HERMON, Maine — Kurt Hewins of Leeds and Brenton Parritt of Steuben each won the extended length feature events in their respective auto racing divisions at Speedway 95 Sunday on Veterans Remembrance weekend at the track.
The wins came after a late-race caution and a short sprint to the checkers in both races.
In the Ikey Dorr Memorial 100-lap Strictly Street event, Hewins and Duane Seekins of Stockton Springs dominated the top spot in the 31-car starting field for the entire distance.
Hewins and Seekins battled side by side to the end, where Hewins, an Oxford Plains Speedway regular, beat the Speedway 95 veteran by half a car length and collected the $3,000 first-place prize.
Seekins finished second, taking home $2,000, with 2014 Speedway 95 Strictly Street champion Alex Berry of Harrington winning $1,000 for his third-place finish.
Rounding out the top five were 2013 Ikey Dorr race winner Maurice Young of Chelsea in fourth and Glenburn’s Jordan Pearson finishing fifth. Burnham’s Chris King finished sixth, followed by Bimbo Look of Jonesport, Bradley Norris of Ellsworth, Kris Matchett of Skowhegan and Geoffrey Rollins of Groton Mass.
In the Judy’s Restaurant/Cap’s Tavern 150-lap Late Model race, Hermon’s Mike Hopkins, the track’s 2011 Late Model champ, led the first 142 laps.
After two failed attempts at a clean restart, head flagman Jordan Harnish sent Hopkins and Milo’s Nick Jenkins, the second-place runner at the time, to the rear of the lead-lap cars. Jenkins was unable to restart because of mechanical issues with his car, and he retired from the race. Hopkins restarted fifth, but quickly moved to second and chased Parritt down, racing side by side with him over the final three laps.
Parritt, the 2014 Speedway 95 Late Model champ, beat Hopkins at the line on the final lap. After crossing the finish line, Hopkins’ car got loose and struck Parritt’s in the right rear, sliding Parritt’s car sideways and into the first-turn wall. Hopkins was initially disqualified by Harnish for unsportsmanlike conduct, but a conference after the race with both drivers and Harnish determined that it was a racing accident, and Hopkins was restored to second.
Rounding out the top 10 were Deane Smart of Bradley, Andy Saunders of Ellsworth, Andrew McLaughlin of Harrington, Rowland Robinson Jr. of Steuben, Nick Jenkins of Milo, Paul White of Corinna, John Curtis of Hermon and Ryan Deane of Winterport.