Varney, Stilphen fill plate with seconds in JARRacing Go Kart Series
Varney, Stilphen fill plate with seconds
OXFORD, Maine ? Friday night was twice as nice for JARRacing
Photography Go Kart Series drivers Brandon Varney and Tommy Stilphen.
Varney and Stilphen achieved the rare feat of winning two features in
a single evening at Oxford Plains Speedway.
They achieved that status in different ways. Varney captured regularly
scheduled 20-lap features in two classes, Box Stock and Purple Plate.
Stilphen swept both halves of a Blue Plate doubleheader, winning both
a rained-out race from last week and the encore event.
In another highlight, Evan Beaulieu made it five straight weeks to
open the season with at least one first-time OPS kart winner. Beaulieu
added his name to that roster in the age 15-and-up Unrestricted ranks.
That division also had two main events thanks to last week’s weather
interruption. Beaulieu ran second to Dan Pelletier Jr. in the opener.
Stephen Beattie bolted to his fourth consecutive victory in Star Champ
competition. Reigning Gold Plate champion Spencer Morse became the
first repeat winner of the season in that class, extending his series
point lead in the process.
Varney, the 2006 Box Stock champion and current point leader, pulled
off his third win in five starts in that go-round. Rookies Matthew
Mason and Chase Staples led early before Varney took command on a lap
10 restart.
Another first-year driver, Ethan Brown, improved upon last week’s
first-ever podium finish with a second-place trophy. Brodie Morse
scooted around a last-lap collision to claim third in front of Staples
and Kyle Mooney.
In sweeping the heat and features for his first two classes, Varney
became a Purple Plate conqueror for the first time and ended champion
Evan Armington’s three-race winning streak. Varney led all but the
first lap while Armington, Zachary Rich and Dylan Haskell diced it out
in a tremendous battle for second.
Rich ruled the runner-up battle over the closing laps. Haskell’s
final-lap spin clinched third for Armington and fourth for rookie Owen
Poisson.
Varney’s bid for his third and fourth wins of the night ended in solid
top-five runs in both halves of the Blue Plate double dip.
Stilphen charged brilliantly from the rear of the field in both
encounters, grabbing the top spot from Cody Chiasson on lap 10 of the
opener and getting the measure of Avery Spear with four to go in the
nightcap.
Spencer Thompson, Chiasson, Varney and 2007 champ Troy Davis completed
the top five in the make-up race. It was Spear, Chiasson, Davis and
Varney chasing Stilphen across the stripe in round two.
Morse and Josh Brown made their move around early dominator David
Blackwell on the final lap of the Gold scramble. Morse, a six-time
winner last season, held off Brown’s bid for two wins in a row.
Blackwell held on for third with Brady Smith and Tyler King in tow.
Pelletier controlled the Unrestricted opener from wire-to-wire.
Beaulieu ascended from ninth to second. Jeff Lillibridge, Robbie
Wentworth and Jeff Roubo followed.
Lillibridge swapped the lead with Beaulieu after an early restart in
the nightcap, but Beaulieu reclaimed his perch on the next lap and set
sail. Pelletier made a bold inside move from fifth to third in the
closing circuits. Charlie Tyler and Kyle Metivier completed the lead
quintet.
Beattie blazed to an easy win in the Star Champ tangle, with son and
runner-up Stephen Beattie Jr. and championship rival Mike Ricker both
finishing two laps down due to spins and mechanical troubles,
respectively.
The JARRacing Go Kart Series continues next Friday, June 6 at 6:30
p.m. OPS resumes racing on the big 3/8-mile oval Saturday. Six
divisions of racing on WJAB SportsRadio/Sunoco Race Fuels Night begins
at 6:30 p.m.
UNRESTRICTED #1 (20 laps): 1. Dan Pelletier Jr., East Poland; 2. Evan
Beaulieu, Durham; 3. Jeff Lillibridge, Fryeburg; 4. Robbie Wentworth,
Conway. N.H.; 5. Jeff Roubo, Saco; 6. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon; 7. Kayla
Ashline, Pittston; 8. Tyler Braunschweig, West Newfield; 9. Aaron
Collomy, Saco.
Lap leaders: Pelletier 1-20.
UNRESTRICTED #2 (20 laps): 1. Evan Beaulieu, Durham; 2. Jeff
Lillibridge, Fryeburg; 3. Dan Pelletier Jr., East Poland; 4. Charlie
Tyler, Buxton; 5. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon; 6. Jeff Roubo, Saco; 7. Kayla
Ashline, Pittston; 8. Aaron Collomy, Saco; 9. Robbie Wentworth,
Conway. N.H.; 10. Tyler Braunschweig, West Newfield.
Lap leaders: Beaulieu 1-7, LIllibridge 8, Beaulieu 9-20.
Heat winner: Beaulieu.
STAR CHAMP (20 laps): 1. Stephen Beattie, Conway, N.H.; 2. Stephen
Beattie Jr., Conway, N.H.; 3. Mike Ricker, Sebago.
Lap leaders: Ricker 1-17, Beattie 18-20.
Heat winner: Beattie.
GOLD PLATE (20 laps): 1. Spencer Morse, Waterford; 2. Josh Brown,
South Paris; 3. David Blackwell, Brunswick; 4. Brady Smith, Porter; 5.
Tyler King, Livermore Falls; 6. Ryan Hewins, Leeds; 7. Garrett Leiter,
Livermore Falls; 8. Katrina Bright, Wilton; 9. Neil Bernier, Minot;
10. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon.
Lap leaders: Bernier 1, Blackwell 2-19, Morse 20.
Heat winner: King.
BLUE PLATE #1 (20 laps): 1. Tommy Stilphen, Kennebunk; 2. Spencer
Thompson, Oxford; 3. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 4. Brandon Varney, Lewiston;
5. Troy Davis, Windham; 6. Jacob Hendsbee, Whitefield; 7. Avery Spear,
Oxford; 8. Chris Staples Jr., Brunswick.
Lap leaders: Staples 1-2, Chiasson 3-9, Stilphen 10-20.
BLUE PLATE #2 (20 laps): 1. Tommy Stilphen, Kennebunk; 2. Avery Spear,
Oxford; 3. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 4. Troy Davis, Windham; 5. Brandon
Varney, Lewiston; 6. Spencer Thompson, Oxford; 7. Jacob Hendsbee,
Whitefield; 8. Chris Staples Jr., Brunswick.
Lap leaders: Spear 1-16, Stilphen 17-20.
Heat winner: Stilphen.
PURPLE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 2. Zachary Rich,
Casco; 3. Evan Armington, Lovell; 4. Owen Poisson, Brunswick; 5. Dylan
Haskell, West Baldwin.
Lap leaders: Haskell 1, Varney 2-20.
Heat winner: Varney.
BOX STOCK (20 laps): 1. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 2. Ethan Brown,
South Paris; 3. Brodie Morse, Waterford; 4. Chase Staples, Durham; 5.
Kyle Mooney, New Gloucester; 5. Chase Staples, Durham; 6. Matthew
Mason, Groveton, N.H.; 7, Ethan Matot, Casco; 8. Jake Talbot, Hiram.
Lap leaders: Mason 1-3, Staples 4-10, Varney 11-20.
Heat winner: Varney.
PASS SOUTH teams to be tested in coming events
Charlotte, NC (May 29) ? When the 2008 schedule for the Pro All Stars
Series (PASS) South Super Late Models was announced late last year
everyone knew it would be a challenge. First off, because the
schedule was expanded from eight to fourteen races for the first time
in the three year history of the series. Secondly, teams would be
going to tracks that they had never seen before. Perhaps though,
within this tough schedule for the East Coast’s only true Super Late
Model touring series, PASS South is entering the most grueling part of
the tour.
Each of the next four races on the schedule provides its own share of
unique challenges. The first of those challenges comes on Saturday,
June 7th with the 3rd Annual Orange Blossom Special at Orange County
Speedway. The Orange Blossom Special has become one of the PASS
South’s most traditional events trailing only Hickory’s Easter Bunny
150. Each year, the field for the Orange Blossom Special has become
tougher and tougher and this year should not be any different. Among
the early entries for the Orange Blossom is Florida hotshot Jeff
Choquette. Choquette dominated Florida Speedweeks during the winter
and has branched out of Florida to become a top contender everywhere
he goes. Earlier this year, Choquette showed that he could hang with
the Nation’s best leading 99 laps in the Easter Bunny 150. The
favorite heading to Orange County, though, has to be PASS South points
leader Corey Williams. Williams won his first of three straight races
in 2007’s Orange Blossom Special and even took an ASA LMS South win at
Orange County in a car owned by NASCAR Nationwide Series driver David
Stremme.
Since the 2008 schedule was announced, the most talked about race on
the schedule has been the Capital City Clash at Raleigh’s (NC) Wake
County Speedway. For the national short track press, Wake County
might not be that well known. That should all change following Friday
night, June 20th’s Capital City Clash. Why? Because Wake County
measures just a tick under a quarter-mile. Take a full field of PASS
South Super Late Models and the series’ famous double-file restarts
and that should tell you why this race should be exciting. Plus, Wake
County Speedway is the only track in the Carolinas or Virginia that
still features Super Late Models as their main weekly division. PASS
South regular and 2007 Wake County Speedway champion Alex Fleming
along with the other Wake County regulars could have a leg up on the
competition.
Following the Capital City Clash at Wake County, PASS South rolls into
the legendary Greenville-Pickens Speedway for the Firecracker 125.
Among the many challenges teams should face is the fact that they will
be leaving the quarter mile at Wake County for the flat, half-mile at
Greenville. The race will help kick off the Independence Day holiday
a day early on Thursday, July 3rd. The Firecracker 125 will also mark
the traditional return of Super Late Model racing to
Greenville-Pickens Speedway on the Independence Day holiday. For a
number of years, the now defunct NASCAR All Pro Series raced at
Greenville-Pickens on this date. With the South Carolina heat and
little banking on the old half-mile racetrack, it should make for a
very slippery surface for the drivers of the PASS South Series.
The final race of this tough mid-season stretch will be July-19 again
at the Orange County Speedway. The Southern Sizzler 200 will be the
second race of the PASS Champions Series. The Sizzler will pay
$10,000 to win and will no doubt attract some of the nation’s toughest
Super Late Model competitors. With an additional 50 laps around the
high banked Orange County Speedway, pit strategy should definitely
become a factor. Normally, after 150 laps, drivers and their American
Racer tires have been used to the max. Now, teams will have to figure
out a strategy to help those tires be good for longer. Also, since
PASS does not count caution laps, one would have to think that fuel
will become part of the strategy. Don’t be surprised to see teams
give up good track position to come in and get a splash of Sunoco
Racing Fuel. One thing is for certain, everyone from drivers to crew
members will earn their money if they expect to win over the next two
months.
RMR ATV Series News: Templeton, MA, Event Preview
Return to Crow Hill Motor Sports Park next stop for Can-Am RMR Series,
Presented by the New England Dodge Dealers
DERRY, NH (May 30, 2008) - With summer just around the corner here in
New England, powersports enthusiasts are ready to get back on their
machines. The muddy conditions of spring are gone, tracks are dried
out and the time to go racing has returned.
The sights and sounds of ATV racing return to north-central
Massachusetts this Sunday, June 1, as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) prepares
for Round 3 on the 11-race 2008 Can-Am Series schedule at the
beautiful Crow Hill Motor Sports Park in Templeton.
Gates open at 8 a.m. and racing action begins promptly at 9 a.m.
