PARIS, Maine (AP) – Bob Bahre, who brought NASCAR racing to New England at the New Hampshire International Speedway, has died at his home in Maine at 93.

Bahre owned the Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine before selling it in 1987 to focus on a much larger project – transforming Bryar Motorsports Park in Loudon, New Hampshire, into a much larger racetrack. Bruton Smith, Speedway Motorsports executive chairman, called him a “true pioneer for motor sports in New England.”

The president of Bahre’s company said he died early Friday at his home in Paris, Maine.