JOSH ST. CLAIR TAKES A WIN AT 95

 

Three generations of the racing St. Clair family of Liberty, Maine showed up Sunday afternoon at Speedway 95 for the Dysart’s Late Model 50 lap feature event and Josh, the youngest racer of the group, son of Puncin and grandson of Dave, went home with the victory. Joey Doyon of Winterport started the event on the pole, with Dave St. Clair lined up on the outside, as both had won the preliminary qualifying races. At the drop of the green, Doyon jumped to the lead and held it until lap 23 when Matt Eaton of Deer Isle blew a right front tire and crashed into the front stretch retaining wall while racing Doyon for the lead. On the restart, Josh St. Clair powered past Doyon  to take the lead, which he held to the checkers, 27 laps later. Greg Morse of St. Albans, in his first outing of the season, ran St. Clair down, but was unable to make the pass in the closing laps and settled for a runner up finish. 95 Regular Dale Swoboda of Hermon finished the event in third, followed by Doyon and Bradley’s Deane Smart.

 

Steve Moulton of Holden took the early lead in the 25 lap Super Street feature event last week and held off a tough challenge from Hermon’s Kris Watson to post his first win of the 2009 season. Watson challenged Moulton continually over the course of the race, and even tried a NASCAR “bump and run on the final lap, but Moulton withstood the challenge and drove under the checkered flag first, with Watson still hot on his bumper. Watson finished second with newcomer Jeremy Glasier of Appleton coming home third. A regular competitor at Wiscasset Raceway, Glasier said he was impatient with the late start to the Wiscasset season and was up at 95 getting in some spring racing, and then, who knows what?  Pole sitter Mike Overlock of Franklin finished the event in fourth spot followed by Hermon’s Doug Sinclair in fifth.

 

Bradley Norris of Ellsworth made it two in a row last week as he won the 25 lap Strictly Street feature when early leader Travis Poulin of Holden had ignition problems that slowed his pace and allowed Norris to pass for the lead on lap 21. Poulin had led from the start and seemed on his way to a certain win when his problems struck. Poulin finished in second with the father son team of Shawn Hamel and Shawn Hamel II of Bangor finished in third and fourth respectively. The four car field in the Strictly Street division seems to be due to some of last year’s drivers forming a boycott of the speedway in protest of some rules changes they voted on in the driver’s meeting, but began to disagree with over the course of the winter. When further changes couldn’t be agreed on, the decision by the boycotters to not participate this year was made. The dispute seems to be mainly about the track tire the division will be running on this season. This writer has not yet spoken with any of the boycotting drivers, so will end the discussion here. More to come as the season progresses, I’m sure.

 

David Green of Hampden won his second feature of the young season last Sunday afternoon, but it was nowhere as easy as his win the week before. Green chased down early leader James Johnson II of Bucksport for almost the entire 25 lap distance before he made the pass for the lead on lap 23. It really wasn’t a pass for the lead, it was mostly nudging a bumper ahead at the finish line for the last two laps, as Johnson wasn’t about to give up the lead willingly. Johnson fought back on the outside but Green was able to keep his Mustang about half a car length at the checkers. Johnson had his career best finish with that second place finish last week. Ralph Allen of Hermon watched the leaders battle for the win from behind, as he finished the event in third. Tim Robinson of Clinton was fourth, followed by Stetson’s Gary Richards.

 

The NELCAR Legends series made it’s second appearance of the season at Speedway 95 with Max Zachem of Preston Connecticut taking the win he felt was stolen from him last week by a blown engine. Zachem passed 16 year old Durham Me. driver Evan Beaulieu on the 12th lap and led the field to the finish. Preston said in his post race interview that it was worth the 5 hour drive up 95 to get his first win of the young season. Beaulieu finished in second, with Bob Weymouth of Topsham in third. Opening day winner Charlie Buxton of Windham finished fourth with Scarborough’s Tyler Jordan in fifth.

 

Coming back for it’s second appearance at the speedway was the Wicked Good Vintage Racing League. This week they brought their Late Model and Outlaw divisions. On opening day it was the Bomber and Modified  divisions making the appearance. The feature event was won by the League’s organizer Tim Reynolds of Bradley, in a 41 Lincoln. The victory was hard fought, as Ken Robinson of E. Machias kept his 49 Plymouth alongside Reynold’s Lincoln for the last 5 laps of the event, making the outcome in doubt right to the end. Mike Millette of Bradley was third in a 40 Oldsmobile, with Machias driver Alan Robinson fourth in a 65 Buick Special. John Rice of Bristol was fifth in a 72 Ford Torino.