Matt Swanson Wins Second Consecutive Nor-easter 75 at Wiscasset Speedway
Cloudy skies and a thick fog crept over Coastal Maine on Saturday night, but this didn’t stop Wiscasset Speedway from hosting their weekly Group #2 racing program. The night’s events included the Portland Glass Strictly Streets, Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis, T&L Automotive Modifieds, Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Models, and the visiting Milton CAT Modified Racing Series.
The Strictly Streets kicked off the night with a 25-lap feature race. Joe Harriman took off with the early lead but Brady Romano and Chuck Wagstaff tangled on lap 4, resulting in a caution. Scott Eck took over on the restart as Joe Harriman descended through the field. Kurt Hewins entered the picture on lap 13, clearing Zach Emerson for the runner-up spot. He tracked down Scott Eck in the laps following, clearing him for the top spot on lap 19. Hewins sailed into the victory, picking up his first win of the season in the division. Scott Eck and Zach Emerson rounded out the podium.
15 drivers then took to the track for the MRS Nor-Easter 75. There was chaos on the initial start as Andrew Martell took a hard right into the turn 1 wall. Once the field settled, Kirk Alexander pulled away with the lead. He held a full straightway lead by halfway and began tracking down heavy lap traffic on lap 45. Meanwhile, Matt Swanson was powering through the field, clearing Mark Bakaj for third on lap 50 before overtaking Joey Jarvis for second. Swanson finally found clean air with ten laps to go, but Kirk Alexander held a healthy 5+ second lead.
Donnie Lashua took a spin on the backstretch with 8 laps to go and was unable to fire it back up. Matt Swanson took a sigh of relief as the field was brought back together for one final restart. He made a crossover move with five laps to go in turn 2. The move stuck as Swanson took over the top spot. He never looked back from there, picking up his second consecutive MRS win at Wiscasset Speedway. Kirk Alexander and Joey Jarvis followed, completing the podium.
Jason Kimball took off with the early lead in the 25-lap Outlaw Mini feature, but Zach Audet was quick to steal it away. Kyle Willette dove to Kimball’s inside on lap 10, taking over the runner-up spot. Jeff Farrington was also on the move as the laps began to wind down, picking off Kimball for the final podium spot on lap 15. The field was spread out in the closing laps which Zach Audet capitalized on, ultimately picking up the victory. Kyle Willette and Jeff Farrington rounded out the top 3.
Scott Trask and Garritt McKee, Jr. collided on the initial lap of the 30-lap Modified feature, resulting in a caution. Steve Reno powered ahead on the restart and only he and Scott Trask were able to avoid carnage on the restart as the entire field stoved up in turn 3. All drivers were able to drive away, except for Garritt McKee Jr. and Adam Chadbourne. Steve and Nick Reno went head to head on the restart and Steve held the upper hand as Ryan Ripley stole second away from Nick Reno. Ripley was still on the move, overtaking the top spot from Steve Reno on lap 5. Wayne Whitten was making his way through the field as well, clearing Nick Reno for third. Nobody was any match for Ryan Ripley as he sailed off into the sunset, picking up another feature victory in the division. Steve Reno and Wayne Whitten rounded out the podium.
The night concluded with a 40-lap feature for the Late Models. Frank Moulton took off with the early lead over Tiger Colby. Tiger Colby began tracking him down in the following laps, making his way to Moulton’s door on lap 12. There was a pile-up at the tail end of the field on lap 12 which resulted in an early-race caution.
Tiger Colby took over on the restart and began to pull away. Shane Clark entered the picture in the second half of the race, making his way to Frank Moulton’s outside door on lap 23 and Clark cleared him with ten to go. Sylas Ripley was also on the hunt, powering to third with three laps to go. Tiger Colby held strong at the front of the pack, picking up his first victory of the season as Shane Clark and Sylas Ripley rounded out the top 3.
Note: Race results from the Late Models are still pending due to post-race technical inspection requests/findings.
Wiscasset Speedway successfully beat the weather once again on Saturday night and put on a great show. The track returns to action on Saturday, July 15th with a full Group #1 racing program in addition to the Chestnut Auto Enduros. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and the green flag flies at 5:00 pm.
To view the official track schedule, race results, and more, please visit http://www.wiscassetspeedway.
All photos are labeled with which driver they are of/which division they are from. Descriptions:
– Tiger Colby celebrates first Late Model victory of 2023.
– Weekly Mods Top 3, from left: Steve Reno, Ryan Ripley & Wayne Whitten
– Outlaw top 3, from left: Kyle Willette, Jeff Farrington & Zach Audet
– MRS Mods top 3, from left: Joey Jarvis, Matt Swanson & Kirk Alexander
– Matt Swanson & Jr. Official Kathy Grover
– Strictly Street VL, from left: Scott Eck, Kurt Hewins & Zach Emerson
Sources: Amy Worrey – Chasing the Checkered
Steve Girard of SGirardPhotography