Labor Day Weekend is home to the biggest Pro Stock race of the season at Wiscasset Speedway: The Boss Hogg 150! The annual $15,000 to win event, presented by Thurlow’s Car & Truck Service, made its debut in 1991 and is named after the infamous Dave “Boss Hogg” St. Clair. The race draws out some of the biggest crowds of the season and some of the biggest drivers in the Northeast, making it a can’t miss event.
The two-day weekend kicked off on Saturday with four divisions of racing fun. Some intense 3-way battles were had in the T&L Automotive Modifieds, but Chuck Colby was able to pull out the win over Adam Chadbourne and Zach Bowie. Zig Geno became a first-time winner in the New England Dwarf Car Series and Kyle Enman also kept his momentum going in the Chestnut Auto Roadrunners as he took home an impressive 6th win of the season in the division. The night closed out with the Late Models, where Tiger Colby powered through the field to pick up a feature victory on the very same night as his father, Chuck.
Fans packed the grandstands and parking lot on Sunday for the coveted Boss Hogg 150. Nearly 100 drivers among 4 divisions were also pit side, with over 40 Pro Stock drivers showing up to try their hand at the 150.
NEMA visited the track for the second time of the 2024 season and Avery Stoehr dominated the 25-lap Midget feature while Jake Trainor scored a measurable win in the Lites. The Portland Glass Strictly Streets also had a 30-lap feature race that was full of excitement from beginning to end. A wild restart following a lap 26 caution meant that the win was fair game, and the leaders put on a show in the closing laps of the race. Zack Emerson merely edged out Dale Lawrence at the line, taking home an emotional victory as Josh St. Clair rounded out the top 3.
Garrett Hall topped the leaderboard in two of the three practice sessions for the Boss Hogg 150, while Matt Beers took charge in the other. Brand new for 2024, Wiscasset Speedway rolled out time trials for the main event, where the top 20 drivers in trials would automatically advance into the 150. Hall of Fame driver Kelly Moore got it done in time trials with a top lap of 14.617 seconds. Some big names that were forced to the consolation races based off of time were Eddie MacDonald, Nick Reno and Nick Hinkley, among others.
Nick Hinkley, Nick Jenkins, Ryan Littlefield and Nick Reno qualified into the big show via the first consolation race while Jet Decker, Angelo Belsito, JT Thurlow and Shane Clark advanced through the other. 3 provisionals were also handed out prior to the 30-lap last chance qualifier, which went to Andy Gilbert, Stephen Chicoine and Evan Beaulieu. Eddie MacDonald won the last chance qualifier and was given the option to take $750 and sit out of the Boss Hogg 150 or to get two new tires but start dead last in the main event. In true Eddie Mac fashion, he elected to start the race shotgun on the field.
The top 10 qualifiers participated in a redraw for the Boss Hogg 150 and Nick Calvert started on the pole with Logan Melcher on the outside pole. Melcher took off like a rocket on the initial start of the race and led 40 laps until his day came to a devastating stop in turn 3. Drivers at the tail-end of the field stoved up directly in front of the leaders and Melcher had nowhere to go, a series of events that ultimately shoveled the #41 machine into the wall.
Kelly Moore took over on the restart, but chaos ensued in the laps that followed and many heavy hitters dropped out of contention due to wrecks or mechanical failures. These drivers included Dan McKeage, Jr., Nick Calvert and Sylas Ripley, to name a few. Austin Teras stole the lead away from Kelly Moore on lap 55 and the two drivers swapped it back and forth before Moore pulled ahead with the advantage once again on lap 61.
The two front rows were swapped following a mid-race restart where the leaders jumped the gun too soon, opening the door for Mike Hopkins. He briefly took over the lead, but it was reclaimed on lap 86 by Austin Teras. Teras successfully navigated through heavy lap traffic and multiple cautions in the closing laps of the race to pick up the $15,000 grand prize and a larger-than-life trophy. Following the victory, he did a celebratory burnout on the front stretch and happily celebrated with friends and family in Victory Lane. Once the win was deemed official, the team got to enjoy a hearty BBQ feast in the pits, which was provided by Bingo’s BBQ and Catering.
Kelly Moore and Mike Hopkins rounded out the unofficial top 3, but Kelly Moore was disqualified in post-race technical inspection due to left side weight. Mike Hopkins was then deemed the runner-up while Garrett Hall came home in third.
This year’s Boss Hogg 150 was a smashing success and Team Wiscasset is already brewing up plans to make the event bigger and better in 2025! Until then, they will focus on closing out the 2024 season strong, starting with another night of Group 1 racing on Saturday, September 7th. The green flag flies at 5:00 pm!
-Story by: Amy Worrey, Chasing the Checkered
-Photo credit: Jasen Dickey Photography
