Oxford Plains Speedway
Adam Polvinen raced his way past early leader Ben Ashline and pulled away to become the sixth different Super Late Model winner in as many races Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Three-time champion and current point leader Tim Brackett of Buckfield finished second, while two-time champion Shawn Martin thrilled fans with a blazing charge up the outside line from 15th on the 17-car grid to claim third. Ashline and Scott Moore of Anson completed the top five.
Polvinen’s first career Super Late Model victory was earned in impressive fashion, as he built a huge lead after diving inside of Ashline to take command at lap 22. Finishing sixth through 10th in the 50-lap trophy dash were Scott Robbins, TJ Brackett, Alan Wilson, JT Thurlow and SLM rookie Josh Childs.
Veteran Street Stock racer Richard Spaulding picked up his first win of the season in a wire-to-wire performance. Spaulding held off a hard-charging Kyle Hewins for top honors, while Calvin Rose Jr. of Turner was third. Zach Emerson and recent winner David Whittier completed the top five.
Shaun Hinkley powered his way to victory in the 20-lap feature for the Bandits. The 2015 class champion from Oxford took the lead from Tyler Green on lap 16 and hung on for top honors. Green settled for second, while Matt Mahar finished third. Bill Grover of Waterford and Oxford’s Jake Hall rounded out the top five.
Defending class champion and Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Jon Lizotte prevailed in the wild and crash-filled Figure 8 battle. The veteran from Lewiston outgunned Dave Smith of South Paris and Eric Hodgkins of Minot for top honors. Kyle Kilgore and Larry Hewins completed the top five.
Alexander earns Pro Stock win at Wiscasset
Wyatt Alexander turned his season around in a big way Saturday, wheeling his No. 96 entry into Victory Lane at Wiscasset Speedway. The young athlete from Ellsworth struggled a bit early on as he expands his racing activity in 2016, driving for Dan Colby as well as his own family-run operation.
Wiscasset strongman Andy Saunders settled for second, while former NASCAR Busch North Series champion Kelly Moore finished third. Scott Chubbuck and Joe Decker rounded out the top five.
“We kicked things off with a strong run at Oxford in April, but the next three races brought wrecks and struggles with the car,” Alexander said. “To pull off this win feels great and lifts a huge weight off our shoulders. To earn it against veterans like Moore, Saunders and Chubbuck is amazing, and now we’ve earned a spot in the $10,000-to-win Pro Stock Nationals at Seekonk on July 12, so I’m thrilled.”
Kamren Knowles prevailed in the New England 4-cylinder Pro Stock feature ahead of Conner Wenners and Jamie Wright. Brooke Knowles and Lisbon’s Jeff Prindall completed the top five. Kevin Girard Jr. won the 25-lap NELCAR Legends tilt, with Bobby Weymouth and Buckfield’s Chris Burgess filling out the podium. Alan Smith and veteran Ed Getty finished fourth and fifth respectively. Marc Lucas (Super Street) and Joe Katula (Thunder 4 Mini’s) were also feature winners Saturday at Wiscasset.
Farrington prevails at foggy Beech Ridge
Jay native and 2014 NASCAR Pro Series champion Dave Farrington Jr. has been striving for feature wins at the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for over five years. It all finally came together on Saturday night, as the Alan Kulwicki Driver Development Program (KDDP) driver wheeled his No. 23 NASCAR Pro Series entry into Victory Lane on a foggy evening in Scarborough.
Farrington’s team overcame a major obstacle Saturday when a broken right front shock had to be replaced. That meant an emergency run to Fairfield (home of Jeff Taylor’s Distance Racing Products) by his father, a trip that paid healthy dividends later on.
“My father and I have been looking for that little bit of extra speed week after week to get to the top,” Farrington explained. “I can’t thank him, this team and our sponsors enough for making it possible.”
Veteran Curtis Gerry put in a solid effort to claim second behind Farrington, while defending Pro Series champion Reid Lanpher of Manchester was third. Corey Bubar and Garrett Hall completed the top five.
Dave Langlais ended a four-year drought when he claimed a hotly-contested Sport Series feature. Ryan Villacci battled tooth-and-nail with Langlais all race long yet settled for second, while Dalton Gagnon finished third. Reggie Leeman and Nick Campbell rounded out the top five.
Adam Lovejoy, a three-time winner in 2015, prevailed in a thrilling feature for the Wildcats. Lovejoy, who drove a different car than the one he used a week earlier on opening day, nipped Chaz Briggs at the line for top honors. Cole Watson, Dave Cameron and Ryan Hewins of Leeds completed the top five.
Feature results from Beech Ridge are unofficial until certified and released on Monday mornings.
Regional Touring Series
Both the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS) and American-Canadian Tour (ACT) were in action over this past weekend. On Friday night, DJ Shaw got the advantage over Derek Griffith on a late-race restart (lap 79) and drove away to win the Seacoast 100 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire.
Bryan Kruczek of Newmarket, NH, finished third, while Barry Gray and Bobby Baillargeon rounded out the top five. Up next for the GSPSS teams is a 100-lap battle at Claremont Speedway on June 17.
Thunder Road strongman and Barre native Nick Sweet came out on top of a race-long battle with defending ACT champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. to claim the People’s United Bank 100 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vermont. Sweet became the series’ first repeat winner in 2016.
Helliwell had taken the lead from Sweet on a lap-92 restart before Sweet dove inside just two laps later to take command for the final time. Helliwell had to fend off the hard-charging Dillon Moltz, allowing Sweet to earn his sixth career ACT victory. Rich Dubeau and Luke Hinkley followed Moltz across the line to complete the top five.
On Saturday, June 18, the ACT teams will compete at Joey Laquerre’s Speedway 51 in Groveton, New Hampshire.
pwhipple@sunjournal.com
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