With wet weather on the horizon for what would-be Coastal 200 Sunday, Wiscasset Speedway pivoted, moving the coveted $15,000-to-win Late Model race to Saturday afternoon instead.

Over 20 drivers showed up to compete on Saturday, including two competitors (Zack Harris and Jerry Simons) that traveled all the way from Florida to try their hand at one of the biggest Late Model races of its kind in New England.

Jonathon Emerson was the early favorite on the day as he topped the leaderboard in all 3 practices, highlighted by the fastest lap of 15.639 seconds in first practice. Frank Moulton, Chad Dow, and Troy Patterson led the charge in the qualifying heat races, which put Moulton and Dow on the front row for the main event.

While the Late Model drivers were getting ready for competition, support divisions ran their feature races, starting with the visiting Wicked Good Vintage Racers. Wiscasset Speedway veteran Adam Chadbourne ran the famous “?” car, beating out former Oxford 250 champion Gary Drew and Peter Warren for the win in the Hobby Class. Meanwhile, Addison Bowie and Bobby Symonds put on a barn burner in the Early Outlaws, with Bowie capturing the checkered flag.

Following a Group 2 cancellation due to inclement weather last weekend, the forecast did a complete 360 and the skies cleared on Saturday, making for a picture-perfect day of racing. Wiscasset Speedway took full advantage of the opportunity, hosting a loaded Group 1 program that featured all weekly divisions plus the first 100-lap Enduro race of the season.

The racing action kicked off with a 40-lap spotlight feature for the Darling’s Brunswick Ford Super Streets, presented by Pepsi. Kevin Sherman took off with the slight advantage, but Sean Johnson was back to his door on lap 3, challenging for the top spot. Johnson got bent out of shape on lap 7, allowing Sherman to distance himself from the competition. The leaders encountered a lap car with 10 laps to go but swiftly navigated through the traffic. Kevin Sherman picked up the win over Sean Johnson and Noah Haggett, who beat David Greenleaf to the line by a mere .036 seconds.

While other racetracks across New England postponed or cancelled their events this past weekend due to inclement weather, Wiscasset Speedway decided to take the gamble on Saturday and won, hosting an abbreviated feature-only racing program that was proudly sponsored by AIM Recycling Maine.

Team Wiscasset was successfully able to get all divisions in, which included the Maine Army National Guard Thunder 4 Minis, Darling’s Brunswick Ford Super Streets, Davis Erector Group 207 Crate Modifieds, County Truss 4-Cylinder Pros, T&L Automotive Pro Stocks, and the debut of the Carver’s Driving Academy Crown Vics, who are running a 5-race series in 2025 with the opportunity to become a permanent division in the future depending on driver interest and car counts.

Kevin Greenhalgh pulled ahead with the early advantage in the 25-lap feature for the Thunder 4 Minis, but Gregg Norton was quick to steal it away. Week 1 winner Derek Cook was all over the leader in the laps that followed, with the two drivers breaking away at the front of the pack. TJ Moore took a spin in front of the leaders with just 4 laps to go, resulting in a caution. Derek Cook powered ahead following a chaotic restart, going 2-for-2 on the start of the season. Gregg Norton and Gunnar Josselyn followed, completing the podium.