And He's Off And he's off - to the races! Race car fan and former Wiscasset selectman, Alex Robertson, left, is the lucky first prize winner in this year's Wiscasset Fire Department raffle. Wishing him well is firefighter Larry Rines, right.

Every year the Wiscasset Fire Department raffles off a NASCAR Las Vegas trip - and this year it was won by someone whose lifelong hobby has been car racing.

"I've been in pit crews in Daytona," said Alex Robinson Monday, a former selectman and first prize winner in the raffle, which includes tickets to the February 29 through March 2 NASCAR Weekend - including air fare, hotel, tickets to the races, and spending money.

Firefighter Larry Rines brought the news of this year's winners to the newspaper, along with a photo of Robinson and another photo of the training center on the Fowles Hill Road next to the transfer station. The building has been paid for entirely by fundraising efforts at the department.

Robertson and his wife leave on Thursday, February 28, and return home on the following Tuesday.

Asked if he is looking forward to the trip, Robertson said, "Oh gosh, yes. I guess you could say this has been a hobby of mine all my life. I used to drive at the Wiscasset Raceway."

"I also raced in the late '60s in Connecticut when I was a pup," he said. Robertson said members of the fire department deserve a lot of credit for putting together this trip and the other prizes that are included in the raffle every year.

The idea of building a training facility for firefighters that could be used over and over again was the brainchild of the late J. Gordon Merry, who served the department for 25 years. The building is built of concrete with an interior that can be set on fire and extinguished. Lieutenant Mike Gordon, the head of the building committee, said the structure has cost about $36,000 and no tax dollars were used. All the work has been done by the firefighters, and Hancock Lumber provided a discount on the building materials. Merry's son, Tim, is the fire chief and another son, John, is the assistant chief; Tim's twin sons, T.J. and Nick, are also members of the department.

Other raffle winners include:

Second Prize of two tickets to the NHIS summer Nextel Race was won by Stan Bolduc;

Third Prize of two tickets to the NHIS fall Nextel Race was won by Michael LeClair;

Fourth Prize of two season tickets to The Wiscasset Raceway was won by Danielle Norton;

Fifth Prize of two tickets to the NHIS Fall Truck Race was one by Alex Robinson;

Sixth Prize of a crank radio was won by Erik Frigon;

Seventh Prize of a crank radio was won by Calvin and Judy Hunter;

Eighth Prize of an alert radio was won by Dickey Brigance;

Ninth Prize of an alert radio was won by Tricia Goud; and

Tenth Prize of an alert radio was won by Kristen Bisson.

The Association of Wiscasset Firefighters would like to thank everyone who supported them by purchasing tickets.

A specials thanks to the following merchants for their contribution to our Raffle Poster which has added greatly to the success of our raffle: Ames Supply/True Value; Maine Yankee; Wiscasset Quick-Stop; Wiscasset Raceway; Copy Shop; Wiscasset Ford; Sarah's; Dunkin Donuts; Gordon Properties; NorthEast Security Systems; Hancock Lumber; and McLaughlin, Hallee & Associates.

Proceeds from the raffle donations will benefit equipment upgrades and the New 4 Season Training Building, now being built on the Fowles Hill Road.

Tickets for the 11 th Annual Race Raffle will be available April 1 via any Wiscasset firefighter or call 882-8210, vegasraf05@hotmail.com , and look for our table at local events, merchants, and Wiscasset Raceway.