D.J. SHAW WINS COASTAL 200 AT WISCASSET RACEWAY
Youth out-dueled experience Sunday afternoon at Wiscasset Raceway as 17 year old D.J. Shaw of Center Conway, New Hampshire beat Maine racing legend Mike Rowe of Turner to win the 2007 Coastal 200 and pocket the $10,000 winner’s check. The big race capped off a busy double-header Memorial Day weekend at the track, which also featured double points racing Saturday night. With his father, former NASCAR Busch North champion Dale Shaw, on the radio guiding him around the high banks of Maine’s fastest track, the kid took everything the crafty Rowe could toss at him throughout the race.
Shaw had built up a dominating half-track lead during a long green flag run though the second half of the race, only to have it erased by a caution flag with just three laps to go. With the big payday within reach Shaw stayed cool under pressure and beat Rowe on the restart and drove onto the biggest win of his young and promising career. Mike Rowe crossed the line two car lengths behind and had plenty of praise for the winner in victory lane. “That little kid can drive!” said the runner-up as Shaw posed for photos beside the trophy that nearly stood as tall as him. In a historical coincidence, it was 10 years ago that a (then) 17 year old Johnny Clark beat the legendary Stan Messerve to win the 1997 Coastal 150, giving him his first Prostock win and launching the road to stardom for the 2-time defending PASS champ. Shaw said “I was nervous with Mike Rowe beside me on that last restart. He knows every trick in the book, but I knew I had a good car. He raced me clean, but he made me earn it.” Steve Reny of Boothbay spent much of the afternoon racing with Wayne Helliwell Jr of Drakut, MA and Jeff Burgess of Fairfield for the final podium position. Reny, who plans to return to his home track for the full 2007 season, took third from Helliwell on lap 147 and held on to take the final spot in victory lane. “The car was great” said Reny. “It was there when I needed it, but it was done by the end. I couldn’t get to those two guys.” Reny also had plenty of praise for the young winner. “The car control and composure that kid has is amazing. I followed him quite a bit over the second half of the race and he’s the real deal. Dale needs to get him down south now… (laughing) I don’t wanna race him again”. Reny and Helliwell were the only other drivers Shaw left on the lead lap. Wiscasset rookie Kevin Sherman ran another impressive and patient race, moving in late to complete the top five.
Sidney’s Chris Thorne, Wiscasset’s Late Model point leader led the field of 32 cars to the green flag under a threatening sky with Rowe beside him and Shaw directly behind. Thorne held the point early, but it wouldn’t be for long as Shaw moved into the lead on lap 7, bringing Dennis Spencer up to 2nd. Nine cautions thinned the field over the first half of the race, mostly for mechanical issues. Thorne was involved in an early incident that moved him to the back of the field and he would spend most of the race picking his way back into the top ten. Two of the biggest movers over the first half of the race were former track champs Peter Oakes and Steve Reno. By lap 75 Reno had moved from 28th to 6th and Oakes 27th to 8th. Both drivers experienced mechanical problems over the second half of the race. Track officials put out a planned competition caution at the halfway point of the race for fuel only. However, a late afternoon shower that moved into the midcoast area turned it into a 45-minute rain delay. On the ensuing restart of the race Shaw made his only mistake, breaking loose on the outside of the leader Rowe and slipping back to 4th behind Burgess and Helliwell. It took the kid just five laps to move back into Rowe’s rearview mirror. From the start of the second half of the race, another pre-race favorite started to make his move toward the front. Johnny Clark had been mired back in the high teens most of the race, but an adjustment to the right front and more aggressive driving moved Clark up to 8th by lap 115. But, just 15 laps later he would be forced to the pits for good with further mechanical problems. An incident on lap 134 brought the crowd to life as Rowe tangled with the lap car of Steve Reno in turn two. Rowe nearly spun out but held on only to hand the lead over to Shaw in the process. That exchange was erased however as Reno went spinning to the infield, bringing out the 11 th caution of the race. Shaw was not to be denied his spot at the head of the pack as he turned the tables on Rowe and took the lead on lap 135. Rowe had two more chances at the leader on lap 140 and lap 149 restarts, but Shaw was once again up to the challenge. The longest green flag run of the race followed the lap 149 restart and gave Shaw a chance to stretch out the big lead in his #60 TRB Enterprises Ford Fusion. “I told him once he got clear of Mike to settle back into his own line and that car just took off” said a beaming Dale Shaw as the crowd gathered at post race inspection. “Can you tell I’m happy!” said Shaw of his son’s big win. Rowe, who had won a PASS race the night before at White Mountain Speedway, pocketed $4,000 for his runner-up finish.
