FOR THE FIRST TIME in more than five racing seasons, three McKeages are back on the track at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.

In Pro Series, the track’s top division, Dan McKeage holds a four-point lead over Jeremie Whorff of West Bath.

Lyman McKeage, Dan’s father, ranks 11th among 30 cars in the Sports Series.

After returning to racing after a five-year hiatus, Laura McKeage, Dan’s wife, ranks 15th among 35 cars in the Wildcat division.

Auto racing has been an avocation for the McKeages, who live in Gorham, for many years.

“My father and I used to go to the races when I was a little boy,” Dan McKeage said. “It was something we did together.”

Lyman McKeage, who didn’t start driving race cars until he was 38, is in his 20th season racing at Beech Ridge.

“I’m the second-oldest driver at Beech Ridge,” he said. “They call me the old man.”

Dan McKeage, who started driving race cars when he was 16, is in his 17th season racing at the Ridge.

“As soon as I was old enough I was in the pits,” he said.

Dan McKeage met his wife at the track.

“When we started dating, I built her a car,” he said.

Laura McKeage returned to racing this season after the couple’s twin sons, Dan and Shawn, turned 5 years old.

This is her first season competing in the Wildcats.

“She’s a good driver,” Lyman McKeage said. “She can run with the guys and drive better than most of them.”

The elder McKeage is racing in the Sports Series for the first time at Beech Ridge.

“I haven’t figured (my car) out yet,” he said. “It’s a fast car. I just need to know how to turn it.”

It appears the two youngest McKeages already have caught the racing bug.

Last winter, each of the twins won a race while piloting go-carts in an indoor racing series held at Victory Lane Indoor Karting in Portland.

 

AT WISCASSET RACEWAY, teenagers claimed the top three spots in the Late Model feature Sunday.

Tyler Robbins of Montville was a first-time winner. Nate Hinkley of Wiscasset, the division points leader, finished second and Josh St. Clair of Liberty was third.

Ian Bresnahan of West Bath celebrated his 37th birthday by winning his heat and the feature in Strictly Streets at Wiscasset.

In Super Streets, a broken ankle kept Adam Chadbourne of Woolwich out of the cockpit for another week, enabling the race winner, Ryan Ripley of Waldoboro, to extend his lead in the points race.

Chadbourne could be cleared to drive when racing resumes July 11 at Wiscasset.

 

AT LEAST TWO DRIVERS will try to dial in their cars for the TD Bank 250, which will be run July 18 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Austin Theriault, a 16-year-old from Fort Kent in his first season on the American Canadian Tour, is scheduled to test two cars today at Oxford Plains.

“We’re going to take the new car and our old car and see if we can learn some things while we’re there,” he said.

Another ACT driver, Joey Polewarczyk Jr. of Hudson, N.H., intends to race Saturday night in the weekly LMS feature at the speedway.

“We’re changing everything on the car, and we’re going to try to get this turned around,” said Polewarczyk, who is sixth in the ACT standings.

 

TWO DRIVERS in the Pro All-Star Series tours will have a chance to set a record for consecutive victories this weekend.

PASS South’s Andy Loden of Stanley, N.C., and PASS North leader Johnny Clark of Farmingdale each have won three consecutive races in their series.

PASS North four-time champion Ben Rowe of Turner has accomplished that feat four times.

Friday night, Loden will race in the Firecracker 125 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

Saturday night, Clark will race in the Firecracker 150 at the Canaan Fair Speedway in New Hampshire.

 

BRADLEY BABB, who recently completed his junior year at Windham High School, holds a six-point lead over Austin Theriault in the ACT rookie standings.

Babb, who finished 21st among 31 cars Saturday night in a 150-lap race at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., ranks 12th in the regional tour’s overall standings.

 

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com

 

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