If the trend of less snow in northern Maine continues, motorsports may be the next crucial tourism draw, event promoters told a Caribou crowd Thursday.

More than 100 people gathered at the Best Western Caribou Inn for the annual tourism summit hosted by Aroostook County Tourism.

Snowmobiling, a longtime staple of Aroostook County’s winter economy, has taken a hit with diminished snowfall in the past two years. To maintain its economic stability, the area needs attractions to lure visitors north whether the snow is dependable or not.

The rise of more audience-focused events such as the SnowBowl and a new cross-country race series could counteract the economic effects of an evolving climate, given that they can be held during a wider range of weather conditions, one promoter said.

“We’re seeing a shortened winter. That has traditionally been our biggest economic driver,” Chris Carroll of Carroll Live Events said. “We are going to have to come up with new ways to get people to come to Aroostook County, travel here and spend money. And live events [are] going to be a big part of that.”

Both residents and visitors to Aroostook County have shown they are willing to pay to attend events and entertainment here, he said. More than 25,000 people attended speedway events in 2024, he said.

The new New England XC snowmobile series can be held as long as there’s ice on the lakes, he said. More than 70 races were held at each site — Presque Isle, Oquossoc, Lincoln, Portage Lake and Long Lake — and lodging and short-term rental spaces were at capacity.

Ashland’s Big Woods Grass Drags — in which snowmobiles are used during summer on a field track — draw 1,500 people to the area, Carroll said. More than 100 snowmobilers raced last year and the event made $50,000. After expenses, organizers doled out the remaining $40,000 to local snowmobile clubs.

Besides events organized by Spud Speedway owners Troy Haney and Jim Gamage, which Carroll said have been phenomenally successful, another venue is steadily gaining ground: The Sawdust Pit, a new motocross dirt-bike racing venue launched by Buddy Collins of North Star Motorsports.

Collins talked about the site and its growing popularity. He loves to ride and race himself and enjoys seeing people get together for such events, he said.

The 5-acre parcel formerly housed the Grafton Mill in the 1950s and ’60s, he said. The mill burned and a large pile of sawdust remained for decades. The fact that there was no real place for kids to ride until they’re 10 and can be on the trails inspired him to create something from the pile.

WIth a lot of helping hands, including some contractors, the all-volunteer group created a track from the sawdust base. Though motocross isn’t widely known in the area, it quickly gained traction. Races draw participants of all ages, Collins said.

The family-friendly sport gives more kids a reason to get out and be outside, he said. Now, he wants to invite veteran riders to come and offer youth clinics, and find other ways to grow the sport.

“We’re talking about northern Maine and how can we attract people up to our area. Find something you’re passionate about,” he said. “We’re now connected with thousands of people all over that share this same passion and this same interest.”

Maine Office of Tourism Director Carolann Ouellette shared statewide and local tourism data. Tourism declined slightly all over Maine in 2024, but those who visited stayed longer and spent more money, she said.

Statewide, visitors fell 9 percent from 2023, spending declined half a percent and visitors spent 7.7 million days in Maine overall, down about 16 percent.

Visitors spent more in The County on restaurants, transportation, groceries and entertainment, she said.

Aroostook County saw more than 300,200 visitors in 2024, down almost 10 percent from 332,400 in 2023, Ouellette said. Tourist spending declined 1.4 percent, from roughly $170 million to $167 million, and visitors spent a total of 1.2 million days in the region, down 3.5 percent.

The total economic impact of tourism in the region fell 1.8 percent, from $78 million in 2023 to $77 million in 2024.

There is good news, Ouellette said. Numbers did decline over 2023 and 2024, but that follows extremely high numbers during the COVID years. Aroostook attracted more fall and winter tourists as well as more younger travelers, and visitor satisfaction was up 11 percent.

Aroostook obviously excels in snow and active outdoor activities. Additionally, many people plan trips directly to Aroostook County, rather than traveling there as one of multiple destinations.

