While most other racetracks in the Northeast canceled their weekly programs on Saturday due to inclement weather, Wiscasset Speedway decided to roll the dice and move forward with their Group 2 racing program. It was a success as the track was able to get in all 4 weekly divisions before the skies opened up.
Pat Murphy and Daniel Harding both won their qualifying heat races in the Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Model division. Murphy held the early advantage in the 40-lap feature as Frank Moulton and Chris Burgess battled it out for second behind him. Trouble was brewing behind the leaders as Tiger Colby and Alex Waltz collided on lap 9, resulting in a caution. Race leader Pat Murphy made the decision to head to the pits under caution due to radio issues, ultimately forfeiting his lead.
Chris Burgess powered to the lead on the restart and began to pull away. Meanwhile, Brett Osmond and Daniel Harding collided while battling for third on lap 19. The two cars got locked together, resulting in another mid-race caution. Chris Burgess held strong on the restart and maintained his lead after another quick caution on lap 21. Patrick Murphy was also back on the charge in the second half of the race, breaking the top 3 on lap 24.
Chris Burgess and Will Collins went head-to-head on a late restart with two laps to go. Sylas Ripley took a hard spin on the restart, miraculously avoiding contact with any of his competitors and the wall. This brought out one final caution. Burgess and Collins squared up again on the final restart and it was a fight to the finish. The drivers came to the line door to door, but Burgess merely edged him out with a .035 margin of victory. This was Chris Burgess’ first career Late Model victory at Wiscasset. Pat Murphy, Daniel Harding and Brent Roy rounded out the top 5.
Jeremy Glazier pulled away with the early lead in the 25-lap feature for the Portland Glass Strictly Streets. A spin on lap 11 brought the field back together but Glazier maintained his advantage on the restart. Drivers behind him began to stack up and Zach Emerson and Ashton Burgess went door to door for third. The two drivers made contact, resulting in Burgess going for a spin.
Jeremy Glazier maintained command on the restart and extended his lead to a full 2 seconds with just 3 laps to go. He continued his dominance through the closing laps, picking up his first feature victory at the track in 14 years. Mac Hannan Jr., Calab Emerson-Mains, Wade Kennedy and Dan McKeage Jr. rounded out the top five.
The night concluded with a 30-lap feature race for the T&L Automotive Modifieds. Ryan Ripley powered to the early lead but a spin by Faith Cleaves brought the field back together on lap 9. Ripley remained steadfast on the restart, pulling away from his competitors. Multi-time champion Adam Chadbourne was also on the move, clearing Scott Trask for third on lap 15. Rookie Garritt McKee Jr. faced mechanical troubles on lap 18, followed by a spin.
Ryan Ripley and Wayne Whitten squared up on the restart, but Ripley was able to maintain his edge. He sailed off into the sunset, picking up his third feature victory of the season in the Modifieds. Wayne Whitten, Adam Chadbourne, Nick Reno and Scott Trask rounded out the top five.
Note: Wiscasset Speedway also hosted the Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Mini’s on Saturday night. Following an unfortunate on-track incident and subsequent elongated red flag on lap 7 of their feature race, track ownership elected to park this division for the remainder of the night. There will be no official results from this race.
Wiscasset Speedway fought the rain on Saturday night, and they won. The track is looking forward to putting the rain in the rearview and focusing on Group 1 Fan Appreciation Night this coming Saturday, July 1st. The driver autograph session and kid’s bike races will take place at 4:00 pm, followed by a full race program at 5:00 pm.
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Photo Credit this week goes to David Montgomery at Mainemonty Media. Thanks, David!
