UNITY RACEWAY - AUGUST 15

After mother nature gave us a rainy week off, the racing returned to
Unity Raceway under the watchful eye of the full moon. The Geo & Sons
Teen Thunder class was full of excitement. The heat race saw a very
slow pace set by the front runners allowing Shelby Kimball to shoot to
the early race lead. Ricky Palmer and Jordan Hawes were able to catch
the Kimball machine. All three competitors went for the same groove in
turn one forcing the trio into the banking. This put Ben Nile in the
lead for the heat race win. The feature saw the 68 machine of Brandon
Greenleaf jump to the lead when the field got jumbled up on the start.
Jeremy Ludden and Ben Nile cleared the traffic and went looking for
Brandon Greenleaf. Brandon Greenleaf looses grip over the front
stretch lip allowing Ludden and Nile to catch up. Nile and Ludden are
able to use the inside groove to clear the slipping Brandon Greenleaf.
Nile is having problems with lapped traffic. This allows Ludden to
keep up with Nile. Nile crosses the line first for his second win of
the season. Ludden continues with is fine runs in second. Brandon
Greenleaf follows the pair in third. Jordan Hawes recovers from his
heat race crash for fourth. Shelby Kimball continues her streak of top
five finishes in fifth.
The Late Model Pro-4 division saw the domination by the 94 of Steve
Rackliff continue. He used the inside groove to pass fellow
competitors and take the heat race win. Norm Cummings Jr. took his
pole position to the front and lead lap one. Cary Davis passes the
Cummings machine to jump out to a early race lead pulling Corey Walker
with him. Steve Rackliff uses the outside line to pass cars and take
over second place. Davis has driven away for a large lead. Rackliff
puts his car in cruise control and starts reeling in Davis. Ben Clark
and Jimmy Dennis are racing side by side for the third position. Davis
and Rackliff are side by side for the lead. Rackliff is again using
the inside to try to make the pass. The pair catches a lapped car
going into turn 1. The three cars touch sending the Davis machine
spinning into the infield. Rackliff checks out on the field to
continue his winning ways. Clark takes second place. Dennis follows a
close third. Corey Walker has a fine run in fourth. Greg Cummings
proves that four leaf clovers really do work finishing in fifth.
The Monsta Mini division saw Mike Wilson take the lead from youngster,
Markus Lowe, and never look back to take another heat race win. The
start of the feature saw Maine's Toughest Oval welcome Brent Fletcher.
Fletcher found the front stretch wall as the green flag flew. Jason
Trundy took the lead on the restart. Richard Jackson put his Mustang
into second when Markus Lowe goes wide in turn 4. Paul Jackson is
having a career run in fourth. Chad Elkins returns from last weeks
violent crash to run in fifth. Trundy continues to pull away from the
field. Lowe has caught Richard Jackson and tries the inside groove
around. Trundy crosses the line in first. Richard Jackson beats Lowe
for second. Elkins has motored past Paul Jackson for fourth.
The Limited division started off with a bang. Contact in the heat race
puts Joe Allard in the front stretch wall covering flagman, Buster
Roy, with dirt. When the dust cleared, Buster was fine but the Allard
machine retired to the pits for the night. Dave St Clair takes the
lead on the restart. He is getting a strong challenge from Joey Doyon
before the Doyon machine would lose grip and spin. Brad Bellows,
trying his Sportsman car as a Limited, proved he can run with the big
boys. Dave St Clair won the heat race challenged closely by Bellows.
The feature saw Josh St Clair jump in front of pole sitter Frank
Moulton for the lead. The pair are pulling away from Dave St Clair.
Joey Doyon is fighting an ill handling car in fourth. Dave St Clair
has found the line and reels in Moulton for second. Doyon tries the
same move. Lapped traffic will come into play sending the Doyon
machine down over the back stretch. The restart found Josh St Clair
and Dave St Clair leading the pack to the green. Josh St Clair would
jump to the lead. The pair would go nose to tail the last few laps.
Josh St Clair would hold on for the win. Dave St Clair would follow in
second. Frank Moulton would have a fine run in third. Fred "Pee Wee"
Brown would make his 2008 Unity Debut in fourth. Joey Doyon would limp
home in fifth.
The Men's Peanut division saw Lance Chapman catch a sleeping field on
the drop of the green flag. Chapman jumped out to a early race lead.
Ryan Ripley tried to catch Chapman but ran out of laps. The feature
saw Zach Audet jump to the lead followed by Ryan Ripley. Caution on
lap 2 for a spinning Ed Sleeper allows Ryan Ripley to take the lead.
Cody Sleeper takes over second on the restart with Lance Chapman in
third. Paul Shorette, driving the #56 of Paul Jackson, is having a
fine run in fourth. Derek Cook has caught the group in fifth. This
group of four cars are all bidding for the second position. An anxious
Lance Chapman taps the back of the Cody Sleeper machine sending it off
the back stretch. This allows Shorette to move into second and Derek
Cook to follow in third. The pair try to run down the leading Ripley.
