Wiscasset Speedway continued on with their 2021 season this past Saturday, hosting their group #1 divisions. The Pro Stock division capped off the night with an exciting 40 lap feature.
11 drivers showed up to compete on Saturday. The division may not have a stacked field, but it continues to be one of the most competitive divisions at the track, week-in and week-out.
The Pro Stock competition kicked off with a qualifying heat. Jamie Wright took off with the early lead in the heat. Josh St. Clair was also on the move early, challenging Rodney Brooks for third on lap 3. Brooks was able to hold St. Clair off, eventually overtaking Kevin Morse for the runner-up spot on lap 8. Jamie Wright was gone and away at this point, securing the heat victory as Rodney Brooks and Josh St. Clair rounded out the top 3.
Chasing the Checkered’s Logan Melcher faced mechanical problems before the start of the feature as his #41 machine got stuck in first gear. Melcher dived to the pits during the warmup laps for the feature. The team attempted to fix the problem and returned to the track for the start of the feature, only to ultimately park the car once again before the green flag waved.
Once the field got rolling, Jamie Wright took off with the early lead in the 40-lap feature. Ryan Ripley was also on the move early, overtaking Josh St. Clair for the runner-up spot on lap 10. Mark Lucas and Andy Saunders both faced troubles on lap 12 as both drivers took the dreaded right-hand turn to the pits. Nick Reno followed on lap 16.
Ryan Ripley made his way to Jamie Wright’s inside on lap 17, battling it out for the top spot. Ripley took over the position the following lap as Josh St. Clair followed in succession. St. Clair was hungry for more, diving to Ripley’s door on lap 21, challenging for the lead. After a strong showing all day, Jamie Wright fell out of the groove on lap 25, descending to the back of the field.
While battling for position, Kevin Douglass and Kevin Morse made hard contact on lap 27 in turn 2. The field remained green as both drivers were able to recover, but Kevin Morse ultimately fell to the back of the pack. Rodney Brooks made hard contact with the backstretch wall on lap 34, immediately resulting in a red flag. Luckily, Brooks was okay, but his #12 machine suffered heavy cosmetic damage.
Josh St. Clair pulled away with the lead over Ryan Ripley on the restart. Nick Hinkley was all over Ryan Ripley for the runner-up spot on the final lap and beat Ripley to the line by a mere .003 seconds.
Josh St. Clair secured the victory, continuing his dominant 2021 season at Wiscasset. The victory was St. Clair’s second Pro Stock victory at Wiscasset in 2021, but his fourth overall victory of the season. St. Clair, a rookie in the Pro Stock division, has also picked up a Late Model AND Super Streets victory this season.
Kevin Douglass and Jamie Wright rounded out the top five.
Josh St. Clair continues to be competitive in every division that he races in. It’ll be fun seeing how much more hardware the driver can pick up this season, as we are still just getting started!
Catch group #2 AND the coveted Coastal 200 next Sunday, May 30th, at Wiscasset Speedway. Pit admission is just $20 for all ages and grandstand admission is only $5.
Continue chasing the checkered and support your local short tracks! I hope to see you soon!
