ON SITE: Joey Doyon holds on for Late Model win at Unity Raceway

Joey Doyon held off Unity Raceway veteran Gary Thorne over two late restarts to win the 30-lap Late Model feature at the track on Friday night.

Doyon, of Winterport, led every lap of the main event en route to his fourth win of the season.

"I was just trying to hold my line on the restarts and go as fast as I could," Doyon said of a pair of lap 21 restarts. "I know he’s got a lot of years of experience down here. The first trophy I ever got down here was in a Pro Stock, and he was there in the top-3 that night."

Thorne, making just his second start of the year in a car his son Chris won the 2005 Unity Sportsman championship with, said Doyon never really had to worry.

"Inside, outside, it didn’t matter," said Thorne, of Sidney. "I couldn’t do anything. It was tight in the middle, loose out."

Doyon cruised out to the lead after starting on the outside pole, opening an advantage of three car lengths just three laps in. Thorne moved into second a short time later and starting setting his sights on the leader just shy of the midway point.

Thorne tried twice to peek under Doyon off of turn 4 but couldn’t make the bottom of the track work before dropping back a couple of car lengths to sit and ride. His shot at the lead came on lap 20 – when the first caution flew for Dustin Hubbard’s spin. Less than a lap later, division points leader Frank Moulton spun to bring out a second caution.

Thorne couldn’t capitalize on either restart chance.

"I was just trying to outsmart the kid," Thorne said. "The restarts were a little wider than I would have liked, but he’s on the inside so he sets the pace and he sets the groove."

Deane Smart of Bradley nipped Thorne for second at the checkered flag after silently working his way to the front from 10^th starting spot. Smart won last week’s feature, having similarly come to life late in the going with the car.

Late Model points leader Frank Moulton finished 9th.