Dan McKeage Jr. wins first career championship at Wiscasset Speedway
Kids are back in school, the temperature outside is beginning to cool down and the leaves on the trees are beginning to change. Fall is quickly approaching and unfortunately for race fans in New England, that can only mean one thing: the end of the season is near. Fortunately, Wiscasset Speedway still has a couple more weeks of racing before they put a bow on the 2024 schedule.
The Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Models kicked off the action on Saturday night with an extended 50-lap spotlight feature. Brett Osmond held the early advantage, but succumbed to a hard-charging Chad Dow on lap 16 after battling it out for a handful of laps. Tiger Colby entered the picture shortly after, overtaking Brett Osmond for third before tracking down the leader. It didn’t take Colby long, as he cleared Chad Dow for the top spot less than 10 laps later. Tiger Colby sailed into the victory, his 3rd consecutive in two weeks, as Chad Dow and Chris Burgess rounded out the podium.
Kerigan Glasier took off with a sizable early lead in the 25-lap feature for the Chestnut Auto Roadrunners. Alec Brown was also on the move in the opening laps of the race, clearing Jarody for the runner-up spot on lap 3. He continued his pursuit in the laps following, pulling to Glasier’s outside to challenge for the top spot. A handful of mid-race cautions halted the racing action, but Alec Brown held the upper hand once the field got rolling, taking home his second win of the season. Kerigan Glasier and Dylan York followed, completing the top 3.
Returning competitor Ryan Ripley charged to the early lead over rookie Reed Reno in the 30-lap feature for the T&L Automotive Modifieds. Unfortunately, yellow was the color of the night as multiple cautions plagued the racing action. Ripley continued to lead the charge through the chaos as Reed Reno lingered closely behind. As the laps wound down, point leader Adam Chadbourne and Chuck Colby put on a spirited battle for third. Ryan Ripley soared into the victory, his second in two days after winning on STAR Classic Weekend. Reed Reno followed while Chuck Colby beat out Adam Chadbourne at the line, finishing third.
The night concluded with a 30-lap feature for the Portland Glass Strictly Streets and their final point race of the 2024 season. Melee was brewing early as a pile-up collected multiple heavy hitters including Nate Leavitt, Jimmy Childs and Brady Romano, among others. Once the field settled, it was David Greenleaf that pulled away from the competition. As more chaos ensued in the laps following, Landon Tapley was slowly climbing the leaderboard.
Tapley sailed into the lead following a mid-race restart as point leader Dan McKeage Jr. trailed closely behind. He held strong as the laps wound down, closing out the night with his first career win in the Strictly Streets. Dan McKeage Jr. followed, who successfully picked up his first career championship at Wiscasset Speedway - or any track, for that matter. Zack Emerson followed, rounding out the podium.
It was a night of firsts on Saturday in the Strictly Streets and Team Wiscasset hopes to keep the magic coming as they host their Group 1 Championship Night this Saturday, Sept. 21. Four new champions will be crowned, but who will they be? Stay tuned to find out!
For the official track schedule, race results and more, please visit http://www.wiscassetspeedway.com.