HERMON – On a pleasant, breezy Wednesday evening, a large gathering assembles for the opening night of the Wacky Wednesday races for the 2003 season at Speedway 95 on Odlin Road. Just before the racing starts, drivers in each division line up to be judged for the prettiest car or truck.

At 7 p.m. the racing starts. For the next two hours or so, racers in each division take off with a roar of engines at the signal of the green flag, vying for spaces that will allow them to push ahead to the lead position. Dust flies and tires screech as they round the corners. Many of the vehicles lean sharply to the right while rounding the corners, as though something really heavy were sitting on that side.

Sometimes cars spin around in a cloud of dust, stopping just long enough to gain control and then merge back into the race. They spin and slide out of control and take a neighbor or two along with them. A car careens into the tires lining the bank around the track. Occasionally a car flips and ends up with all four wheels in the air, possum style.

Brian Bartlett, crew chief for driver Scott Coffin, said that 63 cars participated during Wacky Wednesday’s opening night.

“That’s a lot of cars,” Bartlett said.

Coffin, 38, who lives in Carmel, said this is his third full year of racing. He got into racing because of “the need for speed.” He called racing a “good stress reliever.

“You do it once, it gets in your blood,” Bartlett said.

Coffin drives a 1987 Ford EXP. His number is “5” and across the windshield is the phrase, “Drive it like you stole it!”

Drivers come to Speedway 95 from several Maine towns including Bar Harbor, Old Town, Ellsworth, Hermon and Carmel.

Coffin and his crew appreciate their fans, sponsors, crew and Speedway 95 staff for the support they give and for making racing possible. Coffin especially appreciates the support of his wife, Vicki, and children Stacy and Ryan.

Driver Jason Witts, 24, of Bangor said, “I’m a rookie – first year.” He drives a 1988 Toyota Celica bearing the number “91.” His car, referred to as “the Edsel,” won the prettiest car contest in his division and he received a trophy.

“It’s competitive,” Witts said. He added that he likes to go fast -“anything for an adrenaline rush.” He also likes anything loud.

And at Speedway 95 it is loud indeed. Planes fly overhead as they take off and come in for landing at nearby Bangor International Airport, race cars roar, which sound like giant, amplified humming birds as they speed past the audience around the track.

The average speed per lap is about 65 mph, but a speed of 75 mph can be hit on a straight way.

“It takes a lot of work to get to the front of the pack,” Witts said.

A lot goes into producing and maintaining a car that will be strong enough to race well, and in developing the right attitude as a driver to succeed, he said.

Driver Debbie Luce, 49, of Carmel is a veteran of the racetrack. She raced for three years with the men before a women’s division became available four or five years ago.

“I was on my roof more than I was on my wheels,” she said of racing with the men, who kept pushing her off the track.

Since the women’s division became available, Luce said she wins most of those races. She drives a 1984 Saab 900 bearing the number “16.”

Luce worked with the ambulance service in Hermon and that sparked her interest in racing.

“I like to go fast and have fun,” she said. Her husband John also participates in Wacky Wednesday races.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Luce said.

At $4 per person, with kids admitted free, drivers and crew describe Wacky Wednesday as inexpensive family entertainment that also is kid-oriented. The program features activities such things as getting an autograph from a favorite driver, riding with a favorite driver, and taking part in bike and decorated box races.

“We do a better crowd on a Wednesday than we do on a Saturday,” Coffin said.

Safety is a big factor in the Wacky Wednesday races.

“Safety is the number one thing,” Bartlett said.

A tow truck and an ambulance are available and are quickly on the scene at any incident. Racing stops whenever there is a problem such as a flipped car. After driver and car are taken care of, the other drivers go back to the starting line and resume the race.

New this season is the size of the wheel base that determines whether or not a car can participate in the Little Enduro or the Big Enduro. Little Enduro cars have four-cylinder engines and a wheel base of 102 inches or less. Cars with a wheel base greater than 102 inches qualify as Big Enduro vehicles, and may be four or six-cylinders or have V8 engines. Previously the cut-off was a wheel base exceeding 101 inches.

Wacky Wednesday racing is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m., but sometimes runs over a few minutes if races are interrupted.

Opening night, June 4, went over by about 10 minutes. A car flipped in one race, but driver and car were not harmed. The last race of the evening had to be stopped twice. The second time, a driver injured his neck and was taken off the track by ambulance. The 25-lap race was shorted to 10 laps because of the late hour.

Del Merritt and Alice Baker own Speedway 95.

“[The track is] a [one]-third-mile oval,” Merritt explained.

He has been involved with racing for about 30 years but has never raced himself. He started out as an assistant flagger, then he became a flagger and has also worked in the pit.

To obtain more information about Wacky Wednesday or Speedway 95, visit www.speedway95racing.com.