For every sport, one of the most anticipated days of the season is Opening Day. Traditionally, Opening Day is a one-time event, but Wiscasset Speedway is unique in the fact that the track gets to celebrate two Opening Days to kick off the season.
Over 75 competitors were on-site for the Group #2 season opener on Saturday which included the Portland Glass Strictly Streets, T&L Automotive Modifieds, Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis, Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Models and the flex Chestnut Auto Roadrunners division.
The racing action kicked off with a 35–lap spotlight feature for the Strictly Streets. Wade Kennedy, the 2021 Wildcats champion at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, was fastest in practice and also led the charge in his qualifying heat race. Kennedy got the jump on Jeremy Glazier in the feature and began to pull away from his competitors. Josh St. Clair (in a special Lightning McQueen inspired race car) was also on the move early, clearing Zach Emerson for second on lap 5.
A lap 9 caution brought the field back together and Wade Kennedy and Josh St. Clair went head-to-head for the top spot on the restart. Kennedy pulled ahead with a slight advantage, but St. Clair was all over his back bumper, trailing his every move. St. Clair pulled to Kennedy’s inside door on lap 16, clearing him for the top spot. Wade Kennedy began to lose some ground as he fell third to Kurt Hewins two laps later.
A late-race caution brought the field together one last time but Josh St. Clair held strong, capturing the victory. Kurt Hewins, Wade Kennedy, Jeremy Glazier and Zach Emerson rounded out the top five.
Four-time defending champion Adam Chadbourne and multi-time winner Ryan Ripley led the charge in the T&L Modifieds all day. The two drivers led the field to green in the 30-lap feature and made early contact while battling for the top spot. Chadbourne pulled ahead with the advantage and by lap 10, the three leaders had pulled away from the rest of the pack. Heartbreak came for Chadbourne on lap 15 as he blew up and came to a sudden stop on the track, resulting in a mid-race caution and ending his day prematurely.
Ryan Ripley took over from there and continued to lead the pack through multiple cautions which delayed the racing action. Tyler Robbins took a spin on the final restart but managed to stay on the track as the field remained green, heroically maneuvering the remainder of the race with his hood plastered to his windshield, nearly entirely blocking his vision. Ryan Ripley sailed into the victory as Nick Reno followed and Scott Trask beat out Wayne Whitten by a nose at the line to complete the podium. Garritt McKee, Jr., a rookie in the division, rounded out the top 5.
Chip Farrington won the qualifying heat in the Chestnut Auto Roadrunners and continued his dominance in the 20-lap feature as he began tackling lap traffic on lap 7. He extended his lead to over 2 seconds with 5 laps to go and smoothly sailed into the victory. Noah McGrath, David Whitelaw, Ken Turner and Kayle McLatchy rounded out the top five.
Multi-time champion Zach Audet drew pole for the Outlaw Mini heat and led wire to wire, which resulted in him starting the 25-lap feature in first alongside his teammate and friend, Kyle Willette. Audet led the charge in the feature, but trouble was brewing behind the leaders as Tyler Dinsmore and Jimmy Childs tangled on lap 7, resulting in Dinsmore taking a hard hit to the wall in turn 3.
Zach Audet continued to pace the field on the restart and was rolling along until mechanical troubles plagued the #19 machine with 4 to go, resulting in a small fire under the vehicle. The race was subsequently red flagged and Kyle Willette took over the top spot. Willette, the defending champion, held off his competitors to pick up the victory. Brothers Bryan and Craig Robbins completed the podium and Josh Kimball and Jeff Farrington rounded out the top five.
The program concluded with a 40-lap feature from the Late Models. Shane Clark and brothers Ryan and Josh St. Clair picked up the 3 heat race wins. Shane Clark took off with the early advantage over Ryan St. Clair in the feature as Will Collins filed in behind them. The leaders began navigating heavy lap traffic at halfway and Ryan St. Clair was posed with sudden mechanical troubles, descending through the field after a strong showing all day. Scottie Hall took a spin on lap 31, resulting in a caution.
Will Collins took the charge on the restart and began to pull away. A late-race caution on lap 33 brought the field together once more but Collins’ maintained his edge as the field stacked up behind him. 13 year old Daniel Harding went head to head with veteran Chris Burgess in the closing laps, battling for the final spot on the podium.
Collins took the victory as Shane Clark followed. Daniel Harding beat Chris Burgess at the line, completing the podium. Following post-race inspection, Harding was disqualified due to a tire softener violation and Chris Burgess was awarded third place.
The 2nd season opener was full of exciting racing action in every division, which is a great sign of things to come this season!
Next week, group 1 returns with the Pro Stocks, Super Streets, Thunder 4 Minis, 4-Cylinder Pros and the Wicked Good Vintage Racers. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and the green flag flies at 5:00 pm.
See you there!
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