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Steuben’s Brenton Parritt had the kind of season race car drivers dream about in 2004.
He won 14 races in the super street class at Hermon’s Speedway 95 and claimed the points championship by a whopping 202 points.
Not bad for someone who didn’t start racing until four years ago.
But Parritt won’t be defending his championship when the Speedway 95 season opens on Sunday.
He is moving up to the limited class.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. After you win a championship, I think you should move up anyway,” said the 29-year-old Parritt.
He bought a Pontiac Grand Prix with a Distance Racing Products chassis from Bobby O’Brien last year but decided not to run it until this season.
He is looking forward to taking his first laps around the track this weekend.
“I’m really excited. I’ve got a lot to learn. Hopefully, I’ll do half as good as I did in super streets. That would be a pretty good year in limited,” said Parritt. “I don’t expect any easy wins. I just want to go out and be competitive.”
Parritt, who sold his super street car to John Kalel II of Orrington, said last year’s success surprised him.
“It was an unbelievable year. Fourteen wins and stuff. I could never have imagined it,” said Parritt. “We were consistent. I had a really fast race car every week and a lot of good luck, too. You can’t win that many races without luck.”
Although Parritt didn’t start racing until four years ago, he had been involved in the sport for several years because his father, Bub, and brother Wayne were racers.
“I always watched them and helped them out. So I decided I wanted to get into it, I did, and I love it,” said Parritt. “I wish I had started earlier.”
He raced in the super street class his entire four-year career and learned a valuable lesson in 2003 when he was involved in an altercation with rival Alex Shaw of Hermon after the two got tangled up during a race. Parritt, who was the points leader at the time, was suspended for the final eight races and Shaw won the title.
Shaw was involved in another altercation on the last weekend of the 2003 season and was suspended for the entire 2004 season.
“It wasn’t worth it, leaving the pit area or anything to argue,” said Parritt. “I lost racing time. But I learned from it. And that helped me last year.”
Parritt said he entered the 2004 season hungrier and more motivated than ever after sitting out eight races.
Parritt has been working on his car with his brother Wayne, Anthony Thayer, Gleason Smith and cousin Ron Parritt
“We’ve redone the whole thing. It’s like new again,” said Parritt.
The limiteds, like the sportsman (pro stock) and super streets, will have 50-lap features to open the season Sunday afternoon.
The strictly street and sport fours will have 35-lap features and the four-cylinder trucks will run a 20-lap race.
A pretty vehicle contest will open the card at 1:30.
Speedway 95 co-owner Del Merritt is anticipating a “strong year with a real good field of cars.”
He is particularly excited about the super street class.
“We’re looking for it to be real strong. We had 10-12 cars last year and we’re expecting upward of 20 or better this year,” said Merritt. “We’ve made some rule changes recently and that has brought back a lot of the older super streets.”
The most important rule change was changing back to the 350 [cubic-inch] engines from the 305s.
“The parts for the 305s are real expensive,” said Merritt.
“People can come up from Wiscasset and Unity [raceways] and race if they want to now because they run the 350 engines,” said Parritt.
Second Cup racer likely for 250
Oxford Plains Speedway owner Bill Ryan said in addition to 2003 Nextel Cup points champion Matt Kenseth, he is hoping to announce within a few weeks that a second Nextel Cup driver will be in the field for the Banknorth 250 on July 31.
Kenseth and Roush Racing teammate Kurt Busch, who went on to win the Nextel Cup points title last season, ran the Banknorth 250 a year ago.
“Kurt can’t run it this year because he has a prior commitment. But I’m 99 percent sure we’ll have another Cup driver, ” said Ryan.
He said it won’t be a past Cup points champion but it will be an accomplished, well-known Cup driver.
Kenseth finished third in the Banknorth 250 after starting last (41st) a year ago and Busch wound up 13th after starting 35th.
Oxford Plains Speedway will open for the season Saturday, April 30. There will be a Pro All-Stars Series tour race along with a full card of features in the weekly divisions.
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