Tickets are $10 per person for adults, while children age 5 and under
will be admitted free. Food and beverages will be available at the
track from the Templeton Lions Club.
Crow Hill Motor Sports Park is located on the West Road. For easy
access, take Exit 19 off Rte. 2 West and follow Rte. 202.
The day’s program will begin with qualifying action for all classes.
These qualifying races allow riders to learn quick lines around the
challenging track. It all builds to an exciting climax at roughly 1
p.m. as Finals for all classes begin. Riders from around the northeast
will be gunning for trophies and valuable points as they chase the
coveted class championships.
New this year for the Can-Am series is a division between East and
West points races, much like RMR does with its snocross programs. This
makes it easier for teams to run for points titles without the added
expense of extra travel.
Also new is the addition of a Five-round series for “Pit Bikes,” which
have become so popular in the last few years. There will be eight
classes, broken down for Pro and Amateur riders and for 10-inch or
12-inch wheel diameter. RMR will partner with the Pit Bike Racing
Association (PBRA) to bring this exciting new class into the mix.
In the series’ first two rounds of competition, former Canadian
national champion Jasmin Plante, Matt Pomeroy and James Stowell have
all posted Pro division victories. Plante swept the season opener at
Hemond’s MX Park in Minot, Maine, on May 11, while Pomeroy and Stowell
split the finals in Round 2 at New York’s Twister Valley on May 18.
RMR’s Can-Am Series offers riders two separate divisions in which to
compete. The popular MX division is for rear-wheel-drive, race-bred
machines, while the Utility division is for entry-level riders with
4×4 or utility-style ATVs. A separate course is built at select events
for 4×4 competition, known as the QuadTerrain Challenge. For specific
events in your area, check out the full schedule at www.rockmaple.com.
Local riders to watch this Sunday include the riders from Stasvkelis
Motorsports; John and Nick Stasvkelis and James Handy, all from
Hubbardston, Massachusetts. Other locals include Montana Jess
(Westminster); Alex Parker (Brimfield); Dave and Jill Walsh (Groton);
Glynn Desilva (Billerica) and Nick Reynolds (Dracut).
Rock Maple Racing is presented by your New England Dodge Dealers, who
urge you to stop by today and see the full line of 2008 cars and
trucks. Grab life by the horns! For more information, please visit us
online at www.rockmaple.com.
Opens Up at Montmagny Saturday
MONTMAGNY, QC ? The S?rie ACT Castrol championship Late Model
stock car racing series is geared up for its
second event of 2008, the Montmagny 100 at Autodrome Montmagny
Speedway, east of Qu?bec City, on Saturday, May 31
at 1:30pm. With each of the series’ three past champions running
partial schedules this year, the championship
chase is wide open. Leading contenders include Karl Allard, Steven
Boissonneault, Jean-Fran?ois D?ry, Alexandre
Gingras, and rookie Johnathan Urlin.
Boissonneault, Urlin, and Allard were top-five finishers at the
S?rie ACT Castrol season opener at
Autodrome St-Eustache near Montr?al two weeks ago. Boissonneault’s
runner-up finish in the St-Eustache 100 tied a
career-best effort since the S?rie ACT Castrol was formed in 2005.
The Lyster, QC driver won the S?rie PROLAB
Late Model Sportsman championship in 1999. Urlin, of London, ON, and
St-F?licien, QC racer Allard waged an
exciting battle for third place in the late stages of the St-Eustache
100, with Urlin coming out on top in his
first career S?rie ACT Castrol start.
D?ry and Gingras recovered from early accidents to earn top-ten
finishes at the St-Eustache 100. D?ry, of
Qu?bec City, won at Autodrome Montmagny Speedway in 2006 and earned a
pair of runner-up finishes at the 3/8-mile
oval last year. Val-B?lair, QC driver Gingras has yet to win at
Montmagny, but has three top-five finishes in his
last four starts at the track. Gingras and D?ry finished third and
fourth, respectively, in the 2007 S?rie ACT
Castrol championship.
Other top contenders include long-time American-Canadian Tour
veterans Claude Leclerc of Lanoraie, QC and
Yvon B?dard of St-Nicolas, QC, 2007 Rookie of the Year ?ric St-Gelais
of St-Nicolas, QC, former S?rie ACT Castrol
race winners Normand Lavigueur of Laval, QC and Martin Lacombe of
Terrebonne, QC, and current rookies Patrick
Hamel of St-?douard-de-Lotbini?re, QC and Spencer MacPherson of
Carleton Place, ON.
The Montmagny 100 will be a two-segment, cumulatively-scored
race. The S?rie ACT Castrol drivers will
race the opening 50-lap segment with the winner earning one point, the
second-place finisher earning two points
etc. The finishing order of the first segment will be inverted to
start the second 50-lapper, with points awarded
in the same manner as in the opening round. The driver with the
lowest overall score after the two 50-lap
segments will be the winner.
Qualifying for the Montmagny 100 begins at 1:30pm on Saturday,
May 31. Autodrome Montmagny Speedway is
located on Chemin St-Leon in Montmagny, QC, east of Qu?bec City. For
more information call (802) 244-6963 or
visit www.laserieactcastrol.com or www.acttour.com.
PASS the CASH! Big money shows dot Pro All Stars SLM Schedules
NAPLES ME - The twenty eight races that make up the two Pro All Stars
Series (PASS) super late model schedules all carry a healthy purse
for the East’s fastest full fendered race cars, but four dates stand
out with added cash incentives to take that checkered flag first.
The first big one will go green on Saturday July 19th at Orange County
Speedway. The beautiful Rougemont North Carolina track that bills
itself as America’s fastest 3/8th mile will host the Southern Sizzler
200 and there’s a cool ten grand on the line for the winner. Expect a
huge field for this race as The Sizzler is also round two of the four
race PASS National Championship Series. The series kicked off on March
22nd at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway with the 3rd annual Easter Bunny
150, where Corey Williams started his season off right with a victory.
And if that isn’t enough to get your attention, the winner’s share of
the purse triples on Sunday August 17th for the PASS North Toyota
Tundra 250 at Maine’s center of speed, Wiscasset Raceway. There’s a
$30,000.00 check waiting for the winner of the big show. Williams’
Easter Bunny earned him a guaranteed starting spot for the 250, and
he’ll be racing just down the road a piece from his home town of
Boothbay Maine. Johnny Clark also has a guaranteed spot from his May
18th win in the Ray Haskell Ford 125 at Wiscasset.
The PASS 400 weekend at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (Scarborough ME)
has become an autumn tradition for race fans from all over the
Northeast. Big car counts, all three PASS North divisions and non stop
racing highlight this multi-day event, and this year the September
21st PASS North Super Late Model feature will also be the third leg in
the chase for the first PASS National Championship. $10,000.00 is on
the line for the race winner, and you can expect a number of PASS
South racers to take the drive up I-95 for this one.
PASS South is back at SoBo in 2008! - The legendary South Boston (VA)
Speedway will host the Mason-Dixon 500 on Saturday October 25th. The
2008 PASS South super late model champion will be crowned that day,
and you can be sure that a slew of PASS North racers will make the
trip to South Boston and take a crack at the $10,000.00 winner’s share
of the purse. The Mason Dixon 500 is a twin bill featuring 250 laps of
PASS South action and a 250 lap special for Late Model stock cars ?
that’s 500 laps of feature racing, enough to satisfy any diehard short
track race fan!
$1,000 TO WIN, BOND AUTO PARTS TRIPLE CROWN SERIES READY TO ROLL AT RIVERSIDE SPEEDWAY
Late Model excitement is getting ready to unfold on
Saturday, June 7th, at the P.A.S.S. sanctioned Riverside Speedway in
Groveton, New Hampshire, as River Bend RV presents Round #1 of the
Bond Auto Parts Triple Crown Series. The three race series pays $1,000
to the winner of each event and carries a separate point fund for the
top three drivers in the series points.
What makes this series so inviting is the fact that each
race becomes progressively longer in length. The June 7th event will
be a short dash of fifty laps. The second leg of the series will run
on Friday night, July 4th. That event will be a 75 lapper, and the
series finale will be run on Saturday, September 6th with a scheduled
distance of 100 laps. The solid purse pays $1,000 to win, $700 for
2nd, and $400 for 3rd. There is a $600 point fund that will be shared
amongst the top three series drivers at the Annual Banquet of
Champions with the winner gathering $300, $200 for 2nd and $100 for
3rd.
“We are very excited about this series, stated General
Manager, Dick Therrien. This gives our drivers an opportunity to make
some big money in a series that will certainly see some outsiders
trying to qualify. Since this is also part of our regular season
championship events, this puts even more pressure on the teams to be
patient, but run hard and keep their noses clean. I am expecting some
of the finest racing this track has experienced in many years, This is
going to be exciting!”
The pits will open at noon on June 7th, with practice
getting underway at 2pm, with the first green flag waving at 6pm
sharp. Joining the North Country Ford Late Models will be the
Budweiser Super Stocks, River Bend RV Street Stocks, Kids Only Daycare
Daredevils, Twisted Tea Dwarf Cars, and the Jiffy Mart Cyclones.
Riverside Speedway is located on Brown Road, off Route 3,
in Groveton, New Hampshire. For more information on Riverside
Speedway, visit their website at www.riversidespeedway.org
Pitkat Checkers Sunoco Mods & Barnett King of the Limiteds at Thompson
Zuidema, Astle, Marcotte, Blanchard Score Opening Night Victories
Thompson, CT: Thursday Night Thunder commenced under the bright lights
at Thompson International Speedway. Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT,
scored the victory in the ultra-competitive Sunoco Modified division.
For the second year in a row, Larry Barnett of Ledyard, CT, was
crowned the champion of the Limited Sportsman division’s marquee
50-lapper. Veteran Fred Astle, Jr. of Westport, MA, ran to the
checkers in the Pro Stocks while Jeff Zuidema of N. Brookfield, MA,
made it two in a row in Late Model action.
Rick Blanchard of Pascoag, RI, topped a strong Mini Stock field. It
was a dominating victory for R.J. Marcotte of Millville, MA, in the
TIS Modifieds.
Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT, took down top honors in the hotly
contested Sunoco Modified main event to open the 2008 regular season.
Josh Steeves held the top spot for a single lap before relinquishing
the lead to a hard-charging Pitkat. Once out front, Pitkat quickly
started to extend his lead.
Tommy Cravenho ran in third with Keith Rocco applying heavy pressure.
Rocco looked high and low for room to race around Cravenho. Rocco was
finally able to take the spot away with a pass on lap 12. A spin by
Geoff Gernhard necessitated the first caution.
The low groove was the preferred line on the restart with Pitkat
resuming his lead. Rocco moved into second followed by Kerry Malone.
Bert Marvin rocketed into the fourth spot followed by Danny Cates.
Cravenho was shuffled back to sixth and Steeves outside of the top
ten.
A spin by Ricky Shawn brought out the event’s second caution on lap
16. The restart pitted rivals Pitkat and Rocco on the front row.
Pitkat got the advantage. Malone got a run but contact with Rocco
slowed his momentum. Entering turn three on lap 18, Rocco moved
alongside Pitkat. The two ran side-by-side exiting turn four. Pitkat
was able to maintain the lead after contact with Rocco. Marvin joined
the fray in third.
A separate incident in turn three brought out the caution. The top
four cars of Pitkat, Rocco, Marvin and Malone ran in a tight pack.
