photo by Peter Taylor
By Lisa Maguire
It was a beautiful spring day at the Wiscasset Speedway on Saturday. All divisions including Prostock, New England 4 Cylinder Prostock, Napa Super Street, Outlaw Mini, Late Model Sportsman, Thunder 4’s, Mini Trucks, and Strictly Street. It was an exciting full show, and fans packed the grandstands to watch as the big lights of Wiscasset lit up the track.
At the Speedway this week was two time Nascar Busch Series champion, Randy Lajoie. Lajoie was contacted by track owners Richard and Vanessa Jordan. The Jordan’s wanted information on Lajoie racing seats, which were created for both comfort and safety. Lajoie called the Jordan’s back, and volunteered to bring his “Safer Racer Tour” to Wiscasset. The tour began seven years ago, and has travelled over the country. Lajoie said, “This is a fun sport, but very dangerous. My mission is safety education. This is non-profit tour and I do this to save lives.”
This is the first appearance of the “Safer Racer Tour” in Maine. Drivers had the opportunity to have their race cars inspected for safety. When the inspection of a car was complete, Lajoie would give the driver a “report card” that graded the safety of the vehicle. The report card graded proper installation of safety equipment such as seats, safety belts, window nets, head and neck restraints, and padding inside the car. All drivers had the opportunity to hear Lajoie speak on safety concerns at the drivers meeting before race time. During race time, Lajoie signed autographs for fans in the grandstands.
First on the track were the Thunder 4’s and Mini Trucks racing in a twenty lap feature. On the pole for Thunder 4’s was the #5 of Ryan Chadwick. Behind him were the #7 of Bill Grover and the #04 of Curtis Anderson. Off the start, Anderson passed Grover for second place. During lap six the #13 of Cody Tribbet passed Grover for third place on the inside of turn one, then Tribbet moved up the track and passed Anderson on the inside of turn two for second.
Grover and Anderson were neck to neck, battling for third. Then during lap seventeen Grover edged ahead of Anderson, then managed a pass on the backstretch, taking third. The race concluded in the same racing order. Chadwick placed first. Tribbet placed second. Grover took third place.
The Mini Trucks were racing simultaneously with the Thunder 4’s. The #0 of Kris Knox was in the pole position in the Mini Trucks. Behind him were the #12 of Gerry McKenna and the #22 of Jeff Schmidt. Knox and McKenna raced head to head for two laps, then during lap two, McKenna passed Knox on the outside of turn three. Knox was able to pass McKenna on the outside of turn two during lap four, taking first place once again. Knox had to fend of McKenna for the entire race, but successfully held onto first place, his H. A. Stone and Sons Fencing Chevy finishing just moments before McKenna. Knox placed first. McKenna took second, and rounding out the top three was Schmidt. Prior to race time, Knox said, “I am going to race as much as I can here this summer. This is the same truck as last year. This truck has been fast on every track I have taken it to, and I think I will be all right. It is fun to drive and I am happy to be here at Wiscasset. It is going to be a good season.”
Sixteen Strictly Street race cars were next up on the track in a twenty-five lap event. Starting at the pole was the #26 of Corey Morgan. The #83 of Dan Brown and Tasha Dyer of the #32 were behind Morgan. Morgan leapt off the start and took a commanding lead. During lap two, the #43 of Ben Erskine passed Dyer on the backstretch taking third. Morgan looked out his rear view window the entire time watching for the other cars to catch up, and sped under the checkered taking first. Brown placed second. Erskine placed third.
A thirty lap Prostock race was action packed. Starting on the pole was the #15 of Nick Hinkley. Behind him were the #39 of James Osmond and the #01 of Joe Decker. The cars roared off the start, and it was not until lap five that there was a leader change. The #32 of Mike Orr passed Decker on the outside of turn three for third. Orr then pressed up the race track and passed Osmond on the inside of turn two during lap seven, taking second.
There was a caution during lap nine, and on the restart both Hinkley and Orr raced sided by side for two laps until Hinkley pulled ahead, maintaining first place.
During lap twelve Osmond passed Orr on the inside of turn one and took second. Orr reclaimed second place during lap thirteen when he passed Osmond on turn four. Moving up the track was the #28 of Bill Penfold. Penfold passed Osmond on the inside of turn four for third. There was another caution during lap twenty-four when a car spun on the track. The restart was exciting as Penfold and Orr fought for second. Penfold moved to the inside off the start and passed Orr, taking second.
A caution in lap twenty-five led to another restart. Hinkley never looked back and raced for the checkered, gaining a three car lead. Orr was able to pass Penfold on the inside and reclaimed second. Hinkley sped under the checkered in his Greg’s Used Cars Monte Carlo in first. Orr placed second, and Penfold rounded out the top three.
Hinkley said “I had to replace my clutch after last time out racing. We have been shaking any bugs out of the car. The car is new, and it is fast. It felt good today on the track. We are racing in both Prostock and Late Model today. It will be a lot of change ups, and I hope we do well in both events. I have gotten some new sponsors, and my car is better than ever. I would like to thank Ideal Portable Toilets and The Galley.”
The next crowd pleaser was a twenty-five lap New England 4 Cylinder Prostock feature. Starting on the pole was the #7 of Jerry Bailey. The #14 of Bob Patten and the #35 of Nate McWilliams were behind. There was a jumble when Jerry Bailey was slow off the start. When the dust settled, Patten was in the lead followed by the #98 of Kamren Knowles and the #8 Craig Dunn.
