In Memory of André Massé
1945-2014
André Massé was born on December 24th, 1945, in Mont-St-Grégoire, Québec. From a young age, Massé was passionate about cars, and quickly developed a need for speed. In 1968, he started volunteering at Napierville Dragway. This would give him a deeper connection to the world of drag racing. It did not take long before Massé became completely indulged in the sport. His passion and dedication were noticed by the track owner, Ron Bracken, who quickly made Massé his right-hand man. Massé was given more responsibility, and in 1970, he became the track director and managed all the activities on the site. In the early 1980’s, he picked up a microphone, and was soon dubbed the official voice of Napierville Dragway.
Massé was never without enthusiasm. He was recognized and well-loved throughout the community. His announcements were often speckled with anecdotes about the racers, which always made for a unique and interesting show. Massé was in great demand to animate many different events related to racing, due to his ease in front of a crowd and his knowledge of the sport. At the request of his friend, and owner of the “Jacques Guertin” complex, Massé rose to a new challenge in 1994: managing the “Sanair” track. This task was met with flying colours. Massé continued to run Sanair until 2010. After 40 years of devotion to drag racing, it was time to retire and pass the torch onto someone new.
Whether it was the Labatt Challenge, the Pennzoil Championship, Funny Car night, the Corvette Challenge, Division 1 NHRA, 10-wheeler races, or the Jets Cars, Massé never missed a chance to celebrate the sport he loved. It allowed him to rub shoulders with icons such as Don Garlits, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, Cha-Cha Muldowney, and most recently, John Force.
André Massé was a track director appreciated by all for his integrity, his work ethic, his enthusiasm, and his incomparable honesty. He was a member of a select club of NHRA advertisers and has marked and accompanied 4 decades of racers that share his passion. Inducted into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2015, Massé is now considered a legend, and will forever be remembered for his commitment to the sport of drag racing.