OXFORD, Maine – Friday night was twice as nice for JARRacing
Photography Go Kart Series drivers Brandon Varney and Tommy Stilphen.
Varney and Stilphen achieved the rare feat of winning two features in
a single evening at Oxford Plains Speedway.
They achieved that status in different ways. Varney captured regularly
scheduled 20-lap features in two classes, Box Stock and Purple Plate.
Stilphen swept both halves of a Blue Plate doubleheader, winning both
a rained-out race from last week and the encore event.
In another highlight, Evan Beaulieu made it five straight weeks to
open the season with at least one first-time OPS kart winner. Beaulieu
added his name to that roster in the age 15-and-up Unrestricted ranks.
That division also had two main events thanks to last week's weather
interruption. Beaulieu ran second to Dan Pelletier Jr. in the opener.
Stephen Beattie bolted to his fourth consecutive victory in Star Champ
competition. Reigning Gold Plate champion Spencer Morse became the
first repeat winner of the season in that class, extending his series
point lead in the process.
Varney, the 2006 Box Stock champion and current point leader, pulled
off his third win in five starts in that go-round. Rookies Matthew
Mason and Chase Staples led early before Varney took command on a lap
10 restart.
Another first-year driver, Ethan Brown, improved upon last week's
first-ever podium finish with a second-place trophy. Brodie Morse
scooted around a last-lap collision to claim third in front of Staples
and Kyle Mooney.
In sweeping the heat and features for his first two classes, Varney
became a Purple Plate conqueror for the first time and ended champion
Evan Armington's three-race winning streak. Varney led all but the
first lap while Armington, Zachary Rich and Dylan Haskell diced it out
in a tremendous battle for second.
Rich ruled the runner-up battle over the closing laps. Haskell's
final-lap spin clinched third for Armington and fourth for rookie Owen
Poisson.
Varney's bid for his third and fourth wins of the night ended in solid
top-five runs in both halves of the Blue Plate double dip.
Stilphen charged brilliantly from the rear of the field in both
encounters, grabbing the top spot from Cody Chiasson on lap 10 of the
opener and getting the measure of Avery Spear with four to go in the
nightcap.
Spencer Thompson, Chiasson, Varney and 2007 champ Troy Davis completed
the top five in the make-up race. It was Spear, Chiasson, Davis and
Varney chasing Stilphen across the stripe in round two.
Morse and Josh Brown made their move around early dominator David
Blackwell on the final lap of the Gold scramble. Morse, a six-time
winner last season, held off Brown's bid for two wins in a row.
Blackwell held on for third with Brady Smith and Tyler King in tow.
Pelletier controlled the Unrestricted opener from wire-to-wire.
Beaulieu ascended from ninth to second. Jeff Lillibridge, Robbie
Wentworth and Jeff Roubo followed.
Lillibridge swapped the lead with Beaulieu after an early restart in
the nightcap, but Beaulieu reclaimed his perch on the next lap and set
sail. Pelletier made a bold inside move from fifth to third in the
closing circuits. Charlie Tyler and Kyle Metivier completed the lead
quintet.
Beattie blazed to an easy win in the Star Champ tangle, with son and
runner-up Stephen Beattie Jr. and championship rival Mike Ricker both
finishing two laps down due to spins and mechanical troubles,
respectively.
The JARRacing Go Kart Series continues next Friday, June 6 at 6:30
p.m. OPS resumes racing on the big 3/8-mile oval Saturday. Six
divisions of racing on WJAB SportsRadio/Sunoco Race Fuels Night begins
at 6:30 p.m.
UNRESTRICTED #1 (20 laps): 1. Dan Pelletier Jr., East Poland; 2. Evan
Beaulieu, Durham; 3. Jeff Lillibridge, Fryeburg; 4. Robbie Wentworth,
Conway. N.H.; 5. Jeff Roubo, Saco; 6. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon; 7. Kayla
Ashline, Pittston; 8. Tyler Braunschweig, West Newfield; 9. Aaron
Collomy, Saco.
Lap leaders: Pelletier 1-20.
UNRESTRICTED #2 (20 laps): 1. Evan Beaulieu, Durham; 2. Jeff
Lillibridge, Fryeburg; 3. Dan Pelletier Jr., East Poland; 4. Charlie
Tyler, Buxton; 5. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon; 6. Jeff Roubo, Saco; 7. Kayla
Ashline, Pittston; 8. Aaron Collomy, Saco; 9. Robbie Wentworth,
Conway. N.H.; 10. Tyler Braunschweig, West Newfield.
Lap leaders: Beaulieu 1-7, LIllibridge 8, Beaulieu 9-20.
Heat winner: Beaulieu.
STAR CHAMP (20 laps): 1. Stephen Beattie, Conway, N.H.; 2. Stephen
Beattie Jr., Conway, N.H.; 3. Mike Ricker, Sebago.
Lap leaders: Ricker 1-17, Beattie 18-20.
Heat winner: Beattie.
GOLD PLATE (20 laps): 1. Spencer Morse, Waterford; 2. Josh Brown,
South Paris; 3. David Blackwell, Brunswick; 4. Brady Smith, Porter; 5.
Tyler King, Livermore Falls; 6. Ryan Hewins, Leeds; 7. Garrett Leiter,
Livermore Falls; 8. Katrina Bright, Wilton; 9. Neil Bernier, Minot;
10. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon.
Lap leaders: Bernier 1, Blackwell 2-19, Morse 20.
Heat winner: King.
BLUE PLATE #1 (20 laps): 1. Tommy Stilphen, Kennebunk; 2. Spencer
Thompson, Oxford; 3. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 4. Brandon Varney, Lewiston;
5. Troy Davis, Windham; 6. Jacob Hendsbee, Whitefield; 7. Avery Spear,
Oxford; 8. Chris Staples Jr., Brunswick.
Lap leaders: Staples 1-2, Chiasson 3-9, Stilphen 10-20.
BLUE PLATE #2 (20 laps): 1. Tommy Stilphen, Kennebunk; 2. Avery Spear,
Oxford; 3. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 4. Troy Davis, Windham; 5. Brandon
Varney, Lewiston; 6. Spencer Thompson, Oxford; 7. Jacob Hendsbee,
Whitefield; 8. Chris Staples Jr., Brunswick.
Lap leaders: Spear 1-16, Stilphen 17-20.
Heat winner: Stilphen.
PURPLE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 2. Zachary Rich,
Casco; 3. Evan Armington, Lovell; 4. Owen Poisson, Brunswick; 5. Dylan
Haskell, West Baldwin.
Lap leaders: Haskell 1, Varney 2-20.
Heat winner: Varney.
BOX STOCK (20 laps): 1. Brandon Varney, Lewiston; 2. Ethan Brown,
South Paris; 3. Brodie Morse, Waterford; 4. Chase Staples, Durham; 5.
Kyle Mooney, New Gloucester; 5. Chase Staples, Durham; 6. Matthew
Mason, Groveton, N.H.; 7, Ethan Matot, Casco; 8. Jake Talbot, Hiram.
Lap leaders: Mason 1-3, Staples 4-10, Varney 11-20.
Heat winner: Varney.
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