With the sun beating down and not a cloud in sight, fans flocked to Wiscasset Speedway on Saturday for the first long-distance Pro Stock race of the year, the $3,000-to-win Shipbuilder 100 presented by General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works.
2025 race winner Nick Hinkley, who also happens to be a BIW employee himself, picked up right where he left off last season and kicked off the day with a heat win for the big race.
The Maine Army National Guard Thunder 4 Minis also joined the program, with David Cook scoring a win in the qualifier and powering to the early lead in the 25-lap feature. There was a heated battle behind him for second in the opening laps of the race, with Gregg Norton taking the spot after Ricky Austin got bent out of shape. Norton continued his pursuit in the laps that followed, all over David Cook for the top spot at halfway. He made his way to Cook’s door on lap 17, only to come to a sudden slow just laps later, dropping out of the pack. David Cook went on to secure the victory, followed by Ricky Austin and Donnie Fletcher.
Nick Hinkley, who also secured the heat victory in the Davis Erector Group 207 Crate Modifieds, pulled ahead with a measurable early lead in their 30-lap feature. John Ricci was also on the move early, making his way to Ryan Phillips’ door on lap 12. He cleared him just two laps later, securing third. John Ricci tracked down Ryan Neal with ten laps to go, completing the pass on lap 22. Ricci quickly bit into Nick Hinkley’s lead, finding his way to Hinkley’s outside door with just 3 laps remaining. It was a drag race from there, with Ricci clearing Hinkley on the final lap to score the feature victory. Ryan Neal followed, completing the top 3.
David Greenleaf and Dan Nessmith went side-by-side for the early lead in the 30-lap Super Street feature, with Greenleaf pulling ahead on lap 5. Defending champion Noah Haggett snuck his way in shortly after, stealing second. Haggett methodically reeled in Greenleaf in the laps that followed, clearing him for the top spot just past halfway. Meanwhile, former champion Bubba Pelton (in his first race of the year) put on a spirited battle for third with Andy Kaherl as the laps wound down, completing the pass with just two laps to go. Noah Haggett was able to hold off the competition, becoming the first repeat winner in the Super Streets this season. David Greenleaf and Bubba Pelton rounded out the podium.
Max Parlin paced the field in the opening laps of the 25-lap feature for the County Truss 4-Cylinder Pros. An early-race caution brought the field back together and Max Parlin maintained command while May Pepsi “Driver of the Month” Chassidy Shorty powered to second. While battling for position, Dawson Gagnon made hard contact with the turn 2 wall on lap 7, resulting in an immediate red flag. Thankfully, Gagnon was unscathed and was able to walk away.
Max Parlin pulled ahead with the slight advantage on the restart, but Chassidy Shorty was right on his heels. The two drivers squared up again following a late-race caution and collided with just 3 laps to go, resulting in a caution. Shorty took the track’s “sportsmanship rule” following the incident, voluntarily heading to the back of the pack while Max Parlin got his spot back. Parlin jumped ahead on the restart as drivers went 3-wide behind him, with Chassidy Shorty reclaiming second. She was unable to catch Max Parlin, who secured his first win of the season. Rowdy Romano completed the top 3, picking up his first career podium finish at Wiscasset Speedway.
Veterans Josh St. Clair and Jamie Wright were able to successfully make the trek down to Wiscasset Speedway following their makeup race at the neighboring “Speedway” in Hermon and both drivers hit the track for 12 full-speed laps prior to the start of the 100-lap race, where they started at the tail of the field.
Nick Hinkley pulled to the early lead in the Shipbuilder 100. Kevin Douglass quickly powered to second but wanted more, securing the lead on lap 3. Jamie Wright spun coming to the frontstretch on lap 5 after making contact with Kelly Moore, resulting in an early-race caution. Nick Hinkley pulled out of line under yellow, making a surprise trip to the pits for adjustments. Kevin Douglass got the upper hand on the restart while Logan Melcher and Josh St. Clair battled it out for second. St. Clair pulled ahead on lap 10 and the field remained calm until Nick Hinkley came to a sudden slow on lap 24, resulting in a heartbreaking end to his day.
Kevin Douglass maintained his advantage on the restart and then some, extending his lead to over 2 seconds by the halfway mark. The battles heated up in the second half of the race as Logan Melcher made his way to Kelly Moore’s door on lap 65, challenging for third. Melcher took over the spot the following lap but had a long road ahead of him to catch up to the leaders. Kevin Douglass powered to an 8 second lead with just 15 laps to go, leaving only the top 5 drivers on the lead lap. He continued his dominance as the laps wound down, making it just the top 3 come the end of the race. Douglass sailed into the victory, picking up a sweet $3,000 in race winnings to boot. Josh St. Clair and Logan Melcher followed, rounding out the podium.
Saturday was surely an action-packed day at Wiscasset Speedway, and the fun will continue as the track hosts a full Group #2 program (with another 100-lap Enduro) this Saturday, June 20th.
The green flag flies at 5:00 and as always, adult admission is just $5 while kids 6 and under get in for free.
For the official track schedule, race results and more, please visit http://www.wiscassetspeedway.com.