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Make your plans for the 10th Annual Busch Sport Scene Snowmobile Ride for Charity!
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The 10th Annual Busch Sports Scene Charity Snowmobile Run Recap
By Dave Meredith, photos by Hazel Meredith
This annual fund-raising event is held in Rangeley Lake, Maine, with the auction and raffles held at the Clubhouse Restaurant. This years’ event was held Saturday, January 31st, with lots of snow on the ground and sun in the sky.
It was a challenge trying to get my wife, Hazel, to go to Maine in the winter, especially with their very cold temperatures, wind and snow. She finally relented as we made our motel reservations on Monday. I got that look -- you know the one that says, “I’m only doing this cause ‘you’ want to!” I silently prayed that the weather wouldn’t be miserable!
When we arrived at our motel, the Town and Lake, on Friday afternoon, we were a tad tired after driving seven hours from Southern Connecticut. Upon entering town, I made a mental note of all the snow and snowmobiles. You couldn’t help but notice the numerous trailers and snowmobiles parked at the different inns and condos.
We looked for a place to eat dinner in Rangeley, and were told by the motel operator that the Clubhouse Restaurant was just down the street, and so we headed over. As we pulled in we saw even more snowmobiles and right next door to the restaurant was a gas station/convenience store and snowmobile service center.
As we entered the restaurant we were greeted with, “Hello. Are you here for the Busch North Charity event?” We answered in the affirmative, and then the next question was, “Do you know ‘Soup’ (George Campbell)?” Well, of course we do! This question would be repeated about 20 more times over the weekend! During dinner Soup just happened to stop in. He was busy as he had to do a TV/Radio interview to promote the event. He stopped by for a minute to apologize for not spending more time with us. That’s Soup, always trying be a good host.
Speaking of a good host, he and the Busch Sports Scene newspaper have been hosting the event for the past eight years. “This event started 10 years ago. The ladies from the Busch North Series Auxiliary started the event to help keep the Busch North Series (now the NASCAR Camping World East Series) teams keep in contact over the winter when there was no racing.” Campbell was asked to help sponsor the event. The first two years were good and in the third year the Auxiliary couldn’t put event together, so Soup jumped in and took over the planning and running of the event. Having already been sponsor of the event, he thought it was a shame to end it. So he said, “You know what? I’ve been sponsoring it. Why don’t I just make it happen? Since then, it’s just grown. I just keep doing it every year,” he continued.
As the event grew so did the philanthropy. Campbell and his good friend, Greg Fish, as well as numerous other supporters including the Rangeley Lake Snowmobile Club, have made the event special for many people who really needed help or assistance. Some of the charities and causes represented are the Special Olympics, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Travis Roy Foundation, plus an annual scholarship to a young person working toward advancing their education. Campbell would love to raise $20,000 from this event so he could say that they have gone over the $100,000 mark in the events ten year history.
Riders on the trail
The Rangeley Lake Snowmobile Club has been big in helping grooming the trails for the riders, along with supplying a guide and safety rider to keep the novice riders out of trouble, or lend a hand when machine problems arose.
Matt Kobyluck leads the group on the ride.
Matt Kobyluck, the NASCAR Camping World East Series 2008 Champion was the feature rider. Kobyluck also won his second Toyota All Star Showdown race held in Irwindale, California, in January. He first won the event in 2006. Kobyluck is from Uncasville, Connecticut, and is sponsored by the Mohegan Sun Casino. He was outfitted with a black bib and jacket and a sharp looking Artic Cat snowmobile with the champions’ insignia prominently placed on the front.
Kobyluck was joined on the ride by former CWES 2001 and 2006 Champion, Mike Olson of Haverhill, New Hampshire, Eddie MacDonald of Rawley, Massachusetts (the New Hampshire Motor Speedway CWSE 2008 track champion), as well Rollie LaChance, crew chief for MacDonald. They were joined by another CWSE driver, Mike Johnson, who has been a regular supporter of the event along with Olson.
George 'Soup' Campbell (r) talking to Mainely Motorsports host Steve Perry (l)
All the drivers mentioned were interviewed by Soup as reporter for Mainely Motorsports TV run by Steve Perry of Windham, Maine. Perry and his cameraman, Nate Eagans, were on hand all weekend and shot video and enjoyed a fun ride and the festivities. Perry wants to offer a special thanks to PJ’s Powersports for providing all the Artic Cat Snowmobiles to use on the ride. Mainely Motorsports is now available on Time Warner Cable. In the Portland area it’s on channel 12; in Augusta/Central ME, channel 9; and in Bangor and Northern Maine, channel 22. The show is also available on TWC on Demand.
