Pelletier, Davis, Hendsbee and Rich firsttime 2009 winners on fast Friday

Pelletier, Davis, Hendsbee and Rich first-time 2009 winners on fast Friday

OXFORD, Maine – Four drivers captured their first feature wins of the season in their current division on a closely contested Friday night of JARRacing Photography Go Kart Series action at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Dan Pelletier Jr. pulled off the most exciting move of many on the evening, getting underneath leaders Charlie Tyler and Brandon Douglas in three-wide formation with only three laps remaining in the 13-kart Unrestricted main event.

Pelletier, a champion in three different youth divisions, pedaled on to his initial victory of the season in the 15-and-up Sportsman ranks. Tyler finished second with rookie Douglas third.

Troy Davis, like Pelletier a frequent winner and multi-time champion in the entry-level divisions, captured his first victory in only his second try at Gold Plate.
Jacob Hendsbee (Blue Plate) and Zachary Rich (Purple Plate) also visited victory lane for the first time on the young campaign.

Mike Ricker (Star Champ) and Kyle Mooney (Box Stock) each pulled off their second triumph. Mooney has four in all through the first three weeks.
Davis=2 0swapped the lead with Spencer Thompson three times before taking command for good on lap 7 of the Gold Plate encounter.

Thompson, also a champ in supporting classes, held off opening-night winner Avery Spear for second.

Hendsbee led all 20 laps of the Blue Plate battle while Wade Blanchette, Evan Armington and Brandon Varney tussled behind him.

It was heat winner and division point leader Blanchette getting the best of the runner-up battle. Armington backed up last week's victory with a third-place trophy.

Rich led the first half of the Purple Plate scramble, then lost it to Varney for three circuits before reclaiming it for the duration.

Mooney shadowed him much of the way in pursuit of his third straight win in the division to start the season, but the young lion settled for second. Owen Poisson enjoyed his best run to date in third.
Ricker lost the Star Champ point to Stephen Beattie, but night-long ignition problems sent Beattie to the pit during a lap 16 caution flag for Douglas' spin.

That allowed Ricker to reclaim the top spot and his second win of the spring. Douglas, making his first Star Champ start, stayed a wide margin in front of the ailing Beattie for second.

M ooney watched Ethan Matot and Ethan Brown lead the Box Stock sprint early, but he had no problems breezing to his second win after moving to the head of the class on lap 3.

Heat winner Chase Staples put up a worthy fight before claiming second, with Matot third.

The JARRacing series resumes next Friday, June 19 at 6:30 p.m.

OPS cranks it up again Saturday with Sun Journal Night. Five divisions of racing hit the historic, 3/8-mile oval starting at 6:30 p.m.

UNRESTRICTED (20 laps): 1. Dan Pelletier Jr., East Poland; 2. Charlie Tyler, Buxton; 3. Brandon Douglas, West Paris; 4. Aaron Collomy, Saco; 5. David Blackwell, Brunswick; 6. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon; 7,. Kayla Ashline, Pittston; 8. Ryan Phillips, Buxton; 9. Nate Knowles, Dixfield; 10. Leo Jolin III, Rumford; 11. Josh Brown, South Paris; 12. Nick Pingree, Mexico; 13. Chris Taylor, Mexico.
Heat winner: Tyler.
Lap leaders: Tyler 1-14, Douglas 15, Tyler 16, Pelletier 17-20.

STAR CHAMP (20 laps): 1. Mike Ricker, Sebago; 2. Brandon Douglas, West Paris; 3. Stephen Beattie, Conway, N.H.;
Heat winner: Beattie.
Lap leaders: Ricker 1-12, Beattie 13-16, Ricker 17-20.

GOLD PLATE (20 laps): 1. Troy Davis, Windham; 2. Spencer Thompson, Oxford; 3. Avery Spear, Oxford; 4. Cody Wilson, West Paris.
Heat winner: Davis.
Lap leaders: Thompson 1-4, Davis 5, Thompson 6,20Davis 7-20.

BLUE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Jacob Hendsbee, Whitefield; 2. Wade Blanchette, Buxton; 3. Evan Armington, Lovell; 4. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 5. Chris Staples Jr., Brunswick; 6. Gabe Seavey, Conway, N.H..
Heat winner: Blanchette.
Lap leaders: Hendsbee 1-20.

PURPLE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Zachary Rich, Casco; 2. Kyle Mooney, New Gloucester; 3. Owen Poisson, Brunswick; 4. Brandon Varney, Lewiston. DNS: Nick McNelly, Oxford.
Heat winner: Rich.
Lap leaders: Rich 1-10, Varney 11-13, Rich 14-20.

BOX STOCK (20 laps): 1. Kyle Mooney, New Gloucester; 2. Chase Staples, Durham; 3. Ethan Matot, Casco; 4. Ethan Brown, South Paris. DNS: Brandon Varney, Lewiston.
Heat winner: Staples.

Lap leaders: Matot 1, Brown 2, Mooney 3-20.