JOSH ST. CLAIR TAKES SPEEDWAY 95 LATE MODEL FEATURE

by Jay | Aug 2, 2009 | Maine, Speedway 95

Josh St. Clair of Liberty took the lead in a controversial incident on lap 23 of the 25 lap Late Model feature at Speedway 95 on Saturday night and went on the post the win. St. Clair was running second to Hermon’s Dale Swoboda, trying to make the pass on the inside, when the two cars made contact in turns 3 and four. Swoboda went spinning off the track, giving the lead and the win the St. Clair. In his post race interview, St. Clair stated that “He chopped me off three times, trying to take my lane away from me. All he has to do is give me a lane to race in. The fourth time, I stayed in my lane, he chopped down again, and I didn’t back off.” On the lap 23 restart, John Phippen of Bar Harbor, who had worked his way back to the front following an early race spin involving Dixmont’s Jason Witts and Hudson’s Glen Curtis, challenged St. Clair for the win, but had to settle for the runner up spot. Winterport’s Joey Doyon finished a strong third in a car borrowed from Josh’s grandfather, Dave St. Clair’s “Dave’s World” racing stable. Fourth went to early leader Shane Clark of Winterport, and Don Alexander Jr. of Levant finished fifth. Swoboda was also involved in two earlier incidents, one on lap 21, when he and Shane Clark tangled in turn one while racing for the lead, which caused a yellow flag when Clark spun and backed into the car of Ray-Allen Morse of St. Albans, that Swoboda and Clark were overlapping. The next was on that lap 21 restart, when Swoboda ran Seekins wide going into turn one, causing Seekins to lose about 6 spots as he fought to recover in the marbles on the high side of the track. Seekins was unable to recover his lost positions and finished in sixth. Phippen was the winner of the qualifier, followed by Seekins, Swoboda, Clark and Doyon.

In Super Street action, Steve Moulton of Holden led all but one lap of the 50 lap CAM II Racing Fuels series event, but it was by no means an easy victory. Josh St. Clair of Liberty hounded Moulton for the entire event, making several attempts to pass on the inside, and actually led the one lap Moulton didn’t, on lap 22 following a lap 21 restart. St. Clair’s car would run strong behind Moulton, but when he would pull up on the inside to pass, the car would get loose, forcing St. Clair to ease up and allowing Moulton to maintain his lead. In victory lane, both drivers congratulated each other on the clean side by side and nose to tail race they had just run. Watching from third, but unable to get close enough to be a factor was points leader Kris Watson of Hermon. Watson battled with Hermon’s Doug Sinclair for third and fourth as hard as Moulton and St. Clair were battling for the lead. Watson finished in third, with Sinclair finishing in fourth. Fifth went to Franklin’s Mike Overlock.

Shawn Hamel II won the 14 car Strictly Street feature event after a hard fought battle with Doug Day of Glenburn that was decided in the closing laps when Hamel kept Day pinched down while overlapping slower cars. As they approached the slower car of Brad Finnemore of Dover-Foxcroft, Hamel saw his opportunity, and made sure Day, who was running on the inside, didn’t have enough room to make it three wide. Day backed off just long enough for Hamel to clear Finnemore’s car, then shot back to the outside in front of points leader Brad Norris, who was also trying to take advantage of the slower car. This caused Norris to go high, allowing the cars of Dustin Hubbard of Unity and Andy Trubovsky of Winslow to get by. Day finished second with Hubbard, Turbovsky and Norris following in that order.

Rick Grant of LaGrange picked up the checkered flag in the Sport-Four division after taking the lead from Points leader David Green of Hampden in turns three and four on the last lap by keeping Green on the outside and forcing him to back off as they approached overlapped traffic. Green had taken the lead from Hermon’s Ralph Allen on lap 10, using the same tactic that eventually cost him the race. Green kept Allen on the outside as they approached the slower car of Corinth’s Rick Adams, and passed Allen on the inside as the half way sign was showing from the flagstand. Grant saw what Green had done, and followed Green past Allen, then chased him until he saw his opportunity coming on the last lap to make the same move on Green.  As they again approached Adams, Grant made the move, keeping Green in his lane and forcing him to slow up momentarily. Green was then able to then tuck in behind Grant and follow him under the checkered flag before Allen could fill the gap. Allen finished in third with Gary Richards of Stetson and Jeff Overlock Jr. of Hermon finishing in fourth and fifth respectively.

Racing continues at Speedway 95 on Saturday August 8 as Napa Auto Parts and the local participating NAPA Auto Parts stores in Central and Downeast Maine sponsor the show that will include racing in the Dysart’s Late Models, Super Streets, Strictly Streets and the Allenfarm Fence Co. Sport-Fours.