Saturday was “Outlaw Mini Madness” at Wiscasset Speedway. Competitors from as far away as Florida came to participate in the seventy-five lap race. The group two division of racing was also on the agenda, featuring Late Model Sportsman, Strictly Streets, and Modified.
First on the track for the feature races were the Late Model Sportsman in a thirty-five lap event. Starting at the pole was the #00 of Alex Waltz. Beside him was the #6 of Chris Bowie. Behind was Tyler Robbins of the #34. When green flag racing began, Waltz sped ahead for the lead. Bowie fought back, and edged ahead of Waltz on the back stretch during lap one for the lead. Tyler Robbins took second coming out of turn four during lap four.
Behind the race leaders, cars were coming up fast. The #4 of Ben Erskine and Nick Hinkley of the #15 came up behind Waltz and Robbins, but were not able to advance. Waltz passed Robbins during lap twelve on the back stretch for second. This gave an opening to Hinkley, who passed Robbins for third.
There was a caution during lap thirteen, and on the restart, Waltz had a poor start, and fell behind. Hinkley passed him for second, and Erskine passed him for third. Coming up from his tenth place start was Dave St Clair of the #14. St Clair passed Erskine during lap sixteen. The following lap Hinkley passed Bowie for the lead.
The next leader change came during lap twenty-three when St Clair passed Bowie for second on the outside of turn two. Erskine passed Bowie during lap twenty-five on the outside of turn three for third. Then there was a caution as the #04 of TJ Watson went up into the turn one wall after making contact with Robbins. When action resumed on the track, Erskine slowed on the track causing a backup, and the #17 of Chris Thorne sped his way into third place. Thorne continued his advance up the track, and passed St Clair during lap twenty-eight for second. The #21 of Shane Clark, who had started in fourteenth, had worked his way up through the pack, and during lap thirty-two, moved up under St Clair and took third.
The race had an exciting conclusion, with only two laps to go, Thorne bobbled on the track, causing a mix-up in race leaders. Hinkley still held the lead, but Clark moved to second, and St Clair to third. Thorne fell back to forth. Hinkley took the win. Clark, who placed first when Late Models raced last, took second. St Clair placed third.
After the race, Hinkley said, “I was glad to see that caution, when Chris Bowie had a pretty good lead. There were cars racing side by side, but the caution grouped us all back together, and I knew I had a strong car and I was able to come out ahead. I knew the race was going to be tough, starting in twelfth, but the cautions helped group up us, and I was able to get to the front. I am focusing on Late Model racing right now. I will race Prostock a few weeks leading up the Boss Hog 100, but other than that, it is going to be Late Model. It was too much on the car to keep changing it every week. I want to thank my sponsors Ideal Portable Toilets and Fishermen’s Catch Seafood Market. I also want to thank my whole crew, and I wish a Happy Father’s Day to everyone.”
The Strictly Streets provided a show for the fans. The twenty-five lap feature was exciting to the finish. Starting on the pole was the #51X of Bryan Robbins. Beside him was the #03 of Jerry Robbins. Starting in third was Cody Verrill of the #11. When the green flag flew over the track, Jerry Robbins took an early lead. The #26 of Corey Morgan headed to the outside and took second place. The #51 of Kyle Hewins took third. This was all in the opening lap! A lot of racing action!
During lap three, Morgan advanced to the lead, and the #55H of Kurt Hewins passed Kyle Hewins for third. Kurt Hewins found an opening to pass Jerry Robbins during lap seven, and took second. Kyle Hewins followed Kurt Hewins and also passed Jerry Robbins for third place. Kurt Hewins advanced up the track and waited patiently to see if Morgan would slip up, giving him the chance to take the lead. During lap fifteen, Kurt Hewins was able to get under Morgan on the front stretch and take the lead. Kyle Hewins took the inside track, and while Morgan was stuck in the outer groove, passed for second, moving Morgan to third.
Moving up from his sixth place start was the #83 of Dan Brown. Brown passed Morgan on the inside coming out of turn two onto the backstretch. Race leaders remained constant until the finish. This was Kurt Hewins second win in a row. Kyle Hewins placed second. Brown came in third.
Post-race Kurt Hewins said, “It was a good race. I think the guys behind me were faster. I just got the positions to lead and held them off. It was caution free too! It was a good race. I want to thank Eric and Ellen Brown of Brown’s Construction, they own the car. I want thank my girlfriend, Del, and my crew chief Red Edmonds.”
A thirty lap Modified feature was action packed. Four time Modified winner, Mark Lucas, had to really fight for his win this race. Starting at the pole was the #18 of Kevin Douglas. Beside him was the #61 of Shawn Austin. In third was Richard Jordan of the #8.
Off the start, the #85 of Jairet Harrison passed Jordan for third. There was a lot of jockeying for position, but the next race leader change didn’t happen until lap eleven when Nick Reno of the #7 passed Harrison for third. Austin fell back out of the top three and Reno moved to second and Harrison back to third.
