The rookie Chris McKinstry is hot! Chris started dead last on a 19 car field and showed the local favorites and NEMST veterans that he can hang too. 22 cars showed up to Wiscasset for the first NEMST event of the year at the 3/8 mile short track. There are now 3 drivers tied with the all time NEMST win record, the aforementioned McKinstry, Justin Trombley and 2009 champion Emerson Cayer.
The heat races were run early in the afternoon with Tour new comer Adam Polvinen and veteran Justin Trombley taking the wins. Polvinen was making his second ever NEMST start. With the feature line up set the NEMST rolled onto the track as the final feature of the day.
Mark Childs Jr. and Roger Ducharme were on the front to bring the tour to green. There was a spin on lap 2 between Tim Boyle, Larry Melcher and Rob Greenleaf that brought out the caution. With the field reset and sent on there way the 73 Volkswagen Corrado of Adam Polvinen made a strong run to the front from a starting spot deep in the field. With the help of some early on minor cautions and excellent driving the 73 made a bid for the lead over Zach Audet on lap 9.
On lap 10 the 88 of Emerson Cayer moved into second place and started to pressure Polvinen, but the most eventful part of the day was yet to come. On lap 15 Polvinen’s car stuttered and shut off coming out of turn 2 and was hit by Cayer sending him spinning to the infield and eventually coming back across the backstretch in front of the field. The 43 of Roger Ducharme and 7 of Darrell Moore made hard contact with the spinning 73 totaling both cars and sending them air born off the racing surface. All drivers were ok and walked away from their cars.
From lap 15 to the end the race was fairly clean with a couple spins and excellent racing between a pack of 5 or so cars in the lead pack. A bobble by Emerson Cayer at the mid point of the race allowed McKinstry to capitalize and take the lead. Cayer tried to force a mistake out of the rookie and point leader McKinstry. A strong show of local candidates was put on by the 12 of Thomas True and 20 of Pete McCollett who stayed in the top 5 all race long.
The winner at the end of the night was NEMST point leader Chris McKinstry followed by Cayer, Trombley, McCollett, and True rounding out the top 5. NEMST is back in action on Saturday August 21st at the fast ¼ high banked oval White Mountain Motorsports Park.