After mother nature gave us a rainy week off, the racing returned to Unity Raceway under the watchful eye of the full moon. The Geo & Sons Teen Thunder class was full of excitement. The heat race saw a very slow pace set by the front runners allowing Shelby Kimball to shoot to the early race lead. Ricky Palmer and Jordan Hawes were able to catch the Kimball machine. All three competitors went for the same groove in turn one forcing the trio into the banking. This put Ben Nile in the lead for the heat race win. The feature saw the 68 machine of Brandon Greenleaf jump to the lead when the field got jumbled up on the start. Jeremy Ludden and Ben Nile cleared the traffic and went looking for Brandon Greenleaf. Brandon Greenleaf looses grip over the front stretch lip allowing Ludden and Nile to catch up. Nile and Ludden are able to use the inside groove to clear the slipping Brandon Greenleaf. Nile is having problems with lapped traffic. This allows Ludden to keep up with Nile. Nile crosses the line first for his second win of the season. Ludden continues with is fine runs in second. Brandon Greenleaf follows the pair in third.
Jordan Hawes recovers from his heat race crash for fourth. Shelby Kimball continues her streak of top five finishes in fifth.
The Late Model Pro-4 division saw the domination by the 94 of Steve Rackliff continue. He used the inside groove to pass fellow competitors and take the heat race win. Norm Cummings Jr. took his pole position to the front and lead lap one. Cary Davis passes the Cummings machine to jump out to a early race lead pulling Corey Walker with him. Steve Rackliff uses the outside line to pass cars and take over second place. Davis has driven away for a large lead. Rackliff puts his car in cruise control and starts reeling in Davis. Ben Clark and Jimmy Dennis are racing side by side for the third position. Davis and Rackliff are side by side for the lead. Rackliff is again using the inside to try to make the pass. The pair catches a lapped car going into turn 1. The three cars touch sending the Davis machine spinning into the infield. Rackliff checks out on the field to continue his winning ways. Clark takes second place. Dennis follows a close third. Corey Walker has a fine run in fourth. Greg Cummings proves that four leaf clovers really do work finishing in fifth.
The Monsta Mini division saw Mike Wilson take the lead from youngster, Markus Lowe, and never look back to take another heat race win. The start of the feature saw Maine's Toughest Oval welcome Brent Fletcher. Fletcher found the front stretch wall as the green flag flew. Jason Trundy took the lead on the restart. Richard Jackson put his Mustang into second when Markus Lowe goes wide in turn 4. Paul Jackson is having a career run in fourth. Chad Elkins returns from last weeks violent crash to run in fifth. Trundy continues to pull away from the field. Lowe has caught Richard Jackson and tries the inside groove around. Trundy crosses the line in first. Richard Jackson beats Lowe for second. Elkins has motored past Paul Jackson for fourth.
The Limited division started off with a bang. Contact in the heat race puts Joe Allard in the front stretch wall covering flagman, Buster Roy, with dirt. When the dust cleared, Buster was fine but the Allard machine retired to the pits for the night. Dave St Clair takes the lead on the restart. He is getting a strong challenge from Joey Doyon before the Doyon machine would lose grip and spin. Brad Bellows, trying his Sportsman car as a Limited, proved he can run with the big boys. Dave St Clair won the heat race challenged closely by Bellows. The feature saw Josh St Clair jump in front of pole sitter Frank Moulton for the lead. The pair are pulling away from Dave St Clair. Joey Doyon is fighting an ill handling car in fourth. Dave St Clair has found the line and reels in Moulton for second. Doyon tries the same move. Lapped traffic will come into play sending the Doyon machine down over the back stretch. The restart found Josh St Clair and Dave St Clair leading the pack to the green. Josh St Clair would jump to the lead. The pair would go nose to tail the last few laps. Josh St Clair would hold on for the win. Dave St Clair would follow in second. Frank Moulton would have a fine run in third. Fred "Pee Wee" Brown would make his 2008 Unity Debut in fourth. Joey Doyon would limp home in fifth.
The Men's Peanut division saw Lance Chapman catch a sleeping field on the drop of the green flag. Chapman jumped out to a early race lead. Ryan Ripley tried to catch Chapman but ran out of laps. The feature saw Zach Audet jump to the lead followed by Ryan Ripley. Caution on lap 2 for a spinning Ed Sleeper allows Ryan Ripley to take the lead. Cody Sleeper takes over second on the restart with Lance Chapman in third. Paul Shorette, driving the #56 of Paul Jackson, is having a fine run in fourth. Derek Cook has caught the group in fifth. This group of four cars are all bidding for the second position. An anxious Lance Chapman taps the back of the Cody Sleeper machine sending it off the back stretch. This allows Shorette to move into second and Derek Cook to follow in third. The pair try to run down the leading Ripley. Ripley has pulled away for the win. Shorette follows in second but is unable to pass post race inspection moving Derek Cook into second spot. Kyle Gallant finished a fine third. Bob Grady follows in fourth. Zach Audet topped out the top five.