In other action on the afternoon, Mac Hannan Jr of Union won the 20 lap Super Street feature, beating Ron Gibson and Will Collins of Appleton. Maurice Young came up with his 4th and most impressive win of the season Sunday afternoon in the 30 lap Strictly Street feature. After having his car destroyed in a wreck Saturday night, Young’s friends and crew worked until 4am to get things back together and Young rewarded them with a convincing win. Steve Peirpont of Cushing and Zac Creamer of Bath joined him in victory lane. Creamer, however, failed post race inspection, handing the 3rd place trophy to Bobby Mesimer of Woolwich. Kevin Douglas of Sidney took advantage of a rare front row starting position and ran away to a dominant win in the 30 lap Stock Mini feature. Douglas won by a half-track margin and left only five other car on the lead lap. Former champs Brent Roy and Bryan Lancaster took home the 2nd and 3rd place trophies. Tyler Tibbetts was a repeat winner in the Teen division 10 lap feature. Starting at the back of the field, Tibbetts worked the traffic over the final five laps and took his 5 th win of the season. Cody Sleeper of Chelsea matched his career best with the 2nd place finish. Kayla Albert of Chelsea was 3rd. Cassandra St Clair of Liberty picked up her first win of the season in the 10 lap Ladies Division feature, beating the divisions top two drivers to the checkers. Point leader Marje Albert was 2nd followed by Kristy Millay of Palermo in 3rd. Marc Bakaj of Lebanon, CT was a wire to wire winner in the 25 lap NELCAR Legend feature.
Double point winners on Saturday night included Bernie Dinsmore of Hope in the 25 lap Super Street feature; Ed Peirpont of Jefferson in the 20 lap Strictly Street feature; Shawn Kimball of Pittston in the 20 lap Stock Mini feature; Kristy Millay in the 10 lap Ladies Division feature and Tyler Tibbetts in the 10 lap Teen Division feature. John Stantiol was the winner of the 30 lap NELCAR Legend national qualifier.
Wiscasset Raceway returns to action Saturday June 2nd at 6:00pm with another big show. Hight Chevrolet will present a 100 lap Super Street main event along with action in all weekly divisions. The Late Model division will also run the make-up of the 30 lap double point Bruce Kane Memorial. For more information, call the Wiscasset Raceway office at (207) 589-4780 or check the track website at www.wiscassetraceway.us.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
SUNDAY 5/27/07
LATE MODEL COASTAL 200
