OXFORD — Rising star and talented rookie Austin Teras took another big step in his racing career on Saturday, earning his first career Super Late Model victory in convincing fashion in the 50-lap Trophy Dash at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Teras, 15, of Gray, took the lead away from early front-runner Ryan Deane of Winterport, then outran former track champion Scott Robbins of Dixfield to the checkered flag. Robbins, who has been fast all season, claimed runner-up honors, while four-time track champion Tim Brackett of Buckfield filled out the podium.
Gabe Brown, of Center Conway, New Hampshire, who like Teras is a 15-year-old Super Late Model rookie, unofficially took over the points lead with a solid fourth-place finish. Defending Oxford Plains Speedway SLM champion Alan Tardiff of Lyman rounded out the top-five.
Zach Bowie, of Turner, wasted no time getting to the front of the Street Stock field, taking the lead away from Andrew Breton of Greene, and then fending off all challenges throughout the extended, 50-lap race distance.
Closest to Bowie under the checkered flag was Turner’s Matt Dufault, whose runner-up finish kept him atop the championship standings. Multi-time winner and Livermore native Tyler King picked up the third-place trophy. Garry Babineau of Hollis and Lisbon’s Rick Spaulding filled out the top five.
Poland-based racer Patrick Sullivan earned his second career PASS Modified victory in an entertaining 40-lap race for the open-wheel division. Sullivan took the lead back from defending series champion and current points leader Ben Tinker of New Gloucester when lapped traffic forced the division kingpin from the top spot.
Tinker battled back to claim runner-up honors, just ahead of recent winner Gary Shackford. Modified veteran Matty Sanborn finished in fourth position, followed by Freeport’s Jariet Harrison.
David Whittier prevailed in a highly-competitive 20-lap tilt for the Bandits. A half-dozen cars finished nose-to-tail after swapping positions throughout the affair. Whittier’s stiffest test came from his car owner and teammate, runner-up Kyle Hewins of Leeds.
Minot’s Rob Crepeau rode the high groove to a third-place finish. Poland’s Dustin Salley unofficially stayed atop the Bandit division championship standings after finishing in the fourth position. Kurt Hewins of Leeds rounded out the top five, just ahead of the previous week’s winner Chad Wills.
Kyle Kilgore, of South Paris, stayed atop the championship standings with his second win of the season in the Figure 8 race. Oxford’s Kyle Glover earned a career-best second-place finish in the wild 20-lap event. Lisbon veteran Dale Lawrence was third under the checkered flag, followed by Greg Durgin of South Paris and Poland’s Larry Lizotte.
Rowe wins again at Beech Ridge
He’s been winning races not only all over New England, but up and down the eastern seaboard in a career that now spans 50 years. Sixty-seven-year-old Hall of Fame driver Mike Rowe added another trophy to his case on Saturday, wheeling the Mike Fowler-owned No. 24 Pro Series entry into Victory Lane after a thrilling performance at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
Rowe, of Turner, started ninth on the 15-car grid and took the lead from Wayne Helliwell Jr. on lap 26 with a power move to the outside. Bangor native and longtime Pro All Stars Series (PASS) regular Gary Smith was fast all night and finished second, while East Parsonsfield veteran Trevor Sanborn filled out the podium in third.
Former Oxford 250 winner Helliwell settled for fourth in the Bruce Bernhardt-owned No. 27, while recent winner Corey Bubar completed the top five. Helliwell and Bubar earned qualifying heat wins.
In an action-packed feature for the Sport Series, multi-time Beech Ridge champion Richard Pelton survived the carnage and earned top honors over some stiff competition. Pelton took over the point from Matt Dow with just three laps remaining in the feature.
Dow settled for second, while Terry Merrill crossed the stripe in third. Joe Pastore put in a solid effort to secure fourth at the line, while red-hot Devin Curit finished fifth after leading twice for five laps. Pelton’s margin of victory over Dow was a scant .314 seconds, bringing the crowd to its feet. Curit and Pelton won their respective qualifying heats.
Former Oxford Plains Speedway regular Josh Childs notched his first career victory at Beech Ridge on Saturday, wheeling his brand new Wildcat entry into Victory Lane in convincing style. The Oxford native drove inside of early leader Brian Caswell on lap 21 and pulled away to earn top honors.
Caswell settled for second, while Beech Ridge veteran Dave Cameron filled out the podium. Standish native Wade Kennedy struggled early on but wheeled his new car up to fourth at the line, with fan favorite Cole Watson rounding out the top five. Childs and Caswell won their qualifying heats.
Douglass notches win at Wiscasset
Kevin Douglass seemingly powered his way to victory in the 40-lap Trophy Dash for Pro Stocks on Saturday night at Wiscasset Speedway, only to have his car fail post-race inspection and incur a 10-position penalty. Douglass, of Sidney, had held off Pittsfield native Brian Whitney for top honors. Woolwich-based racer Jamie Wright was third across the finish line but was moved to the runner-up spot after Douglass’ penalty.
Former Oxford regular and 250 winner Jeremy Whorff, of Bath, was awarded third, while local favorite James Osmond and Kevin Morse rounded out the re-shuffled top five. Douglass will get credit for an 11th-place finish.
Harpswell veteran Mark Lucas earned his first win of 2018 in a 25-lap battle for the Super Street class. Zac Poland chased Lucas throughout yet settled for runner-up honors, while Mike Hodgkins of Jefferson finished a solid third. Mike Harrison (Durham) and Jason Oakes (Boothbay) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Spencer Sweatt wheeled his way to victory in a 25-lap contest for the Thunder 4 Mini division. The driver from Albion held off a hard-charging Travis Poulliot for top honors, while Caleb Emerson-Mains filled out the podium in third.
Rounding out the list of feature winners on Saturday evening in Wiscasset was young Hayden Norris. The talented athlete from Gardiner outgunned Lisbon veteran Jeff Prindall to earn his fourth straight victory in 4-Cyl. Pros, while Jay’s Larry Melcher put in a solid effort to secure third. Connor Wenners (Edgecomb) and Craig Dunn (Strong) completed the top five.
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