The 2009 Long John at Unity Raceway lived up to its name. With the
cold fall wind blowing temperatures were only in the 30's. This didn't
keep the race cars and fans from filling the stands. The return of the
Pro Stocks to the track was long anticipated. The drivers didn't let
us down. Dean Fuller, former Unity Raceway Pro Stock champion, jumped
to the early lead in the heat race. This lead was short lived as Scott
Chubbuck used the outside line to pass Fuller and cruise to the heat
race win. Chubbuck would take lead a the start of the feature. Gary
Smith would follow a close second. Tim Turner and Chuck Colby have a
side by side battle for third. Bill Whorff Jr finished out the top
five. Scott Moore, using the outside groove, has moved into the third
postition. David Folsom, making his return to racing, moves his new
#15 machine into the top five. Chubbuck continues to pull away from
the field. Colby and Moore battle door to door for second. Mechanical
problems on lap 54 forces Chubbuck to the pits. Moore takes the lead
with Colby a close second. Tim Turner fights back from an early race
mishap to take over the third spot. Colby fights back on the outside
to take the lead from Moore. Moore fights back on the inside bringing
Turner with him. Folsom continue to move to the front. Folsom gets
loose going down the front stretch spinning him into the turn one
bank. This would retire the #15 machine to the pits. Moore takes the
lead on the restart. Turner is all over his bumper. Colby follows the
pair in third. Caution would fly again for a spin in turn 2. Moore
takes the lead with Turner trying the high line around. Turner takes
the lead as Moore gets tied up in lapped traffic. Turner takes home
the checkered flag. Moore finishes a very close second. Colby crosses
the stripe third. Bill Whorff Jr has a fine run in fourth. Dean Fuller
finishes out the top five.
The Limited division saw a fine field of cars take the green. Chris
Thorne took the early lead in the heat race followed closely by Deane
Smart. The field would be closed up fro a caution on lap 3. Thorne
would again jump to the lead and the heat race win. The second heat
race would see Josh St Clair take the lead with Joe Allard in tow.
Caution would fly for a spin in turn 3. The restart would see Allan
Moeller, driving for Harold Hinckley, challenge Josh St Clair for the
lead. St Clair gets loose allowing Moeller to sneak by for the heat
race win. The feature would find Thorne again taking the lead at the
drop of the flag. Thorne would be challenged early by Brenton Parritt
and Kevin Douglass. Neither driver would have quite enough to get by
Thorne. Dan Trask and Deane Smart battle for the fourth position.
Caution flies on lap 22 closing the field. Parritt jumps to the lead
on the outside. The lead would be short lived as another caution flag
would fly giving Thorne the outside. Joey Doyon is moving to the front
taking over the fourth from Deane Smart. Caution would slow the field
again as Douglass and Parritt touch going down the back stretch
forcing cars over the lip. Doyon challenges Thorne for the lead on the
restart. Thorne uses the outside to retake the lead. Smart is all over
the rear bumper of Doyon for second. Thorne crosses the line first for
the win. Doyon takes home second. Smart follows a close third. Parritt
recovers from his mid race incident to finish fourth. Ajay Picard
finished out the top five.
The Sportsman division saw Mark Dodge's purple machine jump to the
front. Jerry Harrison followed a close second. Caution flies on lap 3
for a spin in turn 2. Dodge would again take the lead and never look
back for the heat race win. Kris Watson took the lead in the second
heat race. Kris Huff catches Watson and passes on the inside for the
lead. Huff cruises to the heat race win. The 75 lap feature saw Huff
lead the pack to the line. Dodge followed Huff closely in second.
Watson, Harrison, and Nate Weston all battle for the third spot.
Watson clears the two to take over third. Brad Bellows uses the
outside to take over the fourth spot. Huff has already started to
weave thru lapped traffic. Caution flies on lap 15 for a spin in turn
3. Huff is able to hold off the challenge of Dodge on the outside to
retake the lead. Bellows and Watson race side by side for third.
Caution flies again closing up the field. Bellows challenges Dodge for
second as Huff again takes the lead. Shawn Austin is up to challenge
Watson for fourth. Bellows and Dodge close the gap with Huff as he
gets loose in turn 4. Watson takes over the lead as the leaders have
problems. Mike Landry moves into the second spot. Austion follows a
close third. Watson continues to pull away from the field. James
Osmond and Nate Weston battle for the fourth spot. Patient pays off
for Watson as he takes home the checkered. Austin crosses the line in
second. Landry follows in third. Osmond makes his Unity debut in
fourth. Nate Weston finishes out the top five.
It was features only for some of the support divisions. The Monsta
Mini division saw a fine field of competitors take the checkered flag.
2008 Unity Champion, Mike Wilson, took the early race lead. Phil
Richardson challenged Wilson on the inside. This challenge was short
lived as Richardson retired with mechanical problems. Dylan Lancaster
was all over the bumper of Wilson. Jonathan Smith runs a strong third.
Paul Jackson, running brother Richard's #53 machine, follows the front
group. David Green follows Jackson in fifth. Lancaster tries the
inside groove and Smith tries the outside groove around Wilson. This
three wide racing just makes Wilson more determined. Wilson shoots
thru to the feature in. Smith takes over the second position.
