BY BILL STEWART

Staff Writer

These days, months even, Brad Bellows just doesn't lose. The 29-year-old South China resident is crushing the Sportsman class at Unity Raceway this summer.

Seven races, six checkered flags. The one Bellows didn't win, he finished second.

Just how dominant has Bellows been?

George Fernald Jr., who is leasing the track from owner Ralph Nason Sr., said this about Bellows and his 1979 Chevrolet Camaro: "Everyone is getting tired of Brad winning. But he works on his car all winter. He does his homework."

Bellows, who said he hopes to drive a Late Model car next season, is all but assured his second consecutive Sportsman points championship at Unity. His 348 points dwarf the 246 put up by runner-up Kris Watson of Hermon.

So how does Bellows explain his streak?

"The friggin car is awesome," Bellows said. "It's just a proven car. The front clip is bent, the rear clip is bent, but for some reason it goes left."

And it's going faster than anyone else. Bellows, who is in his fifth year racing at Unity, says he puts in countless hours week after week working on his car.

"It's just hard work," he said. "But I'm always out here, always working on the car. A lot of the little stuff people overlook, like a bent ball joint. These are stupid little things, but your car won't handle right if they're broken."

Bellows, who won seven races last year, added that he will try and sell his Sportsman car and then purchase a Late Model one. Late Models were introduced at Unity this summer, and Fernald said they are here to stay.

"The drivers actually came to me and asked if I'd run them," he said. "I've been trying to make a place for everybody to race. I told them I couldn't pay much. They decided to do it. It's been growing every week. We had 13 or 14 cars last week. The Sportsman class can be just as good, but the Limited (Late Model) is a little bit better class."

The Late Model cars have bigger tires and can go a little faster.

"In Late Model you can have all handmade stuff for your car," said Bellows, whose sponsors -- Castine Candle Co. and China Dinah, among others -- brought in $3,000 to his team. "I'd like to move up to that class."

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Johnny Clark of Hallowell is fifth in the latest point standings on the PASS North tour, but he says this year has been difficult. Clark, who was leading the All-Star 200 on Wednesday in Epping, N.H., with about 25 laps to go before a broken tire derailed his night, has two wins in eight starts.

"It's been kind of up and down," said Clark, who won the 2004 PASS North title. "We've had some really strong runs. We had a couple races when things haven't clicked. We've won two races, but we should've had four wins.

"But there's nothing you can do about breaking a wheel or blowing a tire. It's just part of Lady Luck. Sometimes she's strapped in with us and sometimes she falls out the car."

Clark, who finished with three victories last year to finish fourth in the points standings, is preparing for the Atlantic CAT 250 on Aug. 9 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a race he won in 2004 and 2006. After that race, on Aug. 17, comes the annual Toyota Tundra 250 at Wiscasset Raceway. The Toyota Tundra pays out $30,000 for the winner.

"We have a few big races coming up," Clark said. "We want that 30 grand; it'd be nice for the checkbook. We've had an awful lot of success at Wiscasset."

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Cassius Clark and his crew put a new front end on his Ford this year, and the PASS North driver from Farmington says it's taken some time to adjust to the made-over car.

"We tried a new front end and we've been struggling a little bit," he said. "We think it will be better for us in the long run."

The short run isn't looking so bad. Clark has six top-10 finishes -- three in the top five -- in eight Pass North races. He ranks seventh in the point standings, just two behind Clark.

"We've been fairly decent," he said, "but we're looking to win some races. We seem to be knocking on the door every week."

Clark's next chance will come in the Atlantic CAT 250, although he says the Toyota Tundra is on his mind.

"Obviously, 30 grand, that can turn your season around in a hurry," he said. "I've raced (Wiscasset) quite often, so we'll see what happens."

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Pit stops: Jeff Burgess of Madison is third in the Clark Car Crushing Pro Stock series at Wiscasset Raceway with 832 points. He trails leader John Phippen of Bar Harbor by a mere eight points. ... Mike Landry of Oakland won two races last weekend at Wiscasset, including a qualifier for the $10,000 Super Street/Sportsman Nationals in October. Landry is fourth in the Unicel Super Street series with 872 points. Allen Moller Sr. leads with 970 points. ... Chris Thorne, the defending Late Model Sportsman champ at Wiscasset, leads the series again this summer. Thorne, a Sidney resident, has 862 points, six ahead of Adam Chadbourne of Woolwich. ... Mike Wilson of Chelsea leads the Mini Stock division at Unity Raceway with 312 points. ... Samantha Letourneau (263 points) of Clinton leads the Ladies division at Unity as well.

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com