Please credit photos: Mary and Peter Taylor petespicks.smugmug.com
By Sophie D. Gabrion, Media Rep / Wiscasset Speedway
Kurt Hewins of the 55H from Leeds continued his winning streak and solid sportsmanship last Saturday night for Fan Appreciation Night, presented by IGA Food Stores supporting the Dream Ride for Special Olympics. Traveling from cities all over the state, dedicated fans, packing grand stands each week, are the secret ingredient that makes Wiscasset Speedway Maine’s biggest, fastest track year after year.
Starting 3-wide, the Strictly Streets 35-lap spotlight kicked off strong with Kenny Harrison of the #84, who had no trouble taking and holding the lead. Behind Harrison, heavy hitters refused to back down and the competition remained fierce, even after Kimberly Knight in the #00 pulled ahead in lap nine, closely followed by Kurt Hewins in the #55H.
Harrison appeared to have the race locked up until mechanical issues in lap fifteen left Knight and Hewins free to spar over first. Despite some friendly nudges from his position in second, Hewins could not seem to best Knight’s speed through the corners. By lap twenty-one, Hewins had taken a different approach by working the outer lane until he took the lead in lap twenty-four.
Under pressure with only seven laps to go, Bryan Robbins of the #8 tried to squeeze out Maurice Young of the #03 from the inside but ended up spinning into the infield himself. The subsequent caution lost Hewins his hard-earned breathing room. Ultimately taking second place, Young remained less than half a second behind Hewins throughout the final laps, who won his fourth race for the year. An obvious fan-favorite, Knight earned her third trip to victory lane and received third place to a roar of applause.
Other races included a 30-lap NAPA Modifieds feature, where July’s Driver of the Month, Mark Lucas of the #5, had some competition for what ended up being his fifth feature win of the season. Driving the #04, Allan Moeller kept Lucas in his sights from a mere car length behind for the better part of the race and took second place while Nick Reno of the #7 placed third.
Sponsored by Kennebec Equipment Rental, the Outlaw Minis raced a dramatic 25-lap feature, where fans were kept on the edge of their seats between cautions and jostling traffic. Sitting second in the points, Shawn Kimball of the #20 thrived under the curveballs, winning for the third time this season. Following behind his friend by two-tenths of a second, Justin Trombley of the #34 placed second, while Bryan Lancaster in the #81 took third.
Finally, in the 35-lap Late Model Sportsman feature race, Tyler Robbins in the #34 gave fans what they were looking for, as he and Dave St. Clair in the #14 battled for first. Close behind, Nick Hinkley in the #15 fought from the outer lane in lap fifteen. While Hinckley overtook Robbins, St. Clair worked to clear himself from the pack and took a short-lived lead. Hinckley claimed the first position one lap later, as he showcased the fastest car on the track at almost 85 miles per hour. St. Clair remained close, despite lap traffic blocking him in his pursuit of Hinckley. With eighteen drivers still in the game, things continued to heat up after the race’s first two cautions dropped within one lap of each other, which gave many drivers a much-needed regroup. With three laps to go, Hinckley continued to hold an impressive lead after both restarts but was forced to rejoin the pack again when a multi-car upset in turn one left several drivers stranded. After the night’s final caution, the sight of the white flag caused a feeding frenzy mid-pack that spun cars out across the track’s width, top to bottom. Under a rare double-flag finish, St. Clair nabbed a narrow victory while both caution and checkered flags waved. Hinckley accepted a hard-earned second, while Chris Thorne of the #17 took third.
Get a group together and head down to the track next Saturday, August 27th, when the night will kick off with Go-Kart racing, followed by Group One Divisions, including ServPro of Biddeford/Saco Prostocks, Super Streets, Thunder Mini 4s and New England 4 Cyl. Pros. Grandstand gates open to fans at 4:00pm and the green flag kicks off the day at 6:00pm. Individual admission is $5 – less than the cost of a movie ticket! Bring the whole family – grandstand fees waived for kids under 6. For the 2016 Race Schedule and more, visit www.wiscassetspeedway.com.