The Unity Variety and Video Wildcat division saw the battle between Tim Hudson and Carl McAlpine continue. The pair checked away from the field. McAlpine is able to use the outside line to take the lead and the heat race win. Hudson jumps to the early lead in the feature. Carl McAlpine clears traffic to take over second position. Dustin Hubbard comes from the rear to take over third. McAlpine is chipping away at Hudson's lead. Lapped traffic holds up Hudson allowing McAlpine to pull up to his bumper. The pair would go nose to tail for many laps. Hudson's machine would stall going into turn two. McAlpine would tap him from behind sending him into the infield. Hubbard is catching the leading McAlpine. Hal Stratton has his new machine running a strong third. The laps are running down with McAlpine pulling away. McAlpine will take the checkered first. Hubbard would follow in second. Hal Stratton would cross the line in third but not pass post race inspection. This allowed new comer, Bruce Coulter, to take home the third place trophy. Troy Patterson finished in fourth. Todd Rollins had a 2008 best finish in fifth.
The Ladies division saw Mika Wilson jump to the lead over her mother, Carol Wilson. Molly Feeney jumps from her last place starting position to take the lead from Wilson. Feeney would cruise to an easy heat race win. The feature saw July Driver of the Month, Samantha Letourneau, take the early lead. Mika Wilson continued with her fine run following in second. Alica Goodwin has the 00 machine cruising in third. Feeney is again making passing thru the field look easy. She is up to second position when a loose race car sends her spinning into the infield. Goodwin passes Mika Wilson on the outside for second. Chelsea Young has caught the Mika Wilson machine for third. Goodwin is gaining on the leading Letourneau. Young is trying every groove to get around Mika Wilson. Letourneau takes home the checkered flag. Goodwin takes the second place trophy. Mika Wilson takes home her second career trophy in third. Young finishes a very close fourth. Rhonda Lyford finishes out the top five.
The Sportsman division saw Bryan Robbins pass the returning #43 of Skip Conner for the lead. Robbins increased his lead and was unable to be caught by point leader, Brad Bellows, for the heat race win. Don York took the outside freight train to the lead. Kris Watson remains tough on the inside. Bellows and Huff push York past Watson. York is hanging tough against Bellows. Huff uses the inside groove to challenge Bellows for second. York is watching this battle in his rearview mirror. Huff takes the advantage over Bellows. Huff continues on the inside to pass York on lap 11. Bellows tries the inside to get past York again. York is still hanging tough allowing Huff to drive away. Watson and Bryan Robbins are watching Bellow's and York's side by side battle. York slips allowing Bellows to take over second place. Bellows tries to catch Huff. Time runs out. Huff takes home the win. Bellows follows in second. York follows the pair in third. Bryan Robbins has a fine run in fourth. Watson continues with his top five finishes in fifth.
The Enduro division was again treated to the humor of manager, George Fernald Jr, by having to race the wrong way. There are some drivers that meet the challenge and others that are challenged. Troy Patterson jumped to the early race lead. His little red machine would put many cars laps down. Patterson's night would end early as a tangle with a lapped car would send him to the pits. This would give the lead to Chris Burbelo. Burbelo would have trouble with lapped traffic also. Burbelo would be forced to the infield. This would allow Robert Dyer and Rob Paddack to challenge Burbelo for first. The little green machine would shoot back onto the track and take back the lead. Burbelo would drive away for the feature win. 10 year old, Robert Dyer, would take home the second place trophy. Rob Paddack would finish out the top three.
The Wicked Good Antique Racers brought their fields of Modifieds and Stock race cars. The Stock class saw 77 year old Colin Shields lead the pack to the green. The cars traded the lead back and fourth before the 16 car of Billy Boyle slipped to the lead. Boyle is another seventy year old driver teaching the young pups the way around Unity Raceway. Boyle would take the win. Travis Johns would finish a close second. Alan Gassett would take home the third place trophy. The Modified class saw a fine run between the top bunch. Joe Legere would weave through the field with John Rice in tow. Lapped traffic would prove to be a challenge for the lead pair. Legere would take home the checkered flag. Rice would finish second with Haggie Pratt following the pair in third.
August 22 will showcase the 60th Anniversary/Fan Appreciation Night. Come meet the drivers of the Past, Present, and Future. The Wicked Good Antique Racers will return for more fun.