Pre- Race Inspection: We found ourselves busy with 27 mini stocks in the pits. Tech was tasked with checking the safety of many new competitors, making ourselves available for questions and recording the performance/lap time’s of all cars during the three practice sessions. We were very pleased with the diversity of the field with Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen all represented. The three fastest laps in practice were: #34 – 17.95, #12 – 18.23, and the #92, & #88, -18.4.
Post Heat Inspection: This became a bit tricky with many cars competing with both the tour as well the mini stock class. The tech team was direct to honor the Wiscasset mini stock weights after the heats but the drivers were told that they must meet the tours weights after the feature.
Post Feature Inspection: Car #34 was first car to take the checker flag but received a one lap penalty for exceeding the width rule of 72” The top five cars had their width checked and the #34 was measured at 74”. The tool was checked and the #34 was measured again with the outcome the same. The #34 car was place as the first car one lap down. The other four cars measured between 67” – 71”. Additional inspections performed are as follows: The #92 had his cam lift checked and was found to be legal. The #88 had all suspension points checked for adjustability, everything was legal. The #32 had ride height, tire softness, and the stock fuel injections system inspected. No infractions found.
Final Note: The feature line-up was a common topic of the racers. Many drivers are accustom to starting the feature according to where they finish the heats. We have three possible methods for setting the feature grid. The one used at Wiscasset placed the cars on the grid according to lap times recorded by the tour tech team. Times were used from all three practices as well as the heats. We then placed the cars from slowest to fastest on the grid. (Tour feature winners are required to start behind all non-winners regardless of their recorded lap time). I felt you guys (teams) put on a good show and I felt the fans, once again got what they expect from NEMST. Thanks, The Guys in Tech.