Weather permitting, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway will open for its 63rd season Saturday night.

Back on April 30, the Scarborough racetrack hosted PASS North’s first race of the season, a 150-lap Super Late Model event won by Johnny Clark of Hallowell, but racing officially starts in its top four divisions Saturday night.

The schedule includes a 40-lap feature in a Pro division, a 35-lap feature in Sports, a 30-lap feature in Wildcats and a 20-lap feature in Roadrunners.

Qualifying heats start at 6:30 p.m. Feature races start at 7:30 p.m.

Despite the recent wet weather, all three of the track’s preseason practice sessions went off without a hitch.

Last Saturday, more than 60 cars participated in the final four-hour testing session.

“We’ve processed well over 100 cars between our Tuesday night and Saturday night divisions during the practices,” track owner Andy Cusack said.

Cusack estimated more than half of the 200 cars expected to race at the 5/8-mile flat track this season were inspected during the past three weeks.

On Sunday, Beech Ridge will host the first of its three Days of Destruction events scheduled for this season. 

OXFORD PLAINS will hold fan appreciation night Friday, kicking off a busy Memorial Day weekend at the track.

Rain washed out last Saturday night’s season opener, so racing in the speedway’s Late Model, Strictly Stocks, Mini Stocks and Outlaws divisions will open Friday night.

On Saturday night, the track will hold its first Motor Mayhem of the year. The event will feature spectator drags, a smokey donut show, a tag-team race, a flag-pole race and full-size and compact obstacle Enduro races, capped by the first fireworks display of the year.

On Sunday, the speedway will host its inaugural Awesome Auto and Bike Show. 

DEFENDING CHAMPION Tommy Stilphen, 12, of Arundel finished second in the first Maine Mods race of the season Saturday night at Speedway 95 in Hermon.

Reid Lanpher, a 13-year-old driver from Manchester, nosed out Stilphen to win the 30-lap event.

The Maine Mods Series for open-wheeled cars powered by four-cylinder or modified two-stroke motorcycle engines is open to drivers ages 10 to 15.

The next race is scheduled for June 4 at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. 

AFTER FINISHING in the top 10 for his second consecutive start at Devil’s Bowl Speedway Sunday in West Haven, Vt., Bradley Babb, an 18-year-old senior at Windham High, is just three points out of the top five in the American Canadian Tour Late Model standings.

Babb started on the pole for the 111-lap event before fading to a sixth-place finish. 

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com

Twitter: PaulBetit