HERMON – Ellsworth’s Andy Saunders said Winterport’s Ryan Deane “had the car to beat” during the 35-lap sportsman (pro stock) feature at Speedway 95 Sunday afternoon.

But Deane lost his clutch and Saunders squeezed by him on the outside groove soon after a restart to claim his third straight Speedway 95 victory dating back to last season.

The two swapped paint and spent a lot of time racing side-by-side until Deane got loose with three laps left and Saunders finally got a little breathing room.

Deane Smart of Bradley finished third, Town Hill’s John Phippen was fourth and Winterport’s Patrick Thibodeau was fifth.

“My car was lightning fast early but halfway through, it tightened up,” said Saunders. “If I hadn’t gotten to the outside, the car would have been much worse. I used Ryan up a little bit to get to the outside. I did what I had to do. If I hadn’t been there, he would have used the top and he would have found out he was a little bit faster [than me].”

“Because I lost the clutch, I had to start in fourth gear on the restarts and he was able to jump me and get to the outside,” said Deane.

“I was on the inside and I gave it all I had. But I didn’t have enough,” Deane added.

In the Legends race, Falmouth’s Steve Fox took the lead on the first lap and never trailed.

Gray’s Ed Getty, who took second, made a late charge but it wasn’t enough. Saco’s Herve Thibodeau finished a close third. Rounding out the top five were Topsham’s Bob Weymouth and Scarborough’s Wally Silva.

“The car was good. It got a little loose at the end but thank God we ran out of laps,” said Fox.

St. Albans’ Ricky Morse held off Lee’s Eric Worster to win the limited sportsman race. Hudson’s Mike Thayer, Hermon’s Jason Thayer and St. Albans’ Greg Morse were third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

“The car was loose but I could handle it. I had a good time,” said the 44-year-old Morse who finished second in an Oxford Plains Speedway race Saturday and felt his edge in experience over the 23-year-old Worster paid off.

Worster was running just his second ever limited race.

Steuben’s Brent Parritt had the most dominant triumph as he finished nearly half a lap ahead of Hermon’s Steve Moulton in the 50-lap super street series race. Glenburn’s Ken Bowness, Milford’s Joe Legere and Hermon’s Mike Overlock completed the top five.

“I always wanted to win a race by half a lap,” said Parritt, who posted his second win in three races. “This was a good run for us.”

Moulton said, “I should have bought two tires instead of one. Brent bought two and his car handled a lot better.”

Fifteen-year-old Brewer High School freshman Jordan Pearson, racing for just the second time ever, took the checkered flag in the strictly street class.

“This is awesome,” said Pearson who used the faster outside groove to get past Levant’s Joe Allen on a lap 17 restart.

Allen, Clifton’s Jim Carr, Danforth’s Josh Frye and Corinna’s Andy Migliore completed the top five.

“My car was pushing awfully bad,” said Allen.

Winterport’s Ernie Wallace Jr. won the sport-four race ahead Colin Arey II of Greenville and his dad, Colin Arey I. Bangor’s Jason Witts was fourth and Stockton Springs’ Jim Johnson was fifth.

“The car was excellent,” said Wallace, who credited a sway bar adjustment for his success.

Oakland’s Hugh Doucette won the four-cylinder truck race followed by Hermon’s Kris Watson and Tim Richardson Jr., Orrington’s John Kalel II and Kenduskeag’s Clarence McCullough.

Doucette had a huge lead until Watson closed to within a truck-length with a lap to go.

“I had started to back off to save the truck but then I saw him [Watson] coming so I knew I had to keep driving the truck [hard],” said Doucette.