. He spent 27 years working in various roles, including news director and operations manager, for WESO & WQVR in Southbridge, Mass.
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Russ was one of the Best…. I can still hear his voice – will never forget RIP
Known Russ near all of my 74 years. Our families were long time friends. Seemed there was always something to talk about with Russ, from cars to racing to fire dept news to simply what was going on of late. I will miss you my friend ! God speed !
Such sad news. RIP Russ. You lived a great life. Thank you for everything Russ.
That’s sad news. He was the voice of Thompson. RIP 🏁🙏🏼🏁
Thanks Russ! Rest In Peace. Your voice will be remembered.
Russ, Had the best voice for race announcing !! great pipes !!! Thank you for always treating us well at Thompson !!! You were always a class act to deal with and a Gentleman !! RIP Russ !!! This one really Hit me hard…God Bless You and Family at this time.!!!
He made me feel like i was sitting back in an easy chair, when call races at Big T.
Godspeed, condolences to the Dowd family.
I was a young woman when I first encountered Russ. Everyday at work we would listen to his radio show The Cracker Barrell. He made the show fun and Southbridge residents got to know each other thru it. . Always had time to answer any and all inquiries! I seem to remember also that he ran or helped run an annual food drive! RIP dearfriend!
So much of my youth spent at Thompson was the best experience not only because of his racing knowledge, but also his ability to balance hard-news information with exciting content that was never unnecessarily dramatic.
I hold fond memories of those days. May he rest in peace and his family feel comfort in this time.
When I first started going to circle track events, Thompson was the one I went to most. I had some knowledge about the different classes but very few clues as to who was who. Thanks to Russ Dowd, my “racing IQ” went up really quick! Always great to listen to and I always left with more knowledge than I showed up with. A class act behind the mike, for sure! Condolences to the family.
Oh, no! I knew Russ in a galaxy far, far away when I was soooo much younger. So many stories I could tell about so many times we laughed until we had others crying….one tour of Mt. Vernon that we ‘conducted’ remains one of my fondest memories. He was a classic and a good, good man. RIP….
When I first started attending circle track events I went to Thompson the most. I knew the different classes of cars but didn’t know much about who’s who, so I listened very intently to Russ Dowd on the PA. He did a great job of educating me and quickly bringing me up to speed at the track. Thank-you Russ, RIP!
Russ had a great, booming “radio” voice, and was a modified driver (Lyons #98) for several seasons… that gave him a leg up on most announcers trying to describe the action. He was a friend and a great ambassador for our sport. Sad news.