Lancaster crosses the line in third. Jackson has a fine run in fourth.
Green finishes out the top five.
The Unity Variety and Video Wildcats saw the largest field of the
season take the green flag. Jim Shorey made the trip from New
Hampshire to try his luck at Maine's Toughest Oval. His #2 shot to the
lead. Wayne Parritt Jr followed a close second. The front pair are
pulling away from third place, Lyman McKeage. Caesar Morgan moves into
the fourth position and looks to the outside of McKeage. Shorey and
Parritt race side by side for the lead. This battle continues for many
laps. Shorey takes over the top spot as Parritt gets loose. Shorey
leads the final two laps to take the win. Parritt follows in second.
Morgan takes home third. Jim Duguay has a fine run in fourth.
The Mini Truck division made its return. Jamie Foster jumped to the
early race lead. Jason Giggey takes over the second spot from James
Swan Jr. Former truck champion, Kevin Nutting, moves up to challenge
Swan for third. Foster is pulling away from the field. Nutting uses
the outside line to move around Giggey for second and puts his sights
on Foster. Time runs out. Foster takes the win. Nutting finishes a
close second. Giggey has a fine run in third. Chris Doucette limps
home his #16 truck in fourth. Swan finishes out the top five.
The Ladies division saw a mixture of seasoned veterans and some hot
shoe rookies. Shelby Kimball, trying her new ride, jumps to the early
race lead. 2008 Ladies Champion, Samantha Letourneau, battles Kimball
on the inside. Molly Feeney is reeling in the front pair from the
rear. Feeney takes over second from Letourneau. Rhonda Lyford follows
the lead group. Kimball takes home her first career checkered flag.
Feeney follows a close second. Letourneau takes home the third place
trophy. Lyford has a fine run in fourth.
Younger brother of Ladies winner, Shelby Kimball made his racing debut
on Long John Day. Matt Kimball started the race on the pole position.
It didn't take long for Westley Turner to jump to the outside and take
the lead. Dustin Warren is having a fine run in third. Kimball isn't
letting Turner out of his sights. Turner starts to bobble as a right
rear tire is going flat. Kimball takes advantage to take his first
career win in his first career start. Dustin Warren takes home the
second spot. Turner recovers from his flat tire to take home the third
place trophy.
The Full Size Race Trucks made their first appearance at Unity
Raceway. Jim Carr and Dana Harlow raced door to door for the lead.
Harlow makes the pass for the lead. Jordan Pearson moves to the
outside to take over second. Anthony Moore runs in fourth. John Kalel
II limps around in fifth. Pearson has caught Harlow and makes the pass
for the lead. Harlow fights back on the inside. Pearson would not be
denied and takes the feature win. Harlow finishes second. Moore takes
the third spot. Carr settles for fourth. Kalell finishes out the top
five.
The Late Model Pro division had the front runner of the class putting
on a speed show. Jim Dennis takes the early race lead. Ben Clark
follows a close second. Justin Drake clears Steve Rackliff for third.
Caution would fly for a spin off the back stretch. Dennis and Drake
battle side by side for the lead. Drake uses the inside line to take
the lead from Dennis. Rackliff watches from the third position. Dennis
battles back on the outside. Drake retakes the lead as Dennis bobbles.
Rackliff and Dennis battle for second. Clark watches the pair in
fourth. Rookie driver, Jesse Bolduc, runs a strong fifth. Drake
continues to pull away. Dennis takes the second spot from Rackliff.
Drakes cruises to the win. Dennis crosses the stripe in second.
Rackliff finishes his championship year with a third. Clark recovers
from his mid race spin to finish fourth. Bolduc finishes out the top
five.
The Men's Peanut division started their feature way after the sun had
gone down. Ed Sleeper and Ryan Ripley battled for the early race lead.
Cook moves into the third spot. Lance Chapman follows the Cook machine
in fourth. Bob Grady clears the field for fifth spot. Ripley takes
over the top spot from Sleeper. Cook is also able to clear Sleeper for
second. Ripley starts pulling away from the field. Chapman is able to
take over third from Sleeper. Ripley and Cook fill the top 2
positions. The pair would not pass post race inspection. This hands
the win to Lance Chapman. Ed Sleeper fills the second spot. Lucas
Porter, up from the Teen Division, takes home the third place trophy.
Shelby Kimball comes home in fourth. Ryan Hayes finishes out the top
five.
The Enduro division finished out a wonderful day of racing. Kevin
Sherman took the lead at the start of the race. 2008 Enduro Champion,
Alex Fernald, moves into the lead when Sherman bobbles in turn 2.
David Odgen challenges Fernald on the outside. Ogden takes the lead.
Mickey Landry takes the 01 machine into second as Fernald spins on the
back stretch. Landry catches the Ogden machine and makes the pass for
the lead. Landry pulls away from the field for the win. Ogden takes
home the second spot. Darren Dyer, filling in for 10 year old son
Robert Dyer, brings home his first trophy of the year in third.
Fernald recovers from his spin for the fourth spot.
Unity Raceway Track Management would like to thank all the fans,
competitors, workers, and sponsors for a fine 2008 racing season.
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