Farrington becomes all-time winner
in JARRacing Go Kart Series at Oxford
Cody Chiasson also double winner Friday night
OXFORD, Maine – Wilton teenager Dave Farrington Jr. has won dozens of go kart races throughout the state and region during his career.
Over the last three summers, however, his home base has been the JARRacing Photography Go Kart Series at Oxford Plains Speedway. And there has been nobody better.
That became official Friday night, when Farrington swept the Unrestricted and Star Champ features for the second straight week to break the record for most all-time feature victories in the five-year-old series.
Farrington has seven wins across three different classes this season and 26 overall, putting him one ahead of Nick Brown of Bath. Brown graduated to the New England Legends Cars circuit this season after four championship seasons in the karts.
Not to be overshadowed, Cody Chiasson joined Farrington as a double feature winner, capturing the Box Stock and Purple Plate checkered flags. Chiasson also finished second in the Blue Plate main event behind Troy Davis, who extended his season-opening unbeaten streak to four.
Kayla Ashline became the first repeat winner of the season in the Gold Plate division.
Farrington led every lap of the Unrestricted nightcap, charging from seventh to first on the opening circuit with the help of two spins that shook up the field.
D.J. Shaw, the 17-year-old phenom who has won $15,000 in two lucrative regional Late Model stock car races already this spring, returned to his go kart roots for a night and challenged Farrington for a while. But the Jay High School football player turned up the wick over the second half of the event and sped to the victory.
Shaw held off Dan Pelletier Jr., who passed Jeff Lillibridge for third with two laps to go and clinched his first Unrestricted trophy after winning track championships in three different youth classes.
In the Star Champ scramble, Farrington took the lead from Walt Dearborn on lap 5, gave it back the next time around but regained it for keeps on the seventh pass. Stephen Beattie retired from the event from mechanical problems but was credited with third.
Four other drivers led a highly competitive Purple Plate event before Chiasson moved in front on lap 14 and became the first second-time victor in the class this season. Brandon Varney set the pace from laps 8 through 13 and never led the leader out of his sight, but the reigning Box Stock champion fell one spot shy of his first Purple Plate triumph. Spencer Thompson held last week's winner, Evan Armington, at bay to claim third.
Chiasson weathered an early duel with relative OPS newcomer Tommy Stilphen in the Box Stock encounter. Stilphen spun while trying to pull a slide job to the inside for the lead on lap 6. Chiasson cruised from there, with Dylan Haskell holding down second and Stilphen rallying past Avery Spear and Varney to grab third.
In his third go of the night, Chiasson swapped the lead twice in a side-by-side battle with Davis before the point leader pulled completely in front on lap 11. Davis made it look easy in the two-car match race thereafter, drawing away by more than half a lap.
Ashline led the entire Gold Plate sprint, although not without a test from Spencer Morse early and Kyle Metivier late. Metivier ran second for the final six circuits, while Morse rallied from a lap 17 spin to retake third.
The JARRacing Photography Go Kart Series continues next Friday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m.
OPS cranks up the speed tonight (Saturday) with the L/A Harley Davidson Late Model Challenge 100, plus a full card of Championship Series action, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
UNRESTRICTED (20 laps): 1. Dave Farrington Jr., Wilton; 2. D.J. Shaw, Center Conway, N.H.; 3. Dan Pelletier Jr., East Poland; 4. Jeff Lillibridge, Fryeburg; 5. Robbie Wentworth, Conway, N.H.; 6. Tim Foster, Lisbon; 7. Gregg Inman, West Paris; 8. Jeff Roubo, Buxton; 9. Jeremy Wentworth, Conway, N.H.; 10. Charlie Tyler, Buxton; 11. Kevin Varney, Lewiston.
STAR CHAMP (20 laps): 1. Dave Farrington Jr., Wilton; 2. Walt Dearborn, Sebago; 3. Stephen Beattie, Conway, N.H.
GOLD PLATE (20 laps): 1. Kayla Ashline, Pittston; 2. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon; 3. Spencer Morse, Waterford; 4. Neil Bernier, Minot; 5. Craig Robinson, Conway, N.H.; 6. Josh Brown, South Paris; 7. Chris Henley, Conway, N.H.
BLUE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Troy Davis, Windham; 2. Cody Chiasson, Peru.
PURPLE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 2. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 3. Spencer Thompson, Oxford; 4. Evan Armington, Lovell; 5. Hunter Sirois, Leeds; 6. Zachary Rich, Casco.
BOX STOCK (20 laps): 1. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 2. Dylan Haskell, West Baldwin; 3. Tommy Stilphen, Kennebunk; 4. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 5. Avery Spear, Oxford; 6. Wade Blanchette, Buxton; 7. Ethan Matot, Casco; 8. Brodie Morse, Waterford.
