The racing action kicked off with a 25-lap feature from the Brackett’s Market 4-Cylinder Pro division. Andy Kaherl took off with the early lead in the feature and led the charge until lap 7, where he was overtaken by Sylas Ripley. Reed Reno, making his first start as a fourth generation driver at Wiscasset Speedway, took a spin on lap 20 in addition to Josh Hall. This resulted in a late-race caution. Sylas Ripley powered ahead on the restart, but chaos was erupting behind the leader as Ben Burgess made hard contact with Callahan Cox. The race ended under yellow-checkered conditions as Sylas Ripley took the checkered flag. Ben Burgess was penalized due to the late-race contact and Daniel Harding and Taylor Lane rounded out the official lap 3.

Following driver introductions, sixteen Super Modified drivers took to the track for their 45-lap main event. Kenny White took off with a hearty lead early, extending his lead to half a straightaway by lap 3. White began to approach lap traffic on lap 11 and while attempting to put Matt Merry a lap down, the two drivers made hard contact in turn 3. This resulted in a red flag and both drivers were lucky to walk away under their own power. The unfortunate incident catapulted Bobby Timmons into the top spot, who began pulling away from his competitors. 

A red flag for a 4-car pile-up on lap 14 brought the field back together, but Bobby Timmons was able to maintain his advantage on the restart. He extended his lead to a full straightaway by lap 25 and began to approach heavy lap traffic with ten laps to go. Timmons held strong through the finish, picking up his second 350 SMAC Tour victory of the season and his first career win at Wiscasset Speedway. Dave Helliwell and Ben Tinker rounded out the top 3. 

Bill Pinkham held the early command in the 30-lap Market 27 Super Streets feature. A pile-up at the tail end of the pack brought the field back together early, but Bill Pinkham held onto his lead following the restart. Bubba Pelton was also on the move early, overtaking Matt Beers for the runner-up spot on lap 7 before taking over the top spot on lap 10. Pelton held a full straightaway lead by lap 20 but began approaching heavy lap traffic in the closing laps of the feature. Pelton was able to maneuver through the pack, picking up his second feature victory of the season. Matt Beers and Bill Pinkham rounded out the podium.

Gunner Josselyn took off with the early lead in the 25-lap Sweatt’s Concrete Thunder 4 Mini feature. Zach Audet and Derek Cook tangled on lap 4, resulting in an early caution. Cook retired to the pits following the incident while Audet was forced to restart at the tail-end of the field. Zach Audet cut the field in half following the restart while Jeff Farrington powered to the lead over Gunner Josselyn. Zach Audet was still on the move and riding Jeff Farrington’s heels, quickly overtaking the top spot. Audet held off a hard-charging Shane Webber in the closing laps of the feature, scoring his third feature victory of the season in the division. Jeff Farrington rounded out the top 3.

The Norm’s Used Cars Pro Stocks rounded out the night with a final 40-lap feature. Logan Melcher took off with the early lead over Steve Chicoine, but Kevin Douglass was on the move early. Douglass began to blister through the field, taking over the runner-up spot on lap 9. He continued his pursuit in the coming laps, pulling to the lead over Logan Melcher on lap 12. Douglass extended his lead to a full straightaway by the halfway point of the race and never looked back, securing his fourth feature victory of the 2022 season. Logan Melcher and Kelly Moore followed, rounding out the top 3.

The 350 SMAC Tour was a wonderful addition to the racing program on Saturday, but the add-ons keep coming as the Wicked Good Vintage racers join the Group #2 program this coming Saturday, August 6th. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and racing will commence at 5:00 pm. As always, grandstand admission is just $5 for adults and free for kids 6 & under.

Please continue to support your local short tracks and help them thrive for years to come!

See you next time!

Please consider donating to Chasing the Checkered as the website and Chasing the Checkered community are not monetized! All money donated will go directly back into the website and will cover monthly website expenses, promotional materials, traveling/gas costs and more. Thank you for your support!

Cover Photo Credit goes to the 350 SMAC Tour – Facebook.

The post Bobby Timmons Claims 350 SMAC Victory at Wiscasset Speedway appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

21 competitors joined the Sport Series field on Sunday, making for an impressive turnout for the mid-level division.

The Sport Series racing action kicked off with two 12 lap qualifying heats. Frank Wear, Colby Meserve and Todd Libby tangled on the backstretch on the initial lap of the heat, resulting in an early caution. Libby took the brunt of the damage and was thankfully able to walk away from the carnage, but his #80 machine was heavily damaged from the impact.

