Sherman Beats The Weather & Big Enduro Field at Wiscasset
Wiscasset, ME — Last Saturday was warm at Wiscasset Speedway, although there was a threat of rain showers. The show slid smoothly along for the race fans gathered to watch, and the rain stayed at bay, giving the racers the chance to compete on the track. Presented Saturday were its group one lineup of divisions: Prostock, Super Stock, New England 4-cylinder Prostock, and Thunder 4. The flex race of the week was a one hundred lap Enduro race, which had over thirty entrants.
First on the track were the New England 4 Cylinder Prostock. This twenty-five lap feature provided a show. Starting in the pole position was Jeff Prindall in the No. 24. Behind him were Craig Dunn in the No. 8 and Dave Patten of the No. 12 Westbrook Dairy Queen car. When the green flag went down, Dunn surged ahead of Prindall on the outside. Prindall fought for position and slid ahead. The pair raced neck and neck around the track until lap two, when Dunn was able to gain a car length lead coming out of turn two.
During lap five, Prindall spun coming out of turn four, and dropped back in the pack. Moving up to take second was Dave Patten, and in third was the No. 54 of Kamren Knowles. Lap nine saw the No. 38 of Ryan Hayes pass Knowles on the inside of turn two for third.
Then, during lap fourteen, and caution was called when Hayes spun coming out of turn two onto the back stretch. Knowles was caught in the jumble, and his race car went off the track in turn three. Dunn was still race leader, and Dave Patten was in second. Moving up to third was Prindall, who had worked his way through the pack into contention once again. When action resumed on the track, Prindall and Dave Patten battled for second place. Then in turn two of lap fourteen, Prindall passed Dave Patten on the inside for second. Prindall made an effort to take first, but Dunn was able to hold him off for the remainder of the race.
Dunn placed first, Prindall came in second. Rounding out the top three was Dave Patten. Dave Patten is in the running to be awarded New England 4 Cylinder Prostock Champ this season. The Championship is determined from race placement throughout the season. Prior to race time Dave Patten said, “Car is running excellent today. We have made the right changes. I would like to thank Rich Thibeault, my crew chief. He always has everything all set up. I’ve had a good year, a few challenges, but I have had a lot of fun here.” This was Dave Patten’s sixth top three finish this racing season.
The Super Stock division was next for a twenty-five lap feature. The race was quick and straightforward despite a caution. Starting at the pole was Dan Nessmith. Behind him were the No. 1 of Adam Chadbourne and Josh Bailey in the No. 2. Nessmith and Chadbourn raced for first from the start. Then, on turn two Chadbourne passed Nessmith on the outside, taking first. Then, on the inside of the back stretch, Bailey moved up and passed Nessmith on the inside, taking second.
The caution came in lap twelve. Nessmith developed mechanical issues coming out of turn two. The No. 5 driven by James Osmond moved to third. When the race restarted. The top three were in a pack, each seeking position. Chadbourne was able to break away and maintain first. During lap fourteen, Osmond passed Bailey on the inside of turn three for second.
The No. 47 of Zac Creamer moved up the track during lap sixteen and passed Bailey on the inside of turn one, taking third. Race leaders remained constant until the checkered. Chadbourne took first. This is Chadbourne’s sixth victory of the season in the Super Stock division, and his ninth appearance in Victory Lane. Chadbourne said, “We are having a problem with the starter. But, other than that, the car is running good, and its handling good. I would like to thank my new number one fan, Lucien. He received my trophy last week, and he was one happy, excited kid.”
Osmond placed second. This was Osmond’s ninth appearance in Victory Lane this season for the Super Stock division. Zac Creamer had his first top three win of the season, taking third.
The next crowd pleaser was a thirty lap Prostock feature. There was plenty of action on the track during this race. Starting at the pole was Jeff Burgess of the No. 1. Behind him were the No. 0 of Bill Penfold and Steve Reno of the No. 68. The first lap around the track saw Burgess and Penfold racing for first. Burgess pulled ahead, but Penfold was hot on his heels.
The race for third was heated. Reno was holding off the No. 11 of John Rideout. However, during lap fifteen, Rideout was able to pass Reno on the outside of the back stretch.
