Kris Matchett, a Skowhegan native, is entering his third season racing in the Sportsman division at Speedway 95 in Hermon, and after two straight years of finishing in second he’s hoping this it’s finally his time to break through.

“Halfway through (last) year we got the car dialed in and it’s worked well so far this year,” Matchett said. “We haven’t had to make any changes.”

In seven races this season Matchett has been dominant, winning the first five and notching a pair of seconds the past two weeks. He leads the points standings with 546 points, followed by D.C. Alexander (514) and Emma Libby (471).

Zach Audet, another Skowhegan resident, is currently in third place with 654 points in the Sport Four division at Speedway 95. He trails Ted Ryder (698) and Garret Hayman (722).

• • •

While the field was not quite what they were hoping for, it was nonetheless a great race for Skowhegan brothers Bryan and Dylan Lancaster as they went one-two, respectively, in the opening leg of the North East Pro 4 Tour at Wiscasset Speedway.

“It’s been good. We respect each other,” Bryan Lancaster said. “We’ve tangled a couple times…but we usually work together.”

“I help him as much as I can and he helps me as much as he can,” added Dylan, who at 23 is six years younger than his brother. “We’ve got to come back to the same garage.”

Racing against each other is nothing new for the Lancasters, as Bryan — who began his career in 2001 — said they’ve been at it since 2005 and are no strangers to the local tracks.

A few years ago, however, they started racing in Bob Guptill’s North East Mini Stock Tour. Last year Guptill began promoting the North East Pro 4 Tour — which according to Guptill is similar to the NEMST, just less regulations and faster racing — and the Lancasters jumped on board.

Bryan Lancaster took home the title last season and will be looking to repeat this year — unless his brother has something to say about that.

• • •

According to track owner Ralph Nason, there will be “six divisions” held at the all-day event planned for Saturday, July 5 at Unity Raceway.

“It’s coming along pretty good,” Nason said. “I’m getting people calling about it. It’s heading in the right direction and I think it will be a lot of fun.”

Nason said they are still figuring out just what divisions to contest — depending on what they get for entrants — but he did mention four cylinders, street stock, enduro, outlaw and vintage all as possibilities.

The festivities will begin with a car show in the parking lot earlier in the day, followed by racing in the evening. There will also be a fireworks display as an intermission of sorts in between the racing. Children 10 and under are free, while admission for anyone over 10 will be $10.

• • •

It has been a busy yet successful spring for Zach Emerson.

The Sabattus resident has been pulling double duty between Oxford Plains and Wiscasset Speedways this racing season, and is in the top three in the points standings in the street divisions at both tracks.

“We’ve had a real good start to the season,” Emerson said.

Racing in the Street Stock division at Oxford Plains, Emerson has finished in the top six in five of his six starts and is currently third in points with 273 — trailing only Spencer Morse (283) and Josh Childs (293).

Emerson has fared even better in the Strictly Street division at Wiscasset, as he has driven his No. 23 car to a pair of victories en route to second place in points with 204. He trails only Corey Morgan, of Lewiston, with 222.

Transitioning from one race to the other has not been terribly difficult Emerson said, as the rules at each track are pretty similar.

“It’s not a whole lot different,” Emerson said. “We run the set same setup, the only thing different is the tires and we have a set for Oxford and a set for Wiscasset. It makes it easy.”

While the different setups have not been much of an issue for Emerson, he was had a new challenger on the track at Wiscasset that has pushed him on a number of occasions this season — his 13-year-old son, Jonathan.

“He’s caught most everybody off guard,” the elder Emerson said. “The other drivers that have been running for a while have noticed, too. You don’t expect a 13-year-old kid to jump in a car and put it all together.”

Zach Emerson may have more years racing experience (18) than his son is years old, but that has not stopped Jonathan — who ran fifth, just one place behind his dad in Saturday’s race — from challenging for a top spot in the division. Jonathan is currently fourth in points with 168, trailing only Tasha Dyer (192), his father and Morgan.

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley