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Dick Bahre, who gave many NASCAR drivers their start and helped his brother and nephew establish New Hampshire International Speedway in 1989, was a hands-on person.
The Bahre family "brought big-time auto racing to the Northeast, and Dick even helped build the track," said Michael Waltrip, a winner of the Daytona 500 who raced for Mr. Bahre. "He was on a bulldozer doing the grading. He put the tunnel in. All the work that went into it was Dick's passion to help his brother."
Mr. Bahre, who also managed Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine for more than 20 years and was involved in auto racing more than 50 years, died of cancer Saturday at his home in Statesville, N.C.
He was 76.
"Getting that New Hampshire track built was a big undertaking, and we did it without any engineers. Dick loved to work more than I did, and that's saying something. He was a hell of a guy and a wonderful brother," said Bob Bahre. "We grew up on a farm in Connecticut near a dirt track in Avon called Cherry Park, with wooden grandstands and wooden railings. Our dad took us there, and that was our first exposure to auto racing."
Gary Bahre, the Loudon, N.H., Speedway's former president and Mr. Bahre's nephew, said his uncle's first love was family, closely followed by auto racing. "He managed to fulfill his life's dreams and in the 45 years I knew him, my uncle never stepped on anybody to get there."
Fred Neergaard, the track's public relations director, said the Bahre family was instrumental in bringing the prestigious NASCAR Winston Cup Series - now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - to the Speedway in June and September.
It is the most highly attended sporting event held in New England, attracting a capacity 105,491 fans for each race.
"Whatever Dick did in life, he was always there to share his knowledge with those around him," Neergaard said. "He always led by example."
Richard Bahre was born in Collinsville, Conn. After rising to the rank of sergeant in the Air Force from 1953 to 1957, he worked with his brother in land development and real estate in Maine. The Bahre brothers got their start in auto racing on the Northeast Midget Association circuit in the late 1950s and early '60s by sponsoring their own race car.
After his brother bought the Oxford, Maine, track, Mr. Bahre helped initiate the Oxford 250 race, which celebrated its 35th anniversary in July and attracts some of NASCAR's top drivers. The Bahre brothers are enshrined in the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame.
In 1983, Mr. Bahre relocated to Statesville, a few miles from Charlotte Motor Speedway - now Lowe's Motor Speedway - and became a Winston Cup team owner with NASCAR under the auspices of Dick Bahre Racing.
Bahre-owned cars competed in 31 Winston Cup races, and drivers such as Geoffrey Bodine, Charlie Glotzbach, Sterling Marlin, Morgan Shepard, Dave Mader, and Waltrip were part of his team.
He also established Bahari Racing with colleague Chuck Rider in 1986. Their featured driver was Waltrip, who said that Mr. Bahre "made many sacrifices and did a whole lot so I could race a car. He sponsored me in 1987 in the Daytona 500 when I finished 22d."
Waltrip placed decals on his race car honoring the Bahre family at this summer's Sprint Cup in Loudon after learning of Mr. Bahre's illness.
Mr. Bahre attended the race in June, when Waltrip finished second.
"Dick was an integral part of this Speedway's history. This is a tremendous loss for the Bahre family, the Speedway, and the entire motorsports community," said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which was renamed after Bob and Gary Bahre, who both reside in Alton, N.H., sold it in 2007 to Speedway Motorsports Inc.
Mr. Bahre also took pride in a 1953 Studebaker that he found for sale in Virginia and drove in recent years. "He had a '53 Studebaker when he was in the service," said his brother, "and he was thrilled to find another one with just 12,000 miles on it."
Mr. Bahre w