The one and only caution of the race came during lap nineteen. Burgess slipped up on the back stretch and Penfold moved to pass, and the two made contact and spun on the track. The two went to the back of the pack for the restart. The restart was action packed, and when the dust cleared, Rideout was in first place. The No. 99 of Dylan Turner was in second. In third was Reno.
Lap twenty-one saw Reno pass Turner for second. Turner slipped back and coming from behind was Penfold, having raced his car to the front once again. Penfold passed Reno on the inside of the back stretch during lap twenty-two for second. Reno went to third. A determined Penfold looked for his opportunity to pass Rideout. His opportunity came during lap twenty-four, when Rideout slid up the corner. Penfold moved to the inside and passed Rideout for first place.
The fight for third became intense as Turner moved up to the outside of Reno. The duo raced head to head, and during lap twenty-six Turner was able to creep ahead of Reno, then make a successful pass on the outside of turn three. Penfold raced away with the win, flying under the checkered for first. Behind him in second was Rideout in an Ed Trask Drywall car. Placing third was Turner, for his first appearance in Victory Lane.
Penfold had this to say, “The car was running as good as it was last time. Thing is, you can say you have a great car, and that it is running good, and the next thing you know it runs away with you and you don’t know why. I haven’t got anything special in this car, it even has a crate engine. It just goes to show you that you don’t have to spend a lot to win races and have fun.” This was Penfold’s sixth appearance in Victory Lane this season, and his third win.
A three caution Thunder 4 race was the next feature. The Thunder 4’s were the spotlighted division of the week, and had a twenty-five lap race. In the pole position was Leandra Martin in the No. 31. The No. 21K of Kalib Bernatchez and the No. 11 of Kevin Sherman were behind her. Lap one saw the first leader change when Bernatchez passed Martin on the outside of turn two for first. Sherman moved to forth as the No. 20 of Dan Trask moved to third. Trask passed Martin during lap one, moving to the outside on turn four and taking second. During lap two, Sherman passed Martin on the outside of turn two, taking third. Trask moved ahead and passed Bernatchez taking first.
Then, during lap two, the first yellow flag went down. Martin slid off the track on turn four after she spun on the track. When the race restarted, Sherman and Bernatchez go neck and neck for second, but Bernatchez pulled ahead taking the spot. During lap eight, the No. 5 of Ryan Chadwick passed Sherman on the inside of turn three, taking third.
The second caution of the race came during lap thirteen when Bernatchez spun alone on the front stretch. Chadwick moved ahead to second, and Sherman went to third. When racing action resumed, Trask pulled ahead and maintained his strong lead. Chadwick and Sherman battled for second. It was unclear who would take the number two spot. Each pulled ahead in brief spurts, passing the other. The raced side by side until lap sixteen when Sherman was able to gain a solid lead. Trask was spending time looking at cars recede in his rear view mirror.
The third and final caution came in lap eighteen when Martin spun off the track. Upon the restart, the race leaders vied for position. Once again Trask sped ahead. Sherman slipped into second. Chadwick went to third. Race leaders remained constant until they sailed under the checkered flag. Trask placed first. This was Trask’s second victory in the Thunder 4 division. Sherman took second. This made Sherman’s sixth appearance in Victory Lane in the Thunder 4’s this year. Chadwick made his first visit to Victory Lane, taking third.
The flex race of the week was a one hundred lap Enduro feature. There were thirty-two cars racing for the win, and the track was crowded. When green flag racing began, the cars began to move. When the dust cleared, the No. 3 of Randy Henderson was in first. Behind him was the No. 99 of Phil Main Jr, and the No. 55 of Kevin Sherman.
Coming up from the back of the pack was the No. 22 of Dave Thurlow. Thurlow was driving a station wagon. He was expertly weaving through lap traffic, and by lap twenty, Thurlow had a commanding lead. Behind him in second was Sherman, and in third was the No. 19 of Ryan Chadwick.
