Whorf Wins Pro Stock Thriller at Wiscasset Speedway

April showers bring May flowers, but it also brought frustration to anxious race fans and drivers waiting to get the 2019 racing season started. After losing the first two races of the season to weeks of persistent rain, Wiscasset Speedway was finally able to get in a show on Saturday, May 4th. Group 1 got the call for their season opener, plus the first of three Enduros on the season schedule. Veteran racer Jeremie Whorff of Bath took home the victory in a wild finish to the 40 lap feature for the ServPro of Biddeford Saco Pro Stocks. Whorff was running 4th as the field stormed onto the front stretch to take the white flag. But the lead pair tangled sending drivers scrambling, and Whorff had the lead by the time they got to turn one. From there he cruised to the improbable win. In victory lane, he said, “Hey, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, right?!” with a big smile. In other action, Jason Oakes was the winner in Maxwell’s Market Super Streets; Zach Audet in the Thunder 4 Minis, and Jeff Prindall in the Cahill Tire 4-Cylinder Pros. Ben Audet was the victor in the 100 lap Enduro.

The Maxwell’s Market Super Streets had the spotlight race for the opening day program. Freeport’s Bob Crocker and Jefferson’s Mike Hodgkins lined up on the front row for the 35 lap feature. Hodgkins pulled out to a commanding half straightaway lead through the first half of the race. Trouble began to brew for the leader as sparks began to appear under the rear end of the car and he soon relinquished the lead to Jason Oakes. A much-needed caution allowed Hodgkins to head to the pits for repairs on a broken track bar mount. On the restart, Oakes shook off a challenge from Bobby Mesimer, pulled away to a comfortable lead and cruised to the victory. He was chased across the line by Mesimer and defending champ Michael Harrison, who had to start the race back in the middle of the 12 car field. Hodgkins recovered from his mechanical issues and made a late race charge to finish 4th. Dan Nessmith of Wiscasset rounded out the top five.

In the 25 lap Thunder 4 Mini feature, veteran Zach Audet grabbed the lead from polesitter Curtis Anderson on lap 10 and went on the victory in the caution free race. It quickly became a two-car race for the win as the pair stretched out their advantage to a full straightaway. Anderson kept Audet within striking distance through the entire race and crossed the line in 2nd place less than half a second behind the winner. Doug Degroat and Spencer Sweatt put on a good race for the 3rd spot with Degroat coming out on top. Sweatt settled for 4th with rookie Caleb Willette of Winslow filling out the top five.

The Cahill Tire 4-Cylinder Pro was a caution-filled 25 lap feature, mostly from minor spins. Defending champ Jeff Prindall of Lisbon Falls showed the kids how it’s done and led wire to wire for the win. Sophomore drivers PJ Merrill and Dom Curit put a great show racing for the remaining spots in victory lane. They traded spots several times during the race. Merrill would go on to nail down a career-best 2nd place finish while Curit settled for 3rd. Curit made history in 2018 by becoming the track’s youngest ever feature winner at 11yrs old. The top five was completed by rookie Colby Peacock of Yarmouth and Taylor Lane of Philips.

The ServPro of Biddeford Saco Pro Stocks lined up with a stout field of 18 cars for their 40 lap feature. Defending champ Nick Hinkley set the early pace with former champ Andy Saunders giving chase over the first 25 laps of caution-free racing. Saunders would take the lead from there until Kevin Douglass moved up to challenge. The two raced side by side for several laps with Douglass edging out Saunders by 2/100 of a second for the lead when the caution came out again with just 2 laps to go. The restart lined up with Douglass and Saunders on the front row and Hinkley and Whorf directly behind. Saunders drove around Douglass to take the lead on the backstretch. As they stormed out of turn 4 to take the white flag Douglass got into the back end of Saunders car sending the leader spinning sideways. In the scramble to avoid the spinning car, Douglass and Hinkley made hard contact and Whorff was able to thread the needle and take the lead by the time they got to turn one. From there he cruised to the victory. Hinkley and Douglass chased him across the line, however, Douglass would be penalized for the contact with the leader, relegating him to finishing in 6th as the last car on the lead lap. Saunders was able to refire his car and finish the race on the lead lap, being unofficially credited with a 5th place finish. However, in another twist to the race, Saunders frustration in how his race ended carried into the pits. His team refused to bring his car to post-race tech inspection, which is a requirement for top 5 in all feature races. With the refusal to submit to tech inspection, he was penalized and officially scored in 13th place as the last car running on the track at the end of the race. The final official top-five finish in the race was #00 Whorff, #15 Hinkley, #09 Ed Drake, #2 Chris Ryan, and #18 Douglass.

Wiscasset Speedway returns to action Saturday, May 11th with the season’s first race for Group 2. The Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Model Sportsman, The Norms Used Cars Strictly Streets, The K&A Services Modifieds, and The Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis will all be in action. Also appearing will be the Wicked Good Vintage Racers with their Hobby, Early Late Model, and Outlaw divisions. The Pit gate will open at 12 noon, the grandstand gate at 3 pm and the green flag waves at 5 pm. Details and info on Wiscasset Speedway can be found at www.wiscassetspeedway.com.

WISCASSET SPEEDWAY OFFICIAL FINISH 5/4/19

MAXWELL’S MARKET SUPER STREETS (35 laps – spotlight)

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THUNDER 4 MINI (25 laps)

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CAHILL TIRE 4-CYLINDER PRO STOCK (25 laps)

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SERVPRO OF BIDDEFORD SACO PRO STOCK (40 laps)

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ENDURO #1 (100 laps)

Sources: Ken Minott/Wiscasset Speedway PR

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