OXFORD — It took a whole lot of patience and a ton of hard work, but short track veteran Scott McDaniel finally sealed the deal, earning his first career Super Late Model victory Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.
McDaniel, of Livermore, powered around the outside of 16-year-old rookie Ivan Kaffel on lap 36 to take command in a caution-free 50-lap feature. Kaffel, of Raymond, claimed a career-best runner-up finish, with Winterport’s Ryan Deane filling out the podium in third.
Former Street Stock champion Calvin Rose Jr., of Turner, wheeled his new car across the stripe in fourth, while multi-time PASS champion Johnny Clark completed the top-five.
Tyler King raced to his third victory of the season in a 30-lap tilt for the Street Stock division. King, of Livermore, started 11th on the 14-car grid, drove inside of Patrick Thorne at lap nine to take control and held off challenges from current points leader Matt Dufault to earn top honors.
King and Dufault were chased under the checkered flag by Lisbon’s Rick Spaulding, who is also having a strong start to his 2018 season. Jordan Russell, of Norway, was fourth across the line, while Turner’s Zach Bowie of Turner rounded out the top five.
Rob Crepeau claimed his first win of 2018 in Bandits division action. Crepeau, of Minot, made a three-wide move into the race lead and held off current points leader Dustin Salley until the checkered flag waved. Chris Foster led the race early on and posted an impressive third-place finish.
Josh Knoll of Wells and Waterford’s Jamie Heath filled out the top five.
Lisbon veteran Dale Lawrence held off championship points leader Kyle Kilgore of South Paris to post his second victory of the year in the 20-lap Figure 8 feature. Lewiston’s Jon Lizotte crossed the line in third as his car went up in smoke, carrying the Hall of Fame driver to a podium finish before expiring.
Lizotte is second on the all-time win list at Oxford with 113 victories to his credit.
Gerry back on top at The Ridge
Former Pro Series champion and 2017 Oxford 250 winner Curtis Gerry got back into a position he’s been quite comfortable in on Saturday, wheeling his Ripley & Fletcher Ford Fusion into Victory Lane at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
The veteran from Waterboro edged Jay native Dave Farrington Jr. by a scant .151 seconds at the line in one of the closest finishes seen thus far in 2018. Brandon Barker crossed the stripe in third, while Reid Lanpher and New Hampshire’s Wayne Helliwell Jr. finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Buxton veteran Frank Wear powered to a convincing victory in the 35-lap feature for Sport Series warriors. Alex Lacognata put in a solid performance to claim second, while Windham’s Clyde Hennessey filled out the podium in third. Joe Pastore (Gorham) and Richard Pelton (Scarborough) completed the top five.
Oxford native Josh Childs continued his hot streak in the highly-competitive Wildcat division. The former Oxford regular earned his second straight feature win, holding off Brian Caswell to seal the deal. Childs wheels a car owned by David Walker built by Randy Harmon at No Such Chassis.
Cody Webster had a strong run in his No. 96 entry to claim the final trophy in third. Travis Lovejoy (Alfred) and Tucker Cole (Saco) completed the top 10 in an entertaining Sport Series battle.
Emerson on a roll at Wiscasset
Third-generation racer Jonathan Emerson has become pretty comfortable racing down on the mid-coast these days. The talented young driver from Sabattus claimed his third straight victory in the Super Street division at Wiscasset Speedway on Saturday.
Emerson held off hard-charging veteran Kurt Hewins by a mere .056 seconds for top honors in a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat 25-lap feature where the top four were separated by less than one second. Former Oxford regular David Whittier is also settling in nicely at Wiscasset with a solid third-place run.
Leeds veteran Kyle Hewins and Solon’s Brad Erskine finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The Super Street class is where Wiscasset fans often see the most side-by-side racing throughout the field.
Shane Clark powered his way to victory in a 40-lap tilt for the Late Model Sportsman division. Clark, of Winterport, held off Liberty’s Ryan St. Clair (grandson of former track owner and recent Hall of Fame inductee Dave St. Clair) for top honors, while Frank Moulton (Clinton) filled out the podium.
Second-generation racer Daren Ripley (son of 2018 HoF inductee Doug Ripley) crossed the stripe in fourth, while Harrington’s Andrew McLaughlin (a third-generation driver himself) completed the top five.
Other feature winners at Wiscasset on Saturday include Noah Korner (NELCAR Legends); Nick Reno (Modifieds); and Skowhegan native Zach Audet (Outlaw Mini). The 30-lap Legends feature was a National Qualifier, putting big pressure on all of those who took the green flag.
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