HERMON – It went from being a race to a matter of survival.

Rain certainly complicated the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association’s 15-lap feature at Speedway 95 Sunday afternoon.

In fact, it reduced the race to 10 laps and postponed the other regular weekly Speedway 95 features until May 11.

And Bradley’s Tim Reynolds took the checkered flag thanks to a late-race pass of leader John Rice, who got caught up in lapped traffic.

“I caught a break and he didn’t,” said Reynolds, who sliced down to the inside groove to get past Rice.

“I had to slow down in traffic,” said Bristol’s Rice, who finished second.

The Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association has 75 members and 22 active drivers, according to president Rosey Gerry of Lincolnville. It is for cars built on or before 1965.

“It’s always nice to win,” said Reynolds, a former Street Stocks and Super Street points champion at Speedway 95 who is in his “sixth or seventh year” racing the vintage cars.

“You go out and have fun but if the opportunity presents itself [to win] without causing a problem, I’ll go for it,” said Rice, who was driving a 1941 Lincoln Coupe.

Rice drove a 1937 Pontiac.

“My car was good. It was pretty loose so I had to play with the throttle,” said Reynolds.

“It came down to who had the best rain tires,” quipped Reynolds.

Haggie Pratt of Dexter finished third in a 1938 Chevy Coupe, and rounding out the top five were Mark Collins of Appleton in a 1936 Ford and Robert Hills of Searsmont in a 1936 Chevy.

The series has three divisions but all of the cars were thrown into one class for Sunday’s race.

They have a bomber class for cars built no later than 1948 with street tires and a stock motor; modifieds built no later than 1965 and early late models built between 1949-65.

Gerry explained that they race twice a month and their schedule includes five of Maine’s six prominent paved tracks along with dirt tracks in Unity and Greenville (Bullwinkle Raceway).

He said the only paved track they haven’t secured a date with yet is Caribou’s Spud Speedway but they are waiting to hear back from track owner Greg Veinote.

Collins said there is a strong “fellowship” between the drivers and two or three of them will routinely get together and try to find vintage cars for the series.

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

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