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Credit Photos: – Mary & Peter Taylor

Wiscasset Speedway was packed with fans last Sunday afternoon, all gathered to watch some exciting racing action.  On the agenda were Outlaw Mini’s, Modifieds, Strictly Street, and the Spotlighted main event, The Coastal 200, sponsored by Jordan Lumber and Jordan Excavation.  The two-hundred lap Late Model Sportsman event had a total purse in excess of $18,000 with $3,000 going to the winner. In addition to the purse, there was lap leader money in excess of $4,000.  This included a $500 halfway bonus, complements of New England Race Fuels.

The Coastal 200 kicked off with three heat races.  The heat races were sponsored by Norm’s Used Cars and Truck’s by Norm, both of Wiscasset.  One hundred dollars went to each of the three heat winners.  Those winners, who started at the pole were the #33 of Josh St Clair.  Josh St Clair was the 2014 Coastal 200 winner.  Winner of the second heat was the #17 of Chris Thorne.  Third heat winner was Andrew McLaughlin of the #26. 

With Josh St Clair, Thorne, and McLaughlin leading the field, green flag racing began, and the Coastal 200 started.  Thorne moved ahead by a nose, and led the first lap, but Josh St Clair regained his lead the following lap.  There was plenty of action as cars jockeyed for position.  McLaughlin headed inside and led the following lap.  Three different race leaders in the first three laps!

The first caution came during lap twenty-seven.  When racing action resumed, McLaughlin still continued to lead the pack, despite Thorne racing him door to door around the track for the position.  A second caution during the same lap caused another restart, and when green flag racing began once again, the #X of Jeff Burgess went to the outside and passed Josh St Clair for third.  The pair battled for the spot for three laps, with Josh St Clair taking the spot briefly back.  Ultimately, Burgess claimed the position, and set his sights on second.

Meanwhile, McLaughlin and Thorne were racing furiously for the lead.  Then during lap forty-five, Thorne suffered a mechanical problem, and smoke began pouring from under the hood.  The #32 of Nick Jenkins and the #15 of Nick Hinkley spun on the track immediately after, bringing out the third caution of the race.  Several drivers headed to the pits, including Thorne, who discovered he had a broken power steering line.  Thorne was back on the track before caution’s end, and continued to strong arm his way through the remainder of the race.

With Thorne at the back of the pack, McLaughlin stayed in the lead, but Burgess moved up to second, and Josh St Clair moved to third.  The top three race leaders remained constant through lap sixty-six.

There was plenty of shuffling for position throughout the pack however.   The #30 of Ryan St Clair had moved up from his eleventh starting position into the top five, as well as the #25 of Will Collins, who had started in ninth.  Thorne was patiently working his way back up through the field, despite his lack of power steering.

However, during lap sixty-six Ryan St Clair passed Josh St Clair for third.  Ryan St Clair continued to power his way up the track, looking for his opportunity to pass Burgess.  His chance came during lap seventy.  Ryan St Clair headed to the inside and passed Burgess for second.  Ryan St Clair continued his trek up the track and headed to the outside to challenge McLaughlin for the lead during lap seventy-six.  While coming out of turn four, Ryan St Clair emerged as race leader, with McLaughlin moving to second.  Burgess was in third.

Lap eighty-seven had the forth caution of the race, and when racing action resumed, Burgess took an inside line and reeled McLaughlin in slowly.  During lap eighty-eight Burgess completed the pass on turn two and took second.  Another caution during lap ninety-one saw a leader change on the restart.  Ryan St Clair and Burgess battled for the lead, they went nose to nose around the track, and when the duo went over the start/finish line, Burgess was 1/100ths of a second ahead and became new race leader, the fourth leader of the race.  A determined Ryan St Clair didn’t go down without a fight, and by lap ninety-three was back in the lead.  Ryan St Clair was race leader at halfway point and was the recipient of the New England Race Fuels $500 bonus.  Ryan St Clair also won a graphics package, courtesy of Code 99 Designs for leading lap 99.

Race leaders Burgess and McLaughlin headed to the pits after a caution during lap one hundred-three.  Ryan St Clair was still leading the pack, but Thorne had once again made his way back to the head of the pack, and was in second.   In third was Josh St Clair.  Also in the top five was Hinkley, who had gone to the back during lap forty-five.  When action resumed on the track, Hinkley moved along side of Josh St Clair, to challenge for third.  Then during lap one hundred- seven, Hinkley passed Josh St Clair on the outside of the back stretch for third.  Hinkley continued his advance up the field and passed Thorne on the outside of turn four for second.   Hinkley stayed outside, and proved himself to be a force on the track when he passed Ryan St Clair during lap one hundred eleven and became the fifth leader of the Coastal 200.

