The Sweatt’s Concrete Thunder 4 Mini division returned to Wiscasset Speedway on Saturday with a stout 20 car field. With the week 1 winner absent from the field, every driver in the division had the opportunity to pick up their first feature victory of the 2022 season.
The Thunder 4 Mini competition kicked off with two 10-lap qualifying heats. Dustin Salley got an early jump over Steve Hall to capture the early lead in the first heat. Trouble was brewing behind the leaders as Gunner Josselyn and James Grover tangled on the initial lap of the race, resulting in an early caution.
Dustin Salley maintained his advantage on the restart as Mike Golding powered into the runner-up spot over Steve Hall. Dustin Salley’s teammate, Butch Keene, was also on the move early, overtaking Steve Hall for third on lap 3.
Dusin Salley continued to hold off his competitors for the remainder of the race, picking up the heat victory as Mike Golding and Butch Keene rounded out the top 3.
David Cook and Jeff Farrington went head-to-head for the early lead in the second and final qualifying heat. Trouble came early for their competitor, John Anderson, who took a spin on lap 1. This resulted in an early caution.
David Cook took control of the lead on the restart and never looked back, securing the heat victory. Shane Webber and Jeff Farrington rounded out the top 3.
JBRH Excavation & Welding Fabrication was the title sponsor of the night. In addition to giving a $500 bonus to the Pro Stock race winner, they presented a “Back Row Challenge” to drivers from all divisions. Any driver who won their heat race had the option to drop back to the tail of the field for the start of the feature. If that driver was able to come from the back to the front to win the race, they would secure an additional $500 in prize money. David Cook elected to tackle this challenge, dropping to the back of the pack for the feature.
Dustin Salley took off with the early lead over Michael Golding in the 25-lap feature race. He continued to pace the field and began approaching lap traffic by lap 7.
Butch Keene took advantage of the lap traffic on lap 11, advancing into the runner-up spot over Michael Golding. The same lap traffic plagued him just two laps later as he checked up, losing the spot to Jeff Davis.
Butch Keene made his way back to Jeff Davis’ outside door on lap 19, challenging for the runner-up spot as David Cook, who had already blistered through the field, rode their coattails. Cook made swift work of his competitors, quickly maneuvering into the runner-up spot.
Chaos erupted behind the leaders with two laps to go as Butch Keene lost power, forcing him to check up. Keene made contact with Jeff Davis, who cut down a tire as Butch Keene descended back to eighth place.
David Cook attempted to track down Dustin Salley in the closing laps of the feature, but Salley was too far gone at that point.
Dustin Salley celebrated with his adorable son and family in Victory Lane but was met with an unfortunate fate during post-race technical inspection. He was ultimately penalized 3 positions due to a camber violation. Michael Golding, who had initially finished fifth, was also penalized 3 positions for failing to go to post-race technical inspection.
David Cook was declared the official race winner following tech and was awarded with the much-desired $500 bonus. Jeff Farrington, Shane Webber, Dustin Salley and Doug Degroat rounded out the official top five.
The Thunder 4 Mini division continues to be highly competitive and brings a large field of talented drivers to Wiscasset. Who will we see atop the leaderboard next? You’ll have to wait and see!
You can catch the Thunder 4 Mini division again on Saturday, May 21st. Until then, join us for the $2,000 to win Mini Stock Mayhem event this coming Saturday, May 14th. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and green flag flies at 5:00 pm! As always, admission is just $5 for adults and FREE for kids 6 & under.
Please remember to support your local short tracks and keep them thriving for years to come!
See you next time!
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