With sixty-six laps to go, three cars went wide into turn one, and the No. 6 of Brianna Bodman hit the turn one wall and the car flipped onto its roof. When movement on the track resumed, the race leaders proved their strength, and were able to maintain their track positions until lap seventy-eight. Thurlow, driving the station wagon, got a flat tire and headed to the pits. Sherman moved into first. Chadwick moved to second. Phil Main Jr moved to third. Lap eighty saw Chadwick head to the pits with mechanical issues. Phil Main Jr moved to second. The No. 79 of Steven Turner moved to third. The race leaders remained unchanged for the remainder of the race. Sherman placed first. Phil Main Jr took second. Rounding out the top three was Turner.
Wiscasset Speedway resumes racing action, September 7, 2013 with its group two lineup of divisions: Strictly Street, Mini Truck, Late Model Sportsman, and Outlaw Mini. The flex race of the week is a twenty-five lap Nelcar Legends feature race. 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 OFFICIAL TOP FIVE FINISH AUGUST 31, 2013
NEW ENGLAND 4 CYLINDER PROSTOCK (25 LAPS)
1. #8 Craig Dunn, Strong
2. #24 Jeff Prindall, Lisbon Falls
3. #12 Dave Patten, Windham
4. #54 Kamren Knowles, Readfield
5. #38 Ryan Hayes, Jefferson
6. #14 Bob Patten, Windham
7. #35 Nathan McWilliams, Lewiston
SUPER STOCK (25 LAPS)
1. #1 Adam Chadbourne, Woolwich
2. #05 James Osmond, Wiscasset
3. #47 Zac Creamer, Woolwich
4. #71 Joe Creamer, Woolwich
5. #2 Josh Bailey, Wiscasset
6. #48 Dan Nessmith, Wiscasset
PROSTOCK (30 LAPS)
1. #0 Bill Penfold, Oxford
2. #11 Josh Rideout, Washington
3. #99 Dylan Turner, Freedom
4. #1 Jeff Burgess, East Madison
5. #68 Steve Reno, West Bath
6. #3 Mike Orr, Wiscasset
7. #28 Ken Beasley, Richmond
THUNDER 4’S (25 LAPS)
1. #20 Dan Trask, Chelsea
2. #11 Kevin Sherman, Wiscasset
3. #5 Ryan Chadwick, Wiscasset
4. #13 Cody Tribbett, Richmond
5. #31 Leandra Martin, Richmond
6. #0 Nate Tribbett, Richmond
7. #21K Kalib Bernatchez, Vassalboro
8. #04 Curtis Anderson, Richmond
9. #55 Matt Myshrall, Pittston
10. #25 Ed Smith, Auburn
ENDURO (100 LAPS)
1. #55 Kevin Sherman, Wiscasset
2. #99 Phil Main Jr, Trevett
3. #79, Steven Turner, Washington
4. #80 Aman Morse, Northport
5. #37 Jason Weatherbee, Wiscasset
6. #69 Shaun Rines, Wiscasset
7. #02 Jake Wight, Gardiner
8. #3 Randy Henderson, Turner
9. #13 Jeremy Koeing, Woolwich
10. #22 Dave Thurlow, Yarmouth
11. #00F Scott Frazier, Thomaston
12. #42 Frank Brown, Randolph
13. #19 Ryan Chadwick, Wiscasset
14. #2 Mike Moody, West Gardiner
15. #66 Phil Main Sr, Boothbay
16. #25 Elizabeth Chaisson, Pittston
17. #7 Jason Stanley, Farmington
18. #92 Barry Wright Jr, Chelsea
19. #88 Roy Glidden, Farmingdale
20. #8 Ron Whitcomb, Pittston
21. #24 Benjamin Peabody, Waldoboro
22. #55X Mike Marshall, Dresden
23. #6 Brianna Bodman, Rockland
24. #64 Dean Rice, Nobleboro
25. #00 Kimberly Knight, Farmington
26. #82 Jody Reed, Wiscasset
27. #288 Camron Folsom, NA
28. #9 Desiree McKenna, Whitefield
29. #70 Barry Wright Sr, Chelsea
30. #95 Mike Morris, Turner
31. #101 Nicholas Hanson, NA
32. #14 Simon Yorks, Chelsea
Sources: Lisa Maguire/Wiscasset Speedway PR