The seventh caution of the race came during lap one hundred thirty-five.  During the caution, Thorne headed to the pits and the #23 of Dave Farrington Jr moved into third.  Also in the top five were Burgess and McLaughlin, who had pitted during lap one hundred- three.

On the ensuing restart, Farrington went underneath Ryan St Clair, looking for second, but Ryan St Clair didn’t give up the position.  Farrington backed off and patiently waited for his chance to pass.  He found an opportunity during lap one hundred-forty, and passed Ryan St Clair on the inside of turn one for second.  Then everything changed as Burgess and Ryan St Clair made contact coming of turn three during the same lap.  Burgess and Ryan St Clair headed to the back of the pack, and McLaughlin moved back into third place.  Ahead Hinkley and Farrington were in first and second.

There was change in the running order during lap one hundred forty-two after a caution on the track.  The #54 of Ryan Deane spun and collected the #21 of Shane Clark, the #6 of Chris Bowie, and also Ryan St Claire.  All headed to the pits, but racing was over for the day for Bowie and Ryan St Clair.  Deane was able to stay on the track.  Deane, at the completion of the race, was the recipient of the A R Bodies Hard Charger Award.  This award goes to the driver who finishes the most positions ahead of where he started.  Deane started in twentieth, and finished in twelfth, advancing eight positions.  Deane received a $500 certificate to A R Bodies.

On the lap one hundred forty-two restart, McLaughlin got under Farrington and took second.  Farrington was hung out to dry as Josh St Clair followed the same line and took third.  A battle for second began to rage.  For five laps McLaughlin and Josh St Clair raced door to door, fans cheered the duo on, and eventually Josh St Clair edged ahead and took second place.  Hinkley was still in the lead.

Then, during lap one hundred forty-nine McLaughlin and the #04 of TJ Watson made contact, sending both into a spin and bringing out the yellow.  McLaughlin and Watson head to the back of the pack.  Moving into third was Farrington.  There was an exciting restart, and Josh St Clair challenged Hinkley for the lead.  Coming out of turn three, Josh St Clair was ahead by a nose, but Hinkley fought back and went across the start/finish line only 6/100ths of a second ahead.  By lap one hundred fifty-two, Hinkley had solidified his lead, but Josh St Clair was still challenging Hinkley for the spot.

Hinkley and Josh St Clair made contact coming out of turn three during lap one hundred fifty-nine.  Hinkley spun on the track bringing out a caution, and both went to the back.  Farrington advanced to first place, making him the sixth leader of the Coastal 200.  Jenkins moved to second, and Burgess moved to third.  When racing action resumed on the track, Burgess went underneath Jenkins for second.  Once again making an appearance in the top three was Thorne, who had pitted during lap one hundred thirty-five.  Thorne passed Jenkins on the inside of turn three for third.

There was plenty of action in the top half of the pack, as all vied to get to the front.  Jenkins, Watson, McLaughlin and Josh St Clair were all hot on the heels of race leaders Farrington, Burgess, and Thorne.  During lap one hundred seventy-three Thorne moved to the outside, and raced neck and neck with Burgess.  Thorne was able to complete the pass by the conclusion of lap one hundred seventy-six, taking second.  McLaughlin challenged Burgess for third, and moved to the outside, passing Burgess during lap one hundred seventy-nine for third.

The twelfth and final caution of the race came during lap one hundred eighty.  It was an exciting restart with Farrington getting a good jump off the start.  Thorne and McLaughlin battled for second door to door.  Behind were Burgess, Jenkins, and Hinkley, who had gone to the back during lap one hundred fifty-nine.  McLaughlin edged ahead of Thorne during lap one hundred eighty-two, taking second.  Hinkley moved up from behind to challenge Thorne for third.  Thorne was able to hold him off.  McLaughlin made a bid to challenge Farrington for the lead, but Farrington had things well under control and flew under the checkered making him the 2015 winner of the Coastal 200!  McLaughlin placed second.  Thorne took third.  Thorne said of his finish that was one of the hardest races he’d ever done.  Thorne strong-armed his way over 150 laps with no power steering.  Finishing in forth was Hinkley.  Fifth place went to TJ Watson.

After the race, Farrington said, “We just survived, and that’s really what it’s all about here.  We were junk the first eighty laps or so.  We kept trying to tighten it up, and we had that caution around lap eighty-seven, so I said to the guys that this was the perfect time to tighten it up so we changed the tires.  Then the crew got me out first from the pits.  It was a heck of a job by the pit crew, my Uncle Jeff, C Barker, my buddies, my mother, and my girlfriend, Erika, was on pit row, so a good job by those guys.  I want to thank my sponsors Kulwicki Driver Development Program, Wood Pellet Warehouse, Captured Memories Taxidermy, Hilltop Collision Center, New States Contracting, Fourth Generation Logging and Firewood, Atlantic Contracting and Specialties, Distance Racing, Butler and MacMaster, and also thanks to the Wiscasset crew for putting on a great show and welcoming us here.  They did and awesome job and we had a full house of fans, so it was very cool to see.  There were quite a few hooting and hollering for us, all wearing orange shirts.  A big thanks for the fans too!”

