Wiscasset benefits as Speedway 95 is out of Pro Stock in 2008

Wiscasset Raceway’s Pro Stock division will get a boost next season now that Speedway 95 co-owner Del Merritt has announced that the Hermon track will eliminate its Pro Stock class.

“I think we’re all going to Wiscasset,” said John Phippen Jr. of Town Hill, who finished second in points to Corinna’s Paul White in the final Speedway 95 Pro Stock points standings.

Phippen said he was “disappointed” about the decision to ditch the Pro Stocks at Speedway 95 “but being in business myself, people have to do what they have to do [to run a business]. What can I say?”

Phippen owns the Town Hill Garage.

“We just weren’t getting the cars,” said Merritt. “The last day we had only eight. The handwriting was on the wall. People don’t want to watch eight cars race. I fought for three, four, five years to keep the Pro Stocks alive but after looking at them this year, it just wasn’t worth it.”

Merritt added that “I hate to see those guys go.”

The Pro Stock division is the most expensive one for the car owners and drivers.

Winterport’s Ryan Deane, who finished third in points, was also upset.

“[Merritt] said he didn’t have the car count, but he didn’t have it in some of the other classes either,” said Deane. “At the beginning of the year, we’d have as many as 14 cars, but it started dropping off as the year went along. Guys would get in wrecks and wouldn’t come back or other things would happen. But that happens everywhere.

“I was kind of surprised. [Merritt] talked liked he really wanted to have [Pro Stocks] back. But a lot of tracks are going that way, too,” Deane added.

Wiscasset Raceway was the first track to drop the Pro Stock class in 2004; Unity Raceway followed a year later and Oxford Plains Speedway following the 2006 season.

New owner Doug White brought the Pro Stock division back to Wiscasset Raceway this past season and had 18-20 cars on a regular basis.

Phippen and Deane are looking forward to racing at Wiscasset and said their biggest gripe will be the additional travel and the extra cost due to the high fuel prices.

“What’s appealing is that they pay better at Wiscasset and it will be something different,” said Deane. “But the hour and a half drive won’t be that much fun. It took me only 15 minutes to get to 95.”

“It’s 122 miles one way to Wiscasset for me and 45 miles to Speedway 95,” pointed out Phippen. “It’s a long haul to get there. That’s the most disappointing part.”

Phippen ran regularly at Wiscasset for 12 years and said “I always had a good time down there. [Former owner Dave St. Clair] was always good to me. We were always friends. I don’t think Doug will be any harder to race for than Dave.”

The winner of each Pro Stock race at Speedway 95 pocketed $850 this past season while the Wiscasset winners took home $1200.

There was also a points fund for the drivers and the points champion, White, took home $1500. Second place paid $1,000 and so on down the line.

Next year’s points champion at Wiscasset Raceway will earn $10,000 with the others being paid in descending order.

The Limited class will become the top class at 95 and it will be called the ‘Pro-Limited’ class, according to Merritt.

He said it would cost a car owner at least $2,000 to alter a Pro Stock car so it meets the requirements of the Pro Limited division.

The full-sized Truck division will move over from Wacky Wednesday to the Saturday night card, Merritt said.

He said he will add a ‘Cheaters division’ on Wednesday night to fill the void left by the departure of the Trucks.

“It will be for cars with V6 engines, front wheel drive, fuel-injected with seven and a quarter inch tires,” said Merritt. “It has to be stock appearing and they can do anything else they want to the car.”

Merritt also said they have re-paved the slower inside racing groove at Speedway 95 to try to create a second racing groove. The outside line has been the faster one. He estimated the cost at $5,000-$6,000.

Larry Mahoney may be reached at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net or 990-8231.