Hermon’s Modery picks up unusual win at Speedway 95

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HERMON – Hermon’s Scott Modery has won numerous races in his stock car career.

But Sunday night’s victory in the 50-lap Pro Stock Cam 2 Racing Fuels series race was a first on two fronts.

It was his first triumph in a 50-lap race at Speedway 95 and he had never won a race while he was underneath his race car repairing it in the pits.

Modery was the leader when a lap-25 caution flag came out after Town Hill’s John Phippen and Winterport’s Ryan Deane spun out.

On the restart, Corinna’s Paul White, who was running second and was on the inside groove, slid up into Modery and that triggered a series of wrecks that resulted in another caution.

Since it had been sprinkling since the start of the race, it was decided to call it off at that point.

A race has to reach the halfway point to be counted as a completed race, explained Speedway 95 co-owner Del Merritt.

Modery learned of his victory in the pits.

“We all did a rain dance when we came into the pits,” said the 41-year-old Modery. “It was a bittersweet victory. But a win is a win. I’ll take it any way I can get it.”

Merritt explained that the rule book reads: “You must end a race under green [flag] conditions. So lap 25 was the last completed lap and we needed to go 25.”

White finished second, Freedom’s Randy Turner was third and rounding out the top five were Bangor’s Gary Smith and Orrington’s Kris Huff.

Modery said White told him he “got into some dirt” on the restart and that’s why he slid up into him.

Smith saw the whole thing in front of him.

“They all got into the mud on the inside row and it went right into the outside row,” Smith said. “That was after Phippen got [towed] out of the mud. It just made a mess on the racetrack.”

Turner had led early in the race but Modery took the lead for good on lap eight.

“The whole car slid out from under me [due to the wet conditions] and he capitalized,” said Turner.

There were several other races including a makeup 35-lap Pro Stock feature earlier that was won by Deane.

Phippen was leading the race with five laps to go but he and Deane swapped paint in the front stretch and Phippen spun out.

“He was trying to protect his groove. I didn’t mean to get into him at all. I was just racing him really hard,” said Deane. “I wish the win had come under different circumstances.”

It was Deane’s third win of the season.

Huff was second and rounding out the top five were Turner, White and Mike Harnish Jr. of Skowhegan.

In the makeup Strictly Street feature, Jim Carr of Clifton took the checkered flag followed by Hermon’s Shawn Sperrey, Glenburn’s Derek Pearson, Steuben’s Roiwland Robinson Jr. and Auburn’s Mike Short.

In the regular Strictly Street feature, Robinson capitalized when leader Jordan Pearson got loose on lap 21 of the 25-lap feature.

Robinson blew by him on the inside groove and won by eight car-lengths.

Pearson finished second and his brother, Derek, wound up third. Carr and Sam Whitmore of Corinna rounded out the top five.

In the 25-lap Super Street feature, Deane Smart took the lead to stay on lap 13 when leader Jeff Overlock Jr. of Hermon developed engine trouble and went to the pits.

Steve Moulton of Glenburn, whose car flipped up onto its roof during practice, wound up finishing second followed by Winterport’s Mike Lynch, Orrington’s John Kalel II and Hermon’s Kris Watson.

In the first race in the three-race Dysart’s Sport-Four series, Reggie Bickford of Oakland led from start to finish and held off a late challenge from Hermon’s Mike Hopkins to win by three car-lengths.

Dixmont’s Lewis Batchelder was third, Justin Trombley of Winter Harbor was fourth and Brownville’s Steve Heath wound up fifth.

In the Limited Sportsman class, Winterport’s Fred Brown started eighth but maneuvered his way to the front by lap nine and led the rest of the way.

Hard-charging Dave St. Clair of Liberty was second, just 11/2 car lengths behind St. Clair. Rowland Robinson Sr. of Steuben was third, Hudson’s Glenn Curtis Sr. was fourth and Bobby Seger Jr. of Frankfort finished fifth.