We Will Always Remember Tom Curley

Column By: MATTHEW WIERNASZ / RPW – BARRE, VT – ACT Tour President Tom Curley passed away on Friday night at the age of 73 from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Curley and Ken Squier owned Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT and had been a part of this sport for four decades.

To the short track racing community, we’ve lost not only a promoter, but a mentor and a true icon. Tom Curley looked out for the fans and tried to keep the cost of racing affordable for his competitors.

Curley ran the NASCAR North Tour in 1979, which traveled all over the Northeast and into parts of Canada. Some of the biggest names would run on the NASCAR North Tour like Dick McCabe, Jean-Paul Cabana, Stub Fadden, Dave Dion, Robbie Crouch and Randy Lajoie.

Molson sponsored the tour in 1981 and 1982. Stroh’s followed for two seasons and then Coors Light sponsored the final year in 1985 before NASCAR dropped their sanction.

Tom Curley went on to establish the ACT Tour in 1986 and his tour would grow over the years. In 2009, Curley brought the tour to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That was where local short track racers who had a dream of racing on a big stage like the Magic Mile became a reality. The ACT Tour Invitational has been apart of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend every September since, and it will return in 2017. He also brought the ACT Tour to New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks in 2011 and 2015.

Nick Sweet. the defending champion of the ACT Tour, believes Curley did an outstanding job in the Northeast and believes it was strong as it was because of him. Sweet said Curley was a good person, getting to spend some time with him and get to know him more on a personal standpoint.

” He was really a great guy.” he said.

Sweet believes indirectly that Curley raised him through his racing career. His family-owned team came up through the ranks in what was called the ladder system. Starting in Street Stocks taught Sweet the fundamentals of racing. Moving to the Tiger division taught him about how to setup a car. The Tiger car was a little faster. which helped him transition to the Late Models easier.

Sweet believes that Curley had that vision. It took this driver a couple years to win an ACT Tour championship, but he believes going through the ladder system was key in his success and how they are continuing to grow as a team. In Nick’s eyes, that’s what made Curley one of a kind.

“Those promoters would cater to a racer or a be just little bit more cordial to a certain racer,” he said. “Tom was up in your face. He was almost that guy that didn’t give a crap who you were. He just told you how it was and you could plead your case to him. Most of the time he would never agree with you. If he did, he wasn’t one to apologize either. He was one that might agree with you, but in his own way.”

Robbie Crouch, a-two time NASCAR North Champion, believes Curley is responsible for his success as well. Crouch was ready to give up racing in 1978 and get a real job. The tracks were suffering with low car counts, and Crouch was suffering from inferior equipment and had no hopes to improve it.

“Tom (Curley) not only revived racing in the Northeast, but inspired me to do the same with my career,” Crouch said.

Crouch believes it was the perfect storm. The next 15 years were intense for him a lot of ways because he had his day in the sun…mostly because Tom Curley gave him the tools to do it.

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Late Model driver Tom Carey, III is also thankful for Curley’s influence in racing. Thompson runs their Late Model division under ACT rules.

“He was the biggest reason why guys like me get to do what we love,” Carey said. “He put the little guys on big stages and believed in us. He loved short track racing more than any of us ever could. He made it great, and I’m sure gonna miss him.”

Richard Green is car owner for Scott Dragon who will be running races on the ACT Tour as well as at Thunder Road this season. Green’s fondest of memories of Tom personally were when he would congratulate his team after a big win. The congratulations came with a smile and a hug. Curley would always come over and visit his team.

Over the years, everyone has a learned a thing or two from Tom Curley. His contributions to short track racing over the last 40 years we’re incredible, and for that, among many other things, he will never be forgotten. He truly was “one of a kind.”