Phippen Jr. wins 35-lap PTM sportsman feature at 95

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HERMON – On the back of John Phippen Jr.’s 1999 Chevy Monte Carlo it says, ‘Old, Fat, Tired and Bald.”

That’s about all the other 12 cars saw of Phippen at Speedway 95 Sunday during the 35-lap PTM (Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine) sportsman feature as he led from start to finish to claim his first victory of the season.

“We’ve done all kinds of work to the car and it still isn’t quite right. But it was going pretty good today,” said the 49-year-old from Town Hill.

Phippen crossed the finish line 12 car-lengths ahead of Surry’s Dwayne Overlock. Stockton Springs’ Duane Seekins, who had won the super street race, finished third.

It was the first in a three-race series.

There were no caution flags and that was fine by Phippen.

“The outside groove has an advantage here. You’ve got to be really on your toes to take the lead from the pole. It could have been different had there been a restart,” said Phippen.

Overlock said he was “pretty happy” with his second.

“I finally got the bugs out of this thing,” said Overlock, who drove his Monte Carlo to a second straight top-three finish. “John had a little more power and better handling than I did.”

“John was very good. He had a good starting spot and that’s what it took today with no yellows,” said Seekins, who tried unsuccessfully to slip past Overlock into second along the inside groove.

“The track was too slippery down below because they had the monster trucks there this weekend and there was a lot of oil and dirt,” said Seekins.

Winterport’s Patrick Thibodeau and points leader Aaron St. Peter of Brewer rounded out the top five.

In other racing, Corinna’s Paul White started on the pole and never looked back in winning the limited division by 22 car-lengths over Winterport’s Ryan Deane. Hermon’s Scott Modery was third in the seven-car field.

“The car [Monte Carlo] was excellent,” said White. “It was good in the heat race and we stayed up front all day. I didn’t want to see the caution come out [on lap 15] but it all worked out.”

Deane’s second gives him three top-three finishes in six races and Modery has two top-threes.

“I’m glad to finish in the top three any week,” said Modery.

Seekins’ win in the 11-car super street race was his third of the season. He also has a pro stock win.

“The car ran very well. It was a little loose but since we were running up front, we just had to work with the track,” said Seekins, who won by 20 car-lengths over Levant’s Bernie Thayer.

Orrington’s Jim Robichaud was third.

Thayer’s second was a breath of fresh air as it marked his first top- five finish this season.

“We’ve wrecked twice and lost a rear end,” said Thayer.

Likewise for Robichaud, who picked up his first top-three.

“We’ve had oil problems all year. We had a broken oil line. We’re getting the bugs out. The car wasn’t bad today,” said Robichaud.

Greenville’s Colin Arey captured his first official win of the year in the sport fours as he crossed the finish line eight car-lengths ahead of Stockton Springs’ Jim Johnson, the points leader. Carmel’s Jason Lancaster was third in the 18-car field.

Arey had won a race earlier “but the top five or six cars were disqualified because we had camshaft problems.

“The car ran very well today,” added Arey.

The 20-car strictly street division featured all kinds of twists and turns.

Race leaders Jim Giguere of Eddington and Alex Shaw of Hermon were sent to the back of the pack after botching two restarts with five laps to go and Corinth’s Jeff Bean wound up crossing the finish line first ahead of second-place Andy Leali of Frankfort and Mike Thayer of Hudson.

But, according to track officials, Bean was disqualified after refusing to comply with a postrace inspection request.

So Leali was awarded the win, points leader Thayer was bumped up to second and Stockton Springs’ Darrin Moody was elevated to third.

In the four-cylinder pickup truck class, Orrington’s Jay Robichaud won for the second straight week followed by Milbridge’s Roger Chipman and Hermon’s Kris Watson. Five trucks started the race.