Former NASCAR Cup Series Driver, Ricky Craven Buys Speedway 95 in Maine
Column By: SPEEDWAY 95 – HERMON, M.E – Speedway 95 Promotions Inc., situated in Hermon, Maine, has proudly operated as a family-owned track since the 1960s. Delano Merritt has held the position of sole owner of Speedway 95 for the past 15 years. Mr. Merritt started at Speedway 95 in 1968 and has worked his way through many positions at the track over the years. Mr. Merritt has reached the conclusion that the track must transition to a new management team. On August 17, 2025, Mr. Merritt and a distinguished racing professional, originally from Maine, reached an agreement regarding the sale of Speedway 95. Mr. Merritt is optimistic that the plans of the new owner will elevate Speedway 95 to become the premier racing venue in Maine. The new owner intends to implement extensive renovations to the facility over the coming years, which will include upgrades to both the track and the surrounding amenities.
Mr. Merritt wishes to express his heartfelt gratitude to all drivers, crews, car owners, visiting divisions, fans, spectators, vendors, sponsors, staff, and management teams throughout the years. He has thoroughly enjoyed every moment spent at the track and values the relationships he has developed with everyone he has met during this time.
Over the past year, Mr. Merritt has engaged in discussions with the new owner through both phone calls and in-person meetings at Speedway 95. These conversations have been ongoing for several months and have now reached a purchase agreement. Mr. Merritt will continue to oversee operations at the track alongside the new owner for the remainder of the 2025 racing season and will provide guidance into 2026.
Mr. Merritt is pleased to announce that the new owner is Ricky Craven, a native of Newburgh, Maine. Craven is best known for his win at Darlington Motor Speedway in 2003 which stood as the closest finish in history in NASCAR in 23 years. Craven is the only driver from the state of Maine to win at NASCAR’S Highest level. One of the elite groups that has won in the top 3 divisions. Craven began his racing career at the age of 15 at Unity Raceway, where he achieved two victories and was honored with the Rookie of the Year award. The following year, he won 12 feature events and secured the track championship. In 1984, Mr. Craven competed at Wiscasset Speedway in the Late Model Division, winning both the track championship and the Rookie of the Year title. Subsequently, he found success in the American Canadian Tour. Craven made his NASCAR debut at Oxford Plains Speedway in 1986, driving his own No. 12 car and finishing 25th following an engine failure. Four years later, he transitioned to the Busch North Series, where he was recognized as Rookie of the Year. In 1991, he claimed the championship in that series, achieving 10 victories in the No. 25 Chevrolet, including two wins in “combination” races with the Busch Grand National Series, notably the prestigious Oxford 250. Mr. Craven made his Winston Cup debut at Rockingham, where he started and finished 34th for Dick Moroso. He moved to the Busch Series full-time in 1992, driving the No. 99 Chevy for Bill Papke, and once again earned the title of Rookie of the Year. In 1993 and 1994, he finished second in the championship standings to Steve Grissom and David Green, respectively. On October 9, 1994, Mr. Craven served as a pit reporter for TBS’s broadcast of that year’s Mello Yello 500, which marked the beginning of his broadcasting career. With Mr. Craven’s impressive racing history and his passion for the sport, Mr. Merritt believes that Mr. Craven is the ideal candidate to assume ownership of Speedway 95.
Statement from Craven: “Today is a monumental day for me and my family. I have been friends with Del for decades and admired the dedication he has given for his track, team, and all associated with Speedway 95. I am dedicating the rest of my life to a track that has been part of my DNA for many years. Both my Mom and Dad won races at Speedway 95 in the 70’s. I have the honor of receiving the checkered flag and a black flag from Del during my racing at Speedway 95 in a strange way, I benefitted from both. Now Del and I can say we are forever connected through Speedway 95. We will in the near future share with all the people with equity in this track our intentions to do some aggressive vision of how this facility will continue to evolve. It includes several phases that I can not wait to get started. I want to thank Del, his family, Kim, Shawn, and the entire team at Speedway 95, and of course all of the people that have competed or been associated with the track since 1966. The details of our plans will be announced at a later date. Del and I will work closely together to finish out the 2025 Speedway 95 race season which will run through October 12th.”
For further information or inquiries, please contact Shawn Ryder, Track Manager, at 207-991-2990 or Office Manager Kim Allen at 207-356-9516.