First on the agenda, prior to the Coastal 200, was a twenty-five lap Outlaw Mini feature.  Starting on the pole was the #17 of Matt Weil.  Behind him were Shane Kaherl of the #19 and Shawn Austin of the #20.  Leaping quickly to the front was Kimball followed by the #34 of Justin Trombley and the #71 of Donny Silva.  The trio was leading the pack when suddenly during lap fifteen, Kimball suffered a loss of power.  Trombley passed Kimball for first, and Silva passed Kimball for second.  Coming from behind was the #13 of Cody Tribett for third.

Lap seventeen saw a running order change when Tribett passed Silva on the inside of turn two for second.  Race leaders remained constant until race conclusion.  Trombley took the checkered.  Tribett placed second.  Rounding out the top three was Silva.

The next crowd pleaser was a thirty lap Modified feature event.  The #3 of Ed Trask led the action on the track, followed by the #39 of Mike Brown and Shawn Austin of the #61.  Brown passed Trask on the inside of turn three during the opening lap for first.  Coming up quickly from behind was the #20 of Gary Thorne and the #85 of Jairet Harrison.  Thorne and Harrison slid neatly into second and third before the conclusion of lap one.

During lap two, the #5 of Mark Lucas passed Harrison for third.  Ahead, Thorne passed Brown for the lead.  Then Harrison spun on the track, bringing out a caution, and Brown got caught up in it.  The new running order was Thorne in the lead, followed by Lucas in second, the #33 of Ron Bryant advanced to third.  On the restart, Lucas got a good jump of the start and took the lead.  The #8 of Richard Jordan overtook Bryant for third.

Lucas and Thorne had a good battle for the lead, when halfway through the race, Thorne slid going into a turn and fell off the pace.  Lucas gained a commanding lead, and Thorne was unable to close the gap.

Lucas spent the remainder of the race looking out his rear view window at the pack trying to catch up.  Lucas took the win.  Thorne placed second.  Jordan placed third.

Lucas said after race time, “I struggled all day trying a new set-up.  At the end of the day had to go back to the original set-up.  Glad to have it get back to where it has been.  I want to thank Fishing Vessel Mamiluem, Lucas Auto, Dallas Staples Excavating, Steve’s Signs, and a special thanks to Jordan Lumber and Jordan Excavation.  A very special thanks to all our veterans and in memory of all the ones lost protecting our freedom.”

An action packed twenty-five lap Strictly Street feature kept fans on the edge of their seats.  Starting at the pole was the #36 of Richard Spaulding.  Behind him were the #84 of Kenny Harrison and Chanler Harrison of the #85.  There was a caution during lap one with no leader change.  During lap two, the #14 of Dave Brannon moved to third, passing Chanler Harrison.

There was a caution during lap three when Dan Brown of the #83 spun on the track.  The #55H of Kurt Hewins, and the #39 of Zachary Bowie got caught in the jumble.  Brown and Kurt Hewins headed to the pits, and Bowie went to the back.

On the restart, the #51 of Kyle Hewins passed Brannon for third.  Kyle Hewins headed to the inside and passed both Kenny Harrison and Spaulding for the lead.  After the pass, cars went three wide coming out of turn four during lap three, and Kyle Hewins kept his race leader position.  Spaulding was in second.  Brannon was in third.  Chanler Harrison spun on the track, bringing out the third caution of the race.  Race officials called for a single file restart and racing order went back to the previously completed lap.  The new running order was Spaulding in first, Brannon in second, and Kyle Hewins in third.

When racing action resumed on the track, Brannon headed to the outside and took the lead by a fraction of a second.  During lap four, there was a turn three caution when Kyle Hewins piloted into Spaulding, putting the pair on the infield.  The #22 of Tommy Smith was collected in the melee.  There was another single file restart.   Brannon was in the lead.  The #26 of Corey Morgan advanced to second, and Kenny Harrison was in third.

Morgan went to the outside during lap seven and raced Brannon door to door for the lead.  The duo continued to race nose to nose, and Brannon pulled ahead by 4/100ths of a second during lap ten, coming over the start/finish line.  During lap twelve, Morgan once again took the lead away from Brannon.  Behind the two leaders, Kenny Harrison and Ethan Dinsmore of the #8X raced for third.  Harrison was able to hold off Dinsmore however.

Morgan and Brannon raced furiously for the win as the laps ticked off, but Morgan was able to clinch the win.  However, Morgan failed post-race inspection and the win was awarded to Brannon.  Kenny Harrison placed second.  Ethan Dinsmore took third.

