Saturday, May 14th marked the hottest day of the year so far in Coastal Maine. But, drivers and teams also brought the heat with them to another place – Wiscasset Speedway. 69 competitors came prepared and ready for a full Group 2 racing program that included the first marquee event of the season – Mini Stock Mayhem.

The event, put on by Pete Sonnhalter and Shawn Kimball, was an unheard of (for the division) $2000-to-win race with over $11,000 in prize money going toward the competitors at the conclusion of the night. 14 drivers came out for the event on Saturday, including 2 out of state drivers. Michael Viens, a regular at Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts and Matt Sonnhalter, a driver out of Vermont, also joined the field on Saturday in hopes to bring home the $2,000 prize.

To no surprise, both Zach Audet (16.926 seconds) and Jimmy Childs (16.973 seconds) topped the speed charts in time trials. But Travis Poulliot, who came out of retirement for the race in an Audet Racing owned car, stayed right with the two leaders in the qualifying heat. Jimmy Childs ultimately won the heat race but was forced to start the race from the tail end of the field due to a tire softener violation.

Due to the race being the marquee event of the night, drivers took part in out of car driver introductions before the start of the 75-lap feature. Zach Audet powered into the early lead over his teammate, Travis Poulliot as Kyle Willette, another Audet Racing driver, followed in succession.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Childs was quickly maneuvering through the field, clearing Matt Sonnhalter for fifth on lap 6 after starting the race from the tail-end of the pack. Childs then made quick work of both Michael Viens and Travis Poulliot, advancing into the top 3.

The top 3 began to approach lap traffic on lap 10 but were back in clear air just 5 laps later. Jimmy Childs began slowly reeling in Kyle Willette for the runner-up spot, eventually making way to his outside door on lap 31. Childs cleared him the following lap, then setting his sights on Zach Audet for the top spot.

Zach Audet was still leading the charge, lapping Nick Anderson on lap 35 which left just 5 cars on the lead lap. The race took a shocking turn on lap 41 as Jimmy Childs fell off-pace and headed into the pits. The #10 car was plagued with a faulty plug wire, which was fixed under green flag conditions. Childs went 7 laps down while the #10 team tended to the car but returned to the track with the fastest lap times of anyone in the field.

Zach Audet had extended his lead to a full straightaway by lap 42. Meanwhile, Michael Viens, who had a strong showing all day, retired to the pits. Kyle Willette put his head down and began cutting into Zach Audet’s lead in the closing laps, reducing the lead to half a straightaway by lap 55.

Audet was still mowing down the competition, lapping Travis Poulliot with just 5 laps to go. This left a mere two cars, Audet and Willette, on the lead lap. Zach Audet held strong through the finish, picking up his second feature victory (in 2 different divisions) of the 2022 season in addition to a hefty $2,000 check. Kyle Willette and Travis Poulliot rounded out the podium, making it a 1-2-3 finish for Audet Racing cars. Nick Anderson and Lewis Batchelder followed, completing the top five.

Zach Audet chose to hold off on his post-race Victory interview until he congratulated his friends and teammates, Kyle Willette and Travis Poulliot. The three drivers happily celebrated with a large group of friends and family in Victory Lane following their dominating performance.

You can catch the Audet Racing crew again next Saturday, May 21st for week 3 of Group #1 competition. As always, adult admission is just $5 and FREE for kids 6 and under. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and green flag flies at 5:00 pm.

Please remember to support your local short tracks and help them thrive for years to come!

See you next time!

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