1. D.J. Shaw – Center Conway, NH; 2. Mike Rowe – Turner, ME; 3. Steve Reny – Boothbay, ME; 4. Wayne Helliwell Jr – Drakut, MA; 5. Kevin Sherman – Wiscasset, ME; 6. Bob Seiger Jr – Winterport, ME; 7. Jeff Burgess – Fairfield, ME; 8. Dennis Spencer – Oxford, ME; 9. James Osmond – Gardiner, ME; 10. Puncin St Clair – Liberty, ME; 11. John Phippen Jr – Bar Harbor, ME; 12. Dan Trask – Chelsea, ME; 13. Steve Reno – West Bath, ME; 14. Chris Thorne – Sidney, ME; 15. Mike Orr – Wiscasset, ME; 16. Bryan Robbins – Montville, ME; 17. Johnny Clark – Hallowell, ME; 18. Peter Oakes – Boothbay, ME; 19. Randy Turner – Freedom, ME; 20. Erik Nash – Richmond, ME; 21. Dale Cullivan – Palermo, ME; 22. Jason Oakes – Boothbay, ME; 23. Duane Love – West Gardiner, ME; 24. John Rideout – Washington, ME; 25. Stephen Swanson – Trenton, ME; 26. Josh St Clair – Liberty, ME; 27. Eddie McDonald – Rowley, MA; 28. Travis Benjamin – Morrill, ME; 29. Fred Brown – Winterport, ME; 30. Ryan Gero – West Gardiner, ME; 31. Nick Reno – West Bath, ME; 32. Bill Pinkham – Wiscasset, ME
SUPER STREETS (20 LAPS)
1. Mac Hannan Jr – Union; 2. Ron Gibson – Appleton; 3. Will Collins – Appleton; 4. Bernie Dinsmore – Hope; 5. Donnie Stuart – Pittston; 6. Jeremy Glasier – Appleton; 7. Paul Hopkins – Camden; 8. Josh Bailey – Wiscasset
STRICTLY STREETS (30 LAPS)
1. Maurice Young – Chelsea; 2. Steve Peirpont – Cushing; 3. Bobby Mesimer – Woolwich; 4. Ian Bresnahan – Bath; 5. Mike Moody – Bath; 6. Ed Peirpont – Jefferson; 7. Adam Pratt – Dresden; 8. Dave Brannon – Lisbon; 9. Zac Creamer – Bath (DQ)
STOCK MINIS (30 LAPS)
1. Kevin Douglas – Sidney; 2. Brent Roy – Vassalboro; 3. Bryan Lancaster – Skowhegan; 4. Rob Greenleaf – West Bath; 5. Mike Wilson – Chelsea; 6. Dylan Lancaster – Skowhegan; 7. James Henderson – Chelsea; 8. John Smith – Augusta; 9. Jeff Minchin – Pittston; 10. Tim Dumas – Chelsea; 11. Shawn Kimball – Pittston; 12. Tom Minchin – Pittston; 13. Frank Brown – Pittston; 14. David Gagne – S.China; 15. Gary Blackman – Boothbay; 16. Pete McCollat – Readfield; 17. Cody Raven – Waldo
TEEN DIVISION (10 LAPS)
1. Tyler Tibbetts – Montville; 2. Cody Sleeper – Chelsea; 3. Kayla Albert – Chelsea; 4. Ed Sleeper – Vassalboro; 5. Grace Pinkham – Wiscasset; 6. Nick Hinkley – Wiscasset; 7. Jordan Hawes – Skowhegan; 8. Ryan Hayes – Jefferson; 9. Natasha Dyer – Arrowsic; 10. Thomas True – Wiscasset; 11. Henry Boudreau – Bristol
LADIES DIVISION (10 LAPS)
1. Cassandra St Clair – Liberty; 2. Marje Albert – Chelsea; 3. Kristy Millay – Palermo; 4. Chelsea Young – Winterport; 5. Elaine Alexander – Augusta; 6. Molly Feeney – Knox; 7. Carol Wilson – Chelsea; 8. Deb Brown – Pittston; 9. Mika Wilson – Chelsea; 10. Kayla Albert – Chelsea
NELCAR LEGENDS (20 LAPS)
