Two of Maine’s rising super late model stars picked up Saturday night where they left off a week ago in Oxford 250 qualifying — and stepped up the drama considerably.
Once again it was Tyler King of Livermore Falls and Dave Farrington Jr. of Jay proving that the age-old sports rivalry between their communities is alive and well.
This time the battle between King and Farrington was a drag race to the finish line out of the final corner in a 40-lap NASCAR Pro Series feature at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough. King claimed the checkered flag by about six feet, notching his second win of the season a week after skipping a points race in what was an ill-fated attempt to qualify for the 250.
Oxford was a long, winding road for both young drivers. King and Farrington each appeared to qualify for the prestigious event in the first round of qualifying, but each car failed the ride height requirement in post-race inspection and was relegated to the rear of the consolation race.
That resulted in both drivers trying to make the 250 through a last-chance race. After a lengthy battle, it was King by a slim margin over Farrington in the winner-take-all test, only to have the run disallowed yet again when one corner of the car measured too low. Farrington took the spot in the 250.
It took another charge from the rear of the field to produce the dramatic finish to the rematch. Farrington found himself in the second spot behind Mike Fowler at halfway, with King sneaking into the top five around the same time.
Four caution flags slowed the final eight laps, including one for a skirmish that took leaders Fowler and Corey Bubar out of contention. That left King and Farrington free to battle for the victory.
Farrington padded his Whelen All-American Series points lead with his third consecutive runner-up finish and fourth overall. Bobby Timmons charged from 18th starting position to take third and unofficially snag second in the season standings.
King’s teammate, Justin Karkos, entered the night with a slim points advantage in the Wildcat division on the heels of his second win, and he kept pace with a fifth-place run.
Dan Wink scored the victory, with Karkos’ two closest challengers in the championship race, David Vaughn of Naples and Jon Brill of Bridgton, charging across the line second and third.
Frank Wear won the Sport Series feature over Garrett Hall and Russ Morse.
Rose in rare repeat at Wiscasset
Repeat winners have been a rarity in Wiscasset Speedway’s Outlaw Mini division this season, but Calvin Rose Jr. of Turner put his name on the exclusive list with a four-cylinder victory Saturday night.
Starting outside of polesitter Matt Moore of Mechanic Falls, Rose charged to the front on lap 2 and accrued a comfortable advantage.
Darrell Moore (Matt’s cousin and past champion at Oxford) swiped the lead from Rose on a late restart, but Rose retrieved it and held on for the victory, followed by Rob Greenleaf in third, Tim Robinson fourth and Pete McCollett fifth.
Division point leader Jimmy Childs of Leeds finished out of the lead pack after a mid-race, multi-car tangle that also involved Matt Moore and Nate Tribbett.
Wiscasset celebrated its 45th birthday on the special card, with on-track appearances by past champions and a fireworks display accompanying the racing activity.
Nick Hinkley knocked down his third win of the season in a 30-lap Pro Stock feature that attracted a season-high field of 13 cars. John Rideout was second, with Scott Chubbuck third. Chubbuck was the driver who won more than 70 features and five championships with Hinkley’s father, Harold, as his car owner in the 1990s.
Hinkley led from wire-to-wire. Oxford’s Bill Penfold finished seventh, with Maggie Ferland of Auburn ninth.
Ryan Hayes made it back-to-back wins in the New England 4-Cylinder Pro Stock (Allison Legacy) cars, holding off Craig Dunn of Strong for the top spot. Point leader Kamren Knowles was third, with Lisbon’s Jeff Prindall finishing fifth behind Dave Patten.
James Osmond topped the Super Street field ahead of Josh Bailey and Dan Nessmith.
Mayhem ensues at OPS
Oxford Plains Speedway took a week off from weekly racing after the 250, presenting another installment in its Motor Mayhem series Friday night.
Dustin Salley won the “big car” enduro event ahead of Rob Lowe and Kurt Hewins. In the small car scramble, Hewins showed the way with Mike St. Germain second and Lowe third. Hewins also won a flagpole race.
Brian Darling edged Robert Kahkonen in a spectator drags final that ended with a brief confrontation in victory lane. Doug Dixon was voted winner of the smoky donut show, while Josh Toothaker prevailed in a truck tug-o’-war.
Conventional racing returns from Friday to its historical Saturday night time slot at OPS this week.
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