November 16, 2024
AUTO RACING

Parritt, White double up on wins Previous rainouts force extra races in Limited Sportsman, Pro Stock

HERMON – It was a productive evening at Hermon’s Speedway 95 for Steuben’s Brent Parritt and Corinna’s Paul White.

It’s always nice to win a race but Parritt and White each took two trips to Victory Lane Saturday as Speedway 95 offered up a double-card as the result of rainouts two weekends ago.

Parritt’s triumphs came in the Limited Division while White won a pair of Sportsman (Pro Stock) features.

Parritt was leading by half the length of the track in the second feature, which was the third and final race in the 50-lap Coca-Cola Series, when a caution came out with 11 laps to go.

But he pulled away quickly on the restart and beat Hermon’s Scott Modery across the finish line by 30 car-lengths. St. Albans’ Greg Morse was third and that enabled him to capture the Coca-Cola Series points championship.

“I didn’t feel threatened [on the restart],” said Parritt. “I knew we had the car pretty much dialed in. My brother [Wayne] sets up the car and he does a heckuva’ job.”

Parritt, who now has five wins in his 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix, extended his overall Speedway 95 points lead over Modery and Morse, who also finished second and third in the earlier makeup feature.

White used a late-race restart to capture his second win of the night.

Under new rules implemented this season in the Sportsman Division, the race leader can dictate whether he will start on the inside or outside of the front row on any caution-induced restarts.

After a caution came out with six laps to go, race leader Ryan Deane of Winterport chose to start on the outside rather than the traditional inside groove and White blew by him to take the win. Deane was second and Hermon’s Dale Swoboda was third.

“The car went south after the caution. I hoped it would cool the tires off and make the car better but it made it worse,” said Deane. “I picked the outside on the restart because it seems to be the best way to get around. But Paul was real strong on the bottom.”

White concurred.

“The outside is the preferred groove but I was going real good on the bottom,” said White, who drives a Chevy Monte Carlo. “The car ran awesome tonight.”

He lauded his crew, saying, “It was pretty fast in the first race but I told the guys I needed it to be a little bit better [for the second one] and that’s what they gave me.”

The Pearson brothers from Glenburn dominated the two Strictly Street features.

In the second race, Derek Pearson passed Hermon’s Shawn Sperrey for the lead 10 laps into the 25-lapper and held off younger brother Jordan by 11/2 car lengths. Sperrey finished third.

Jordan Pearson had won the makeup race with his brother taking second and Frankfort’s Bob Seger Jr. finishing third.

In the second race, Derek Pearson started ninth and his brother was 10th in the 10-car field but both made their way up through the 10-car field.

“It’s kind of hard coming up from the rear but it makes it all that much better when you win,” said 20-year-old Derek Pearson, who captured his third win. “The car was perfect. I owe it to my dad [Scott Pearson].”

“I didn’t have quite enough to get by him on the inside. He was quite fast tonight,” said 16-year-old Jordan Pearson, an eight-time winner who claimed the title in the three-race WABI-TV Channel 5 Strictly Street Series.

Another family moment occurred in the four-cylinder Truck Series when Oakland’s Chris Doucette passed his dad, Huey Doucette Jr., on the inside with two laps to go to claim the feature by two truck-lengths over his dad.

Orrington’s Kevin White was third.

Father and son joyously wrestled and gave each other a Coca-Cola bath after the race.

“My boy is a good little driver. He does a heckuva’ job out there. I’m so proud of him,” said an exuberant Hugh Jr.

“This feels real good,” beamed Chris Doucette. “I love it to death. I can’t wait to do it again.”

Winterport’s Ernie Wallace Jr. was awarded the win in the second Pro-Four feature when Hermon’s Mike Hopkins, who crossed the finish line first, was ruled to have passed two cars in the leadup to the start of the race.

Hopkins was penalized two spots for the two cars he passed and wound up third. Winter Harbor’s Justin Trombley was second.

“I would rather get it myself. I wasn’t the first guy across the line. I hated it to happen to those guys,” said Wallace, whose win was his third. “But I like it for our team. I need to do that to keep my father and my sponsors involved.”

Hopkins, who had won the makeup feature earlier despite starting last (20th), said he didn’t understand why he was penalized.

“I started dead last so I just went when everyone else did. I didn’t want to just sit back and wait,” said Hopkins.

In the makeup feature, Colin Arey II of Greenville and Trombley finished second and third behind Hopkins.

In the second Super Street feature, Hermon rookie Kris Watson took his first trip to Victory Lane.

He slipped by Ellsworth’s Jason Morse on lap 13 of the 25-lap race.

“This is awesome. It’s been a long time coming,” said Watson. “The car was right on a rail.”

Morse was second and Dixmont’s Shane Tatro was third.

In the makeup feature, points leader Tatro took the checkered flag with Bar Harbor’s Shane Phippen and Bradley’s Deane Smart finishing second and third, respectively.


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