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.
What was slated to be a cold and dreary Saturday afternoon in Coastal Maine turned out to be a beautiful one, allowing for a full Group 1 program to go off without a hitch at Wiscasset Speedway.
The night’s racing action, presented by Mainely Karting, kicked off with a 25-lap exhibition race for LST Motorsports Park’s Sr. and Master Champ Karts. Both divisions raced simultaneously at once, with Jon McConologue sneaking into the early lead. Andrew Rogers was quickly making his way through the field, climbing to second in the opening laps of the race. Veteran Mike Ramsey followed his lead, joining the top 3 shortly after. Andrew Rogers fell back to fourth while battling lap traffic and Jon McConologue also fell victim as Parker Doucette and Mike Ramsey made their way to the top of the leaderboard. Mike Ramsey made a bold crossover move as the laps wound down, catapulting to the lead. Parker Doucette was all over him on the final lap, merely edging him out at the line for the overall victory. Jon McConologue followed, completing the top 3.
After winning the qualifying heat race, Jay Plummer powered to the early lead in the 30-lap spotlight feature for the County Truss 4-Cylinder Pros, presented by Pepsi. He maintained command through lap 10, where Adam Taylor took over following a restart. The tides began to change as a 4-car pileup resulted in a red flag just before halfway. This brought multi-time winner Chassidy Shorty into the picture, who made her way to second on the restart after starting dead-last. Adam Taylor continued to pace the field as the laps ticked off, but Chassidy Shorty remained glued to his back bumper. Shorty pulled to Taylor’s outside on the final lap and Taylor was unable to hold onto it coming to the checkered, resulting in a spin that collected multiple competitors. Chassidy Shorty sailed into the victory as Jay Plummer and Emmett Walker completed the podium.