Rocco made a quick bid at the lead but had to settle back into second
behind Pitkat. Bobby Grigas was beginning to make his run toward the
head of the pack. Contact between Grigas and Malone allowed Pitkat and
Rocco to get away from third running Malone.
Rocco continued to chase Pitkat while Malone ran alone in third.
Marvin trailed at a distance in fourth. With only two laps remaining,
Anthony Burr and Dave Salzarulo were involved in a wreck in turn one.
Pitkat rocketed out to the lead on the single file restart with two to
go. Rocco took chase but could not muster up a challenge. Pitkat took
a narrow victory over Rocco. Malone finished third over Marvin and
Grigas.
In the marquee event for the Limited Sportsman for 2008, Larry Barnett
of Ledyard, CT, outlasted the competition to make it two straight
extra-distance victories. Kevin Bowe led the opening portion of the
race before relinquishing the lead to Ernie Larose. Barnett followed
through and into the second position.
The laps rolled off the score board under spirited green flag racing.
The fireworks erupted under a caution on lap 22 when Joey Coates and
Gerald Sevigny made contact with the outside wall in turn four. The
incident escalated when Coates displayed unsportsmanlike conduct.
Under the green flag racing Larose continued to lead Barnett. At
halfway, Larose held a narrow margin over Barnett while Ed Puleo had
moved into the third spot. Barnett looked to the low side
lap-after-after lap but each time had to settle back in line. Scott
Sundeen, who started last, had caught third-running Puleo. The top
four ran nose to tail with less than 15 laps remaining. Joe Arena ran
alone in fifth before a spin by Moose Douton brought out the caution.
Puleo got a good jump on the restart but could not maintain his
momentum. Sundeen moved into the third position. He immediately began
to pressure Barnett for second. It was beginning to get dicey up front
with ten laps remaining.
The race changed dramatically when leader Larose appeared to blow a
tire exiting turn two. The car erupted into flames after making hard
contact with the outside wall. Larose walked away.
Larry Barnett was the new leader when the racing resumed on lap 43.
Once out front under green, Barnett got some breathing room over
Sundeen. They raced to the checkers following Barnett. Sundeen settled
for second over Joe Arena, Puleo, and Jesse Gleason.
Fred Astle, Jr., of Westport, MA, took the victory in the 30-lap main
event for the Pro Stocks. Jeff Connors jumped out to the early lead
with young gun Derek Ramstrom applying pressure. A spin by Dave Silvia
necessitated a caution with only a handful of laps in the books. This
opened the door for the hard-charging Rookie. Once out front, Ramstrom
was able to build up a sizeable lead. At halfway, Ramstrom had nearly
a straightaway advantage on second running Connors.
Astle was able to move into the second spot while Connors had his
hands full with Jay Macedonio. Contact gave Macedonio the spot with
Mike O’Sullivan following through and into third.
An incident on lap 20 erased the enormous lead Ramstrom had built. The
ensuing restart proved to be disastrous for Ramstrom, who spun on the
restart. Astle inherited the lead on lap 20 leaving Macedonio to fend
off O’Sullivan and Connors.
After a break in the action for a single car incident, the top-three
of Astle, Macedonio, and O’Sullivan distanced themselves from the rest
of the pack. In the closing laps, Macedonio made a last ditch effort
at the leader. Astle was up to the challenge to take the victory for
car owner Rollie Lindblad. Macedonio ran a strong second followed by
O’Sullivan and Connors. George Bessette quietly came home fifth.
John Materas took advantage of his pole starting position to take the
lead in the Late Model race. He and second running Pete Yetman
extended a comfortable lead over a busy top ten. Mark Jenison had
taken over the third spot while Rick Gentes, Jeff Zuidema, Conrad
Cote, and Marc Palmisano duked it out.
A spin by Wayne Coury brought out the first caution on lap 14. On the
restart, Yetman got the advantage but it was Gentes who made it three
wide on the backstretch. Yetman, Zuidema and Gentes emerged as the top
three.
Zuidema charged along side Yetman and finally took over the lead on
lap 17. Gentes immediately went to work on Yetman for second.
Palmisano jumped in the mix to give Yetman some breathing room. With
five laps remaining, Palmisano was able to take over third.
Zuidema began to distance himself from the pack in the closing laps.
Gentes began to fade while Palmisano began to pour it on. At the
checkers, it was Zuidema making it two in a row in 2008. Yetman held
on for second over Palmisano. Gentes and Materas rounded out the top
five.
Rick Blanchard of Pascoag, RI, bested a field of Mini Stocks that went
32 strong during the opening Thursday Night Thompson Thunder event of
the season. Fred Michalski set the pace early in the 15 lapper.
Blanchard showed his strength early; moving up rapidly from his
twelfth starting position. Others on the move included Mike Romano and
Danny Fields.
When the first caution flew on lap six, Michalski continued to lead
with Rhody Lackey in second. Blanchard lined up in third. Romano and
Fields had broken into the top ten. It took only a single lap of
action after the restart for Blanchard to take over the top spot.
It was anything but smooth sailing for Blanchard who had to contend
with Scott Michalski, who had charged into the second spot. The lapped
car of Tim Higgimbotham proved to be the undoing for Sc. Michalski;
however, as contact sent them both into the outside wall in turn two.
Misfortune continued to befall the hard-chargers with less than five
laps remaining. Fields’ good run came to an end on lap 10 with
mechanical failure. A great battle for second between F. Michalski and
Romano turned aggressive on lap 11. Romano spun and the early leader
F.Michalski was sent to the rear for his involvement.
In the closing laps, it was yet another Michalski that was making the
race interesting. With Blanchard out front the battle for second
gained intensity with Steve Michalski and Tim Taylor. At the checkers,
it was all Blanchard while St. Michalski held off Taylor for second.
Despite crossing the line in fourth Lackey declined tech. Eric
Bourgeois and Scott Jassaume rounded out the top five.
R.J. Marcotte turned in a commanding performance, in only his second
start in the division, to win the TIS Modified feature event. An
accident on the opening lap of the main event eliminated contenders
Tim Sullivan and Leo Oliviera. Newcomers Jesse Berthiaume and Denis
Lagere were also collected in the incident.
On the complete restart it was a great battle between Marcotte and
Kurt Vigeant for the lead. Marcotte worked over the defending champion
to gain the advantage. The pack got strung out with Marcotte
maintaining his lead over Vigeant. The best battle on the track pitted
Richie Ferreira against veteran Glenn Boss for third. The cagey
veteran tried in vain to gain the position. Marcotte ultimately
cruised to the victory over Vigeant. Ferreira held on for third over
Boss. Shane Michalski rounded out the top five.
Racing resumes next Thursday with an action-packed night of NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series action. For more information log on to
www.thompsonspeedway.com or call the Speedway hotline at (860)
923-2280.
Sunoco Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Woody Pitkat, Stafford,
CT; 2. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 3. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 4.
Bert Marvin, New London, CT; 5. Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, MA; 6.
Tommy Cravenho, Raynham, MA; 7. Josh Sylvester, Lebanon, CT; 8. Todd
Ceravolo, Gales Ferry, CT; 9. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale, CT; 10. Josh
Steeves, Webster, MA.
Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Larry Barnett, Ledyard,
CT; 2. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 3. Joe Arena, Berlin, CT; 4. Ed
Puleo, Branford, CT; 5. Jesse Gleason, Lisbon, CT; 6. Chris “Moose”
Douton, Waterford, CT; 7. Kevin Bowe, Pawtucket, RI; 8. Jason
Chicolas, Sutton, MA; 9. John Bercham, W. Greenwich, RI; 10. Steve
Cole, Brooklyn, CT.
Pro Stock Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Fred Astle, Jr., Westport, MA;
2. Jay Macedonio, Somerset, MA; 3. Mike O’Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 4.
Jeff Connors, Ellington, CT; 5. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 6. Norm
Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 7. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 8. Jim
Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 9. Dave Silvia, Warwick, RI; 10. Greg
Nanigian, Braintree, MA.
Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield,
MA; 2. Pete Yetman, Peru, MA; 3. Marc Palmisano, Hadley, MA; 4. Rick
Gentes, Woonsocket, RI; 5. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 6. Tommy
O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 7. Mark Jenison, Danielson, CT; 8. Jay
Stuart, Preston, CT; 9. Conrad Cote, Lisbon, CT; 10. Randy Waterman,
Killingly, CT.
TIS Modifieds Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. R.J. Marcotte, Millville,
MA; 2. Kurt Vigeant, Oxford, MA; 3. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 4.
Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 5. Shane Michalski, Woodstock, CT; 6. John
Studley, Framingham, MA; 7. Bart Ramos,Sterling, CT; 8. Brian Tagg,
Oxford, MA; 9. Tim Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 10. Leo Oliveira,
Raynham, MA.
Mini Stocks Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Rick Blanchard, Pascoag, RI;
2. Steve Michalski, Dayville, CT; 3. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 4. Eric
Bourgeois, E. Haddam, CT; 5. Scott Jassaume, Danielson, CT; 6. Chuck
Rogers, Quaker Hill, CT; 7. Leo Defevers, Brooklyn, CT; 8. Billy
Pomposelli, Chepachet, RI; 9. Glenn Roy, Sterling, CT; 10. Mike
Anzalone, Griswold, CT.
Monadnock Speedway - Zuidema Scores Second Win of Season
Winchester, NH: This past Saturday, Monadnock Speedway celebrated
Memorial Weekend with hot racing action on the ? mile high banked
track where the fans some new faces in victory lane. Chris McTaggart
led from lap two to the checkers to take his first Mini Stock win.
Dana Shepard collected his first victory of the season in the Super
Stocks as did John Lavoie in The Late Models. Jeff Zuidema scored his
second win of the season and CJ Johnson won the 50 lap 4-cylinder
enduro event.
The Mini Stocks rolled onto the track with Rich Fournier setting the
pace. On lap two, Mctaggart took the lead as the leader of Fournier
dropped to the infield with mechanical problems. Ten laps into the
race, McTaggart remained the leader as Bill Russell held off rookie
Tim Jackson. Rookie Ed Brehio III battled with Brandon Warren for the
fourth spot. By lap fifteen, the leaders worked around multiple lap
cars as Warren moved up to the third spot placing pressure on Jackson.
Berquist sat in fourth with Russell in fifth. Five laps to go, the
battle for second heated up as Warren and Jackson ran side by side
while McTaggart developed a good lead. At the checkers, it was
McTaggart in victory lane followed by Warren, Bergquist, Jackson and
Brehio.
Dana Shepard brought the Super Stocks to the green flag start with
Rookie Jeremy Sorel on the outside pole. Shepard quickly jumped into
the lead as Sorel held off Chris Pletcher. By lap two, Nancy Muni was
in third working on Sorel for position. Paul Smith moved into the
fourth spot followed by Pletcher. On lap ten, Muni ran second and
placed pressure on Shepard for the lead as both ran side by side. The
top three of Shepard, Muni and Sorel ran bumper to bumper as Smith
held off Ken Springer. On lap twenty, the caution flag flew setting
up a five lap shoot out. On the restart, Shepard remained the leader
as Springer ran side by side with Sorel for the third position.
Shepard felt the presence of Muni for the lead. On the final lap it
was Shepard taking his second Super Stock career win followed by Muni,
Sorel, Springer and Dan Frederick.
