Connor Wenners, 17, of Edgecomb started racing when he was 4. His father, Patrick, introduced him and his younger brother, Spencer, to the sport early. Patrick would take the boys down to the track as he worked on the race cars. Wenners doesn't remember those races, but he does remember when his father gave him his first go-kart. 

“I started it and I loved it,” said Wenners. The rest is history. 

Wenners has made a name for himself in local racing circles as a young talent. When he was 12, Wenners became the youngest feature winner in Wiscasset Speedway history while racing in the 25-lap, four-cylinder pro series. However, Wenner’s proudest achievement comes from winning Rookie of the Year his first year at the speedway. He was 10. The title is typically awarded to whoever gains the most points out of that year’s rookie group. 

“I wasn't (the highest) but they chose to give it to me anyway,” said Wenners. “I was the youngest at that point to ever race.”

Wenners currently races in the Late Model Sportsman class, averaging about 40 laps. He isn't the youngest participant, but most of his opponents range from 20 years old to late-40s. Despite his early successes, Wenners said he doesn't feel pressure to maintain his reputation as a young skilled racer. “(It) doesn't really bother me because I know I'm going to get older and there's always going to be people younger.”

For Wenners, it's about his love of the sport and the adrenaline rush that comes with it. It’s a different feeling than the one he gets on the basketball court or on the field with his lacrosse and football teams. “It's a lot faster-paced, a lot of split-second decisions that could make or break everything,” said Wenners. These spur-of-the-moment actions become essential when Wenners has to avoid cars wrecking in front of him. 

“I really look for wherever I can go to get through it the quickest and go for it,” he said. Wenners has been in a couple of wrecks himself but has avoided serious injury. 

Wenner’s dedication to the sport means most of his time goes to racing or maintaining his car. But, when he’s not on the racetrack, he can be found lobster fishing with Chris Hodgdon on the Angus Rose or his own boat, Baydreaming. As a rising Boothbay Region High School senior, Wenners is also starting to think about college and the future of his racing career. He plans on majoring in mechanical engineering. Whether he’ll use his engineering skills in the racing world is still undecided, but Wenner hopes to keep racing as an undergraduate.

“I would like (to) if I can, but if it's very hard to juggle I’ll probably cut back a little bit,” he said. “(I’ll) see where everything takes me, where everything goes.”