Allard gains two victories at Unity

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UNITY – At this time last month, Glenburn’s Joe Allard was 10th in the Pro-Four points at Unity Raceway.

But he is quickly making his way up the ladder, thanks to two trips to victory lane on Saturday night.

The wins in a make-up feature and the regularly scheduled feature extended his string to four consecutive wins.

“Earlier this season, we broke a transmission and broke a motor,” said the 40-year-old Allard.

“But the car has been right on the money the last four races,” added Allard, who drives a Chevy Monte Carlo.

In the regularly scheduled feature, Allard started on the pole and crossed the finish line 10 car-lengths ahead of Winslow’s Paul Shorette.

Rounding out the top five were Sidney’s Dixon Smith, Starks’ Steve Rackliff and Benton’s David Boyce.

Shorette followed Allard across the line in the makeup feature. Burnham’s Jason Alton was third with Rackliff finishing fourth and Smith winding up fifth.

It was also a memorable night for Albion’s Matt Lee, the defending pro stock champion who collected his first win of the season.

Lee, who won five races last season, started on the outside pole beside Fairfield’s Jeff Burgess, but wasted little time maneuvering around Burgess.

Lee passed Burgess on the first lap and led the rest of the way.

“The car was great right off the transporter,” said Lee. “It was awesome on restarts.”

Albion’s Dean Fuller eased past Burgess to finish second. Burgess, Gary Norris Jr. of West Gardiner and Albion’s Steve Nelson completed the top five.

“Matt was good. We were too tight,” said Fuller, who now has three seconds and two thirds.

The two best races of the evening occurred in the Mini-Stocks and the Super Streets.

In the Mini-Stocks, Tim Robinson of Clinton took the lead from Unity’s Frank Moulton on lap two and appeared to be on his way to a comfortable win.

But points leader Seth Wills, who started 10th and spun out early in the race, kept pecking away and nipped Robinson by half a car-length as the two swapped paint at the finish line.

“I didn’t think I could win after I spun out,” said an ecstatic Wills, whose win was his third.

Robinson was victimized by lapped traffic.

“There was a lapped car and I was hoping he would move, but he didn’t,” said Robinson.

Plymouth’s Derrick Terrell, Sidney’s Dan Somes and Unity’s Jon Fortier rounded out the top five.

In the caution-filled Street Stock race, Solon’s Brad Erskine led from start to finish but had to hold off Chelsea’s Dan Trask by half a car length as the two bumped at the finish line, sending Erskine into the banking on turn one.

In a show of sportsmanship, Trask went over to pick up Erskine and chauffeured him for his victory lap as Erskine waved the checkered flag.

However, Erskine was later disqualified, so Trask was awarded the win.

Oakland’s Junior Goldrup, Waterville’s Ricky Burgess, Anson’s Mark Dodge and Hudson’s Glenn Curtis completed the top five.

In the Modified race, West Bath’s Steve Reno cruised to his seventh victory over the past two seasons as he led from start to finish.

Wayne Allard of Stetson, Dale Cullivan of Liberty, Allan Moeller of Dresden and Dana Grover of New Gloucester rounded out the top five.

“The car was awesome. It stuck good low and high,” said Reno.

In the Super Sportsman Triple Crown Series race, Vassalboro’s Ed Drake survived a caution-filled race and several restarts to win by 12 car-lengths over Rick Burgess Sr. of Waterville.

It was his third consecutive triumph.

Drake started on the pole.

“When you win your heat race and get to run up front [in the feature], it makes things a whole lot easier,” said Drake.

“I just didn’t have it on the restarts,” said Burgess, who was followed across the finish line by Deer Isle’s Matt Eaton, Waldo’s Seth Raven and Benton’s Ryan Robinson.

There were two Mini-Truck features, with Winslow’s Wayne McCaslin claiming his third checkered flag in the regular feature by two truck-lengths over Sidney’s Kevin Douglass, Skowhegan’s Shadow Folsom, Benton’s Kevin Nutting and Starks’ Mike Rackliff.

In the earlier makeup feature, Folsom posted his first win, followed by Douglass, Winslow’s Jesse Choate, McCaslin and Nutting.