1. Mark Bakaj – Lebanon, CT; 2. Jordan Anderson – Columbia, SC; 3. Chris Bakaj – Framington, CT; 4. Chris Seavey – Windham, ME; 5. Jacob Dore – Sanford, ME; 6. Bob Weymouth – Topsham, ME; 7. Josh Leach – Islesboro, ME; 8. Max Zachem – Preston, CT; 9. Michael Gervais Jr – Southbury, CT; 10. Ed Getty – Gray, ME; 11. Terry Kirk – Durham, ME; 12. Nick Brown – Topsham, ME; 13. Marc Fuchswanz – Vassalboro, ME; 14. Dustin Reynolds – Westbrook, ME; 15. John Stantiol – n/a; 16. RS Senter – Oakwood, GA; 17. Charlie Buxton – Windham, ME
OFFICIAL RESULTS
SATURDAY 5/26/07
LATE MODELS (DID NOT RACE)
SUPER STREETS (25 LAPS)
1. Bernie Dinsmore – Hope; 2. Jeremy Glasier – Appleton; 3. Josh Bailey – Wiscasset; 4. Leon Burgess – Whitefield; 5. Mac Hannan Jr – Union; 6. Will Collins – Appleton; 7. Donnie Stuart – Pittston; 8. Allen Moeller Sr – Dresden; 9. Mickey Landry Jr – Anson; 10. Dan Trask – Chelsea
STRICTLY STREETS (20 LAPS)
1. Ed Peirpont – Jefferson; 2. Dave Brannon – Lisbon; 3. Zack Creamer – Bath; 4. Bobby Mesimer – Woolwich; 5. Mike Stewart – Durham; 6. Ian Bresnahan – Bath; 7. Adam Pratt – Dresden; 8. Mike Moody – Bath; 9. Maurice Young – Chelsea; 10. Steve Peirpont – Cushing
STOCK MINIS (20 LAPS)
1. Shawn Kimball – Pittston; 2. Rob Greenleaf – West Bath; 3. Dylan Lancaster – Skowhegan; 4. Mike Wilson – Chelsea; 5. Brent Roy – Vassalboro; 6. Kevin Douglas – Sidney; 7. Bryan Lancaster – Skowhegan; 8. Byron Patterson – Chelsea; 9. David Greene – Hamden; 10. Frank Brown – Pittston; 11. Tom Minchin – Pittston; 12. James Henderson – Chelsea; 13. Bill Winter – Belgrade; 14. Jeff Minchin – Pittston; 15. Gary Blackman – Boothbay; 16. Scott Grant – West Gardiner; 17. David Gagne – S.China; 18. Tim Dumas – Chelsea; 19. Mike Wallace – Alna
TEEN DIVISION (10 LAPS)
1. Tyler Tibbetts – Montville; 2. Ed Sleeper – Vassalboro; 3. Cody Sleeper – Chelsea; 4. Kayla Albert – Chelsea; 5. Nick Hinkley – Wiscasset; 6. Thomas True – Wiscasset; 7. Jordan Hawes – Skowhegan; 8. Ryan Hayes – Jefferson; 9. Natasha Dyer – Arrowsic
LADIES DIVISION (10 LAPS)
1. Kristy Millay – Palermo; 2. Elaine Alexander – Augusta; 3. Marje Albert – Chelsea; 4. Cassandra St Clair- Liberty; 5. Molly Feeney – Knox; 6. Chelsea Young – Winterport; 7. Kayla Albert – Chelsea; 8. Carol Wilson – Chelsea; 9. Deb Brown – Pittston
NELCAR LEGENDS (30 LAPS)
1. John Stantiol – n/a 2. Mark Bakaj – Lebanon, CT; 3. Jordan Anderson – Columbia, SC 4. Dustin Reynolds – Westbrook, ME; 5. Jacob Dore – Sanford; 6. RS Senter – Oakwood, GA; 7. Bob Weymouth – Topsham, ME; 8. Michael Gervais Jr – Southbury, CT; 9. Ed Getty – Gray, ME; 10. Josh Leach – Islesboro, ME; 11. Curt D’Addario – Manchester, CT; 12. Terry Kirk – Durham; 13. Max Zachem – Preston, CT; 14. Aaron Lewis – Scarborough, ME; 15. Marc Fuchswanz – Vassalboro; 16. Mike Fuchswanz – Vassalboro; 17. Nick Brown – Topsham; 18. Chris Seavey – Windham; 19. Chris Bakaj – Framington, CT; 20. Charlie Buxton, ME