|
JARRacing
PHOTOGRAPHY GO KART SERIES
May 2, 2008
Three drivers register first-ever
feature victory in OPS JARRacing Karts
Four, in all, post first win in their
current division
OXFORD, Maine – Oxford Plains Speedway's JARRacing Photography Go
Kart Series is a little bit like a television reality series.
Graduation is a constant, but there's never a shortage of candidates
eager to fill the role in the following season.
Friday night aptly demonstrated that
ever developing feeder system in the youth-dominated series. Three
drivers captured their first 20-lap feature victory on the OPS
mini-oval, and a fourth won his initial start since advancing to a
new division.
Zachary Rich (Purple Plate), Brady
Smith (Gold Plate) and Robbie Wentworth (Unrestricted) logged the
breakthrough victories. Spencer Thompson made it a triumphant jump
to Blue Plate with his win.
Among the "veterans," Ethan
Matot scored a Box Stock win for only the second time in his young
career, while two-time Star Champ king Mike Ricker ended his
one-year hiatus in victorious fashion.
Rich, who led multiple features last season but was unable to close
the deal, caught a break when runner-up and defending champion Evan
Armington lost power on lap 9.
Armington went two laps down while
his crew re-fired the kart, so although he passed Rich after a late
restart, it wasn't enough to take away the win.
Brandon Varney held off Dylan Haskell for what would be his second
runner-up trophy of the night, followed by Armington in fourth.
Smith has been an occasional
competitor at Oxford in the past, but Friday was far-and-away his
finest hour to date. After grabbing the lead from Josh Brown on lap
6, Smith gradually pulled away from reigning champion Spencer Morse
and won with ease.
Morse charged from seventh starting
position to second and held off a furious challenge from OPS
newcomer Dave Blackwell to hold that spot. Kyle Metivier crossed the
line immediately in their tire tracks, with Brown completing the top
five.
Wentworth is another driver with
dozens of laps led and even feature wins to his credit. This time,
he swept both the prelim and main event with authority, leading all
30 laps of competition on the chilly evening.
Metivier and Tyler Braunschweig diced
it out for second in a wild battle that ended with the two karts
literally hooked together coming out of the final corner. That
detour allowed Kayla Ashline to sneak past into second in her
inaugural Unrestricted start. Braunschweig went over the top to snag
third, trailed by Metivier and Aaron Collomy.
Thompson was the fourth different
driver to lead the Blue Plate feature, and he took advantage of a
rare tough night for Troy Davis to end the defending champion's
amazing undefeated streak in the division. Davis didn't lose a heat
or a feature in 13 weeks of competition last year.
Davis led the first 13 laps but
encountered difficulty while trying to put Avery Spear a lap down.
That brought Cody Chiasson into the fray. Davis spun on the
backstretch on the 14th circuit, with Chiasson assigned to the rear
of the field for his role in the incident.
In two separate incidents on lap 17,
new leader Jacob Hendsbee spun and Davis drove hard into a tire wall
on the backstretch. Davis was able to continue and bolted again from
the back to second, but not in time to overtake Thompson.
Spear made a determined drive to
third after getting a reprieve with the first Davis caution.
Chiasson and Hendsbee rounded out the front five in a frantic run.
Matot landed the Box Stock lead from
Varney after a lap 10 restart and denied numerous challenges from
the 2006 champion to claim the checkers. 8-year-old Cameron Gaghan
was a strong third in his OPS debut.
Ricker and defending champ Stephen
Beattie swapped the lead three times in a Star Champ match race
before Ricker made the final stand.
The JARRacing Photography Go Kart
Series resumes next Friday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. OPS action continues
Saturday with Sunoco Race Fuels Night. Five divisions see action on
the historic 3/8-mile oval beginning at 6:30 p.m.
UNRESTRICTED (20 laps): 1. Robbie Wentworth, Conway, N.H.; 2. Kayla
Ashline, Pittston; 3. Tyler Braunschweig, West Newfield; 4. Kyle
Metivier, Lisbon; 5. Aaron Collomy, Saco; 6. Evan Varney, Oxford.
Lap leaders: Wentworth 1-20.
Heat winner: Wentworth.
STAR CHAMP (20 laps): 1. Mike Ricker,
Sebago; 2. Stephen Beattie, Conway, N.H.
Lap leaders: Beattie 1-7, Ricker 8-10, Beattie 11-13, Ricker
14-20.
Heat winner: Ricker.
GOLD PLATE (20 laps): 1. Brady Smith, Porter; 2. Spencer Morse,
Waterford; 3. Dave Blackwell, Brunswick; 4. Kyle Metivier, Lisbon;
5. Josh Brown, South Paris; 6. Katrina Bright, Wilton; 7. Neil
Bernier, Minot.
Lap leaders: Brown 1-5, Smith 6-20.
Heat winner: Morse.
BLUE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Spencer Thompson, Oxford. 2. Troy Davis,
Windham; 3. Avery Spear, Oxford; 4. Cody Chiasson, Peru; 5. Jacob
Hendsbee, Whitefield; 6. Brandon Varney, Lewiston.
Lap leaders: Davis 1-13, Hendsbee 14-15, Davis 16-17,
Thompson 18-20.
Heat winner: Davis.
PURPLE PLATE (20 laps): 1. Zachary Rich, Casco; 2. Brandon Varney,
Lewiston; 3. Dylan Haskell, West Baldwin; 4. Evan Armington, Lovell.
Lap leaders: Varney 1-3, Rich 4-20.
Heat winner: Armington.
BOX STOCK (20 laps): 1. Ethan Matot, Casco; 2. Brandon Varney,
Lewiston; 3. Cameron Gaghan, Winthrop; 4. Chase Staples, Brunswick;
5. Ethan Brown, South Paris; 6. Brodie Morse, Waterford.
Lap leaders: Varney 1-5, Matot 6-7, Varney 8-10, Matot 11-20.
Heat winner: Varney.
.
.
|
|
(207) 645-4571
Photos from
all OPS divisions!
|
