Worster holds off Seekins for Pro Stocks victory at ’95’

HERMON – When he was a youngster, Lee native Erik Worster used to go to Hermon’s Speedway 95 to watch his uncle, Greg Worster, race.

“All I ever wanted to do was race Pro Stocks,” said the 24-year-old Worster, who claimed his first checkered flag in Speedway 95’s top division Saturday night.

Worster, the rookie of the year in the Limited class a year ago thanks to seven top-three finishes, passed leader Duane Seekins of Stockton Springs on the outside groove during a restart on lap two and held off Seekins for the victory.

“It’s definitely an outside-groove track. It’s so tough to pass on the inside. I was hoping there wouldn’t be any more cautions after I passed him,” said Worster, who now lives in Bangor.

Worster got his wish, there weren’t any more cautions, and he led the final 33 laps.

He finished 21/2 car-lengths ahead of Seekins, who was gunning for his second win of the evening after claiming an impressive triumph in the Limited Class.

Dale Swoboda of Hermon was third and completing the top five in the 10-car field were Etna’s Mike Thomas and Corinna’s Paul White.

Worster said his Chevy Monte Carlo was “excellent” and that he benefited from having power steering for the first time this season. He had finished third, fourth and 12th without it in previous races.

“I bought a power steering rack and put it in last night,” said Worster.

Worster started on the pole but Seekins passed him on a first-lap restart before Worster returned the favor a lap later.

Swoboda said he might have been able to make a run at Worster or Seekins if he could have bought four tires instead of two.

“But I didn’t have the funds,” said Swoboda.

In the Limited class, Seekins started on the outside pole, passed pole-sitter Scott Modery early in the race and pulled away to win by more than 40 car-lengths. Hermon’s Modery was second followed by Steuben’s Brent Parritt, Milo’s Nick Jenkins and Thomaston’s Rodney Brooks.

In the 50-lap Super Street feature, the first in a three-race series, Bradley’s Deane Smart maneuvered around Milford’s Joe Legere when Legere got loose on the front stretch right after a lap-19 restart and held off a Legere challenge late in the race to take the checkered flag.

It was his second triumph of the night as Smart had also won a make-up 25-lap Super Street feature earlier.

Legere finished second, 61/2 car-lengths behind Smart. Dixmont’s Shane Tatro was third followed by Hudson’s Keith Pierce and Cherryfield’s Randy Caler.

In the Strictly Streets, Derek Pearson of Glenburn beat brother Jordan across the finish line by a sizeable margin to ruin his brother’s bid for a two-win evening. Jordan had won an earlier makeup feature.

Hermon’s Shawn Sperrey, Bradley’s Tim Reynolds and Frankfort’s Bobby Segar Jr. completed the top five.

In the Sport Fours, Winter Harbor’s Justin Trombley won by nine car-lengths over Dixmont’s Jason Witts. Newburgh’s Darrin Durrell, Carmel’s Duwane Dunifer Sr. and Milo’s Jason Lancaster rounded out the top five.

Hermon’s Phil Richardson was a three-length winner in the Mini-Truck class over Huey Doucette of Oakland. Kenduskeag’s Clarence McCullough, Levant’s Joe DeLorenzo and Old Town’s Marvin Williams followed in the five-truck field.

In the Super Street makeup, Smart was followed across the finish line by Hermon’s Kris Watson, Legere, Prospect’s D.J. Moody and Tatro.

In the Strictly Street make-up, completing the top five behind Jordan Pearson were Dixmont’s Garrit McKee, Detroit’s Chris Nickerson, Levant’s Joe Allen Sr. and Hermon’s Shawn Sperrey.

There were also two Super Cup Series races for the mini-Nextel Cup cars.

East Millinocket’s Wes Perry won the American Mini-Cup series feature with Bradley’s Pete Rafuse, Milford’s Bob Leighton, Mechanic Falls’ Rich Hall and Turner’s Chris York completing the top five among the 17 cars in the field.

Hall won the next feature followed by Leighton, Howland’s Francis Bernard Jr., Perry and Topsham’s Rich Thibeault Jr.