Saturday’s race was all about suspense and surprises, and not just because the Enduros were in town. First, all four regular division races were won by drivers earning their first win of the season. Second, all four division champions secured their titles with a top three victory lane finish. Even with the 2016 season winding down, it’s not shocking that the grand stands at Wiscasset Speedway remain full week after week: like a box of chocolates, you never know what you might get.

Zac Poland of the #06 wasted no time driving the Super Streets 35-Lap Spotlight Race into high gear, as he took the lead before the first lap was over. Sean Johnson of the #9 moved up to take the lead in lap four, while behind a side-by-side battle waged for the third and sixth positions. Cody Buzzell of the #38 freed himself from the back half of the pack in lap seven, while the current division points leader, Mark Lucas of the #5, moved with signature stealth into fourth. As he lost the green-flag-momentum, Poland fell behind Lucas and was sandwiched momentarily between the two division leaders – Lucas at his front bumper and Josh Bailey of the #2 at his rear bumper. Bailey was focused on Lucas, who stood between him and the division championship, and had acknowledged during practice that Lucas is “a hard man to beat!”

The halfway mark came and with it, an impression lead by Johnson, who maintained comfortable margins between himself and the rest of the top five. In an unexpected twist, Bailey spun into the infield during lap 25, which set off a chain reaction shuffle to the top three. Jason Oakes overtook Johnson in lap 32 and ultimately held the lead through the checkered flag for the win and a career best finish. Also to earn their first trip to victory lane was Johnson in second, with third place going to the unofficial division champion, Lucas.

The New England 4-Cyl Pros fan out 3-wide to start their 25-lap feature race. Jamie Wright of the #84 snatched an early lead, as he worked to earn his first win before the season’s end. Despite Wright’s full-straightaway-lead, current points leader and unofficial division champion, Kamran Knowles of the #98, had twenty-five laps to close the ever-shrinking gap from his seat in second. Jeff Prindall of the #24 held third at the halfway point without much competition from behind, as the top three drivers spaced widely throughout the front of the field.

David Greenleaf of the #58 and Devan Robinson of the #20 tangoed through traffic at the start of the Thunder 4 Minis’ 20-lap feature race, which left Robinson upside down at the top of turn two. Several laps later, Tristan Shea of the #03 sat in the lead, while Spencer Sweatt of the #84 worked to dominate from behind. Sweatt took a short-lived lead in lap eight, only to have it taken back by Shea mere moments later. Michael Harrison, the unofficial division champion, held solid in third position until the two course leaders spun at the top of turn three. When the dust settled, Logan Melcher of the #41 stood in first, with Harrison in second and Curtis Anderson of the #04 in third. Shea was third to cross the finish line in what would have been a career best finish but, in his excitement, made the rookie mistake of forgetting to immediately go to post-race inspection. This error is common and unfortunately, resulted in Shea’s disqualification.

The 40-lap ServPro of Biddeford/Saco Prostocks got a rough start when the #91jr of Mike Orr and #12 of Thomas True spun coming out of turn four. To the delight of fans, Orr elected to employ the-always-encouraged-but-rarely-utilized gentleman’s rule, which sent him to the back of the pack. Back in the action, the tension raged in a side-by-side battle for first between Bobby Nadeau of the #35 and Charlie Colby of the #72, as both pushed closer to 90 mph. Colby got out in front but Nadeau refused to go out that easy. Behind them, Brandon Sprague of the #23 and Nick Hinckley of the #15 kept each other on their toes for third, while the current division points leader, Andy Saunders of the #01 rounded out the top five. With eight laps to go, David Farrington of the 23X passed Nadeau for second only to be slowed by a brief caution when Nate Tribbett of the #13 spun to the infield on the back stretch. Following the green flag, Saunders and Farrington battled behind Colby for second, both of them dangerously close to the bumper of #72. Farrington continued to go high with one lap to go, passing Colby for first place at the last possible moment. Finishing second, Colby ended up drifting simultaneously and ended up in the infield after getting caught on Saunders, who finished third.

Up to race last were the Enduros, but they were definitely not least. Fans had remained steadfast in their seats, ready for the automobile anarchy that is guaranteed when this division takes the field. With suspended procedures for cautions, the feature events raced by these makeshift machines offer continuous action from turn to turn, lap after lap. Saturday night was no exception. To try and keep track of everything that happened during this 40-minute race would result in serious whiplash, with cars continuously 4-wide, flying across infield corners and darting to avoid countless close calls. Afterall, Enduro is not just a name of coincidence. Whether or not in the top three, these flexible competitors achieve a partial victory through simple survival. From an initial line up of over forty, three of these survivors achieved glory in victory lane, including Zac Emerson of the #71 in first place, Caleb Emerson of the #23E in second and Michael Snyder of the #55X in third.

