UNITY — In a season that began with uncertainty, Unity Raceway is ready to close out the year with its signature race.

Track manager Nick Huff said the Long John weekend is ready to go with two days of racing that will pay out nearly $20,000 all together.

The featured race will be Sunday’s Late Model Long John 114, where the top three finishers will take home $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. There will also be $5 each to the top three in each lap up for grabs, as well as a $100 bonus to the lead car at the midpoint of the race.

“I’ve already got about 30 late models out,” Huff said. “It’s promising to be an awesome show and awesome weather.”

“…I can’t remember — nor can anyone else I know remember — the last time we’ve had that many (Late Models). We’re definitely taking a turn in the right direction. I’m just getting all positive feedback.”

The response has been encouraging enough for Huff that he said he even intends to hold a full season of racing next season.

“That’s my plan. We could have done so much better this year if we didn’t have a couple rainy days,” Huff said. “…It’s definitely promising for next year and I’m going to take the plunge and go for it.”

• • •

George Fernald Jr. began racing 26 years ago at Unity and its only fitting that is where he will be for his last race.

Fernald will compete in the 50-lap Outlaw division race on Saturday, ending a career that also included a five-year period where he operated the track as well.

“I started there, so it’s only proper that I finish there. I love the place and it’s always been home for me,” Fernald said. “If I won Megabucks tomorrow I would own that place by the end of the night. Unfortunately, I still have to work for a living and I just can’t afford to do it anymore.”

One of the reasons Fernald stepped away from managing the track in 2012 was financially motivated, but money is not why he is leaving racing. The 51-year old said he realized after suffering an injury in a race at Speedway 95 earlier this year that he could not afford to risk another injury and miss time from work.

“I turned 51 (Tuesday) and, unfortunately, business comes before pleasure and after I got hurt at Bangor I was down for a week,” Fernald said. “When I’m down we can’t pull house trailers, so I’ve got three or four guys that are out of work, too. I guess it’s time to grow up.”

Before he does call it a career though, Fernald is hoping his version of the Batmobile takes one last checkered flag.

“Racing has been my life. I raced there 26 years and then I took over the place for five,” Fernald said. “I just love racing. I’ve helped a lot of young guys start and stuff. My own kids have raced. I love it. It’s going to be a sad day for sure but I’m going to hopefully win this one.”

• • •

A little over one week after finishing runner up to D.J. Shaw in the Pro All Star Series North final points standings, Farmingdale’s Johnny Clark has had a chance to look back on his season.

The verdict? Better, but not good enough.

“After you’ve won six championships and you’re going into the next season wanting to win another championship, you don’t go into it wanting to finish second, third or fourth,” Clark said. “We’re disappointed that we came up short.

“…From where we were at at the end of last year is leaps and bounds from where we were. I’m happy for that but at the end of the day we’re still disappointed that we didn’t win it.”

While this past season Clark looked much more like the driver many had come to know over the years, the No. 54 car still was not quite where it was when it was routinely winning races and championships. Coming up just shy of another title has only reinforced with Clark just how difficult it is to do what he did.

“When things went right for us man, they went right,” Clark said. “It’s funny, I said to someone the other day I didn’t realize how good we were and how lucky we were. You’ve got to have luck, you’ve got to have everything on your side to go start winning a lot of races.

“When we were winning half the races and going on to win a championship, man, I don’t want to say I took it all for granted, but I didn’t realize how good we were as a team.”

• • •

While one former champion looks to continue building toward another title, another will look to rebuild completely.

2013 PASS North champion Cassius Clark’s No. 77 Hight Chevrolet was wrecked when just after the start-finish line the back of Clark’s car contacted the front of Shaw’s car at the Hight Chevrolet 150 at Speedway 95 on Aug. 24.

Clark won the race, but lost his car as it was totaled in the crash.

“We’re going to have to start from scratch really because that one was ruined. Basically we have to start from the ground up,” the Farmington native said. “It’s pretty unfortunate the way that everything happened. Obviously our last race we won, but it ruined the car and timewise we didn’t even have time to get one together for the last few events.”

Clark — who competed in three Late Model races in Canada with another team before the end of the season — said he is focused on getting a car ready for next year.

When asked whether or not he had spoken with Shaw since the incident, he said he had not.

“Nope, I have no interest,” Clark said. “I’ll see him when we race again.”

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

[email protected]

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley