Cherryfield’s Ryan Beal took the lead for good on the 7th lap of the 35 lap Pepsi Beverage Company series event at Speedway 95 Saturday night becoming the first two time winner in the division in 2012. The lead swapped three times in the first 6 laps as water spilling from a car near the back of the field caused the track to become slippery for the first few laps, but dried up quickly enough so a caution was’nt deemed necessary. Andrew McLaughlin of Harrington started from the pole after winning the qualifier earlier in the program and led the first 6 laps until Shelby Kimball of Cornville was able to take the point when McLaughlin slipped in the water. Kimball’s lead was short-lived though as she, too, had to slow momentarily, allowing Beale to take the lead for good on lap 7. McLaughlin then got back by Kimball but was unable to catch Beale in the caution free race. Beale maintained a three car length advantage for most of the distance, with McLaughlin closing at times as the leaders lapped slower traffic, but was unable to make a challenge for the lead. McLaughlin finished second with Kimball finishing third, about three car lengths behind McLaughlin. Jim Carr of Clifton and Cody Brassbridge of Frankfort rounded out the top five in that order.
Dale Swoboda of Hermon came from deep in the pack and, using the inside groove, grabbed the lead from Ellsworth’s Andy Saunders on the 26th lap of the 35 lap Dysart’s Late Model feature and went on to post his first win of the season. Saunders started on the outside pole and held the top spot until Swoboda won the multi lap side by side battle for the lead. Saunders finished second with Deane Smart of Bradley picking up his first top three of the season. Last week’s winner Brenton Parritt of Steuben also started near the rear of the field and made his way to fourth before the checkered flag fell on the caution free feature. John Kalel II of Orrington finished in fifth, the same position he started in. Hermon’s Phil Richardson, who won a qualifier and was scheduled to start on the front row, ducked into the pit on the pace lap and had to start at the rear, came back to post a sixth place finish. Ryan Dean of Winterport, who slid sideways across the finish line while battling Richardson and Kalel for position finished 7th. Eighth went to Duane Seekins of Stockton Springs, who started outside pole and faded in the late stages of the race, with Alex Waltz of Damariscotta finishing ninth. Joey Doyon of Winterport was tenth.
Maine State Lottery Sportsman action saw Steve Moulton of Holden pick up his second win of the season, but it didn’t come easy as he and last week’s Gardner Construction Enterprises Series 50 lap race winner Nate Weston of Norridgewock staged a fierce side by side battle for the lead until Moulton took it for good on lap 21 of the 25 lap feature. Only one caution for a solo spin by Franklin’s Mike Overlock on lap 11 slowed the action as Moulton and Weston put on the show of the night. D.J. Moody of Prospect finished a close third to the leaders with outside pole-sitter Kris Matchett of Skowhegan in fourth. Fifth went to Brad Norris of Ellsworth after he recovered from two solo spins without bringing out the caution.
The winner of the Sport-Four feature wasn’t determined until the last turn of the last lap when Bradley Dolan of Glenburn slipped by Hermon’s Andrew Crosby on the inside as the two exited turn four heading for the checkered flag. Aided by a mid-race caution that closed the gap Crosby had gained on the field from his pole position start, Dolan worked the inside groove to take the win by less than a foot. Crosby finished second with Becky Elston of Carmel running a strong race to finish third. Fourth went to Keith Ogden of Holden, with Steve Heath of Milo in fifth. Only one caution period interrupted the action when Jay Robichaud and Emma Libby made contact coming out of turn four on lap 12. Libby spun into the infield, bringing out the yellow so she and Robichaud had to restart at the rear of the field. At the same time, Joshua Grant of Carmel left the track and stopped short at the turn four tire wall, requiring assistance from the Sinclair Towing Services crew to rejoin the race.
Only one caution slowed the action in the Bomber Division when Scott Bonney of Bangor stopped in turn four on lap two with mechanical problems and had to be pushed to the pit. When racing resumed, Andrew Crosby of Hermon led the remaining 18 laps to the finish and picked up his third win of the season. Jeremy Scott of Carmel continued his streak of top three finishes as he again ended his run in the second spot. Third went to Mark Sawyer of Corinth, who picked up his first top three of the season, with Mark Lane of Newport finishing fourth. Last week’s winner, Garett Hayman of Milford, made his way from his rear of the field starting position to finish fifth.
The Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association visited the speedway Saturday night and a strong field of good running cars made the visit memorable for the fans. In the Late Model/Modified feature, Kevin Waterhouse of West Paris took the win in his ’55 Studebaker after a spirited battle with second place finisher Wally Henderson of Litchfield in a ’64 Chevelle and third place finisher Mark Thurlow of Lincolnville in a ’60 Chevy Impala. The three swapped the lead for most of the 20 lap event with Waterhouse taking the lead for good only three laps from the end. In the Outlaw/Sportsman feature, it was Kris Watson of Hermon driving a ’36 Chevy coupe picking up the Outlaw win after a race long side by side battle with Milford’s Tim Reynolds in a ’41 Lincoln. Reynolds finished second with John Rice of Bristol third in the race but first in the Sportsman division in a ’72 Ford Torino.
Racing action continues at Speedway 95 on Saturday May 26 when the Sport-Four division gets the spotlight in the 35 lap Coca-Cola Bottlers of Bangor series race. The Dysart’s Late Models, Maine State Lottery Sportsman, Strictly Streets and Bombers will also be in action. Racing starts at 5:00 p.m., with a fan favorite, Ride With Your Favorite Driver, starting the evening off at 4:30
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