“Most people are coming just to Aroostook, and that actually went way up,” Ouellette said. “When they’re traveling, they’re coming right up here to see you guys and spend time in the region, and that’s not actually the case in other regions.”

Ouellette also detailed statewide marketing plans to include national magazine and television ads, celebrating Maine’s natural surroundings, outdoor recreation and quality of life. She urged those attending to consider those themes when trying to attract people north.

Chase Elliott’s storybook ending at Texas Motor Speedway in 2024 had one more unexpected – and unfortunate – twist.

This weekend, Elliott is set to return to the same track where he emerged victorious last year. NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver will don a new paint scheme for the Wurth 400, but has yet to coast down victory lane this season – prompting fans to question if his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, is the right man for the job with Elliott telling fans “all that matters.”

Last April, Elliott claimed his 19th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series with a first-place finish in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The emotional victory was a long time coming for both the No. 9 Chevrolet driver, who dedicated the dominant performance to Hooters and Hall of Famer Alan Kulwicki.

With the win, Elliott snapped a streak of 42 consecutive races without a win. It additionally marked the first time a car with Hooters as its primary sponsor won in the NASCAR Cup Series since Kulwicki won at Pocono Raceway in 1992.

“Oh, man, couldn’t feel any better. First off, thanks to everybody that came out today. You guys are unbelievable,” Elliott said at the time. “Hooters has been a partner of ours for a number of years now. It’s been a dream of mine to pay respect to the late Alan Kulwicki.

“Driving this car to a victory and do a Polish victory lap, just really crazy how things came full circle there in that moment. It was pretty emotional for me. He beat dad back in the day. Here, we are sharing his sponsor and having an opportunity to win today.

“So just, man, couldn’t be more grateful for this journey and kind of the path that hasn’t always been fun, but certainly have enjoyed working with our guys. We’ve been working really hard and really well together. Like I said, hasn’t always been fun, but we’ve enjoyed the fight together.”

Several months after Hendrick Motorsports and Hooters reached the pinnacle of NASCAR, their partnership came crashing down when the race team sued the restaurant chain for $1.705 million in missed payments.

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Last July, Hendrick Motorsports announced that it’d be terminating the three-race contract with Hooters due to the company’s inability to “meet its business obligations.”

In an official statement, Hendrick Motorsports wrote: “Hooters has been a valued partner of Hendrick Motorsports since 2017, contributing to our shared successes both on and off the track. In recent months, however, Hooters has not been able to meet its business obligations to our organization.

“Due to these unfortunate and unexpected circumstances, and despite extensive efforts on both sides to identify a workable solution, it became necessary for Hendrick Motorsports to end the relationship. It has been a privilege having Hooters as a part of our team and we wish them the best.”

Last month, Hooters reportedly agreed to pay $900,000 to Hendrick Motorsports in order to resolve the legal dispute.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Texas Motor Speedway for the Wurth 400 – where Ross Chastain was left fuming after clashing with William Byron a year ago.

When the 2024 Cup Series season landed in Texas, Chastain was under pressure after struggling with a difficult start to the campaign. But he bounced back with an improved performance and was in contention to enter Victory Lane at the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

With just two laps to go in the second overtime period, leader Chase Elliott was staving off Byron, Chastain, and Denny Hamlin. As Chastain looked to close Byron out, the latter clipped him and sent his Chevrolet spinning out, ending his chances. Elliott went on to win.

Byron took third place, but Chastain was left with just 32nd to show for his efforts as the crash rendered his vehicle unable to finish. Once he had been checked and cleared at the infield care center, a furious Chastain refused to speak about the incident when approached by media.

However, Byron gave his version of events. The two-time Daytona 500 winner said: “I just had a big run. Ross and I race really well, and I didn’t want to wreck him there, but he blocked me late, which is understood.