Late Model competitor Geoff Rollins sat on the pole for their main
event. At the green, Rollins took the lead with Rookie Leo Martin on
his bumper. Darrell Keane and John Lavoie challenged each other for
third. On lap nine, the caution flag flew for oil on the track. On
the restart Rollins was shuffled back to third as Lavoie took the lead
while Adam Gray followed for second. On lap eleven, the second yellow
slowed the field as Jason Lafleur spun. On the restart, Lavoie held
off Gray as they battled for the lead. Ten laps to go, it was a three
way challenge for the lead as Lavoie, Gray and Matt Mead ran bumper to
bumper. Mead looked to the inside of Gray for second but was denied as
Fellows, Rollins and Keane battled for fourth. At the checkered flag
finish it was Lavoie in victory lane followed by Gray, Mead, Fellows
and Rollins.
The Outlaw Pros took to the track as Ron Smith set the pace. At the
green, Smith took the lead as Adam Brooks and Fran Colson followed. On
lap two, the leader of Smith gets loose and spins as the whole field
scattered to avoid him. Several cars made their way to the pits as
Mike Parks suffered the most extensive damage with a hard hit into the
backstretch wall. On the restart, Brooks inherited the lead as
Colson held off Zuidema for second. On lap ten, Zuidema moved into
second as Barry Gray and Bryon Baker battled for third. Twenty laps to
go out of forty, Brooks remained to lead as Zuidema continued to
challenge the leader. Rob Williams ran in fifth attempting to catch
the top four runners. Three laps to go, it looked as if Brooks had the
race wrapped up until he began to slow suffering from mechanical
problems giving Zuidema the lead. On the final lap it was Zuidema
scoring his second win of the season followed by Gray, Baker, Williams
and Colson.
The 4-cylinder concluded the evening’s events with Dick Houle being
scored the early leader followed by Scott Hatt and Matthew Gauffin.
Ten laps into the book, Houle continued to lead as CJ Johnson and
Gauffin battle for second. On lap twenty, the leader of Houle
approached heavy lap traffic. Gauffin caught Houle and a side by side
battle for the lead developed. Pat Houle sat in third. Half way to go,
Gauffin dropped back as Pat Houle challenged him for second. Johnson
ran fourth. Ten laps to go, the top four ran bumper to bumper until
the red flag was displayed. On the restart, Houle remained the leader
as Johnson moved into third. On lap forty five the leader of Dick
Houle dropped back to third as Johnson and Gauffin battle for the
lead. At the end, it was Johnson claiming the win followed by Gauffin,
Dick Houle, Pat Houle and Josh Houle.
This Saturday, Monadnock Speedway will welcome the Atlantic Coast Old
Timers. The Allison Legacy North Tour returns along with Outlaw Pros,
Super Stocks, Mini Stocks and Full Size Enduros. Race time is at 6pm.
For more information, log onto www.monadnockspeedway.com.
Top Ten Outlaw Pro Finish: Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, Ma; Barry
Gray, Belchertown, Ma; Bryon Baker, Claremont, NH; Rob Williams,
Winchendon, Ma; Fran Colson, Gardner, Ma; Steve Gauthier, Jaffrey, NH;
Adam Brooks, Winchendon, Ma; George Frost, Fitchburg, Ma; James
Hancock, Litchfield, NH; Brandon Ovitt, Bernardston, Ma
Top Ten Late Model Finish: John Lavoie, W. Peterborough, NH; Adam
Gray, Belchertown, Ma; Matt Mead, Richmond, NH; Geoff Rollins, Groton,
Ma; Darrell Keane, Springfield, Ma; Leo Martin, Lempster, NH; Andy
Brooks, Winchendon, Ma; Todd Warren, Sterling, Ma; Jason Lafleur,
Belchertown, Ma
Top Ten Super Stocks Finish: Dana Shepard, Putney, VT; Nancy Muni,
Harwinton, Ct; Jeremy Sprel, Westfield, Ma; Ken Springer, Swanzey, NH;
Dan Frederick, Greenfield, Ma; Robert Bedaw, Greenfield, Ma; John
Hall, Shelburne Falls, Ma; Chris Pletcher, Hillsboro, NH; Travis
Robinson, Unionville, CT
Top Ten Mini Stock Finish: Chris McTaggart, Winchester, NH; Brandon
Warren, Chicopee, Ma; Derek Bergquist, Warwick, Ma; Tim Jackson,
Jaffrey, NH; Ed Brehio III, Baldwinville, Ma; Joey Kendall,
Winchendon, Ma; Bill Russell, Fitzwilliam, NH; Kim Rivet, Chicopee,
Ma; Joe Rogers, Ludlow, VT
BILL WHORFF JR WINS COASTAL 200 AT WISCASSET RACEWAY
WISCASSET RACEWAY PRESS RELEASE 5/25/08
Near perfect early summer weather greeted a large and eager crowd
at Maine’s “Center of Speed” for the running of the annual Coastal 200
and Wiscasset Raceway’s salute to the troops with Operation
Recognition. The program started with special opening ceremonies
honoring the men and women of the military and their famililies, plus
recognizining the efforts of Operation Recognition. When the dust
cleared and the marathon program ended, it was West Bath’s Bill Whorff
Jr standing in victory lane holding the first place trophy and ready
to cash the $10,000 winner’s check for winning the Coastal 200. Whorff
took advantage of a carefully thought out pit strategy and heavy
attrition in the early going to win the main event for the Smith
Construction Late Model Sportsman — the biggest win of his racing
career and first ever at Wiscasset. “We decided before the race we
wanted to get to the 125 laps and let everyone else pit early, which
they did,” Whorff said. “We needed to wait for the gas, to get the
rear weight percentage we wanted to get the car to go right.” Whorff’s
#10 AAA / Whorff Excavation Ford Taurus was one of only 2 cars to
finish on the lead lap of the race which took nearly 2 1/2 hours to
run and was marred by 19 caution periods. Darren Ripley of Appleton
finished 2nd and T.J. Watson of Harspwell was 3rd, one lap down, and
one of only 12 of 31 starters running at the finish. Watson was locked
in a great battle over the final 20 laps of the race with Joe Doiron
of Berwick and Josh St Clair of Liberty for the final spot in victory
lane. Doiron would finish 4th and St Clair 5th. Ricky Rolfe, Aaron
Ricker, Erik Nash, Chuck Colby and Scott Pooler completed the top ten.
Whorff not only worked the long Coastal 200, but he’d also put in well
over an hour in the Clark’s Car Crushing Prostock feature earlier in
the afternoon. Twelve cautions thinned the field through the first 114
laps. Whorff pitted for the final time on lap 115 and had gobbled up
Ripley’s straightaway lead in less than 10 laps. He passed him for the
point on lap 141. Ripley then rode around trying to protect 2nd place.
A caution flew on lap 186 — and Ripley hit pit road for tires.
Problem was, the only tires he’d had left were old ones, taken off his
car when he mistakenly pitted on lap 54. His crew had made an
unfortunate miscalculation early in the race, thinking the number of
laps run was 82. “We pitted real, real early,” Ripley said. “We made
that mistake that way, but we put the (first) tires on and that’s all
we had.” Whorff said he radioed in and knew that Ripley had old tires
on his car when he lined up outside of him on lap 185 and lap 196
restarts. “I really didn’t worry,” Whorff said. “I knew that they were
still 2 or 3-10ths slower than what we were running, even on new
tires. The car was just clicking along so well.” Ripley was happy with
2nd, though, coming into this year driving for owner Bill Stilphen
after a 6-year absence from racing. “This was good,” said Ripley, who
owned $4,000 for his runner-up spot. “I knew if I stayed out of
trouble — no gambles — we’d be OK. The car looks pretty good for 200
laps.” Defending LMS champ Chris Thorne of Sidney, a prerace favorite
to win the Coastal 200 had his share of the lead early in the race,
leading from lap 8 through lap 31 when he was forced to the pits for a
flat tire. He would work his way back to the front and retake the lead
from Whorff on lap 81. Just 16 laps later Thorne would drop out of the
race with rearend problems. Race leaders included polesitter Bill
Childs Jr, Eddie McDonald, Thorne, Ripley and Whorff.
In support action on the afternoon, 6-time track champ Maurice
Young of Windsor continued his dominance in extra distance races for
the Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets. Young took the lead on lap 6
and covered the final 44 on the way to the win in the $500 to win 50
lap qualifier. With the win, Young locks himself into the starting
grid for the 100 lap Street Stock Nationals at Wiscasset Raceway as
part of Ray Haskell Ford “Fall Brawl” weekend October 4th and 5th.
Durham’s Larry Emerson finished a distant second and Steve Peirpont of
Cushing took 3rd. Lisbon’s Dave Brannon gave Young his toughest
challenge, chasing the leader within a car length from lap 12 through
28 when he dropped out with mechanical problems. “Big” John Phippen of
Bar Harbor picked up the win in the 40 lap feature for the Clark’s Car
Crushing Prostocks. Phippen took over the lead following a lap 34
restart which involved the lead pair of Bill Whorff and Tim Turner.
Jesse Smith ran his best race at Wiscasset, picking up the 2nd place
trophy after a run up from 18th. Freedom’s Randy Turner took over the
point lead in Wiscasset’s top division with his 3rd place finish.
Oakland’s Mike Landry won a caution filled 30 lap feature for the
Unicel / Budweiser Super Streets. For Landry, a former champ at
Beechridge, it was his first win at Wiscasset. Shawn Austin of
Norridgewock backed up his first career win from the previous week
with a run from 13th to finish 2nd. Bryan Fortin of South China
started 4th and shook of some early race troubles to race his way back
up through the field to finish 3rd. In the 25 lap feature for the
Aable Auto Part Mini Stocks, point leader Mac Hannan made quick work
of the field of cars, moving up from 19th to the lead by the halfway
marker. From there, he drove to his first mini stock win since his
championship season of 2002. Dylan Lancaster of Skowhegan started 18th
and notched his third straight podium finish in 2nd. 2-time Ministock
champ Shawn Kimball filled out the top three. Barry Poulin picked up
his 2nd win of the season in the 20 lap feature for the White &
Bradstreet Mini Trucks. Poulin was the opening day winner. In Sunday’s
program he was joined in victory lane by week two winner Jason Giggey
of Unity and Kevin Oliver of Gray.
Wiscasset Raceway returns to action Saturday May 31st at 2:00pm
with a full program sponsored by Harold C. Ralph Chevrolet of
Waldoboro. All six weekly racing series divisions will be in action
with regular length heats and features on the schedule. For more
information, call the Wiscasset Raceway office at (207) 882-4271 or
check the track website at www.wiscassetraceway.info.
OFFICIAL FINISHES
COASTAL 200 - SMITH CONSTRUCTION LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN - with finishing
position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver name
and hometown.
1. (12) 10 Bill Whorff Jr. - West Bath
2. (6) 70 Darren Ripley - Appleton
3. (25) 04 T.J. Watson - Harpswell
4. (5) 73 Joe Doiron - Berwick
5. (19) 33 Josh St. Clair - Liberty
6. (9) 51 Ricky Rolfe - Albany Township
7. (14) 22x Aaron Ricker - Tamworth, N.H.
8. (23) 31 Erik Nash - Richmond
9. (15) 11c Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
10. (24) 50 Scott Pooler - Vassalboro
11. (13) 15 Nick Hinkley - Wiscasset
12. (20) 3 Richard Jordan - Kingfield
13. (16) 7 Nick Reno - West Bath
14. (1) 1x Bill Childs Jr. - Leeds
15. (3) 17 Chris Thorne - Sidney
16. (2) 11 Adam Chadbourne - Woolwich
17. (28) 14 Dave St. Clair - Liberty
18. (10) 12 Seth Raven - Waldo
19. (7) 32 Mike Orr - Wiscasset
20. (26) 34 Tyler Robbins - Monteville
21. (11) 03 Bernie Dinsmore - Hope
22. (22) 24 Duane Love - West Gardiner
23. (8) 1 Jeff Burgess - E. Madison
24. (27) 22 Ajay Picard - Palmyra
25. (4) 17x Eddie MacDonald - Rowley, Mass.