Ripley has pulled away for the win. Shorette follows in second but is
unable to pass post race inspection moving Derek Cook into second
spot. Kyle Gallant finished a fine third. Bob Grady follows in fourth.
Zach Audet topped out the top five.
The Unity Variety and Video Wildcat division saw the battle between
Tim Hudson and Carl McAlpine continue. The pair checked away from the
field. McAlpine is able to use the outside line to take the lead and
the heat race win. Hudson jumps to the early lead in the feature. Carl
McAlpine clears traffic to take over second position. Dustin Hubbard
comes from the rear to take over third. McAlpine is chipping away at
Hudson's lead. Lapped traffic holds up Hudson allowing McAlpine to
pull up to his bumper. The pair would go nose to tail for many laps.
Hudson's machine would stall going into turn two. McAlpine would tap
him from behind sending him into the infield. Hubbard is catching the
leading McAlpine. Hal Stratton has his new machine running a strong
third. The laps are running down with McAlpine pulling away. McAlpine
will take the checkered first. Hubbard would follow in second. Hal
Stratton would cross the line in third but not pass post race
inspection. This allowed new comer, Bruce Coulter, to take home the
third place trophy. Troy Patterson finished in fourth. Todd Rollins
had a 2008 best finish in fifth.
The Ladies division saw Mika Wilson jump to the lead over her mother,
Carol Wilson. Molly Feeney jumps from her last place starting position
to take the lead from Wilson. Feeney would cruise to an easy heat race
win. The feature saw July Driver of the Month, Samantha Letourneau,
take the early lead. Mika Wilson continued with her fine run following
in second. Alica Goodwin has the 00 machine cruising in third. Feeney
is again making passing thru the field look easy. She is up to second
position when a loose race car sends her spinning into the infield.
Goodwin passes Mika Wilson on the outside for second. Chelsea Young
has caught the Mika Wilson machine for third. Goodwin is gaining on
the leading Letourneau. Young is trying every groove to get around
Mika Wilson. Letourneau takes home the checkered flag. Goodwin takes
the second place trophy. Mika Wilson takes home her second career
trophy in third. Young finishes a very close fourth. Rhonda Lyford
finishes out the top five.
The Sportsman division saw Bryan Robbins pass the returning #43 of
Skip Conner for the lead. Robbins increased his lead and was unable to
be caught by point leader, Brad Bellows, for the heat race win. Don
York took the outside freight train to the lead. Kris Watson remains
tough on the inside. Bellows and Huff push York past Watson. York is
hanging tough against Bellows. Huff uses the inside groove to
challenge Bellows for second. York is watching this battle in his
rearview mirror. Huff takes the advantage over Bellows. Huff continues
on the inside to pass York on lap 11. Bellows tries the inside to get
past York again. York is still hanging tough allowing Huff to drive
away. Watson and Bryan Robbins are watching Bellow's and York's side
by side battle. York slips allowing Bellows to take over second place.
Bellows tries to catch Huff. Time runs out. Huff takes home the win.
Bellows follows in second. York follows the pair in third. Bryan
Robbins has a fine run in fourth. Watson continues with his top five
finishes in fifth.
The Enduro division was again treated to the humor of manager, George
Fernald Jr, by having to race the wrong way. There are some drivers
that meet the challenge and others that are challenged. Troy Patterson
jumped to the early race lead. His little red machine would put many
cars laps down. Patterson's night would end early as a tangle with a
lapped car would send him to the pits. This would give the lead to
Chris Burbelo. Burbelo would have trouble with lapped traffic also.
Burbelo would be forced to the infield. This would allow Robert Dyer
and Rob Paddack to challenge Burbelo for first. The little green
machine would shoot back onto the track and take back the lead.
Burbelo would drive away for the feature win. 10 year old, Robert
Dyer, would take home the second place trophy. Rob Paddack would
finish out the top three.
The Wicked Good Antique Racers brought their fields of Modifieds and
Stock race cars. The Stock class saw 77 year old Colin Shields lead
the pack to the green. The cars traded the lead back and fourth before
the 16 car of Billy Boyle slipped to the lead. Boyle is another
seventy year old driver teaching the young pups the way around Unity
Raceway. Boyle would take the win. Travis Johns would finish a close
second. Alan Gassett would take home the third place trophy. The
Modified class saw a fine run between the top bunch. Joe Legere would
weave through the field with John Rice in tow. Lapped traffic would
prove to be a challenge for the lead pair. Legere would take home the
checkered flag. Rice would finish second with Haggie Pratt following
the pair in third.
August 22 will showcase the 60th Anniversary/Fan Appreciation Night.
Come meet the drivers of the Past, Present, and Future. The Wicked
Good Antique Racers will return for more fun.