Beattie becomes first lady Unrestricted winner;
Farrington fashions fifth sweep in JARRacing karts
Morse, Davis continue winning streaks
OXFORD, Maine – Jackie Beattie etched her name in the JARRacing Photography Go Kart record books Friday night as the first lady driver to win an Unrestricted feature at Oxford Plains Speedway
Beattie ruled the 'B' section of the draw in the top division, with race officials again forced to divide a record kart count of 17 into two 20-lap races.
Dave Farrington Jr. dominated the 'A' main for his fourth consecutive win and eighth of the season in that class. Farrington also logged his sixth Star Champ victory. It marked the fifth time this summer that the soon-to-be junior football player at Jay High School has swept both events.
Two other winning streaks of note continued. Troy Davis remained undefeated in Blue Plate with his 10th consecutive victory, while Spencer Morse logged his fourth straight Gold Plate triumph and assumed the division point lead in the process.
Spencer Thompson (Purple Plate) and Dylan Haskell (Box Stock) each drove to their second win of the season.
Beattie snuck to the low side of Erwin Carey at the outset of the second lap and breezed to her win. While she's the first female to win in the elite class, Beattie joins a list of girl and lady winners in the five-year history of the OPS kart program that includes Kelsey Babb, Monica Martin, Allison Morse, Mariah Larsen, Alyssa Wade, Kayla Ashline and Erin Plummer.
Charlie Tyler logged the runner-up spot in front of Carey.
Farrington needed a dozen laps to reel in early 'A' leaders Jeremy Wentworth and Tim Foster and take over the point. Jeff Lillibridge sped past Farrington's brother Craig Nile with four laps remaining and gave chase, but Farrington held his ground and notched his series record 33rd career win.
Lillibridge protected the runner-up spot in the points chase with a second-place showing, while Foster rallied from the rear of the field after a mid-race penalty to claim third.
Although Farrington led every lap of the Star Champ clash, the celebration had to wait for restarts on laps 3, 7, 14 and 18. Those yellow flags put Walt Dearborn in close proximity, but the three-time feature winner couldn't get a jump when the green flag conditions returned and was left to protect second. Nile took third after a lengthy tussle with Keith Grant.
Farrington gained significant ground on point leader Stephen Beattie, who dropped out with mechanical problems and was credited with fifth.
Davis again swept his heat and feature in convincing fashion, leading from wire-to-wire in the main event over Cody Chiasson and Brandon Varney.
Morse was good as Gold for the fifth time in his last six starts, roaring from the rear of the field to take over the lead from Josh Brown on lap 4. Kayla Ashline reeled in Brown late in the going to grab second. Previous point leader Kyle Metivier settled for fourth.
Thompson prevailed in a hotly contested Purple Plate encounter, diving down low to wrestle the lead from Zachary Rich on lap 8.
Evan Armington saw a green-white-checkered restart give him a last-ditch shot to extend his winning streak to five races. Thompson reclaimed his advantage, however, and Armington was content to pad his point margin with a runner-up trophy. Rich fought off Chiasson for third.
Chiasson's six-race winning streak in Purple Plate ended with Haskell's first win since opening night. Haskell captured his 10-lap qualifier and led all but one lap of the finale after Hunter Sirois set the pace for a circuit.
Part-time competitor Tommy Stilphen charged from the back to snag second, with Chiasson third in the nine-car rundown.
The JARRacing Photography Go Kart Series returns next Friday, August 10 at 6:30 p.m.
On the big oval at OPS, it's a doubleheader weekend. The New Balance Summer Celebration, with five divisions of racing, begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Then it's Motor Mayhem, highlighted by Enduro Twin 100s, at 1 p.m. Sunday.
UNRESTRICTED 'A' (20 laps): 1. Dave Farrington Jr., Jay; 2. Jeff Lillibridge, Fryeburg; 3. Tim Foster, Lisbon; 4. Jeremy Wentworth, Conway, N.H.; 5. Dan Pelletier Jr., East Poland; 6. Craig Nile, North Anson; 7. Tyler Braunschweig, West Newfield; 8. Jeff Roubo, Hollis; 9. Robbie Wentworth, Conway, N.H.
UNRESTRICTED 'B' (20 laps): 1. Jackie Beattie, Conway, N.H.; 2. Charlie Tyler, Buxton; 3. Erwin Carey, Mexico; 4. Aaron Collomy, Saco; 5. Chris Varney, Scarborough; 6. Marcus Finch, Hollis; 7. Tommy Larick, Hollis; 8. Stephen Beattie Jr., Conway, N.H.
STAR CHAMP (20 laps): 1. Dave Farrington Jr., Jay; 2. Walt Dearborn, Sebago; 3. Craig Nile, North Anson; 4. Keith Grant, Sebago; 5. Stephen Beattie, Conway, N.H.
GOLD PLATE (20 laps): 1. Spencer Morse, Waterford; 2. Kayla Ashline, Pittston; 3. Josh Brown, South Paris; 4. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon; 5. Craig Robinson, Conway, N.H.; 6. Neil Bernier, Minot.
BLUE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Troy Davis, Windham; 2. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 3. Brandon Varney, Lewiston.
PURPLE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Spencer Thompson, Oxford; 2. Evan Armington, Lovell; 3. Zachary Rich, Casco; 4. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 5. Brandon Varney, Lewiston.
BOX STOCK (20 laps): 1. Dylan Haskell, West Baldwin; 2. Tommy Stilphen, Arundel; 3. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 4. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 5. Ethan Matot, Casco; 6. Wade Blanchette, Buxton; 7. Brodie Morse, Waterford; 8. Hunter Sirois, Leeds; 9. Avery Spear, Oxford.