26. (30) 77 Steve Reno - West Bath
27. (29) 5 Bill Pinkham - Wiscasset
28. (18) 29 Barry Gray - Belchertown, Mass.
29. (31) 25 Will Collins - Burkettville
30. (17) 6 Dan Smart - Buxton
31. (21) 75 Ben Ashline - Pittston
Time of race: 2 hours, 25 minutes. Margin of victory: 6 car lengths.
Caution periods: 19. Heat winners: Childs, Chadbourne.
Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets - Nationals Qualifier (50 laps)
1. Maurice Young - Windsor; 2. Larry Emerson - Durham; 3. Steve
Pierpont - Cushing; 4. Mike Short - Auburn; 5. Bob Mesimer -
Woolwich; 6. Ian Bresnahan - Bath; 7. Jeff Merrill - Mexico;
8. Ed Pierpont - Jefferson; 9. Glen Henderson - Litchfield; 10.
Zak Emerson - Durham; 11. Derek Pearson - Glenburn; 12. John Brill
- n/a; 13. Gerry Burgess - n/a; 14. Ken Carter - Winthrop;
15. Mike St Germain - Auburn; 16. Matt Stuart - Pittston; 17.
Zack Creamer - Bath; 18. Jeff Davis - Woolwich; 19. Mike Stewart
- Durham; 20. Dave Brannon - Lisbon; 21. Nate Yeaton - Bath;
22. Jamie Henderson - Litchfield
Clark’s Car Crushing Prostocks (40 laps) 1. John Phippen - Bar
Harbor; 2. Jesse Smith - Bangor; 3. Randy Turner - Unity; 4.
Charlie Colby - Newcastle; 5. Bill Penfold - Yarmouth; 6. Matt
Lee - Albion; 7. Scott Moore - Anson; 8. Dave Farrington - Jay;
9. Gene Green - Manchester; 10. Ricky Morse - St. Albans; 11.
Scott King - Livemore Falls; 12. Jeff Burgess - E. Madison; 13.
Tim Turner - Freedom; 14. Bill Whorff Jr - West Bath; 15. Bryan
Robbins - Montville; 16. Gene Hatch - Winthrop; 17. Dale Brackett
- n/a; 18. Dale Cullivan - Palermo; 19. Dylan Turner - Freedom;
20. Ryan Deane - Winterport; 21. Jeremy Whorff - West Bath; 22.
Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
Unicel Super Streets (30 laps) 1. Mike Landry - Oakland; 2.
Shawn Austin - Norridgewock; 3. Brian Fortin - South China; 4.
Nate Weston - Madison; 5. Allen Moeller Sr. - Dresden; 6. Ryan
Robinson - Clinton; 7. Justin Karkos - Jay; 8. Kevin Douglass -
Sidney; 9. Ryan St. Clair - Liberty; 10. Jeremy Glasier-
Appleton; 11. Richie Morse - n/a; 12. Jason Gaboury - Readfield;
13. Dan Trask - Chelsea; 14. J.J. Small - Fairfield; 15. James
Osmond - Gardiner; 16. Frank Brown - Augusta
Aable Autoparts Mini Stock (25 laps) 1. Mac Hannon Jr. - Union;
2. Dylan Lancaster - Skowhegan; 3. Shawn Kimball - Pittston; 4.
Mike Wilson - Chelsea; 5. Ryan Ripley - Thomaston; 6. Brent Roy
- Vassalboro; 7. Pete McCollett - Readfield; 8. Shane Smith -
Augusta; 9. Cody Sleeper - Chelsea; 10. Mike Dulaney - Richmond;
11. Ed Sleeper - Vassalboro; 12. Tom True - Wiscasset; 13. Jeff
Minchin - Pittston; 14. Nathan Guptil - n/a; 15. Tim Collins-
Farmingdale; 16. Alex Cromwell - Woolwich; 17. Steve Howard -
Thomaston; 18. Chelsea Young - Winterport; 19. Ryan Hayes -
Jefferson; 20. David Cook - n/a; 21. Tim Grant - Augusta; 22.
Ken Edgecomb - Readfield; 23. Scott Theriault - China
White & Bradstreet Mini Trucks (20 laps) 1. Barry Poulin - Clinton;
2. Jason Giggey - Unity; 3. Kevin Oliver - Gray; 4. James
Swan III - Clinton; 5. Jessica Norris - Portsmouth, N.H.; 6. Don
Giggey - Athens; 7. Josh Harjula - Boothbay; 8. Russ Anderson -
Portsmouth, N.H.; 9. James Howland - Rye, N.H.; 10 Rick Sirois -
Norridgewock; 11. Peter Bourque - Portsmouth, NH; 12. Josh
Kauffman - Unity; 13. Roger Allard - Cundy’s HarborWISCASSET
RACEWAY PRESS RELEASE 5/25/08
BILL WHORFF JR WINS COASTAL 200 AT WISCASSET RACEWAY
Near perfect early summer weather greeted a large and eager crowd
at Maine’s “Center of Speed” for the running of the annual Coastal 200
and Wiscasset Raceway’s salute to the troops with Operation
Recognition. The program started with special opening ceremonies
honoring the men and women of the military and their famililies, plus
recognizining the efforts of Operation Recognition. When the dust
cleared and the marathon program ended, it was West Bath’s Bill Whorff
Jr standing in victory lane holding the first place trophy and ready
to cash the $10,000 winner’s check for winning the Coastal 200. Whorff
took advantage of a carefully thought out pit strategy and heavy
attrition in the early going to win the main event for the Smith
Construction Late Model Sportsman — the biggest win of his racing
career and first ever at Wiscasset. “We decided before the race we
wanted to get to the 125 laps and let everyone else pit early, which
they did,” Whorff said. “We needed to wait for the gas, to get the
rear weight percentage we wanted to get the car to go right.” Whorff’s
#10 AAA / Whorff Excavation Ford Taurus was one of only 2 cars to
finish on the lead lap of the race which took nearly 2 1/2 hours to
run and was marred by 19 caution periods. Darren Ripley of Appleton
finished 2nd and T.J. Watson of Harspwell was 3rd, one lap down, and
one of only 12 of 31 starters running at the finish. Watson was locked
in a great battle over the final 20 laps of the race with Joe Doiron
of Berwick and Josh St Clair of Liberty for the final spot in victory
lane. Doiron would finish 4th and St Clair 5th. Ricky Rolfe, Aaron
Ricker, Erik Nash, Chuck Colby and Scott Pooler completed the top ten.
Whorff not only worked the long Coastal 200, but he’d also put in well
over an hour in the Clark’s Car Crushing Prostock feature earlier in
the afternoon. Twelve cautions thinned the field through the first 114
laps. Whorff pitted for the final time on lap 115 and had gobbled up
Ripley’s straightaway lead in less than 10 laps. He passed him for the
point on lap 141. Ripley then rode around trying to protect 2nd place.
A caution flew on lap 186 — and Ripley hit pit road for tires.
Problem was, the only tires he’d had left were old ones, taken off his
car when he mistakenly pitted on lap 54. His crew had made an
unfortunate miscalculation early in the race, thinking the number of
laps run was 82. “We pitted real, real early,” Ripley said. “We made
that mistake that way, but we put the (first) tires on and that’s all
we had.” Whorff said he radioed in and knew that Ripley had old tires
on his car when he lined up outside of him on lap 185 and lap 196
restarts. “I really didn’t worry,” Whorff said. “I knew that they were
still 2 or 3-10ths slower than what we were running, even on new
tires. The car was just clicking along so well.” Ripley was happy with
2nd, though, coming into this year driving for owner Bill Stilphen
after a 6-year absence from racing. “This was good,” said Ripley, who
owned $4,000 for his runner-up spot. “I knew if I stayed out of
trouble — no gambles — we’d be OK. The car looks pretty good for 200
laps.” Defending LMS champ Chris Thorne of Sidney, a prerace favorite
to win the Coastal 200 had his share of the lead early in the race,
leading from lap 8 through lap 31 when he was forced to the pits for a
flat tire. He would work his way back to the front and retake the lead
from Whorff on lap 81. Just 16 laps later Thorne would drop out of the
race with rearend problems. Race leaders included polesitter Bill
Childs Jr, Eddie McDonald, Thorne, Ripley and Whorff.
In support action on the afternoon, 6-time track champ Maurice
Young of Windsor continued his dominance in extra distance races for
the Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets. Young took the lead on lap 6
and covered the final 44 on the way to the win in the $500 to win 50
lap qualifier. With the win, Young locks himself into the starting
grid for the 100 lap Street Stock Nationals at Wiscasset Raceway as
part of Ray Haskell Ford “Fall Brawl” weekend October 4th and 5th.
Durham’s Larry Emerson finished a distant second and Steve Peirpont of
Cushing took 3rd. Lisbon’s Dave Brannon gave Young his toughest
challenge, chasing the leader within a car length from lap 12 through
28 when he dropped out with mechanical problems. “Big” John Phippen of
Bar Harbor picked up the win in the 40 lap feature for the Clark’s Car
Crushing Prostocks. Phippen took over the lead following a lap 34
restart which involved the lead pair of Bill Whorff and Tim Turner.
Jesse Smith ran his best race at Wiscasset, picking up the 2nd place
trophy after a run up from 18th. Freedom’s Randy Turner took over the
point lead in Wiscasset’s top division with his 3rd place finish.
Oakland’s Mike Landry won a caution filled 30 lap feature for the
Unicel / Budweiser Super Streets. For Landry, a former champ at
Beechridge, it was his first win at Wiscasset. Shawn Austin of
Norridgewock backed up his first career win from the previous week
with a run from 13th to finish 2nd. Bryan Fortin of South China
started 4th and shook of some early race troubles to race his way back
up through the field to finish 3rd. In the 25 lap feature for the
Aable Auto Part Mini Stocks, point leader Mac Hannan made quick work
of the field of cars, moving up from 19th to the lead by the halfway
marker. From there, he drove to his first mini stock win since his
championship season of 2002. Dylan Lancaster of Skowhegan started 18th
and notched his third straight podium finish in 2nd. 2-time Ministock
champ Shawn Kimball filled out the top three. Barry Poulin picked up
his 2nd win of the season in the 20 lap feature for the White &
Bradstreet Mini Trucks. Poulin was the opening day winner. In Sunday’s
program he was joined in victory lane by week two winner Jason Giggey
of Unity and Kevin Oliver of Gray.
Wiscasset Raceway returns to action Saturday May 31st at 2:00pm
with a full program sponsored by Harold C. Ralph Chevrolet of
Waldoboro. All six weekly racing series divisions will be in action
with regular length heats and features on the schedule. For more
information, call the Wiscasset Raceway office at (207) 882-4271 or
check the track website at www.wiscassetraceway.info.
OFFICIAL FINISHES
COASTAL 200 - SMITH CONSTRUCTION LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN - with finishing
position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver name
and hometown.
