by | Jul 30, 2013 | Maine, Wiscasset Raceway
By Lisa Maguire
Last Saturday at the Wiscasset Speedway was a bright and sunny afternoon for the track anniversary celebration. Drivers from the past and present gathered on the track during intermission for special recognition and a ceremony. There were cupcakes for the crowd to celebrate the 44th year of the track. The speedway concession stand was named Wilford’s in honor of the track founder, Wilford Cronk. The grandstands were jammed with fans all eager to see drivers and to watch some racing action. The features began just as the bright lights of Wiscasset began to shine.
The Outlaw Mini race was first on the schedule. This was a quick twenty-five lap feature. The No. 9 of George Fortin was in the pole position, followed by Shawn Kimball in the No. 20 and Jimmy Childs in the No. 10. Fortin was quick to leap to the forefront, with Kimball hot on his heels. However, by midpoint of the race, Fortin had solidified his lead, and he sped to the finish as the victor. Kimball placed second. Childs took third.
Post-race time, Fortin said, “It was a good race, coming out from being wrecked two weeks ago. We worked really hard to get my car back together. I’d like to thank my sponsors, the racetrack, the fans, and my crew chief, Todd Simone.”
A thirty-five lap Late Model Sportsman race was the next crowd pleaser. Starting in the pole position was Allen Moeller driving the No. 4. Nick Reno in the No. 7 and Nick Hinkley in the No. 15 were in the second and third starting positions. There was action from the start. Turn two saw Hinkley move ahead of Nick Reno on the inside, taking second.
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by | Jul 30, 2013 | Beech Ridge, Maine
Scarborough, ME – Saturday’s NASCAR Nite Pro Series 40-lap feature event was won by Newcastle’s Charlie Colby. With the win, Colby becomes the Pro Series’ second repeat winner in the 2013 season.
At the drop of the green, Durham’s Evan Beaulieu lead the 20-car field to the green flag, but surrendered the lead to Mike Maietta, Jr., of South Portland, the following lap. Maietta led until lap five when Colby was able to gain momentum going into the corner and pass Maietta for the lead.
Colby led until lap eleven when a caution bunched the field back together. On the restart, Colby chose the outside lane choice and it proved successful as he was able to maintain the lead over Maietta.
At the halfway mark, 18-year old Tyler King, of Livermore and veteran Steve Carrier, of Saco were able to safely maneuver their way inside the top-five after starting mid-pack in the field. It was not enough to catch Colby, as he maintained his lead throughout the race to claim his second victory of the 2013 season.
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by | Jul 30, 2013 | Massachusetts, Seekonk Speedway
Dave Darling picked up his fourth win of the season, holding on through a flurry of cautions throughout the 75 lap Phil’s Propane Triple Crown race. Front row starters Tom Scully Sr and Ken Spencer swapped the lead back and forth through the first twenty five laps of the event.
With 1/3 of the race completed, Darling had moved into second, and used a restart to power past Spencer for the lead. Spencer fell back into second, with Dick Houlihan, Mike Brightman and Ryan Vanasse rounding out the top five. Darling held the lead at the 50 lap mark, with Vanasse in second, trying to chase him down. Several times, Vanasse would pressure Darling for the lead, but the defending champion would not waver.
A flurry of late race restarts slowed the pace, but Darling continued to keep the pressure behind him, picking up the win. Dick Houlihan slid past Vanasse on the final laps for second, with Vanasse, Tom Scully Jr and Fred Astle rounding out the top five.
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by | Jul 30, 2013 | ACT
Montmagny, QC – Patrick Cliche of St-Jean-Chrysostome, Quebec scored his first career Série ACT win in the Montmagny 100 at Autodrome Montmagny (QC) on Saturday, July 27. Cliche worked his way from his 12th starting position to 4th on a lap 75 restart. He inherited the lead after the caution flew once again on lap 75 and sent the top three cars to the rear. Cliche held off podium finishers Alex Labbe and Jonathan Bouvrette for the final 25 laps and took the checkers.
Patrick Hamel and Steven Boissonneault battled for the lead over the first half of the event with Hamel taking the advantage until a caution on lap 75. The field went green again but was quickly back under yellow with the top three, Hamel, Donald Theetge and Jean-François Déry going to the back of the field.
Veteran Claude Leclerc and young Etienne Cliche rounded out the top five. Boissonneault, Hamel, Patrick Boyer, Marc Beaudoin, and rookie Martin Goulet, Jr. filled out the top ten. The event saw six cautions and was completed in just over an hour. Fifteen of the nineteen cars that took the green completed all 100 laps. Eric LeHoux did not start the main event as he suffered rearend end issues.