Post-Race Brannon said, “The win is a little bittersweet because I hate seeing someone get disqualified.   With that being said, I’ve probably been disqualified more than anyone out there.  I lost a win last season because of it.  As far as the car, we had a ton of car issues.  The starter failed last night at Beechridge, so we had to push start all day.  Then, the alternator went bad, so the car didn’t have enough electrical power to run the motor properly, so I started breaking down towards the end of the race.  If I hadn’t had that problem, I don’t think Corey would have been able to get us.  We seemed to go up through the pack pretty easily without any contact.  It was nice and smooth.  The thanks for this win goes to my crew.  I want to thank my sponsors Top Gun Construction, Auto Fabb Machine Shop Services. S&S Performance Engines, and Tangles Hair Salon.”

Wiscasset Speedway resumes racing action, Saturday, May 30, 2015 with its group one lineup of divisions: Prostock, Napa Super Street, Thunder 4’s, and New England Four Cylinder Prostock.  The flex race of the week are Nelcar Legends, in a twenty-five lap event.  Pit gates open at 2:00 PM.  Grandstand gates open at 4:00 PM.  Racing begins at 6:00 PM.  Admission is $5.00 for adults and children aged seven and older.  Kids six and under are free.  Pit admission is $20.00.

Race fans and drivers can purchase their favorite pictures from not only this season, but from season’s past, at Peter Taylor’s (the track photographer) website: www.petespicks.smugmug.com.   Wiscasset Speedway is located on West Alna Road in Wiscasset.  For more information, head to the Wiscasset Speedway website at www.wiscassetspeedway.com.  The Wiscasset Speedway website is packed with information, including schedule of events, division rosters and rules, race results, and driver profiles.  Head on over to take a look.

 

 

WISCASSET SPEEDWAY OFFICIAL FINISH MAY 24, 2015

OUTLAW MINI (25 LAPS)
1. # 34 Justin Trombley, Winter Harbor
2. #13 Cody Tribett, Richmond
3. #71 Donny Silva, Hudson
4. #19 Shane Kaherl, Jay
5. #83 Brady Romano, Livermore Falls
6. #41 Dixon Smith, Sidney
7. #84 Mike Bolduc, Windsor
8. #53 Nick Bissell, Lewiston
9. #17 Matt Weil, Biddeford
10. #20 Shawn Kimball, Augusta
11. #33 Stephen Howard, Thomaston
12. #5 Jimmy Childs, Leeds

MODIFIEDS (30 LAPS)
1. #5 Mark Lucas, Harpswell
2. #20 Gary Thorne, Sidney
3. #8 Richard Jordan, Kingfield
4. #85 Jairet Harrison, Freeport
5. #33 Ron Bryant, Livermore
6. #3 Ed Trask, Augusta
7. #96 Todd Ladd, Farmington
8. #39 Mike Brown, Hope
9. #61 Shawn Austin, Norridgewock

STRICTLY STREETS (25 LAPS)
1. #14 Dave Brannon, Lisbon
2. #84 Kenny Harrison, Durham
3. #8X Ethan Dinsmore, Hope
4. #11 Cody Verrill, Wiscasset
5. #55H Kurt Hewins, Leeds
6. #1 Billy Childs Jr, Leeds
7. #39 Zachary Bowie, Greene
8. #22 Tommy Smith, Edgecomb
9. #83 Dan Brown, Peru
10. #00 Kimberly Knight, Chesterville
11. #85 Chandler Harrison, Freeport
12. #36 Richard Spaulding, Lisbon
13. #51 Kyle Hewins, Leeds
DQ #26 Corey Morgan, Lewiston

COASTAL 200 LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN (200 LAPS)
1. #23 Dave Farrington Jr, Jay
2. #26 Andrew McLaughlin, Harrington
3. #17 Chris Thorne, Sidney
4. #15 Nick Hinkley, Wiscasset
5. #04ME TJ Watson, Cundy’s Harbor
6. #32 Nick Jenkins, Brownville
7. #33 Josh St Clair, Liberty
8. #X Jeff Burgess, Fairfield
9. #3 Richard Jordan, Kingfield
10. #14 Dave St Clair, Liberty
11. #25 Will Collins, Waldoboro
12. #54 Ryan Deane, Winterport
13. #22 Shane Clark, Winterport
14. #4 Ben Erskine, Farmington
15. #7 Jay Bailey, Wiscasset
16. #5X Brian Robbins, Montville
17. #30 Ryan St Clair, Liberty
18. #6 Chris Bowie, New Glouster
19. #00 Alex Waltz, Walpole
20. #28 JR “Rockin” Robinson, Steuben
22. #2 John Kalel, Orrington
23. #88X Wes Turner, Montville
24. #5 Joe Morey, Lisbon Falls
DNS #04 Allan Moeller, Dresden