1. (12) 10 Bill Whorff Jr. - West Bath
2. (6) 70 Darren Ripley - Appleton
3. (25) 04 T.J. Watson - Harpswell
4. (5) 73 Joe Doiron - Berwick
5. (19) 33 Josh St. Clair - Liberty
6. (9) 51 Ricky Rolfe - Albany Township
7. (14) 22x Aaron Ricker - Tamworth, N.H.
8. (23) 31 Erik Nash - Richmond
9. (15) 11c Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
10. (24) 50 Scott Pooler - Vassalboro
11. (13) 15 Nick Hinkley - Wiscasset
12. (20) 3 Richard Jordan - Kingfield
13. (16) 7 Nick Reno - West Bath
14. (1) 1x Bill Childs Jr. - Leeds
15. (3) 17 Chris Thorne - Sidney
16. (2) 11 Adam Chadbourne - Woolwich
17. (28) 14 Dave St. Clair - Liberty
18. (10) 12 Seth Raven - Waldo
19. (7) 32 Mike Orr - Wiscasset
20. (26) 34 Tyler Robbins - Monteville
21. (11) 03 Bernie Dinsmore - Hope
22. (22) 24 Duane Love - West Gardiner
23. (8) 1 Jeff Burgess - E. Madison
24. (27) 22 Ajay Picard - Palmyra
25. (4) 17x Eddie MacDonald - Rowley, Mass.
26. (30) 77 Steve Reno - West Bath
27. (29) 5 Bill Pinkham - Wiscasset
28. (18) 29 Barry Gray - Belchertown, Mass.
29. (31) 25 Will Collins - Burkettville
30. (17) 6 Dan Smart - Buxton
31. (21) 75 Ben Ashline - Pittston
Time of race: 2 hours, 25 minutes. Margin of victory: 6 car lengths.
Caution periods: 19. Heat winners: Childs, Chadbourne.
Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets - Nationals Qualifier (50 laps)
1. Maurice Young - Windsor; 2. Larry Emerson - Durham; 3. Steve
Pierpont - Cushing; 4. Mike Short - Auburn; 5. Bob Mesimer -
Woolwich; 6. Ian Bresnahan - Bath; 7. Jeff Merrill - Mexico;
8. Ed Pierpont - Jefferson; 9. Glen Henderson - Litchfield; 10.
Zak Emerson - Durham; 11. Derek Pearson - Glenburn; 12. John Brill
- n/a; 13. Gerry Burgess - n/a; 14. Ken Carter - Winthrop;
15. Mike St Germain - Auburn; 16. Matt Stuart - Pittston; 17.
Zack Creamer - Bath; 18. Jeff Davis - Woolwich; 19. Mike Stewart
- Durham; 20. Dave Brannon - Lisbon; 21. Nate Yeaton - Bath;
22. Jamie Henderson - Litchfield
Clark’s Car Crushing Prostocks (40 laps) 1. John Phippen - Bar
Harbor; 2. Jesse Smith - Bangor; 3. Randy Turner - Unity; 4.
Charlie Colby - Newcastle; 5. Bill Penfold - Yarmouth; 6. Matt
Lee - Albion; 7. Scott Moore - Anson; 8. Dave Farrington - Jay;
9. Gene Green - Manchester; 10. Ricky Morse - St. Albans; 11.
Scott King - Livemore Falls; 12. Jeff Burgess - E. Madison; 13.
Tim Turner - Freedom; 14. Bill Whorff Jr - West Bath; 15. Bryan
Robbins - Montville; 16. Gene Hatch - Winthrop; 17. Dale Brackett
- n/a; 18. Dale Cullivan - Palermo; 19. Dylan Turner - Freedom;
20. Ryan Deane - Winterport; 21. Jeremy Whorff - West Bath; 22.
Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
Unicel Super Streets (30 laps) 1. Mike Landry - Oakland; 2.
Shawn Austin - Norridgewock; 3. Brian Fortin - South China; 4.
Nate Weston - Madison; 5. Allen Moeller Sr. - Dresden; 6. Ryan
Robinson - Clinton; 7. Justin Karkos - Jay; 8. Kevin Douglass -
Sidney; 9. Ryan St. Clair - Liberty; 10. Jeremy Glasier-
Appleton; 11. Richie Morse - n/a; 12. Jason Gaboury - Readfield;
13. Dan Trask - Chelsea; 14. J.J. Small - Fairfield; 15. James
Osmond - Gardiner; 16. Frank Brown - Augusta
Aable Autoparts Mini Stock (25 laps) 1. Mac Hannon Jr. - Union;
2. Dylan Lancaster - Skowhegan; 3. Shawn Kimball - Pittston; 4.
Mike Wilson - Chelsea; 5. Ryan Ripley - Thomaston; 6. Brent Roy
- Vassalboro; 7. Pete McCollett - Readfield; 8. Shane Smith -
Augusta; 9. Cody Sleeper - Chelsea; 10. Mike Dulaney - Richmond;
11. Ed Sleeper - Vassalboro; 12. Tom True - Wiscasset; 13. Jeff
Minchin - Pittston; 14. Nathan Guptil - n/a; 15. Tim Collins-
Farmingdale; 16. Alex Cromwell - Woolwich; 17. Steve Howard -
Thomaston; 18. Chelsea Young - Winterport; 19. Ryan Hayes -
Jefferson; 20. David Cook - n/a; 21. Tim Grant - Augusta; 22.
Ken Edgecomb - Readfield; 23. Scott Theriault - China
White & Bradstreet Mini Trucks (20 laps) 1. Barry Poulin - Clinton;
2. Jason Giggey - Unity; 3. Kevin Oliver - Gray; 4. James
Swan III - Clinton; 5. Jessica Norris - Portsmouth, N.H.; 6. Don
Giggey - Athens; 7. Josh Harjula - Boothbay; 8. Russ Anderson -
Portsmouth, N.H.; 9. James Howland - Rye, N.H.; 10 Rick Sirois -
Norridgewock; 11. Peter Bourque - Portsmouth, NH; 12. Josh
Kauffman - Unity; 13. Roger Allard - Cundy’s HarborWISCASSET
RACEWAY PRESS RELEASE 5/25/08
BILL WHORFF JR WINS COASTAL 200 AT WISCASSET RACEWAY
Near perfect early summer weather greeted a large and eager crowd
at Maine’s “Center of Speed” for the running of the annual Coastal 200
and Wiscasset Raceway’s salute to the troops with Operation
Recognition. The program started with special opening ceremonies
honoring the men and women of the military and their famililies, plus
recognizining the efforts of Operation Recognition. When the dust
cleared and the marathon program ended, it was West Bath’s Bill Whorff
Jr standing in victory lane holding the first place trophy and ready
to cash the $10,000 winner’s check for winning the Coastal 200. Whorff
took advantage of a carefully thought out pit strategy and heavy
attrition in the early going to win the main event for the Smith
Construction Late Model Sportsman — the biggest win of his racing
career and first ever at Wiscasset. “We decided before the race we
wanted to get to the 125 laps and let everyone else pit early, which
they did,” Whorff said. “We needed to wait for the gas, to get the
rear weight percentage we wanted to get the car to go right.” Whorff’s
#10 AAA / Whorff Excavation Ford Taurus was one of only 2 cars to
finish on the lead lap of the race which took nearly 2 1/2 hours to
run and was marred by 19 caution periods. Darren Ripley of Appleton
finished 2nd and T.J. Watson of Harspwell was 3rd, one lap down, and
one of only 12 of 31 starters running at the finish. Watson was locked
in a great battle over the final 20 laps of the race with Joe Doiron
of Berwick and Josh St Clair of Liberty for the final spot in victory
lane. Doiron would finish 4th and St Clair 5th. Ricky Rolfe, Aaron
Ricker, Erik Nash, Chuck Colby and Scott Pooler completed the top ten.
Whorff not only worked the long Coastal 200, but he’d also put in well
over an hour in the Clark’s Car Crushing Prostock feature earlier in
the afternoon. Twelve cautions thinned the field through the first 114
laps. Whorff pitted for the final time on lap 115 and had gobbled up
Ripley’s straightaway lead in less than 10 laps. He passed him for the
point on lap 141. Ripley then rode around trying to protect 2nd place.
A caution flew on lap 186 — and Ripley hit pit road for tires.
Problem was, the only tires he’d had left were old ones, taken off his
car when he mistakenly pitted on lap 54. His crew had made an
unfortunate miscalculation early in the race, thinking the number of
laps run was 82. “We pitted real, real early,” Ripley said. “We made
that mistake that way, but we put the (first) tires on and that’s all
we had.” Whorff said he radioed in and knew that Ripley had old tires
on his car when he lined up outside of him on lap 185 and lap 196
restarts. “I really didn’t worry,” Whorff said. “I knew that they were
still 2 or 3-10ths slower than what we were running, even on new
tires. The car was just clicking along so well.” Ripley was happy with
2nd, though, coming into this year driving for owner Bill Stilphen
after a 6-year absence from racing. “This was good,” said Ripley, who
owned $4,000 for his runner-up spot. “I knew if I stayed out of
trouble — no gambles — we’d be OK. The car looks pretty good for 200
laps.” Defending LMS champ Chris Thorne of Sidney, a prerace favorite
to win the Coastal 200 had his share of the lead early in the race,
leading from lap 8 through lap 31 when he was forced to the pits for a
flat tire. He would work his way back to the front and retake the lead
from Whorff on lap 81. Just 16 laps later Thorne would drop out of the
race with rearend problems. Race leaders included polesitter Bill
Childs Jr, Eddie McDonald, Thorne, Ripley and Whorff.
In support action on the afternoon, 6-time track champ Maurice
Young of Windsor continued his dominance in extra distance races for
the Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets. Young took the lead on lap 6
and covered the final 44 on the way to the win in the $500 to win 50
lap qualifier. With the win, Young locks himself into the starting
grid for the 100 lap Street Stock Nationals at Wiscasset Raceway as
part of Ray Haskell Ford “Fall Brawl” weekend October 4th and 5th.
Durham’s Larry Emerson finished a distant second and Steve Peirpont of
Cushing took 3rd. Lisbon’s Dave Brannon gave Young his toughest
challenge, chasing the leader within a car length from lap 12 through
28 when he dropped out with mechanical problems. “Big” John Phippen of
Bar Harbor picked up the win in the 40 lap feature for the Clark’s Car
Crushing Prostocks. Phippen took over the lead following a lap 34
restart which involved the lead pair of Bill Whorff and Tim Turner.
Jesse Smith ran his best race at Wiscasset, picking up the 2nd place
trophy after a run up from 18th. Freedom’s Randy Turner took over the
point lead in Wiscasset’s top division with his 3rd place finish.
Oakland’s Mike Landry won a caution filled 30 lap feature for the
Unicel / Budweiser Super Streets. For Landry, a former champ at
Beechridge, it was his first win at Wiscasset. Shawn Austin of
Norridgewock backed up his first career win from the previous week
with a run from 13th to finish 2nd. Bryan Fortin of South China
started 4th and shook of some early race troubles to race his way back
up through the field to finish 3rd. In the 25 lap feature for the
Aable Auto Part Mini Stocks, point leader Mac Hannan made quick work
of the field of cars, moving up from 19th to the lead by the halfway
marker. From there, he drove to his first mini stock win since his
championship season of 2002. Dylan Lancaster of Skowhegan started 18th
and notched his third straight podium finish in 2nd. 2-time Ministock
champ Shawn Kimball filled out the top three. Barry Poulin picked up
his 2nd win of the season in the 20 lap feature for the White &
Bradstreet Mini Trucks. Poulin was the opening day winner. In Sunday’s
program he was joined in victory lane by week two winner Jason Giggey
of Unity and Kevin Oliver of Gray.