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“It’s racing at the end, but I was already there and unfortunately, we made enough contact to where it got him squirrelly, and it happened. So, I hate that that happened, but it’s the last lap and I had the run so I am going to just take the run. I didn’t expect it, but I don’t want to do that to a fellow Chevy guy, and we always race really well.”

All the drivers were uninjured in the crash and quickly released from evaluations. Hamlin also spun out while chasing Elliott for the win, allowing Brad Keselowski to snatch second.

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For the 2025 NASCAR season, Chastain is yet to pick up a win. The 32-year-old has logged two top-5 and eight top-10 finishes so far this season, and would love to emerge victorious for the first time since September 2024.

Meanwhile, Byron won the season-opening Daytona 500 and has finished on the podium four times with three runner-up finishes. The Hendrick Motorsports star is always a threat and will look to win in Texas for the first time since 2023.

The NASCAR Cup Series is back following a rather tame race in Talladega last weekend. Sure, there was a modest wreck around lap 40-45 last week with some drivers trying to make it to pit road as others stayed on the track. But other than that, it was a quiet Talladega race that saw Austin Cindric secure his third career win.

Now NASCAR goes to Texas Motor Speedway. This is largely regarded as one of the worst tracks on the NASCAR schedule. They’re stripped it of a playoff race and the All-Star weekend as well. It’s a shame because this track actually draws a great crowd and sells tickets. The quality of racing is often the biggest issue and drivers have made it well known they’d prefer to go elsewhere. But we can use previous track…

No one will rag on you more than your friends. That has never been more clear than the relationship between Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. The Diesel pulled another infamous move on his good friend Chuck and posted a video on his Instagram, throwing shade at his NBA on TNT co-host for essentially falling asleep while on set filming a commercial.

“This is Detective O’Neal. I have a question,” stated Shaq in his video, where he’s filming a TV that has Barkley on the screen. He then asked his 35.1 million followers, “Was Charles Barkley asleep in this commercial?” The Hall of Famer then zoomed in to show Barkley with his eyes closed, sitting peacefully. “He’s asleep. He’s definitely sleep,” added fellow commercial detective Kenny Smith, who was watching and also laughing at the screen.

The trolling by Shaq didn’t stop Barkley from getting some revenge, and what sweet revenge it was. Chuck took to the comments section of the video and jokingly plugged his partnership with Ro, the telehealth company he’s being endorsed by.

“Don’t sleep on Ro.Co,” he wrote, and added a laughing emoji that either was an admission that he did sleep or a reaction to how proud he was of his own response.

As funny as the back-and-forth was, it does show that Chuck does put a value on health. Barkley is going on a weight loss journey thanks to Ro’s services, and he’s taking every opportunity to plug the brand, even when it’s a silly exchange with his buddies.

Funnily enough, this wasn’t the first time that Barkley and the NBA on TNT crew butted heads over weight. Six months earlier, Barkley revealed to the crew that he was taking the weight loss drug Mounjaro, which many use for diabetes. The only thing was that Chuck didn’t have diabetes. He was just using Mounjaro to shed some excess pounds.

I think we can all agree that Barkley does look great. However, he’s not beating the falling asleep allegations, especially since it has happened before.

Chuck famously fell asleep during an NBA on TNT broadcast

Nine years ago, Barkley was a younger man, but his habit of shutting his eyes when he was getting a little sleepy had already started to take shape. Chuck famously fell asleep during an NBA on TNT broadcast. Good thing Shaq told the producers to put a camera on him so they could forever capture the moment.

The boys obviously gave Barkley an earful. “It ain’t even that late,” shouted Kenny. “I’m the only one of you that works out,” responded Chuck as he sipped his coffee, unaffected.

“I got a new word for you, narcolepsy,” joked O’Neal. It didn’t really seem to matter what Chuck said after that. He’s probably had over 1,000 other viral moments on the famed basketball broadcast since, but some people never forget. Shaq is one of those people.