Series winners collect trophies at a rain-shortened season finale.
By Peter Mullen
Staff Writer

OXFORD- It was championship night as Stephanie Bowie, Jim Davis, Jr., Gary Chaisson, and Ed Prevost were all crowned series champs in their respective divisions as the Big Apple Summer Racing Series came to an end for 2003 at Oxford Plains Speedway Wednesday night.

Davis had a comfortable enough lead going in to capture the Big Apple Outlaw Championship without finishing in the top five.

“There was a lot of pressure,” said Davis. “We had some good weeks and we had some bad weeks. We’ve raced hard the past three years to get where we are.”

Bob Washburn took over the lead from Randy Robitaille on lap 10 and had little trouble fending off the field to post the win. Robitaille ended up fifth.

Bowie captured the Summer Series Ladies Championship with a fourth-place finish in the feature.

The race itself looked like Megan Black’s to win as the No. 199 car led all but the last lap. Deb Martin rushed the leaders and spent the final half of the race trying to reel in Morgan.

She did on the last time around the oval.

For Bowie, it was a somewhat unusual situation.

“I am so excited,” said Bowie. “I’m still shaking. I have never come into the last Wednesday night leading in points. I knew I just had to hang in there.”

Black was second and Tina Springer third.

In the closest points fight of the evening, only six points separated Gary Chaisson and Greg Norton.

Norton battled to the midpoint when mechanical problems slowed him down and out of contention. When he rolled down pit road with nine laps remaining, all Chaisson had to do was keep it rolling.

“That was pretty close,” said Chaisson. “I don’t know what happened to the 119. I knew I was ahead of him and then I saw him go off the track. I knew I just had to go out there and stay ahead of him.”

Jim Hart did his best to let everyone know he was there as he passed Corey Beaulieu on the last lap to win the feature.

With the Sport Truck title locked up by Prevost last week, the battle was for second with Jerry Goss and Dave Sullivan tied with 446 points.

Sullivan made it as high as second on lap six but he swapped paint with Prevost a couple of laps later.

“I thought we had a good run going,” said Prevost. “But we got tangled up with Dave.”

Prevost, who was competing in his first season in the trucks, said the results were more than he expected.

“Its been a blast,” said the driver. “No, we didn’t think we would contend when we started, but we won the first three races and decided to get serious. Originally it was just to have fun.”

In the end, neither contended as Tony Hathorne led wire-to-wire to post the win.

Joe Geroux of Bowdoinham claimed his second win this summer as he dominated a ho-hum makeup race from earlier this summer. Geroux led all 20 laps of the feature.

In like fashion, Jim Archer followed Giroux all 20 laps as well for a second-place finish.

Zach Audet, and Matt Dufault took home wins in the two other Runnin’ Rebel features.

Audet led 17 of the feature’s 20 laps in posting the Runnin’ Rebel win. He took the green flag fast, leading the first nine laps.

Jim May hounded Audet, taking the lead for three laps, before Audet reasserted command the rest of the way.

May, who was in second on lap 16, lost a wheel and went down pit road in a shower of sparks.

Arthur Campbell moved up to finish second.

Dufault took the lead on lap 8, beating out Gerald Record to win a rain-shortened feature. The race was called on lap 9. Record finished second.

Buddy Cooper crashed into the front stretch wall on the first lap of the race. Cooper, complaining of a sore ankle and sore ribs, was extricated by Oxford Rescue and transported to Stevens Memorial Hospital in Norway.

Four races were canceled due to the weather. The one Runnin’ Rebel and three Outlaw features will be added to the Motor Mayhem program on Saturday, Sept. 13. The start time has been moved to 6 p.m.

pmullen@sunjournal.com

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