Bub Bilodeau brews winning combination with Coors Light 100 win at Beech Ridge
By Dan Walker
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway PR
Scarborough, Maine-Bub Bilodeau scorched the field to win the annual Coors Light 100 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Bilodeau lapped all but the top 5 finishers on his way to the win. In other NASCAR Whelan All American Series feature events Clyde Hennessey was the winner in the Sport Series 35 lap race and Buddy Poole led all 30 laps in winning the Wildcat feature race.
Patrick Thorne rounded out the night of winners with his first Road Runner checkered flag. Bilodeau wasted no time establishing his presence as he bolted from the pole with Dan McKeage trying to hang on to the outside of him. Bilodeau stretched his lead until the only caution flag of the race waved on lap 33. Again McKeage tried the outside but Bilodeau held him off and began to pull away once again. While Bilodeau was alone in front McKeage and Steve Carrier staged a 12 lap side by side duel for second place as Bobby Babb was making his way to the front from his 20th starting position. Bilodeau eased around lapped traffic lapping cars into the top 10 positions until the checkered flag waved ending a dominant performance. Carrier was second and Babb third at the finish. Shawn Twomey ran strong all race long and finished fourth with D.J. Shaw finishing fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Dan McKeage, Bill Whorff, Danny Bubar, Mike Maietta Jr. and T.J. Brackett. Clyde Hennessey led all 35 laps of the Sport Series feature race but was never more than a car length in the lead at any time. Joe Doiron applied early pressure to Hennessey and Dave Lampron took his turn at the leader but Hennessey fought them all off. Over the final 10 laps 2 caution flags slowed the race but Hennessey was strong enough to hold off Scott Dorr for the win. Doiron finished third with Beaver Norton recovering from an early race mechanical problem getting all the way back to fourth over Lampron in fifth. Buddy Poole starting in only his fourth race of his career held off some top guns to win the Wildcat feature race. Poole took the lead at the start of the race and led Clayton Barker and David Wildes. The race would go caution free but late in the race Richard Randall charged into the lead group. Poole maintained his composure and guided his car under the checkered flag for the victory over Barker in second and Randall third. Wildes was fourth and Randy Snow rounded out the top 5 place drivers. Patrick Thorne became the first rookie to score a Road Runner feature win this season on Saturday night. Dan Bernier was the early leader of the race until a lap 7 caution period gave Thorne the break he needed to take over. Once in front Thorne cruised to his first win with last weeks winner Paul Lund second and Ed Pierce third. Shawn Brackett and Bradley Babb were fourth and fifth at the finish.