During lap one, the #24 of Jeff Prindall passed Dunn on the outside on the backstretch, taking third. Lap three saw Prindall pass Knowles on the inside of turn four to take second. Dunn then passed Knowles taking third. Prindall advanced up the track and passed Patten on the inside of turn two during lap four to take first.
A caution in lap seven caused a restart. On the restart Dunn and Patten battle for second. Dunn was able to pass Patten on the inside of turn three to claim second and Patten moved to third. Despite another caution, race leaders remained constant. Prindall’s Bimbo Ford placed first. Dunn took second. Patten placed third. Prindall said, “We haven’t changed anything in the car. This car averages about 77-78 miles per hour. It is quick and light, and made for racing.”
The Napa Ford Focus pace car led the Napa Super Streets onto the race track for a twenty-five lap feature event. The #1 of Adam Chadbourne was on the pole. The #48 of Dan Nessmith and the #51 of Bryan Robbins were behind him. Off the start Robbins passed Nessmith for second. The #2 of Josh Bailey also passed Nessmith, and took third.
There was a caution in lap nine, and on the restart Robbins and Bailey battled for second. Bailey pulled ahead and passed Robbins on the inside of turn two during lap ten to take second. Lap eleven saw the #05 of James Osmond pass Robbins on the inside of turn two, to claim third.
Chadbourne was ahead with a commanding lead, and despite the best efforts of both Bailey and Osmond, Chadbourne roared his Napa Auto Care Center car under the checkered, taking the win. Bailey placed second. Osmond took third. Chadbourne said, “I have been working on my car all winter, nearly every day with my crew. This is a brand new car. Last time on the track my rear end broke, but that is fixed and I am here to race. I hope to win today, it would make all this work worthwhile.” Chadbourne must be satisfied with his first place finish.
A three caution, twenty-five lap Outlaw Mini feature was next on the agenda. The #20 of Shawn Kimball was in the pole position. The #51 of Mike Mason and the #2 of Bob Greenleaf were behind. During lap one the #06 of Ryan Grover passed Greenleaf for third. Then, before the lap was completed Kimball and Mason scraped together on the track bringing up a caution, and sending the pair to the back of the pack. The new running order was Grover in the lead, Greenleaf in second, and the #8 of Calvin Rose Jr in third.
There was another caution during lap two. When racing action resumed, the #10 of Jimmy Childs passed Rose for third. During lap three, Mason passed Childs on the outside of the front stretch to take third. Lap nine saw Mason pass Greenleaf to take second.
The third and final caution came in lap seventeen when Rose and Greenleaf bumped and slid on the track. Rose and Greenleaf were sent to the back. Grover was still in the lead with Mason behind him. Childs moved to third. The leaders maintain their positions and Grover took the checkered. Mason placed second. Childs took third.
The last feature of the evening was a thirty-five lap Late Model Sportsman race. Fourteen Late Models hit the track in an exciting show conclusion. Staring at the pole was the #14 of Dave St Clair. The #15 of Nick Hinkley and the #33 of Josh St Clair were behind him.
During lap one the #17 of Chris Thorne passed Josh St Clair on the outside of turn one for third. Then during the same lap, Josh St Clair passed Thorne taking third place back. Thorne then passed him once again on the inside of turn three to reclaim third.
Dave St Clair and Hinkley were neck and neck, Hinkley on the outside. They sped around the track, each taking a momentary lead. It was not until after six laps of battled racing that Hinkley was able to make the pass, pulling ahead on the back stretch. Hinkley raced his Home Seafood Market Monte Carlo to the forefront and stayed there for the remainder of the race despite cautions.
During lap six Ryan St Clair passed Josh St Clair for third. Then during the same lap, the #17 of Chris Thorne passed Ryan St Clair on the inside of turn three to take third. A caution was thrown during lap ten when Thorne spun on the track. Ryan St Clair moved back into third place.
Josh St Clair passed Ryan St Clair on outside of turn three for third during lap ten. However, Josh St Clair and the #34 of Tyler Robbins bump and spin on the track causing a caution, and collecting lap traffic. Ryan St Clair was also caught in the jumble and sent to the back, bringing the #28 of Jr Robinson to third.
There was yet another caution in lap eleven. The #04 of Allan Moeller Jr passed Robinson on the restart to claim third. Moeller then passed Dave St Clair on turn two for second during lap twelve. Lap nineteen saw Robinson move to the outside of turn three and pass Dave St Clair for third.
Robinson looked for his opportunity to pass Moeller. His chance came during lap thirty-one, and he passed Moeller on the outside of turn three for second. Racing order remained the same as they flew under the checkered. Hinkley took his second first place win of the night. Robinson took second. Moeller placed third.
Post-race, Hinkley said. “I have to tell you, these wins tonight would not have happened without the team I have. We have had to switch this car from Prostock to Late Model six times tonight to compete in both races. The thanks goes to my crew: Willy, Jason, Craig, Thomas, Joey, and Colton. Thank you guys so much. It was our goal to win them both tonight and we did! We had luck on our side and we hit our goal!”
Wiscasset Speedway resumes racing action, May 10, 2014 with its group two lineup of divisions: Late Model Sportsman, Strictly Street, Thunder 4’s and Mini Trucks. The flex race of the week are the Wicked Good Vintage Racers. Pit gates open at 2:00 PM. Grandstand gates open at 4:00 PM. Racing begins at 6:00 PM. Admission is $5.00 for adults and children aged seven and older. Kids six and under are free. Pit admission is $20.00. Wiscasset Speedway is located on West Alna Road in Wiscasset. For more information, head to the Wiscasset Speedway website at: http:www.wiscassetspeedway.com.