Dominic Curit pulled ahead with a slight advantage on the restart. But, trouble was brewing behind the leaders once again as Ryan Robinson took a spin in turn 3. The incident led to another caution.

Dominic Curit powered away with the lead on the restart. Joe Pastore was also quickly navigating through the field, going from last to fifth in just 4 laps.

Kenny Harrison came to life mid-race, challenging Dylan Thyng for the runner-up spot. Joe Pastore was still clawing his way to the front, advancing to fourth over Matt Beers on lap 10.

Dominic Curit continued to hold off his competitors in the closing laps of the race, scoring the heat victory as Dylan Thyng beat Kenny Harrison to the line for the runner-up spot.

Nick Calvert powered to the early lead over Justin Cusack, running a #61 tribute car, in the second and final Sport Series heat. Unfortunately for Calvert, his reign didn’t take long as Bubba Pelton overtook the lead on lap 2.

Robbie Harrison fell out of the racing groove on lap 3, eventually coming to a slow in turn 1. This resulted in an early race caution.

Bubba Pelton pulled ahead with the advantage on the restart. Further on back in the field, Ben Tinker was on the move, advancing to third over PJ Merrill on lap 5. Tinker continued his pursuit in the coming laps, challenging Nick Calvert for the runner-up spot. Tinker succeeded on lap 7, capturing sole possession of the spot.

Bubba Pelton was long gone at the front of the pack, ultimately picking up the heat victory. Ben Tinker and Nick Calvert rounded out the top 3.

Paying homage to the old racing days at Beech Ridge, all Sport Series drivers stopped on the front stretch for out of car driver introduction’s before the start of their 50 lap feature race.

Dominic Curit and Bubba Pelton battled it out for the early lead in the feature. This lasted just briefly, as Pelton quickly got the leg up on Curit and began to pull away from his competitors.

Ben Tinker made his way to Dylan Thyng’s inside door on lap 6, challenging for third. Tinker took over the following lap as Kenny Harrison followed in succession.

Joe Pastore was also on the move early, overtaking Kenny Harrison for fourth on lap 14. In the coming laps, Pastore quickly began to mow down the competition, picking off Ben Tinker and Dominic Curit to land himself in the runner-up spot.

Colby Meserve’s struggles continued on lap 24 as he came to a slow in turn 2 before making the dreaded righthand turn into the pits. Carnage followed as Curt Gleason and Steve Benincasa made heavy contact on lap 26. The field remained green, but Benincasa was forced to the pits following the impact.

Gleason took a spin on lap 32 and backed his #4 machine into the turn 2 wall, resulting in a late race caution.

Joe Pastore and Bubba Pelton ignited a deadlocked battle for the lead once the field went green, but trouble was on the horizon as Jim Colpritt and Curt Gleason tangled on lap 33. This led to another caution.

Bubba Pelton got a jump on Joe Pastore on the restart and attempted to pull away from his competitor. But, Pastore wasn’t giving up without a fight.

Justin Cusack cut a right front tire down on lap 47, resulting in the driver coming to a stop in turn 4 the following lap. This set the stage for a final two lap shootout.

It was a drag race to the finish between Bubba Pelton and Joe Pastore, with both drivers crossing the finish line completely sideways. This made for the second wild finish of the night with another slim margin of victory.

What was the margin this time around, you may ask? .065 seconds.

After some disputing and sleuthing was done by race control, Bubba Pelton was deemed the official race winner. Ben Tinker, Bobby Nadeau and Chris Smith rounded out the top five.

All competitors truly laid it all out on the track on Sunday, putting on the best sendoff show for the fans. You truly couldn’t have asked for a better finish in the Sport Series.

Please continue to support our Sport Series drivers by visiting Wiscasset Speedway on Saturday, October 9th for the Ward & Sons Construction Super 100. This is the second installment in the Sport Series/Super Street challenge series. The racing action kicks off at 2:00 pm and admission is just $5 for kids of ALL ages.

Continue chasing the checkered & support our local short tracks. This is more important now than ever before.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on how we can potentially save our short track, please join the Save Beech Ridge Speedway group on Facebook.

#weareBRMS and will get through this together.

Cover photo credit goes to my amazing friend Jamie Williams at Finish Line Photography.

