A decade eliminated from his one and most effective championship on the tune, the Sidney racer completed second in the final Pro Stock standings at Wiscasset in 2018. In his first complete season of racing in Wiscasset’s top department, he finished within the pinnacle 5 in eight of his 12 starts the offevolved closing summer season. But he didn’t win the championship, and he didn’t win a characteristic race, both matters he’d like to exchange this time around.
The music opens its fiftieth 12 months on Saturday at 2 p.M.
“That’s the plan,” stated Douglass, who become Wiscasset’s Mini Stock champion in 2008. “I changed into near (remaining year). That was my first year having a Pro Stock and doing all of it myself. I’d best accomplished it element-time earlier than. I learned loads. I think it’s best going to be better this year.”
There changed into one huge obstacle standing in Douglass’ way, something beyond an older race car and some on-track misfortune.
Wiscasset’s very own Nick Hinkley gained 3 races in the first half of the season to build a huge cushion atop the division’s standings and rode that every one the manner to his first Pro Stock title using for his own family-owned group. A two-time Late Model champion at Wiscasset, Hinkley has become the primary motive force at the speedway to record titles in its top two divisions in his career.
“We were given off to this sort of rapid start, it appeared love it was going to be a surely correct 12 months,” said Hinkley, who suffered a blown motor and a great crash midway thru the 2018 season but controlled to finish within the pinnacle 5 in 10 of 12 races. “We constantly race to win, anyway, so whenever you can get out to any such large lead early, it’s a massive help.”
While Douglass took his car to Distance Racing proprietor Jeff Taylor in Fairfield for upgrades over the winter, Hinkley did him one better. He purchased a modern Pro Stock from Taylor to replace the 2008 model he raced to the name remaining season.
It was clean for Hinkley to be less than sentimental about bidding adieu to his championship experience.
“It makes it easy to put them off whilst you realize you have got a modern one coming,” Hinkley said.
Hinkley and Douglass appear like amongst Wiscasset’s Pro Stock title hopefuls once more. They also come at it from barely distinct perspectives.
“We usually come to be within the factors hunt, but that’s not our consciousness,” Hinkley stated. “You go to the race track to try to win. If you move all out to get a win in the ones the first couple of weeks, and if you could get one, it’s something you can use down the road.”
“I attempt not to get too harassed out and think about (prevailing the championship) too much,” Douglass said. “It will exercise session the way it works out. If you pressure approximately it too much, you become making mistakes or getting your self in spots you don’t want to. Then you locate yourself in a state of affairs you don’t need to be in.
“I’m still out right here to have fun. I don’t need to make it a disturbing component on every occasion I visit to get in the vehicle.”
Wiscasset Speedway will mark its fiftieth birthday on July 27. The night time may be highlighted through the induction of the track’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.
Other highlights at the 2019 season agenda at Wiscasset, which first opened in 1969, include the Coastal 200 for the Late Models on Sunday, May 26, and the return of the Boss Hogg one hundred fifty for the Pro Stocks on Sunday, September 1. Ben Ashline of Fairfield won the remaining season’s Coastal 200, while Hermon’s Mike Hopkins won the Boss Hogg one hundred fifty.
The song will determine its champions on September 21 and 28.
The Pro All Stars Series race at Oxford Plains Speedway scheduled for Sunday, April 14, will now be hung on April 28. The race is a part of a twin bill of 150-lap occasions with the ACT Late Model Tour in town that day. … Center Conway, New Hampshire’s D.J. Shaw defended his 2018 PASS championship via triumphing the season opener at Thompson (Connecticut) Speedway Motorsports Park on April 7. … Weekly racing at Oxford begins on April 27, even as Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough kicks off its season on May 4.