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by | Jul 30, 2013 | Maine, Wiscasset Raceway
WISCASSET SPEEEDWAY OFFICIAL TOP FIVE FINISH JULY 27, 2013
OUTLAW MINI (25 LAPS)
1. #9 George Fortin, Greene
2. #20 Shawn Kimball, Augusta
3. #10 Jimmy Childs, Leeds
4. #12 Darryl Moore, Oxford
5. #13 Nate Tribett, Richmond
LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN (35 LAPS)
1. #68 Steve Reno, West Bath
2. #09 Daren Ripley, Thomaston
3. #15 Nick Hinkley, Wiscasset
4. #25 Will Collins, Appleton
5. #34 Tyler Robbins, Montville
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by | Jul 30, 2013 | Maine, Speedway 95
Hermon’s Mike Hopkins took away 2 winners trophies in the Dysart’s Late Models at Speedway 95 on Saturday night as he captured his 3rd Fletcher/Phippen Memorial win and also won the Maine State Lottery 50 lap series event. In the Fletcher Memorial race, Hopkins won the first 23 lap segment run on Thursday July 18, and came back to place second in the final 59 lap segment, held over from that Thursday night’s rain out. Hopkins led the final segment until lap 53, when Ryan Deane of Winterport ran him down, made the pass and led the final 6 laps for the win. Although Deane took the segment win, Hopkins took second to record the best overall performance in the two segments giving him the overall win. Ryan Deane, Deane Smart of Bradley, and John Kalel II of Orrington tied for the second, third and fourth spots with equal scores for the two segments. Paul White of Corinna came in fifth overall.
In the regularly scheduled Maine State Lottery 50 lap series event, Bradley’s Deane Smart led from the drop of the green until a caution flag flew on lap 24 for a solo spin by Bangor’s Donnie Blanchard. Hopkins, who started fifth in the 16 car field, had worked his way up to second when the caution came out, passed Smart on the restart and led the final 26 laps of the race. Smart fought off a tenacious Andy Saunders of Ellsworth for the second spot with Saunders, who started ninth, finishing third. John Kalel II of Orrington finished fourth and Corinna’s Paul White was fifth. By finishing third in the third series event, Saunders picked up the overall points title for the series, which will net him extra bonus money at the annual awards banquet in November.
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by | Jul 29, 2013 | Schedules
By Lou Modestino
When it comes to Formula 1 racing, we’ve always been puzzled at the way that series does business, especially under the strict control of Bernie Eccelstone. We have always had the feeling that the whole series is bizarre. We’re not impressed but instead we’re puzzled at the way it conducts business and the costs associated with the series from top to bottom. All it does is to increase the costs of doing business.
Recently, we get caught up on our reading. After perusing through a late winter of 2012 issue Road and Track Magazine where the Grand Prix of USA at the Circuit of America in Austin,Texas was featured, we thought we heard it all, but the piece was even more enlightening. According to earlier reports over the years, Ferrari was spending a grand total of $500 million a year on F1 and other motorsports programs – such an enormous sum just to standout as the world’s best performance automobile.
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by | Jul 26, 2013 | ACT, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
Barre, VT – Brooks Clark of Fayston won the Times Argus 75-lap Late Model main event on Mid-Season Championship double-points night at Thunder Road despite losing a half-track lead with eight laps to go because of the race’s lone caution.
Clark took the lead for keeps on lap 33. On the restart, he had 16 year-old Joey Laquerre, who drove a courageous race, on his outside with Brett Gervais and rookie point leader Derrick O’Donnell of North Haverhill, NH in row two, ahead of Kyle Pembroke and Nick Sweet.
Clark got a quick jump on Laquerre and immediately took the A. W. Clark Jr. & Son No. 68 to the rim of the race track. The win was Clark’s second of the season. He thanked his team for rebuilding his car after a hard crash Sunday in the ACT International 500 at Airborne Speedway. “It’s been a long week for my crew,” he said.
O’Donnell overtook Laquerre on the final lap to finish second and maintain his spot atop the Late Model standings. Nick Sweet, who started 19th, finished 4th at Laquerre’s rear spoiler. Kyle Pembroke of Montpelier was 5th.
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by | Jul 26, 2013 | Maine
ARCA/CRA Super Series: Austin Theriault
Lucas Oil Raceway Park Race Preview
THE STORY
FORT KENT, Maine – Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, returns to the ARCA/CRA Super Series for the Super Late Model portion of the CRA “Night Of Stars” Twin 100s at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Salem, Ind., on Friday, July 26. The 100-lap ARCA/CRA Super Series marks the first visit for Theriault to the famed .625-mile oval near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Theriault is making an appearance in the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion for the first time in since finishing fifth in the IWK 250 at Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, last Saturday night. The BKR development driver has two wins this season with the team, including the PASS Rumble In The Pines 150 at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C., last month – another track where he was making his first career appearance.
THE FACTS
WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine
TEAM: Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion
CREW CHIEF: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C.
BEST CAREER LUCAS OIL RACEWAY PARK FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT LUCAS OIL RACEWAY PARK: N/A
WHAT: ARCA/CRA Super Series “Night Of Stars” 100
WHERE: Lucas Oil Raceway Park, Salem, Ind. (.625-mile oval)
WHEN: Friday, July 26 – 2 p.m., practice; 6 p.m., qualifying; 9 p.m., race
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by | Jul 26, 2013 | Connecticut, Thompson, VALENTI MODIFIED SERIES
THOMPSON,CT. Thursday, August 1st is the new date for the Valenti Modified Racing Series to run at the Thompson Speedway. Track officials announced late on Thursday that an agreement had been reached with the Valenti Modified Racing Series officials to run the event next week. The change was made necessary when rain forced the postponement of the July 25th race date.
The event is expected to draw the very best race teams on the VMRS roster. Current points leader Tommy Barrett, JR will lead the impressive lineup of drivers to the Connecticut oval. Drivers like Rowan Pennink, Richard Savary, Louie Mechalides, Norm Wrenn, Chris Pasteryak and many more are expected to compete for a starting spot in the VMRS 75-lap feature event.
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