Lap thirteen saw Mark Lucas of the #5 head to the outside and pass Harrison for third. There was a heated race between Lucas and Reno, each vying for position. During lap twenty-one Lucas got into Reno, sending Reno into a spin. Lucas invoked the Gentleman Rule, and Reno lost no position, but Lucas went to the back of the pack. The new running order was Douglas maintaining the lead. Reno was in second. Harrison was in third.
The restart saw Douglas and Reno side to side, but a second caution brought another restart. When racing action resumed on the track, it was more two wide racing action, with Reno briefly taking the lead, only to lose it again to Douglas. Lucas had worked his way back up through the pack from the back. He passed Harrison on the inside, taking third. A determined Lucas progressed up the track and passed Reno on the outside for second during lap twenty-six. With only two laps to go, Lucas made his way around Douglas, taking the lead, which he did not relinquish for the remainder of the race. As the cars were heading out of turn four for the checkered, Reno spun and went sideways on the front stretch, passing over the finish line behind the #36 of Ryan Robbins. Lucas took the win. Douglas placed second. Rounding out the top three was Robbins. Reno placed fourth.
After the race, Lucas said, “I want to thank my crew and my family, Richard and Vanessa Jordan, JT Race Cars, Martin Ramsay, Dallas Staples Construction, and thanks to the other Modifieds that showed interest. Hopefully some more will join us. Wiscasset is a great family oriented fun place to race. Most everybody helps each other out and are friends. The fans have a good time, and they enjoy the races.”
The Spotlighted feature of the night was a seventy-five lap “Outlaw Mini Madness” event. There were drivers from New Hampshire and Florida who came to participate in this event. To determine race order, the top fourteen of the heat race winners were inverted. There was a lot of early movement in this action packed feature.
Starting at the pole was the #83 of Brady Romano. Beside him was Mike Soucy of the #6. Behind him was the #2ME of Rob Greenleaf. During lap one, Greenleaf took the lead. Lap three saw the #88 of Emerson Cayer pass for third. During lap five, Romano dropped back to fourth. Cayer advanced to second, and the #2 of Toby Wells advanced to third. Wells headed to the inside and passed Cayer for second during lap six.
There was a caution during lap eight, and on the restart, Wells drove side by side with Greenleaf, looking for the lead. During lap nine, Wells took the lead and Greenleaf dropped to second. Cayer was in third. There was action on the track, and door by door racing throughout the pack, as all tried to gain in position.
During lap twenty, there was a caution when the #20 of Shawn Kimball suffered a mechanical problem. When racing action resumed on the track, Greenleaf was hung out to dry on the outside groove. Cayer passed under for second, then the #26 of Brent Roy took third.
Moving up from his thirteenth starting position, Jimmy Childs of the #10 advanced into third place when he passed Roy for third. Childs looked for his opportunity to pass for second. That chance came during lap twenty-nine and he passed Cayer on the inside of turn three for second. There was a caution during lap thirty-seven, and the resulting restart was exciting. Childs got a good jump off the start and leaped to the lead, passing Wells. There was a battle for third brewing between Cayer and Greenleaf. Greenleaf was able to get under Cayer and passed on turn two during lap forty-two.
Lap forty-three was exciting for the fans when Wells briefly took the lead. Childs was on the inside track, and Wells came down, and the pair made contact. Wells went into a slide, and when the dust cleared, Childs was once again in the lead. Cayer was in second, and Wells was in third. During lap fifty-two Wells took the inside track and passed Cayer for second.
A caution during lap fifty-eight grouped all the cars back together again for a restart. Childs and Wells raced door to door and it was an intense battle for the lead. Behind them, Greenleaf passed Cayer on the inside during lap sixty-two for third. The scuffle for the lead continued through lap sixty-three, when Wells dropped in behind Childs, unable to complete a pass. Greenleaf then gets under Wells during lap seventy-three, and passed for second. Childs takes home his biggest win of the season. Greenleaf placed second. Wells brought up the rear in third.
Post-race Childs said, “Well, coming from the rear in a seventy-five lap race is tough. I saved my tires for a little bit, until I got up into the top five. Once I got up there, I wanted to hunt that #2 car down for the lead. I got to him, and he ran me high a few times, and chopped down on me a couple times as I tried to pass. But, I didn’t put up with it, and I beat him. He is a sore loser though. I would get up under him, and when you get so far, there is a rule that it is your spot, you let him pass, but there were no rules for Wells. He just chopped down, no matter how far you were underneath. That’s what happened when he went into a slide. But, I showed him how Maine racer’s race, and we beat him! Maine racers aren’t slouchers! I want to thank my father, Billy Childs, first of all. I want to thank my sponsor’s, Tire King, Dana’s Heavy Duty Trucking, and Heather Leagueax Magnetic Jewelry. Also my family and friends, especially Tina King, she has been a lifelong supporter of me. I want to thank my fans, and my girlfriend Krystal, and the Wiscasset staff- you couldn’t ask for better people- they are just so nice to you.”