Jimmy Childs Brings Home First Season Win at Wiscasset
Wiscasset, ME — Wiscasset Speedway had a lot of action last Saturday. On the roster was its group two lineup of divisions: Strictly Street, Mini Truck, Outlaw Mini’s, and Late Model Sportsman. The Wicked Good Vintage Racers were the flex race of the week. The bright lights of Wiscasset lit up the track just as the feature racing began. At the conclusion of six exciting races, the crowd cheered as the sky was lit up once again with a spectacular display of fireworks compliments of Central Maine Pyrotechnics.
First on the track were two Wicked Good Vintage Racer (WGVR) features. The first division was a twenty lap Late Model WGVR feature. In the pole position was the No. 87 driven by Larry Wade. Behind him was the No. 97 of Dean Grant and Scott Tucker’s No. OJR. There was an early caution in the race, and when the dust cleared, the No. 151 of Rose Gerry had moved to first. In second was the No. M16 of Mark Thurlow. Grant was in third place.
Lap four saw Thurlow move up the track to take the lead. Coming from behind was the No. 82 of Bobby Symonds, he swept past a row of cars to take second. The No. 420 driven by Keith Smalley also had come from the back, he tailed Symonds and slipped into third. Lap eight saw Smalley go to the outside of turn two and pass Symonds for second.
Midway through the race, Scott Tucker of the No. 64 sped up the track. During lap eleven he passed both Smalley and Symonds on the outside of turn one and took second. Then, the following lap he passed Thurlow for first. Symonds raced back to the front during lap thirteen and passed Tucker on the outside of turn one for first.
Race leaders remained constant with Symonds in the lead. Tucker in second, and Smalley in third until lap nineteen. Then there were leader changes with both Tucker and Smalley passing Symonds on the inside of turn two heading onto the back stretch. Coming under the checkered flag was Tucker in first. Smalley in second. Rounding out the top three was Symonds.
Next on the track was the second group of WGVR, the Sportsman, Outlaw, and Modified group. The racecars hit the track for a twenty lap event. In the pole position was the No. 11 of James Osmond. Behind him were the No. 35 of Dennis Fish and the No. 86 of Adam Chadbourne. There was a caution before the first lap was completed, so they lined up once again for a restart. When the green flag waved, Osmond surged ahead. Chadbourne and the No. 38 driven by Bob Guyon passed Fish on the outside of turn one, taking second and third place.
Chadbourne passed Osmond on the outside of turn two during lap four and took first. Osmond moved up the track and the duo raced neck and neck throughout the entire race. First Chadbourne would be race leader, then Osmond would slip ahead. Then, in lap eighteen Chadbourne pulled ahead, looking to solidify his lead. However, Osmond had a burst of speed and they battled to the finish with Chadbourne sweeping across the finish line slightly before Osmond. Chadbourne took the win. Osmond placed second. Coming in third was Guyon.
Regular division races began with sixteen Strictly Street race cars zipping onto the track for a twenty lap feature. In the pole position was Tasha Dyer in the No. 32. Behind her were the No. 43 of Ben Erskine and the No. 26 of Corey Morgan. Lap one saw Dyer take an early lead. Morgan went inside on the back stretch of lap one and passed Erskine for second. Then in lap two, Morgan passed Dyer on the inside of turn four for first. The first caution of the race came in lap two. When racing action resumed, Mike Moody driving the No. 1 passed Erskine on the front stretch. However, Erskine took the position back on the outside of turn two during the same lap. The second caution of the race came during lap five. While restarting, Guy Childs in the No. 5 passed Erskine for third on the outside of the front stretch.
Race leaders remained constant with Morgan leading, Dyer in second, and Childs in third until the third caution of the race in lap seventeen. Upon the restart, Dyer surged ahead on the outside of the track to pass Morgan for the lead. Morgan’s car developed mechanical issues, and dropped back. Erskine saw his chance and passed both Morgan and Childs to take second. Childs followed Erskine and took third. Leaders remained the same until race conclusion. Dyer took home her second first place feature win this season. This made Dyers eighth appearance in Victory Lane this season. Dyer said, “This car is nothing like the other one. We have been building this car since April, and tonight is the first time I have been in it.” In Victory Lane Dyer said, “If not for Todd, my crew chief. I would not be here tonight. I can’t thank him enough.”
