With rain plaguing the Northeast every weekend, it’s safe to say that June has not been too kind to race fans. After ending their group 2 race program prematurely 2 weekends ago due to weather, Wiscasset Speedway was hoping for brighter skies for Saturday’s $3,000 to win Shipbuilders Pro Stock 100, presented by General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works. Unfortunately, it was quite the opposite as the track battled scattered rain showers throughout the day.
Despite the weather, the speedway still decided to give it a go and introduced an abbreviated program. This moved the racing up one hour and cut qualifying heat races for all support divisions. Nick Hinkley, Josh St. Clair and Jeremy Davis topped the speed charts in practice for the Norm’s Used Cars Pro Stocks. Josh St. Clair went on to capture the first heat win over Dan McKeage, Jr. while Kevin Douglass picked up the win in the other.
Following heat races for the Pro Stocks, the Kennebec Equipment Rental Thunder 4 Minis took to the track for their 25-lap feature. Drivers were 3-wide for the lead early, with Ricky Austin taking over the top spot. There was some mid-pack melee on lap 1 as an on-track incident collected Gunner Josselyn, Kyle Willette and Zach Audet.
Derek Cook took over shortly following the restart, but Zach Audet made a quick recovery from the early incident and began making his way through the field. He entered the top 5 on lap 5 and continued his pursuit in the coming laps, officially taking over the lead on lap 8. He sailed off into the sunset, picking up another feature win in the division. Derek Cook and Spencer Sweatt followed, rounding out the podium.
Drivers, spotters, race control and teams were well aware of the wet weather approaching the area, but the Ship Builders 100 took off without a hitch. Josh St. Clair took off with the early lead, but Nick Hinkley was fast approaching, clearing Dan McKeage, Jr. for third on lap 7.
Kevin Douglass was biting into Josh St. Clair’s lead little by little and made his way to St. Clair’s outside on lap 29, swiftly taking over the top spot. Meanwhile, Logan Melcher and Dan McKeage, Jr. were going door to door for fourth. Battles were happening all over the track as Nick Hinkley made his way to Josh St. Clair’s inside on lap 32, challenging for the runner-up spot.
Jamie Wright took a sudden spin in front of the leaders on lap 39, prompting a caution. Josh St. Clair reclaimed the top spot following the restart, but just held a slight edge over Kevin Douglass, who was glued to his door as Nick Hinkley lingered closely behind. Jeremy Davis also entered the fray on lap 52, making it a 4-way battle for the top spot.
Josh St. Clair got bent out of shape on lap 65, forfeiting the lead back to Kevin Douglass. It was a dog fight for second on back, which resulted in devastation on lap 68 as Josh St. Clair, Jeremy Davis and Nick Hinkley all tangled, resulting in an untimely caution as the rain started to fall. The race was deemed official under yellow and Kevin Douglass picked up the win, his third in three races at the track. Logan Melcher and Matt Beers followed, completing the top 3.
Unfortunately, Wiscasset had lost the track at this point due to the rain and the remaining races were called off. Make-up feature races for both the Brackett’s Market 4-Cylinder Pros and Gosline Insurance Group Super Streets will be announced at a later date.
Mother Nature won the battle yet again, but Team Wiscasset hopes that the sky will clear for 350 SMAC Night this coming Saturday, July 6th. The program will feature all Group 2 divisions plus the visiting 350 SMAC Super Modifieds, who always put on a great show.
The green flag flies at 5:00 pm and as always, adult grandstand admission is just $5!
See you there!
As always, thank you to Jasen Dickey Photography for providing all featured photos this week. Check out his awesome portfolio here!
