Wiscasset Speedway hosted their first Group 2 night race of the season on Saturday, featuring the Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis, Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Models, T&L Automotive Modifieds, Portland Glass Strictly Streets and the flex Chestnut Auto Roadrunners division. The night was deemed “Fast & Furious” night by track announcer Nick Huff and the racing program that followed surely lived up to its name.
The night kicked off with a 40-lap spotlight feature for the Outlaw Minis. Multi-time champion Jimmy Childs won the qualifying heat race and pulled ahead with the early lead in the feature. His division rival Zach Audet was also on the move early, clearing Jeff Farrington for the runner-up spot on lap 5. Defending champion Kyle Willette and Craig Robbins tangled on lap 7, resulting in a caution. Kyle Willette took the “Gentleman’s Rule” after the contact, allowing Robbins his spot back as he restarted at the tail-end of the field.
A spin by Bryan Robbins on lap 14 brought the field back together and Jimmy Childs and Zach Audet went head-to-head on the restart as Kyle Willette maneuvered to third place after overcoming prior struggles in both the heat and feature. A late-race caution on lap 30 was followed by another red flag due to a hard hit by Ian Fraser in turn 3 on the restart. This resulted in the race being reduced to 35 laps by race control. Zach Audet got the one-up on Jimmy Childs on the restart and pulled away, picking up the victory. Kyle Willette rounded out the top 3.
The Late Models took to the track next for their 40-lap feature race. Chaos ensued from the get-go as multiple drivers tangled on the initial start. Drivers collected included Ben Ashline, Shane Clark and Daniel Harding. This started a chain reaction of cautions which resulted in a call for single file restarts. When this didn’t work, the field was parked until the conclusion of the Roadrunners feature.
Once the field returned to the track, Ryan St. Clair took charge and began to pull away from his competitors. Two cautions followed and the leaders jumped the start on the second restart, forcing Ryan back to the second row per Wiscasset rules. He quickly overtook his grandpa Dave St. Clair for the runner-up spot and made his way to Jon Emerson’s outside on lap 25. St. Clair swiftly took over the top spot and pulled away for a final time, capturing the victory. Jon Emerson and Will Collins rounded out the podium.
Alec Brown took off in the 20-lap Roadrunners feature, but Noah McGrath was on his heels, taking over the top spot on lap 3. Opening Day winner Chip Farrington was also on the move, clearing Kyle Enman for the runner-up spot on lap 6. He reeled in Noah McGrath in the closing laps of the race, diving to his inside and subsequently taking over the top spot with 3 to go. Farrington held strong, picking up his second consecutive victory. Noah McGrath and Kyle Enman rounded out the top 3.
Adam Chadbourne held the early lead over Steve Reno in the 30-lap Modified feature. Meanwhile, trouble struck early for both Nick Reno and Scott Trask as both drivers spun in the opening laps of the race. Both were able to keep rolling as the field stayed green. Wayne Whitten clipped the slower lap down cars of Mark Simond on lap 16, causing Simond to spin. This resulted in a mid-race caution. Chadbourne maintained his edge on the restart, but his #1 machine blew up for the second straight week on lap 19, resulting in a late-race caution. Ryan Ripley took over the top spot on the restart, but two late-race cautions brought the field back together once again, leading to a 10-lap shootout. After all of his early-race struggles, Nick Reno powered to the top spot on the final restart. He held off Ryan Ripley in the closing laps, picking up the victory. Nick’s father, Steve Reno, rounded out the top 3.
The night’s program concluded with a 25-lap feature from the Strictly Streets. Calab Emerson-Mains took off with the early lead in the feature, but multiple cautions halted the racing action and created a start-stop effect. Two consecutive cautions and a red flag on lap 18 also resulted in a single file restart with just 7 laps to go. Emerson-Mains held strong on the restart, pulling ahead of Zach Emerson as Dan McKeage Jr., Mac Hannan Jr. and Kurt Hewins went 3-wide for third behind the leaders. Hannan won the battle for third, but Calab Emerson-Mains took home the whole pot, snapping a nearly 4-year winless streak and scoring his first career Strictly Street victory at Wiscasset Speedway.
The racing action was surely heated on Saturday night at Wiscasset Speedway but Group 2 drivers will have a chance to cool down next week as all Group 1 drivers return to the track on May 20th for their third race of the 2023 season. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and the green flag flies at 5:00 pm!
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