WISCASSET

Across the world, waving a white flag in battle symbolizes defeat, used by weaker contenders to indicate surrender. When it flies at Wiscasset Speedway, drivers and fans receive a very different message — go hard.

Triggering white knuckles on steering wheels and tense toes to accelerators, this is the white warning of one lap to go. Champions finish as hard as they start regardless of the cautions, collisions and chaos in between. In his second win of the season, Bryan Robbins of Montville denied defeat all the way to victory lane, claiming first in the Strictly Streets 35-Lap Spotlight Race last Saturday night.

Starting strong, this division kept spectators on the edge of their seats until tricky traffic on lap five caused the first caution. Chris King from Burnham conceded the night when his car left the shuffle horizontal at the top of turn one. Through intense smoke billowing from beneath Robbins as he climbed the ranks, fans could barely make out the flash of the yellow flag less than five laps later.

In the second caution, Ryan Ripley’s car spun from turn three into four, while Mike Duffy’s barely managed to stay on the track.

After the green flag, Robbins pushed past Joe Hutter and Dan Somes to lock sights on Kurt Hewins from Leeds. Like the flames on her car, Kimberly Knight blazed ahead of the pack in lap ten, intent on seeing victory lane for a second time this season. In a moment of deja vu, another caution in turn three sent three cars down pit road for the night, including first-time racer Faith Cleaves of Freeport.

When engines roared again over the white line, all eyes were on Robbins and Hewins, as the latter waged war entirely from the outer lane. Lap after lap, Hewins pushed his pink machine to the limits, finally settling for a seat behind Robbins in the smoking section. In a heated showdown throughout this fearsome top five, Robbins flew victorious across the finish lane for his second win of the season, followed closely by Knight and Hewins.

Like a disturbed nest of bees, ten tiny NELCAR Legends buzzed next on to the track for their 25-lap feature. The deadly swarm was heard before it was seen, warning spectators not to underestimate the sting of their scaled-down silhouettes. These fan favorites never fail to disappoint, between their nostalgic curves and bold colors. Kevin Girard, Jr. took yet another victory home to Old Orchard. Second place went to Chris Burgess and third to Bobby Weymouth.

Miniature motors were soon replaced by massive ones as the NAPA Modifieds erupted from the pits, ready to rock their 30-lap feature. Hailing from West Bath, Nick Reno fell immediately in love with the lead, refusing to let it out of his sight. Other eligible bachelors who declared their intentions included Adam Chadbourne of Wiscasset in second and Mark Lucas of Harpswell in third. However, the finish line only had eyes for Reno. After a brief, caution-free courtship, he decided to take the relationship to the next level with a first place trophy and a trip to victory lane. Chadbourne stood as the runner up for the second time this season, with Lucas taking third for the second week in a row.

Sponsored by Kennebec Equipment Rental, the Outlaw Minis stayed true to their name early in their 25- lap feature, with traffic going three cars wide up and down the course. For twenty laps, the course remained competitive yet quiet until Jimmy Childs of Leeds lit up like a campfire coming out of turn one. If he were a boy scout, Childs would have earned his safety badge without question — jumping out of his seat to subdue the flames with the same speed he shows on the track. Zach Audet from Oakland later placed first, with Shawn Kimball of Augusta taking second and Rob Greenleaf of Bath taking third.

When the Late Model Sportsman division launched into action for their 35-lap feature, Nate Tribbet, driving from Richmond, reminded us that every race is a fresh chance to shake things up. A less welcome reminder came at the top of turn four when the feature’s only caution sent both Bryan Robbins and Ben Erskins into the front wall tires. After pack leaders took the opportunity to regroup, Tribbet clung to his lead well beyond the halfway mark, only to place second behind Will Collins of Waldoboro, who swooped in with single digit laps remaining. Third place was claimed by the 2016 Coastal 200 Champion, Chris Thorne of Sidney.

Action resumes this upcoming Saturday at Wiscasset Speedway, with racing beginning at 6 p.m. Fans can meet the racers beginning at 5 p.m.