The post Bubba Pelton Scores Big in Sport Series Finale at Beech Ridge appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

Beech Ridge Motor Speedway hosted their annual “Super Saturday” this past weekend, one of the most anticipated racing events of the season. The night would feature 125 laps for the Pro Series, 100 laps for the Sport Series and 50 laps for the Wildcats division. With Oxford Plains Speedway having an off week, a handful of new drivers made the trip to Scarborough to race in the 125 lap Pro Series feature, including Ben Tinker and young gun, Ivan Kaffel.

The night started out with the typical 12 lap heats for the division. But, instead of heats being sorted by points (low points heat first, followed by high points) position, heat positions were decided by random draw due to the race being a blanket points race. Dave Farrington, Jr. took off with the early lead in the first heat with Dave Oliver in tow. Oliver made his way to Farrington’s inside on lap 3, eventually clearing him for the lead on lap 5. Josh Childs pulled to the outside of Craig Weinstein on lap 5, challenging him for third. He cleared him on lap 8, settling in behind the leaders. Dave Oliver took home the heat victory, followed by Farrington and Childs.

Ivan Kaffel and Nick Cusack started on the front row in the second Pro Series heat. Cusack pulled away early, but the competition was hot on his heels. The top 3 went 3-wide on lap 1 in turn 4, with Kaffel being shuffled to the rear of the pack. Mike Rowe made his way to the inside of Nick Cusack on lap 3, challenging him for the top spot. Trevor Sanborn was also on the move mid-heat, challenging Bill Rodgers for third on lap 6.

Nick Cusack, Mike Rowe and Trevor Sanborn went 3-wide for the lead again on lap 8, with Cusack holding onto the spot. Trevor Sanborn powered into the runner-up spot and later made his way to the inside of Nick Cusack on lap 10, challenging him for the top spot. Cusack was able to hold him off, scoring his first heat victory of the season. Mike Rowe rounded out the top 3.

Once the fields were set, it was time for the 125 lap feature. Dave Oliver and Nick Cusack went head-to-head on the initial start, with Oliver finally clearing him for the spot on lap 4. Both Nick Cusack and Trevor Sanborn caught up to Dave Oliver by lap 17, initiating a 3-way battle for the lead. The battle had settled down by lap 22, with Nick Cusack and Trevor Sanborn settling into line behind Oliver. 

Dave Farrington, Jr. was also on the move, challenging Corey Bubar for fifth on lap 48. Bubar held him off, later clearing Mike Rowe for fourth on lap 50. The leaders were settling a blistering pace, catching the tail-end of the field by lap 60. After battling it out for position for a handful of laps, Farrington finally cleared Mike Rowe for fifth on lap 65. Josh Childs took a spin on lap 69 in turn 1, leading to the first caution of the feature. Trevor Sanborn came to a slow on the backstretch coming to the restart, having to be pushed to the pits after having a strong showing over the course of the night.

Dave Oliver elected the outside line for the restart, with Nick Cusack starting on his inside. Cusack powered away with the lead on the restart, but Farrington was quick to challenge him. Donnie Colpritt, Jr. took a spin on lap 73 in turn 2, leading to another caution.

Nick Cusack held the edge on the restart, but both Farrington and Corey Bubar were on his toes. Josh Childs and Bill Rodgers made contact while battling it out for position on lap 100, with Rodgers taking a hard slide into the turn 4 dirt and leading to another caution.

Dave OIiver powered by Corey Bubar on the restart, moving back up to third. Ivan Kaffel was all over Ben Tinker for fifth place on lap 119, hungry to capture a top five. Farrington and Cusack continued to battle it out until the very end, with Cusack edging out Farrington at the finish line by a .037 margin of victory and snapping a winless streak in absolutely spectacular fashion. Dave Oliver, Corey Bubar and Ben Tinker (scoring his first top 5 of the season in his SLM) rounded out the top five.

The Pro Series put on a spectacular show for the fans, racing a hard and clean race over the course of 125 laps. Nick Cusack and Dave Farrington, Jr. put on a Heck of a race over the course of the last 25 laps and pulled off what may be one of the closest finishes of the season. This builds more excitement for the division as the season continues to roll on.

Check out my full Wildcats recap here and my full Sport Series recap here.

The speedway will attempt to start the Thursday Night Thunder season (again!) this coming Thursday, June 27th. The racing action begins at 7:00 pm, adult admission is only $7 and kids 12 and under get in free!