Matt being interviewed by Alex Barber
Bangor Daily News columnist, Alex Barber, worked the room with trusty recorder in hand, gathering info for the excellent story he compiled about the charity ride. Barber sat with Kobyluck’s crew for the evening and he really did enjoy himself, capturing the winning bids on several items of racing memorabilia. Mike Twist of Speed 51.com was on hand to interview as catching up with old friends and getting the latest scoop for the upcoming CWSE season. Twist brought his very young daughter with him, and she stole the show for a while as most everyone had a turn at giving Mr. Twist a big head saying how cute she was!
Kobyluck being interviewed by Campbell for Mainely Motorsports.
Kobyluck and Olson battled it out as to who would spend the most money on the night on each others prizes and raffles. Both drivers parted with more than a few dollars. I think Kobyluck and crew spent the most. Rollie Lachance & Jim Place also eagerly supported the raffle and the entire event.
Poker run winner Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson won the poker run portion of the event. Everyone who signed up for the ride was given a blue Busch Sports Scene card to be stamped at 5 different locations along the ride. We chose to do the run by car so we could photograph the event, and we stopped and had our cards stamped. When we returned to the Clubhouse we were directed to a table where Fish was dealing five cards for each entrant. You could get up to two more cards if you paid a dollar per card. Unfortunately, neither of us had a winning hand.
We met a couple on the trail that we took pictures of – unfortunately, we didn’t get their names. They also sat near us at the event and they won second place in poker run. They also won the bid on a terrific package donated by Santerre Motorsports, which included tickets for all of the NHMS events and a personal guided tour of the garage with Sue Santerre. They were looking forward to their trip to the ‘Magic Mile’ in June.
Adam Bates & Derek Ramstrom. A. Dollbeare photo
PASS drivers Adam Bates of Atkinson, New Hampshire, and Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, Massachusetts, also joined the party. Ramstrom was the 2008 Rookie of the Year, Most Popular Driver in the Pro Stock Division at Thompson International Speedway. Both drivers appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves.
As the evening progressed with numerous raffles, I won a Busch Series hat -- souvenir! In the middle of the raffle Soup took a break and then came back to give out a little revenue to few very deserving people. Campbell made gave former Busch North official, Roxanne Craig, $1000 to help cover a few medical bills from a serious medical procedure. It was a very popular choice as the room erupted in applause. Craig, of Lovell, ME, spent 25 years with NASCAR. The next award was a $500 scholarship given to Jordan Place who is studying sports marketing in Portland. Jordan’s father, Dr. Jim Place, won the 50/50 raffle and donated the money back to the Rangeley Lake Snowmobile Club.
The highlight of the night was the auction consisting of many items of sports memorabilia. Included was an autographed football from New England Patriots defensive back, Tedy Bruschi, which sold for $500! Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics autographed picture from the 2008 NBA Finals which also brought $500.
Other items offered up for bid were Kobyluck’s fire suit and a hood from the # 40 Kobyluck Mohegan Sun racecar. Also auctioned off were ticket to races at NHMS, Dover International Speedway, and the chance to be a “crewmember for a day” at Dover International Speedway with the Mohegan Sun Team.
Matt receives his Get Etched plaque from Soup. Robin Fish photo
Matt Kobyluck was the big winner all around when he was name Driver of the Year by Busch Sports Scene. Most Popular Driver of the Year also went to Kobyluck, which was voted on by the readers of Busch Sports Scene. Eddie Mac Donald was runner-up in the driver of the year category.
Eddie MacDonald receives his award from Soup. Fish photo
By this time we were headed for the motel as we left the comedians, Rob Steen and Larry Myles, for the heartier night people. When I went to the coffee shop in the morning the lady asked me, “Are you here for the Busch North Charity Ride,” and “Do you know Soup?”
Visit the following links for all the latest event information:
Speed51 Event Recap by Mike Twist
Bangor Daily News Event Recap by Alex Barber
Derek Ramstrom To Participate in Charity Ride
10th Annual Busch Sport Scene Snowmobile Ride for Charity set for January 31st
2008 NASCAR CWS Champion Matt Kobyluck to Participate in 10th Annual Busch Sport Scene Charity Ride
PASS & ACT Teams Invited to Participate in Busch Sport Scene Charity Ride
Last Updated on 02/15/09
By George Campbell or Greg Fish
Email: neracing@neracing.com