Erskine placed second, and had his first appearance in Victory Lane. Childs rounded out the top three in third place. This is Child’s seventh trip to Victory Lane in the Strictly Street division this year.
Six Mini Trucks competed in a fifteen lap feature event. In the pole position was the No. 12 of Gerry McKenna. Behind him was the winner of the last Mini Truck event, the No. 22 of Jeff Schmidt. In third starting position was the No. 68 driven by Roger Allard. During lap one, Allard moved to the inside of turn two and took second place from Schmidt. Also during the same lap, the No. 69 of Ryan Farrar passed Schmidt on the inside of turn three for third.
Lap eight saw Schmidt pass Farrar for third on the outside of the front stretch. Farrar and Schmidt battled for third place until lap thirteen when Farrar passed Schmidt on the inside of turn two for third. Schmidt was not ready to give up the fight, and during lap fourteen passed Farrar once again on the outside of the front stretch for third. Race leaders remained the same until race conclusion. McKenna took the checkered flag, making this his fourth appearance in Victory Lane this racing season, and his second first place victory. Allard took second place, making this his second appearance in Victory Lane. Coming in third was Schmidt. This was his fifth appearance in Victory Lane this season.
A thirty-five lap Late Model Sportsman race was the next crowd pleaser. For the first time this season, there was not a single caution during the Late Model feature race. In the pole position was Nick Hinkley of the No. 15. Behind him were the No. 68 of Steve Reno and the No. 04 of Allen Moeller. When the green flag went down, Moeller passed Reno on the inside of turn two. The cars were well matched, and all cars vied for position, but it was not until lap twenty-four that Moeller was able to move outside on the backstretch and pass Hinkley for first. However, Moeller’s car went loose and Hinkley was able to retake the lead on the inside of turn four.
Moeller surged up the track, and raced neck and neck with Hinkley for the next six laps. Each took turns leading the race, and it was unclear who would emerge as the victor. Then, in lap thirty, Moeller managed to get a car length lead and headed inside. Hinkley moved up behind him and dogged his heels for the remainder of the race. Moeller was able to hold him off until the finish. Moeller brought home the victory for the second time this season, as he took home the checkered last time the Late Models were on the track. Moeller said that, “The car felt good. It felt like it did two weeks ago. We’ve made no changes. It may not have the horse power some of the guys have, but it corners nice. I am here to have fun and have a good run!” Moeller thanked State Paving and his pit crew, Allen Jr and John Curtis for his win.
Hinkley placed second. This was Hinkley’s fourth appearance in Victory Lane this season. In third was Steve Reno. This is Reno’s third appearance in Victory Lane in the Late Model division.
The spotlighted feature of the week was a thirty-five lap Outlaw Mini race. Starting in the pole position was the No. 10 of Jimmy Childs. Behind him were the No. 18 of Tim Collins and the No. 61 of Chris Morris. The race leaders set a quick pace. During lap two, the No. 14 of Matt Moore passed Morris on the inside of turn four for third.
Coming from the back of the pack was the No. 9 driven by George Fortin. He started in seventh, but by lap three he was passing Moore on the inside of the back stretch for third place. Then, in lap seven, Fortin passed Collins for second on the inside of the front stretch. Childs had surged ahead at this point by ten car lengths in the lead.
Lap seventeen saw the one and only caution of the race. Collins spun out on turn two, and the No. 20 of Shawn Kimball moved up to third. When racing action resumed, Kimball was able to overtake Fortin on lap eighteen and passed him on the inside of turn two for second.
Childs’s car seemed to like the fresh air, and he raced ahead maintaining his commanding lead. Race leaders remained constant until the end of the race. Childs placed first. This was his first feature win of the season. Childs’s said, “I have been trying to race it, and trying to win. It has been a challenge to get the car running back good again and to be competitive. You just have to get back up and keep trying, that is racing.”