NASCAR Nite is back to its regular programming next Saturday, June 29th. The racing action begins at 7:00 pm, adult admission is only $12 and kids 12 and under get in free!

As always, thank you to my website sponsors Texas Roadhouse Scarborough, Four Season Synthetic and Drown Excavation. Your support is much appreciated!

The post Nick Cusack Wins Thrilling Pro Series 100-Lapper at Beech Ridge appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

After a rain-out washed away Saturday’s PASS events at Oxford Plains Speedway, drivers and teams returned to the track early Sunday Morning to resume the full schedule of events.

The day’s events included the PASS Modified season finale, where 2017 Modified champion, Ben Tinker, came into the day with the points lead once again.

Kate Re took off with the early lead in the first 10-lap qualifying heat. Jairet Harrison and Matty Sanborn were both on her heels, making it a 3-way battle for the top spot on lap 2.

Sanborn took over the lead on lap 3, pulling away from the competition.

Wayne Allard had troubles early in the heat, taking a spin on lap 4 in turn 1. The incident led to the first caution of the heat.

Matty Sanborn was able to hold off his competitors after the field went green once again, taking home the heat victory.

Bruce Helmuth pulled away with the early lead in the second 10-lap qualifying heat.

Ben Tinker was on the move, stealing the third spot away from Spencer Morse on lap 5.

Morse wasn’t backing down without a fight, pulling alongside Tinker to challenge him for the spot once again on lap 7. He successfully cleared Tinker the following lap, pulling away with the position.

Bruce Helmuth held onto his lead, sailing into the heat victory.

With the field set, it was time for the final 40-lap feature of the 2018 season.

Mark Napolitano faced troubles before the feature even began, with the right front of his #14 machine igniting in flames before any green flag laps were made.

Napolitano pulled to the pits, retiring from the competition far earlier than anticipated.

Kate Re took off with the early lead in the feature, but trouble was brewing a little further back in the field.

Bruce Helmuth cut down a tire on lap 3, taking a spin through turn 2 before heading down to the pits. Spencer Morse also took a spin in the same turn. The incident led to the first caution of the feature.

Gary Shackford advanced into the runner-up spot over Jairet Harrison on lap 7. 

By lap 12, Shackford was all over Kate Re for the race lead.

Re was unaffected by the pressure at her back bumper, still controlling the lead at the halfway mark of the feature.

After his previous incident earlier in the feature, Spencer Morse slowly began to make his way back to the front of the pack, breaking into the top 4 on lap 7.

A handful of laps down, Bruce Helmuth rejoined the field on lap 7.

Matty Sanborn was on a mission late-race, breaking into the top 3 on lap 30.

Kate Re was able to hold off her hungry competitors, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd as she crossed the finish line.

At just 14 years old, Re is unable to compete at a handful of tracks on the PASS schedule. While out of the #10, she is able to learn and take notes from fellow drivers, like Derek Kneeland and Trevor Sanborn, who take control of the wheel in her absence.

Those notes paid off, as Kate Re pulled into Victory Lane with the first place trophy and Rookie Of the Year honors in the division.

While Gary Shackford and Matty Sanborn joined Kate Re in the winner’s circle, Ben Tinker had a celebration of his own.

After another successful season, Ben Tinker took home his second consecutive PASS Modified championship. 

The past few weeks haven’t been the easiest for Tinker and the #19 team, as a rough crash at Beech Ridge just a few short weeks ago left the team with a torn-up machine.

Fellow competitor, Patrick Sullivan, allowed Tinker to borrow his machine to finish out the season strong.

Tinker thanked Patrick as well as his friends and family in his championship speech, sharing the news that 2018 is likely his last season in the division.

Tinker he has plans to move into a Super Late Model in 2019.

As one seasoned racer in the division has plans to move on to bigger and better things in 2019, young drivers like Kate Re are just beginning to make their mark in the series.

One thing’s for sure, 2019 is sure to be exciting and full of many changes.

Until then, you can catch the PASS North series finale on Saturday, October 27th at Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk, Massachusetts.

Will you be there?

Thank you again to Drown Excavation and Four Season Synthetic for their endless support for Chasing the Checkered. Contact Drown Excavation for all of your demolition and excavation needs and Four Season Synthetic for all of your oil, lube and filter needs!

The post 14-Year-Old Kate Re Scores Her First Career Modified Victory at OPS appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.