OXFORD — Ivan Kaffel sure knows how to draw attention to his rookie campaign in one of Maine’s most competitive classes.
The 16-year-old driver from Raymond notched his first career premier division victory in dramatic fashion, holding off Winterport’s Ryan Deane by .068 seconds to claim the 50-lap Super Late Model Trophy Dash on Saturday at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Kaffel started seventh in the 24-car field and took the lead from Deane with just five laps remaining. Four-time track champion Tim Brackett started second and finished third, while current points leader TJ Brackett crossed the stripe in fourth.
Austin Teras, the other teenager with an SLM win this season (June 2) completed the top five.
Matt Dufault padded his points lead with a dominant victory in the 30-lap tussle for Street Stocks. The skilled veteran from Turner went three-wide in the early laps to take command and easily pulled away for top honors.
Livermore native and Gray resident Tyler King was able to get by Lisbon’s Rick Spaulding on the final circuit to claim runner-up honors. Spaulding, Breton and Greene’s Zach Bowie rounded out the top five.
Veteran four-cylinder racing star Emerson Cayer of Contoocook, N.H., notched his third North East Mini Stock Tour (NEMST) victory of the season, outrunning a competitive field in the series’ first appearance at Oxford since 2016.
Fellow Granite State racer Cody Leblanc (Gorham) drove to an impressive second-place finish. Massachusetts invaders Michael Viens and Jarod Soucy finished third and fourth, respectively. Rounding out the top five was Dublin, New Hampshire’s Devin Guy.
Kyle Hewins of Leeds prevailed in a hotly-contested 20-lap feature for the four-cylinder Bandit class. Former champion Shaun Hinkley claimed runner-up honors ahead of Waterford’s Jamie Heath, who was closing in quickly as the race ended.
Dustin Salley held onto his points lead with a fourth-place finish, while Oxford’s Jake Hall crossed the line in fifth.
South Paris veteran Kyle Kilgore extended his lead atop the Figure 8 division’s point standings, earning his fifth victory of the year in the 20-lap race for the highly-entertaining division.
Kilgore chased down and passed three-time winner Dale Lawrence of Lisbon, who settled for third behind Larry Lizotte after cutting a tire late in the race. Lawrence, Greg Durgin and Charlie Hall filled out the top-five rundown.
Sanborn on top at The Ridge
Trevor Sanborn pulled away in the closing laps to secure a victory in the 40-lap Pro Series feature on Saturday at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Sanborn took the lead from Dalton Gagnon on lap 23 and finished with a comfortable 1.367-second margin of victory. Gagnon settled for second, while David Oliver finished a distant third. Bill Rodgers and Donnie Colpritt Jr. completed the top five.
Joe Pastore came out on top of a hotly-contested feature for Sport Series teams. Pastore wheeled around the outside of Charlie Sanborn on a restart at lap eight and pulled steadily away for top honors. Sanborn settled for second, while Scarborough veteran Richard Pelton filled out the podium in third.
Terry Merrill (Saco) and rising talent Alex Lacognata (Scarborough) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Pastore’s margin of victory was slightly over two and a half seconds.
Josh Childs continued his 2018 hot streak with another impressive victory in the Wildcat division. The Oxford native and new resident of Otisfield powered his Walker Racing car into the lead on lap 24 and hung on for top honors.
Cody Webster chased Childs the entire distance yet settled for runner-up honors, while Joe Morse filled out the podium with a solid third-place finish. Paul Lund crossed the stripe in fourth, while recent winner Dan Bean backed up his victory with a fifth-place effort.
Reno bags Pro Stock win at Wiscasset
Modified ace Nick Reno added another line to an already impressive resume on Saturday, earning his first victory in the premier Pro Stock division at Wiscasset Speedway.
The veteran from West Bath edged Sidney’s Kevin Douglass by a mere .298 seconds for top honors, while Ajay Picard (Palmyra) filled out the podium in third.
Mathew Bourgoine drove to victory in a 25-lap tilt for the NELCAR Legends, while Skowhegan’s Zach Audet notched his second Thunder 4 Mini victory of 2018. Michael Harrison, of Durham, held off Sean Johnson to win Saturday’s Super Street feature, while Lisbon’s Jeff Prindall won the 4-Cyl. Pro tussle.
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