Kimball placed second. This is Kimball’s’ sixth appearance in Victory Lane this season. Fortin took third. This is Fortin’s seventh appearance in Victory Lane this racing season.
Wiscasset Speedway resumes racing action, August 31, 2013 with its group one lineup of divisions: Prostock, Super Stock, New England 4-cylinder Prostock, and Thunder 4. The flex race of the week will be a one hundred lap Enduro race open to four, six, and eight cylinder cars. Complete rules for Enduro cars can be found at the Wiscasset Speedway website. Pit gates open at 2:00 PM. Grandstand gates open at 4:00 PM. Racing begins at 6:00 PM. Admission is $5.00 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: http:www.wiscassetspeedway.com.WISCASSET SPEEDWAY TOP FIVE OFFICIAL FINISH AUGUST 24, 2013
WICKED GOOD VINTAGE RACERS LATE MODEL (20 LAPS)
1. #64 Scott Tucker, Winthrop
2. #420 Keith Smalley, Warren
3. #82 Bobby Symonds, Casco
4. #M16 Mark Thurlow, Lincolnville
5. #2 Kevin Waterhouse, West Paris
6. #0JR Dean Grant, Detroit
7. #151 Rose Gerry, Lincolnville
8. #97 Brian Hughes, Otisfield
9. #87 Larry Wade, West Rockport
10. #4 Tim Hudson, Windsor
11. #8 Norris Willette, Winslow
WICKED GOOD VINTAGE RACERS SPORTSMAN/OUTLAW/MODIFIED (20 LAPS)
1. #86 Adam Chadbourne, Woolwich
2. #11 James Osmond, Wiscasset
3. #38 Bob Guyon, Winthrop
4. #X Leo Tanger, Woolwich
5. #35 Dennis Fish, Livermore Falls
6. #22 Hal Clark, NA
7. #48 George Harding, Fairfield
8. #59T Greg Inman, West Paris
9. #59 Dick McPhail, Fairfield
STRICTLY STREET (20 LAPS)
1. #32 Tasha Dyer, Arrowsic
2. #43 Ben Erskine, Farmington
3. #5 Guy Childs, Turner
4. #1 Mike Moody, Topsham
5. #66 Phil Main Sr., Boothbay
6. #13 Chuck Gray, Wiscasset
7. #99 Phil Main Jr., Trevett
8. #06 Zach Poland, Woolwich
9. #88 Darryl Cook, Sabattus
10. #56 Thomas Smith, Boothbay
11. #26 Corey Morgan, Lewiston
12. #2 Mark Murphy, Edgecomb
13. #08 Barry Poulin, NA
14. #00 Mike Childs, Turner
15. #39 Gerard Freve, Turner
16. #03 Ryan Ripley, Waldoboro
MINI TRUCKS (15 LAPS)
1. #12 Gerry McKenna, Milton
2. #68 Roger Allard, Harpswell
3. #22 Jeff Schmidt, Mechanic Falls
4. #69 Ryan Farrar, Sumner
5. #07 Mark Grantham, NA
6. #17 William Wile, NA
LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN (35 LAPS)
1. #04 Allan Moeller Sr, Wiscasset
2. #15 Nick Hinkley, Wiscasset
3. #68 Steve Reno, West Bath
4. #34 Tyler Robbins, Montville
5. #03 Dan Trask, Chelsea
6. #3 Richard Jordan, Kingfield
7. #12 Jody Lewis, Boothbay
8. #25 Will Collins, Appleton
9. #00 Alex Waltz, Walpole
OUTLAW MINI (35 LAPS)
1. #10 Jimmy Childs, Leeds
2. #20 Shawn Kimball, Augusta
3. #9 George Fortin, Greene
4. #18 Tim Collins, Farmingdale
5. #13 Nate Tribett, Richmond
6. #14 Matt Moore, Mechanic Falls
7. #61 Chris Morris, Poland
8. #44 Ozzie Cummings, Vassalboro
9. #17 Norman Cummings Jr., Augusta
Sources: Lisa Maguire/Wiscasset Speedway PR