It was a nice fall day last Saturday, Sept. 28 and fans came to see their favorite drivers race, knowing there was only one week left of the racing season at Wiscasset Speedway.

On the agenda was the full lineup of both groups, and all divisions raced.

Starting at the pole in the 30-lap Prostock feature was Adam Chadbourne driving the No. 28. Behind him were the No. 02 of Shane Lane and the No. 66 of Eric Allyn. When the green went down, car No. 0 driven by Billy Penfold pulled ahead of Allyn to take third. Penfold continued his advance up the track passing Lane on the inside of the backstretch during lap one for second.

Lap two saw the No. 72 of Charlie Colby move to the inside and pass Lane for third. Colby looked for his opportunity to pass Penfold. His chance came in lap four and he passed Penfold to take second. Colby turned his eyes to the head of the pack and chased down Chadbourne to take the lead during lap five, passing on the outside of turn four.

There was a caution during lap eight when the No. 17 of Gary Thorne caught fire. There was a scramble for position at the restart. Chadbourne and Penfold each struggled for position. Then Penfold passed Chadbourne on the inside of the back stretch and took second. 

The No. 3 of Mike Orr was moving up from behind. During lap nineteen he moved to the outside of Chadbourne and the pair fought for third. Chadbourne held him off for nine laps. Then Orr saw a chance to pass Chadbourne on the outside going down the back stretch, and took third after a hard fought battle. Colby took first place. This was Colby’s first victory at Wiscasset Speedway this season. In Victory Lane Colby said, “I’m really happy Richard and his wife opened this place. I’d like to thank my crew, my wife, Chuck, Tyler, and Lexis.”

Penfold placed second. This is Penfold’s 12th top five finish at Wiscasset. Penfold said, “I have been trying to show people that you can run a car inexpensively and still be competitive. Once you get the car going good, you just maintain it and we have been doing really good. I would like to thank my girlfriend, Diana, Oxford Auto Salvage, and my crew, Kim and Scott.”

Rounding out the top three was Orr. This was Orr’s fourth top three finish at Wiscasset this season.

After the races, there was a season celebration for drivers and Speedway staff and families. There were also awards for drivers and staff, and the Napa Driver of the Year was announced. An Integrity Award was presented to Adam Chadbourne. A Promoter Award was given to pace car driver, Bill Pierce. The Napa Driver of the Year was awarded to James Osmond.

The Speedway tracked finishes this season, and a driver in each racing division was given recognition for the “Best Average Finish.” The Best Average Finish Awards were presented to: Kevin Sherman in Thunder 4s, George Fortin in Outlaw Mini, Jeff Schmidt in Mini Truck, James Osmond in Super Stock, Nick Hinkley in Late Model Sportsman, Billy Penfold in Prostock, and a tie for Strictly Streets between Guy Childs and Tasha Dyer. The New England 4-Cylinder Prostock gave an award to Jeff Prindall, as they were an independent racing group.

Wiscasset Speedway resumes racing action October 5 with its “Fall Fury.” This is an open competition “run what you brung” event. There will be a full lineup of both divisions: Prostock, Thunder 4, New England 4-cylinder Prostock, Super Stock, Late Model Sportsman, Trucks, Mini Outlaw, and Strictly Street. There will be a 100-lap Enduro race, and rules can be found on the Wiscasset Speedway website.

Additionally, the Wicked Good Vintage Racers and the Nelcar Legends will race. There will be a $5 pit gate fee for Fall Fury, and all proceeds from Fall Fury will go toward purchasing an infield scoreboard for next season. Pit gates open at 7 a.m., Grandstand gates open at 10 a.m. and racing begins at noon. Admission is $5 for adults and children aged seven and older. Kids six and under are free. Wiscasset Speedway is located on West Alna Road in Wiscasset. For more information, head to the Wiscasset Speedway website at: www.wiscassetspeedway.com.

Top Five Finishers

Thunder 4’S (15 laps): 1. #5 Ryan Chadwick, Wiscasset; 2. #13 Cody Tribbet, Richmond; 3. #20 Dan Trask, Chelsea; 4. #31 Leandra Martin, Richmond; 5. #04 Curtis Anderson, Richmond

Trucks (15 laps): 1. #88 Kris Knox. Sanford; 2. #12 Gerry McKenna, Milton; 3. #68 Roger Allard, Harpswell; 4. #1 Matt Curtis, Freeport; 5. #22 Jeff Schmidt, Mechanic Falls

New England 4 Cylinder Prostocks (25 laps): 1. #12 Dave Patten, Windham; 2. #54 Kamren Knowles, Readfield; 3. #24 Jeff Prindall, Lisbon Falls; 4. #38 Ryan Hayes, Jefferson; 5. #14 Bob Patten, Windham

Prostock (30 laps): 1. #72 Charlie Colby, Newcastle; 2. #0 Billy Penfold, Oxford; 3. #3 Mike Orr, Wiscasset; 4. #28 Adam Chadbourne, Woolwich; 5. #77 Steve Reny, Boothbay

Outlaw Mini (25 laps): 1. #10 Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 2. #7 Darrel Moore, Oxford; 3. #2X Rob Greenleaf, West Bath; 4. #13 Nate Tribbet, Richmond; 5. #69 Ryan Farrar, Sumner

Super Stock (20 laps): 1. #87 Chuck Colby, Newcastle; 2. #2 Josh Bailey, Wiscasset; 3. #05 James Osmond, Wiscasset; 4. #3 Bobby Mesimer, Woolwich; 5. #1 Adam Chadbourne, Woolwich

Late Model Sportsman (35 laps): 1. #15 Nick Hinkley, Wiscasset; 2. #04 Allan Moeller Sr., Dresden; 3. #32 Nick Jenkins, Brownville; 4. #34 Tyler Robbins, Montville; 5. #28 Steve Minott, Windham

Strictly Street (20 laps): 1. #1 Mike Moody, Topsham; 2. #43 Ben Erskine, Farmington; 3. #33X Steve Pierpont, Cushing; 4. #13 Chuck Gray, Wiscasset; 5. #06 Zach Poland, Woolwich