Scarborough, Maine racer first repeat victor this year
Hermon, Maine – Garrett Hall of Scarborough charged into contention from his sixth row starting position, battling his way to victory lane Sunday in a rain-plagued 150-lap Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model race that went the scheduled distance at Speedway 95 in Hermon.
Hall, who said he was told the track “was flat and bumpy” had never seen the track prior to Sunday’s event. After several rain delays interrupted practice sessions and qualifying races, weather continued to threaten, so Hall – starting back in the field as a previous 2016 race winner on the series, wasted little time making his way through the field on the tight track.
Oxford, Maine — Shawn Martin of Turner charged around the outside of his Budweiser Super Late Model rivals, including reigning champion Timmy Brackett of Buckfield at the scheduled halfway point, and five laps later crossed under yellow and checkered flags to claim victory in a 30-lap headline race at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Martin, who started sixth, was pulling away from all rivals when the race was cut short. Brackett and fellow Buckfield competitor Kyle Treadwell were second and third-place finishers, respectively. Rookie Super Late Model driver Josh Childs of Oxford posted an impressive fourth-place finish, and was gaining on frontrunners when the race was cut short.
Opening Day Budweiser Championship Series Super Late Model winner Glen Luce of Turner rounded out the top five after lining up behind three-quarters of his rivals on the starting grid for the 30-lapper. Dennis Spencer, Jr., of Oxford, led much of the early half of the race before finishing seventh.
It was a beautiful Spring day last Saturday, and fans flocked to Wiscasset Speedway for Group two opening day. On the schedule were the Strictly Streets, Late Model Sportsman, Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Mini’s, Amsoil Nelcar Legends, and the Spotlighted race of the week, Napa Modifieds.
A forty lap Napa Modified feature race started off the action. Starting at the pole was 2015 Modified champion, Mark Lucas. Lucas set a grueling pace for the pack, running speeds in excess of 85 miles per hour. The #1 of Adam Chadbourne dogged Lucas’s heels throughout the beginning of the race, presenting a constant challenge for Lucas. Nick Reno of the #7 ran a close third, looking for his opportunity to pass. Reno’s chance came in lap fifteen. A race caution resulted in a restart. Reno started on the inside, and sped under Chadbourne, taking second. There was another caution during lap twenty-three. Reno tried to get a jump on Lucas at the start, but Lucas was able to power ahead and put a five car length lead between them within five laps. Lucas took the win. Reno placed second. Chadbourne finished in third.
Scarborough, Maine — DJ Shaw of Center Conway, New Hampshire drove from third position to first on a restart with four laps remaining in Saturday’s Southern Maine Chrysler Jeep Dodge 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway to nail down his first Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model win of the season.
Shaw, the 2014 PASS North Super Late Model champion, watched Doiron blast on by earlier in the race after the Berwick, Maine driver, and eventual runner-up, charged from his 14th starting position into a lead threatened only by hometown racer Garrett Hall – the opening day PASS Super Late Model winner at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway until the final pair of restarts took place, with six and four laps remaining, respectively.
Shaw had been a healthy distance behind Doiron aboard his Dale Shaw Race Cars / HK Powersports 60, but the once-dominant JBJ Machine 73 didn’t have the handles on cold tires. That opened the door for Shaw, who stepped through and into victory lane.
The real race for Eddie MacDonald begins Sunday morning in Bristol, Tennessee when the team will race to Charlotte Airport in No. Carolina to catch a plane to Boston Mass. then drive to Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine in time to run in the ACT 100 later that afternoon. The beat the clock schedule is due to Eddie Mac running in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“It will be a crazy couple of days so we are hoping everything falls into place so we can arrive at Oxford for the last practice,” said Eddie Mac. “We did a lot of work on the Hancock Electric/Exit Realty Chevy so we hope to get some practice in to just check things out. Rollie has a pretty good set up for Oxford but there is always something that needs attention.”
Exit Realty Beatrice Associates has signed on again this year and will sponsor the #17 Ma. for the entire season with Eddie Mac saying, “Having Exit Realty on board for the full season is a huge benefit for our race team since we hope to try to compete in all the ACT races. We look forward to working with Derek Beatrice again this season. He helped us out last year in the ACT, K&N, and Cup races and we really appreciate all Exit Realty has done for us and will continue to do this season.