Wiscasset Raceway returns to action Saturday May 31st at 2:00pm
with a full program sponsored by Harold C. Ralph Chevrolet of
Waldoboro. All six weekly racing series divisions will be in action
with regular length heats and features on the schedule. For more
information, call the Wiscasset Raceway office at (207) 882-4271 or
check the track website at www.wiscassetraceway.info.
OFFICIAL FINISHES
COASTAL 200 - SMITH CONSTRUCTION LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN - with finishing
position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver name
and hometown.
1. (12) 10 Bill Whorff Jr. - West Bath
2. (6) 70 Darren Ripley - Appleton
3. (25) 04 T.J. Watson - Harpswell
4. (5) 73 Joe Doiron - Berwick
5. (19) 33 Josh St. Clair - Liberty
6. (9) 51 Ricky Rolfe - Albany Township
7. (14) 22x Aaron Ricker - Tamworth, N.H.
8. (23) 31 Erik Nash - Richmond
9. (15) 11c Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
10. (24) 50 Scott Pooler - Vassalboro
11. (13) 15 Nick Hinkley - Wiscasset
12. (20) 3 Richard Jordan - Kingfield
13. (16) 7 Nick Reno - West Bath
14. (1) 1x Bill Childs Jr. - Leeds
15. (3) 17 Chris Thorne - Sidney
16. (2) 11 Adam Chadbourne - Woolwich
17. (28) 14 Dave St. Clair - Liberty
18. (10) 12 Seth Raven - Waldo
19. (7) 32 Mike Orr - Wiscasset
20. (26) 34 Tyler Robbins - Monteville
21. (11) 03 Bernie Dinsmore - Hope
22. (22) 24 Duane Love - West Gardiner
23. (8) 1 Jeff Burgess - E. Madison
24. (27) 22 Ajay Picard - Palmyra
25. (4) 17x Eddie MacDonald - Rowley, Mass.
26. (30) 77 Steve Reno - West Bath
27. (29) 5 Bill Pinkham - Wiscasset
28. (18) 29 Barry Gray - Belchertown, Mass.
29. (31) 25 Will Collins - Burkettville
30. (17) 6 Dan Smart - Buxton
31. (21) 75 Ben Ashline - Pittston
Time of race: 2 hours, 25 minutes. Margin of victory: 6 car lengths.
Caution periods: 19. Heat winners: Childs, Chadbourne.
Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets - Nationals Qualifier (50 laps)
1. Maurice Young - Windsor; 2. Larry Emerson - Durham; 3. Steve
Pierpont - Cushing; 4. Mike Short - Auburn; 5. Bob Mesimer -
Woolwich; 6. Ian Bresnahan - Bath; 7. Jeff Merrill - Mexico;
8. Ed Pierpont - Jefferson; 9. Glen Henderson - Litchfield; 10.
Zak Emerson - Durham; 11. Derek Pearson - Glenburn; 12. John Brill
- n/a; 13. Gerry Burgess - n/a; 14. Ken Carter - Winthrop;
15. Mike St Germain - Auburn; 16. Matt Stuart - Pittston; 17.
Zack Creamer - Bath; 18. Jeff Davis - Woolwich; 19. Mike Stewart
- Durham; 20. Dave Brannon - Lisbon; 21. Nate Yeaton - Bath;
22. Jamie Henderson - Litchfield
Clark’s Car Crushing Prostocks (40 laps) 1. John Phippen - Bar
Harbor; 2. Jesse Smith - Bangor; 3. Randy Turner - Unity; 4.
Charlie Colby - Newcastle; 5. Bill Penfold - Yarmouth; 6. Matt
Lee - Albion; 7. Scott Moore - Anson; 8. Dave Farrington - Jay;
9. Gene Green - Manchester; 10. Ricky Morse - St. Albans; 11.
Scott King - Livemore Falls; 12. Jeff Burgess - E. Madison; 13.
Tim Turner - Freedom; 14. Bill Whorff Jr - West Bath; 15. Bryan
Robbins - Montville; 16. Gene Hatch - Winthrop; 17. Dale Brackett
- n/a; 18. Dale Cullivan - Palermo; 19. Dylan Turner - Freedom;
20. Ryan Deane - Winterport; 21. Jeremy Whorff - West Bath; 22.
Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
Unicel Super Streets (30 laps) 1. Mike Landry - Oakland; 2.
Shawn Austin - Norridgewock; 3. Brian Fortin - South China; 4.
Nate Weston - Madison; 5. Allen Moeller Sr. - Dresden; 6. Ryan
Robinson - Clinton; 7. Justin Karkos - Jay; 8. Kevin Douglass -
Sidney; 9. Ryan St. Clair - Liberty; 10. Jeremy Glasier-
Appleton; 11. Richie Morse - n/a; 12. Jason Gaboury - Readfield;
13. Dan Trask - Chelsea; 14. J.J. Small - Fairfield; 15. James
Osmond - Gardiner; 16. Frank Brown - Augusta
Aable Autoparts Mini Stock (25 laps) 1. Mac Hannon Jr. - Union;
2. Dylan Lancaster - Skowhegan; 3. Shawn Kimball - Pittston; 4.
Mike Wilson - Chelsea; 5. Ryan Ripley - Thomaston; 6. Brent Roy
- Vassalboro; 7. Pete McCollett - Readfield; 8. Shane Smith -
Augusta; 9. Cody Sleeper - Chelsea; 10. Mike Dulaney - Richmond;
11. Ed Sleeper - Vassalboro; 12. Tom True - Wiscasset; 13. Jeff
Minchin - Pittston; 14. Nathan Guptil - n/a; 15. Tim Collins-
Farmingdale; 16. Alex Cromwell - Woolwich; 17. Steve Howard -
Thomaston; 18. Chelsea Young - Winterport; 19. Ryan Hayes -
Jefferson; 20. David Cook - n/a; 21. Tim Grant - Augusta; 22.
Ken Edgecomb - Readfield; 23. Scott Theriault - China
White & Bradstreet Mini Trucks (20 laps) 1. Barry Poulin - Clinton;
2. Jason Giggey - Unity; 3. Kevin Oliver - Gray; 4. James
Swan III - Clinton; 5. Jessica Norris - Portsmouth, N.H.; 6. Don
Giggey - Athens; 7. Josh Harjula - Boothbay; 8. Russ Anderson -
Portsmouth, N.H.; 9. James Howland - Rye, N.H.; 10 Rick Sirois -
Norridgewock; 11. Peter Bourque - Portsmouth, NH; 12. Josh
Kauffman - Unity; 13. Roger Allard - Cundy’s HarborWISCASSET
RACEWAY PRESS RELEASE 5/25/08
BILL WHORFF JR WINS COASTAL 200 AT WISCASSET RACEWAY
Near perfect early summer weather greeted a large and eager crowd
at Maine’s “Center of Speed” for the running of the annual Coastal 200
and Wiscasset Raceway’s salute to the troops with Operation
Recognition. The program started with special opening ceremonies
honoring the men and women of the military and their famililies, plus
recognizining the efforts of Operation Recognition. When the dust
cleared and the marathon program ended, it was West Bath’s Bill Whorff
Jr standing in victory lane holding the first place trophy and ready
to cash the $10,000 winner’s check for winning the Coastal 200. Whorff
took advantage of a carefully thought out pit strategy and heavy
attrition in the early going to win the main event for the Smith
Construction Late Model Sportsman — the biggest win of his racing
career and first ever at Wiscasset. “We decided before the race we
wanted to get to the 125 laps and let everyone else pit early, which
they did,” Whorff said. “We needed to wait for the gas, to get the
rear weight percentage we wanted to get the car to go right.” Whorff’s
#10 AAA / Whorff Excavation Ford Taurus was one of only 2 cars to
finish on the lead lap of the race which took nearly 2 1/2 hours to
run and was marred by 19 caution periods. Darren Ripley of Appleton
finished 2nd and T.J. Watson of Harspwell was 3rd, one lap down, and
one of only 12 of 31 starters running at the finish. Watson was locked
in a great battle over the final 20 laps of the race with Joe Doiron
of Berwick and Josh St Clair of Liberty for the final spot in victory
lane. Doiron would finish 4th and St Clair 5th. Ricky Rolfe, Aaron
Ricker, Erik Nash, Chuck Colby and Scott Pooler completed the top ten.
Whorff not only worked the long Coastal 200, but he’d also put in well
over an hour in the Clark’s Car Crushing Prostock feature earlier in
the afternoon. Twelve cautions thinned the field through the first 114
laps. Whorff pitted for the final time on lap 115 and had gobbled up
Ripley’s straightaway lead in less than 10 laps. He passed him for the
point on lap 141. Ripley then rode around trying to protect 2nd place.
A caution flew on lap 186 — and Ripley hit pit road for tires.
Problem was, the only tires he’d had left were old ones, taken off his
car when he mistakenly pitted on lap 54. His crew had made an
unfortunate miscalculation early in the race, thinking the number of
laps run was 82. “We pitted real, real early,” Ripley said. “We made
that mistake that way, but we put the (first) tires on and that’s all
we had.” Whorff said he radioed in and knew that Ripley had old tires
on his car when he lined up outside of him on lap 185 and lap 196
restarts. “I really didn’t worry,” Whorff said. “I knew that they were
still 2 or 3-10ths slower than what we were running, even on new
tires. The car was just clicking along so well.” Ripley was happy with
2nd, though, coming into this year driving for owner Bill Stilphen
after a 6-year absence from racing. “This was good,” said Ripley, who
owned $4,000 for his runner-up spot. “I knew if I stayed out of
trouble — no gambles — we’d be OK. The car looks pretty good for 200
laps.” Defending LMS champ Chris Thorne of Sidney, a prerace favorite
to win the Coastal 200 had his share of the lead early in the race,
leading from lap 8 through lap 31 when he was forced to the pits for a
flat tire. He would work his way back to the front and retake the lead
from Whorff on lap 81. Just 16 laps later Thorne would drop out of the
race with rearend problems. Race leaders included polesitter Bill
Childs Jr, Eddie McDonald, Thorne, Ripley and Whorff.
In support action on the afternoon, 6-time track champ Maurice
Young of Windsor continued his dominance in extra distance races for
the Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets. Young took the lead on lap 6
and covered the final 44 on the way to the win in the $500 to win 50
lap qualifier. With the win, Young locks himself into the starting
grid for the 100 lap Street Stock Nationals at Wiscasset Raceway as
part of Ray Haskell Ford “Fall Brawl” weekend October 4th and 5th.
Durham’s Larry Emerson finished a distant second and Steve Peirpont of
Cushing took 3rd. Lisbon’s Dave Brannon gave Young his toughest
challenge, chasing the leader within a car length from lap 12 through
28 when he dropped out with mechanical problems. “Big” John Phippen of
Bar Harbor picked up the win in the 40 lap feature for the Clark’s Car
Crushing Prostocks. Phippen took over the lead following a lap 34
restart which involved the lead pair of Bill Whorff and Tim Turner.
Jesse Smith ran his best race at Wiscasset, picking up the 2nd place
trophy after a run up from 18th. Freedom’s Randy Turner took over the
point lead in Wiscasset’s top division with his 3rd place finish.
