Waterford — The 2017 season at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl was supposed to start May 6, with the first Saturday night race of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

But in the past several days, many senior staff members at the semiprofessional racing track have announced their resignation, and on Thursday NASCAR said it was cutting its sanction agreement for the races.

Now, what will happen at the track on May 6 is unclear.

The community of semiprofessional drivers, their crew members and the avid fans who have been coming to the Speedbowl for decades already are starting to mourn the loss of the Speedbowl after its owner, Glastonbury businessman Bruce Bemer, was arrested last week on charges that he played a role in a decadeslong prostitution ring that lured mentally disabled young men into sexual encounters with clients, including Bemer, with promises of friendship, money and drugs.

Bemer was arraigned last Thursday on a charge of patronizing a trafficked person in Danbury Superior Court in relation to his alleged role in the scheme.

On Tuesday, Tom Fox, the track’s racing director, told local racing website RaceDayCT that he had resigned from the Speedbowl, along with longtime race official Eric Webster, in the wake of Bemer’s arrest, given the seriousness of the allegations.

Two other race officials also told RaceDayCT that they planned to resign. Track manager Scott Gregory could not be reached to comment.

Webster said Thursday he had decided to quit his job maintaining the Speedbowl’s track during races as soon as he heard the extent of the allegations against Bemer.

“After spending my whole life at the place ... it’s very tough,” he said. “I think the whole situation is tough for everyone involved.”

According to an arrest warrant affidavit in the criminal case, Bemer, who also owns Bemer Petroleum in Glastonbury, was one of the primary clients of a Danbury man who would approach young men, many of whom had severe mental illness or psychological disorders, and befriend them before introducing them to clients.

In interviews with police, victims said the sexual encounters allegedly took place all over Connecticut, including Bemer’s businesses in Hartford and Glastonbury.

Two of the victims of the scheme said they met Bemer at the Speedbowl, and one said Bemer would drive him from there to his Glastonbury business, where they allegedly would have sex in exchange for money.

“It’s probably the most heinous thing that can happen to anybody,” Webster said. “This is bad stuff.”

On Wednesday, lawyers also filed a civil action on behalf of two of the alleged victims that could force Bemer and another man accused of being a perpetrator in the sex trafficking scheme to relinquish up to $10 million in assets.

If the motion goes through, the court would take control of assets belonging to Bemer, 63, and Westport resident William Trefzger, 72.

By Thursday morning, NASCAR issued a statement on Twitter that it had terminated its sanction of the Whelen All-American Series, the races that have brought crowds of racers, tailgaters and spectators to the Speedbowl for years.

The decision to break ties with the track was easy once the details of the allegations came out, Webster said, but the news has come as a blow to amateur and championship-winning drivers alike.

"It affects everyone, and not in a good way," said Ted Christopher, a longtime semiprofessional driver.

Most drivers and crew members who have spent time at the track know one another, and many also have at least one relative who introduced them to the sport. Throughout multiple ownership changes, legal trouble, foreclosure and bankruptcy in the last four decades, older drivers have continued to pass down a passion for racing and modifying cars to their children and grandchildren.

When Bemer bought the track at a 2014 auction with a $1.75 million bid, many saw it as the rebirth of an institution that had been struggling for years. When the crowd that gathered at the Speedbowl for the auction realized Bemer had made a successful bid — the only bid on the property that day — they erupted into cheers, and waves of racing fans rushed to shake his hand.

Bemer added New London to the track's name, adjusted the schedule and invested in new fencing, nicer bathrooms and a fresh coat of paint. Webster said he remembered being impressed by how much work Bemer put into rejuvenating the track after he bought it.

The track has operated without NASCAR-sanctioned races in the past, but without the staff members who have resigned and with the owner in jail, it's not clear that the Speedbowl will host any races. If it doesn't open, drivers and crew members who have bought licenses to race in NASCAR events will be able to go to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Stafford Motor Speedway, or one of the other tracks in New England.

James Sconzo, an attorney with the Carlton Fields law firm in Hartford, which represents the Speedbowl, issued a statement through the firm's public relations firm Thursday that indicated Bemer might fight NASCAR's decision.

“We are aware of NASCAR’s decision announced earlier today, we are disappointed on behalf of our fans and our staff who have been preparing for the 2017 season and we are in the process of responding to NASCAR," Sconzo said.

m.shanahan@theday.com