Gear up and head over to Wiscasset Speedway next Saturday, October 1^st for the Top Gun Strictly Shootout featuring the Strictly Streets division, starting at 5:00pm, sponsored by McKeage’s Top Gun Contractors. Other drivers from Group 2’s divisions will complete that night include the Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Model Sportsmen, Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis and NAPA Modifieds. Kids 6 and under enter for free and admission for everyone else is only $5 – less than the cost of a sandwich! For more information, visit www.wiscassetspeedway.com.

Official Finish Results

Super Streets: 35-Lap Spotlight Race

1.            #11, Jason Oakes - Boothbay

2.            #9, Sean Johnson - Oakland

3.            #5, Mark Lucas - Harpswell

4.            #06, Zac Poland - Wiscasset

5.            #27, Barry Poulin – Benton

6.            #38, Cody Buzzell – Madison

7.            #20, Jay Bailey – Wiscasset

8.            #68, Chad Munro – North Waterboro

9.            #2, Josh Bailey – Wiscasset

New England 4 Cyl Pros: 25-Lap Feature

1.          #84, Jamie Wright - Woolwich

2.          #98, Kamren Knowles – West Gardiner

3.          #24, Jeff Prindall - Lisbon

4.          #55, John Shorey - Alna

5.          #4, Connor Wenners – Edgecomb

6.          #9x, Brooke Knowles – West Gardiner

7.          #42, Mike Kibbin – Lisbon

8.          #7, Spencer Vaughn – Canton

9.          #70, Taylor Lane - Philips

Thunder 4 Minis: 20-Lap Feature Race

1.            #41, Logan Melcher – Fayette

2.            #48, Michael Harrison - Durham

3.            #04, Curtis Anderson - Richmond

4.            #26, Michael Golding – Pownal

5.            #27, Jonathan Golding – Pownal

6.            #44, David Cook – Jay

7.            #1, Jeff Davis – Woolwich

8.            #11, Kyle Dorey – Bowdoinham

9.            #21, Shawn Berry – Livermore Falls

10.        #84, Spencer Sweatt – Albion

11.        #31, Leandre Martin – Richmond

12.        #58, David Greenleaf, Jr – Brunswick

13.        #20, Devan Robinson – Warren

14.        #30, Keith Rankin – Pittston

       DQ.    #03, Tristan Shea – Richmond

ServPro of Biddeford/Saco Prostocks: 40-Lap Feature

1.            #23X, David Farrington - Jay

2.            #72, Charlie Colby - Newcastle

3.            #01, Andy Saunders - Ellsworth

4.            #35, Bobby Nadeau - Hollis

5.            #15, Nick Hinckley – Wiscasset

6.            #1, Mike Moody – Topsham

7.            #23, Brandon Sprague – Edgecomb

8.            #12, Thomas True – Wiscasset

9.            #99, Ajay Picard – Palmyra

10.        #13, Nate Tribbett – Richmond

11.        #01x, Joe Decker – Chesterville

12.        #05, James Osmond - Wiscasset

Enduro: 100-Lap Feature

1.         #71, Zac Emerson

2.         #23E, Caleb Emerson

3.         #55X, Michael Snyder

4.         #69, Randy Edgecomb

5.         #547, Dan Delano

6.         #45, John Rines

7.         #11, Kyle Enman

8.         #23, Brandon Sprague

9.         #17M, Nick Morton

10.     #99, Jeffrey Moore

11.     #69, Randy Edgecomb

12.     #28, Josh Allen

13.     #30, Keith Rankin

14.     #77, Vernon Hodgkin

15.     #50, Jonathan Spear

16.     #1, Jeff Davis

17.     #23, Joey Daigle

18.     #24x Roy Glidden

19.     #8, Ron Whitcome

20.     #10, Stillman Joyce

21.     #03x, Jake Allen

22.     #81, Dilan Withers

23.     #2, Jacob Smart

24.     #87, Jeff Read

25.     #98, Ron Poore

26.     #77x Wesley Witham

27.     #21, Cody Redding

28.     #04, Russell Collins

29.     #288, Douglas Ham

30.     #115, Alex Hinkley

31.     #39, Randy Henderson

32.     #27, Ron Gonyon

33.     #9, Wayne Ripley

34.     #007, Destiny McKenzie

35.     #24, Andrew Glynn

36.     #5, Raymond Brawn

37.     #21, Justin Spear

38.     #69ME, Sawyer Alby

39.     #451, John Byrd

40.     #42x, Frank Brown

41.     #42, Ernest Morton

42.     #99x, Ryan Medina

43.     #71ME, Griffen Laney