Oakland’s Mike Landry won a caution filled 30 lap feature for the
Unicel / Budweiser Super Streets. For Landry, a former champ at
Beechridge, it was his first win at Wiscasset. Shawn Austin of
Norridgewock backed up his first career win from the previous week
with a run from 13th to finish 2nd. Bryan Fortin of South China
started 4th and shook of some early race troubles to race his way back
up through the field to finish 3rd. In the 25 lap feature for the
Aable Auto Part Mini Stocks, point leader Mac Hannan made quick work
of the field of cars, moving up from 19th to the lead by the halfway
marker. From there, he drove to his first mini stock win since his
championship season of 2002. Dylan Lancaster of Skowhegan started 18th
and notched his third straight podium finish in 2nd. 2-time Ministock
champ Shawn Kimball filled out the top three. Barry Poulin picked up
his 2nd win of the season in the 20 lap feature for the White &
Bradstreet Mini Trucks. Poulin was the opening day winner. In Sunday’s
program he was joined in victory lane by week two winner Jason Giggey
of Unity and Kevin Oliver of Gray.
Wiscasset Raceway returns to action Saturday May 31st at 2:00pm
with a full program sponsored by Harold C. Ralph Chevrolet of
Waldoboro. All six weekly racing series divisions will be in action
with regular length heats and features on the schedule. For more
information, call the Wiscasset Raceway office at (207) 882-4271 or
check the track website at www.wiscassetraceway.info.
OFFICIAL FINISHES
COASTAL 200 - SMITH CONSTRUCTION LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN - with finishing
position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver name
and hometown.
1. (12) 10 Bill Whorff Jr. - West Bath
2. (6) 70 Darren Ripley - Appleton
3. (25) 04 T.J. Watson - Harpswell
4. (5) 73 Joe Doiron - Berwick
5. (19) 33 Josh St. Clair - Liberty
6. (9) 51 Ricky Rolfe - Albany Township
7. (14) 22x Aaron Ricker - Tamworth, N.H.
8. (23) 31 Erik Nash - Richmond
9. (15) 11c Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
10. (24) 50 Scott Pooler - Vassalboro
11. (13) 15 Nick Hinkley - Wiscasset
12. (20) 3 Richard Jordan - Kingfield
13. (16) 7 Nick Reno - West Bath
14. (1) 1x Bill Childs Jr. - Leeds
15. (3) 17 Chris Thorne - Sidney
16. (2) 11 Adam Chadbourne - Woolwich
17. (28) 14 Dave St. Clair - Liberty
18. (10) 12 Seth Raven - Waldo
19. (7) 32 Mike Orr - Wiscasset
20. (26) 34 Tyler Robbins - Monteville
21. (11) 03 Bernie Dinsmore - Hope
22. (22) 24 Duane Love - West Gardiner
23. (8) 1 Jeff Burgess - E. Madison
24. (27) 22 Ajay Picard - Palmyra
25. (4) 17x Eddie MacDonald - Rowley, Mass.
26. (30) 77 Steve Reno - West Bath
27. (29) 5 Bill Pinkham - Wiscasset
28. (18) 29 Barry Gray - Belchertown, Mass.
29. (31) 25 Will Collins - Burkettville
30. (17) 6 Dan Smart - Buxton
31. (21) 75 Ben Ashline - Pittston
Time of race: 2 hours, 25 minutes. Margin of victory: 6 car lengths.
Caution periods: 19. Heat winners: Childs, Chadbourne.
Keystone Automotive Strictly Streets - Nationals Qualifier (50 laps)
1. Maurice Young - Windsor; 2. Larry Emerson - Durham; 3. Steve
Pierpont - Cushing; 4. Mike Short - Auburn; 5. Bob Mesimer -
Woolwich; 6. Ian Bresnahan - Bath; 7. Jeff Merrill - Mexico;
8. Ed Pierpont - Jefferson; 9. Glen Henderson - Litchfield; 10.
Zak Emerson - Durham; 11. Derek Pearson - Glenburn; 12. John Brill
- n/a; 13. Gerry Burgess - n/a; 14. Ken Carter - Winthrop;
15. Mike St Germain - Auburn; 16. Matt Stuart - Pittston; 17.
Zack Creamer - Bath; 18. Jeff Davis - Woolwich; 19. Mike Stewart
- Durham; 20. Dave Brannon - Lisbon; 21. Nate Yeaton - Bath;
22. Jamie Henderson - Litchfield
Clark’s Car Crushing Prostocks (40 laps) 1. John Phippen - Bar
Harbor; 2. Jesse Smith - Bangor; 3. Randy Turner - Unity; 4.
Charlie Colby - Newcastle; 5. Bill Penfold - Yarmouth; 6. Matt
Lee - Albion; 7. Scott Moore - Anson; 8. Dave Farrington - Jay;
9. Gene Green - Manchester; 10. Ricky Morse - St. Albans; 11.
Scott King - Livemore Falls; 12. Jeff Burgess - E. Madison; 13.
Tim Turner - Freedom; 14. Bill Whorff Jr - West Bath; 15. Bryan
Robbins - Montville; 16. Gene Hatch - Winthrop; 17. Dale Brackett
- n/a; 18. Dale Cullivan - Palermo; 19. Dylan Turner - Freedom;
20. Ryan Deane - Winterport; 21. Jeremy Whorff - West Bath; 22.
Chuck Colby - Wiscasset
Unicel Super Streets (30 laps) 1. Mike Landry - Oakland; 2.
Shawn Austin - Norridgewock; 3. Brian Fortin - South China; 4.
Nate Weston - Madison; 5. Allen Moeller Sr. - Dresden; 6. Ryan
Robinson - Clinton; 7. Justin Karkos - Jay; 8. Kevin Douglass -
Sidney; 9. Ryan St. Clair - Liberty; 10. Jeremy Glasier-
Appleton; 11. Richie Morse - n/a; 12. Jason Gaboury - Readfield;
13. Dan Trask - Chelsea; 14. J.J. Small - Fairfield; 15. James
Osmond - Gardiner; 16. Frank Brown - Augusta
Aable Autoparts Mini Stock (25 laps) 1. Mac Hannon Jr. - Union;
2. Dylan Lancaster - Skowhegan; 3. Shawn Kimball - Pittston; 4.
Mike Wilson - Chelsea; 5. Ryan Ripley - Thomaston; 6. Brent Roy
- Vassalboro; 7. Pete McCollett - Readfield; 8. Shane Smith -
Augusta; 9. Cody Sleeper - Chelsea; 10. Mike Dulaney - Richmond;
11. Ed Sleeper - Vassalboro; 12. Tom True - Wiscasset; 13. Jeff
Minchin - Pittston; 14. Nathan Guptil - n/a; 15. Tim Collins-
Farmingdale; 16. Alex Cromwell - Woolwich; 17. Steve Howard -
Thomaston; 18. Chelsea Young - Winterport; 19. Ryan Hayes -
Jefferson; 20. David Cook - n/a; 21. Tim Grant - Augusta; 22.
Ken Edgecomb - Readfield; 23. Scott Theriault - China
White & Bradstreet Mini Trucks (20 laps) 1. Barry Poulin - Clinton;
2. Jason Giggey - Unity; 3. Kevin Oliver - Gray; 4. James
Swan III - Clinton; 5. Jessica Norris - Portsmouth, N.H.; 6. Don
Giggey - Athens; 7. Josh Harjula - Boothbay; 8. Russ Anderson -
Portsmouth, N.H.; 9. James Howland - Rye, N.H.; 10 Rick Sirois -
Norridgewock; 11. Peter Bourque - Portsmouth, NH; 12. Josh
Kauffman - Unity; 13. Roger Allard - Cundy’s Harbor
SPEEDWAY 95 NEWS RELEASE May 18th, 2008
By Bill DaButler
(Hermon, Me) Memorial Day weekend action went almost caution-free for
all but the Sport-Four Division at Maine’s Family Fun Track, Speedway
95. The Sport-Four 35-lap race, the first of their three race series
pulled a triple duty for the field, with points for the division,
points for the series, and a guaranteed starting spot for the winner
in the 4-Cyl National race on June 27th at Beechridge.
There were 7 caution flags thrown in the 35-lap Sport-Four
race, but when the dust settled, Mike Hopkins of Hermon emerged the
winner. David Green of Hampden out muscled pole sitter Phil Richardson
for the second spot in the closing laps. Richardson, who comes from
Carmel, ended the night in third. In victory lane, Hopkins said, “This
car is like an old rubber band, it starts out loose, and it takes a
couple of laps to snap into place.”
The Pro-Limited division suffered the only caution of the other
feature races, when leader Dale Swoboda of Hermon lost his
transmission, literally. The tranny went in dramatic fashion in turn
four ten laps into the feature. Point’s leader Glen Curtis, Jr. took
over the top spot, but was DQ-ed in post race inspection, handing the
win over to Duane Seekins of Stockton Springs. Brenton Parritt of
Stueben was upgraded to second, with Scott Modery inheriting third.
Super Streets were caution-free, and continued the streak of Hermon’s
Kris Watson. To date, Watson has won ever race, heats, and features in
the Super Street division in the 2008 season. Travis Beal of
Winterport in his third start of the season took second, but was DQ-ed
in the tech garage, moving Artie McGuire of Bucksport up to the second
spot, and Doug Sinclair from Hermon to third.
Glenburn’s Jordan Pearson dominated the Strictly Streets with Rookie,
Wayne Parritt, Jr. of Steuben behind him by less than 2 car-lengths at
the checkered flag. Ellsworth resident Brad Norris finished third,
nearly half a lap behind the top two drivers in the caution-free
affair.
Although Jordan Pearson had a strong ride in the Full Size Trucks, it
drifted back from a challenge for the lead in the closing laps, to a
third place finish at the checkers. Peter Drake of Holden recovered
from a fifth place finish in the heat to take the feature win, with
heat race winner Ernie “Big Ern” Wallace of Winterport second in the
caution free event.
Dysart’s Pro-Limited
Finish # Driver Town
1. 19 Duane Seekins Stockton Springs
2. 27 Brenton Parritt Steuben
3. 11 Scott Modery Hermon
4. 63 Ray Allen Morse St. Albans
5. 6 Bernie Thayer Hermon
Super Streets
Finish # Driver Town
1. 35 Kris Watson Hermon
2. 47 Artie McGuire Bucksport
3. 23 Doug Sinclair Hermon
4. 45 Greg Pung Franklin
5. 31 Jeff Overlock, Jr. Hermon
Strictly Streets
Finish # Driver Town
1. 37 Jordan Pearson Glenburn
2. 27 Wayne Parritt, Jr.
Steuben
3. 8 Brad Norris Ellsworth
4. 9 Travis Poulin Holden
5. 55 Shawn Hamel, II Bangor
Sport Four (35-lap Series, 1 of 3)
Finish # Driver Town
1. 50 Mike Hopkins Hermon
2. 16 David Green Hampden
3. 21 Phil Richardson Carmel
4. 66 Spencer Garvin Searsport
5. 41 Rick Grant LaGrange
Trucks
Finish # Driver Town
1. 65 Peter Drake Holden
2. 18 Ernie Wallace Winterport
3. 06 Jordan Pearson Glenburn
4. 6 Andrew Crosby Hermon
5. 62 Brett Crosby Hermon
A busy week is ahead for Speedway 95, starting with testing and
tuning on Wednesday night, Monster Jam on Thursday May 29th, Friday
May 30th, and Saturday May 31st, and the final Sunday race date, with
special guest, the Maine SuperCup Racing League, June 1st at 2pm.
Wacky Wednesday kicks off the following week on Wednesday June 4th at
7, at Maine’s Family Fun Track?. Speedway 95!