OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY
Route 26, Oxford, ME 
Phone: (207) 539-8865 

TD BANKNORTH 250 FAST FACTS

Multiple winners
3, Dave Dion (75, 85, 92)
3, Ralph Nason (98, 99, 00)
3, Mike Rowe (84, 97, 05)
2, Geoff Bodine (80, 81)
2, Chuck Bown (86, 90)
2, Jamie Aube (87, 89)
2, Ben Rowe (03, 04)

Largest winners purse
$52,150, Dave Whitlock (1995)

Smallest winners purse
$4,500 Joey Kourafas (1974)
$4,500 Dave Dion (1975)

Most career earnings
$187,715, Ralph Nason

Most career earnings for non-winner
$66,420, Tracy Gordon

First Maine winner
Mike Rowe (1984)

Last Maine winner
Jeremie Whorff (2006)

First Canadian winner
Don Biederman (1977)

Last Canadian winner
Dave Whitlock (1995)

Multiple runner-up finishes
3, Butch Lindley (77, 80, 82)
3, Robbie Crouch (81, 84, 86)
2, Tommy Houston (90, 91)
2, Tracy Gordon (97, 98)
2, Ben Rowe (99, 00)

Multiple top-3 finishes
6, Butch Lindley (1st-76, 2nd-77, 3rd-78, 2nd-80, 2nd-82, 3rd-84)
5, Joey Kourafas (1st-74, 3rd-76, 2nd-85, 3rd-87, 3rd-90)
5, Dave Dion (1st-75, 1st-85, 3rd-86, 2nd-87, 1st-92)
5, Mike Rowe (1st-84, 1st-97, 3rd-98, 2nd-02, 1st-05)
5, Ralph Nason (2nd-76, 1st-98, 1st-99, 1st-00, 3rd-01)
5, Dick McCabe (3rd-82, 2nd-83, 3rd-85, 1st-88, 2nd-89)
4, Ben Rowe (2nd-99, 2nd-00, 1st-03, 1st-04)
3, Bob Pressley (3rd-77, 1st-78, 3rd-79
3, Robbie Crouch (2nd-81, 2nd-84, 2nd-86)
3, Tracy Gordon (3rd-95, 2nd-97, 2nd-98)
3, Gary Drew (3rd-97, 1st-01, 3rd-03)
2, George Summers (3rd-74, 2nd-75)
2, Geoff Bodine (1st-80, 1st-81)
2, Chuck Bown (1st-86, 1st-90)
2, Jamie Aube (1st-87, 1st-89)
2, Tommy Houston (2nd-90, 2nd-91)
2, Scott Robbins (2nd-01, 1st-02)

Only driver to win after finishing last the previous year
Larry Gelinas (1996)

Only driver to win after finishing second the previous year
Scott Robbins (2002)

Only driver to win last chance race and 250 in same year
Mike Rowe (2005)

Most Times Qualified
30, Mike Rowe (missed 1975, 1977, 1987, 2007)

Youngest winner
Tom Rosati, 19 (1979)

Oldest winner
Ralph Nason, 60 (2000)

Only woman to start
Karen Schulz, started and finished 42nd (1989)

Largest field
47 (1988)

Smallest field
36 (1978-1981)

Most pole positions
3, Junior Hanley (79, 82, 94)
2, Dave Dion (75, 76)
2, Morgan Shepherd (77, 78)

Winners from the pole position
Dave Dion (1975)
Geoff Bodine (1981)
Larry Gelinas (1996)
Gary Drew (2001)
Ben Rowe (2003)

Most last place finishes
2, Keith Cavanaugh (78, 84)
2, Jeff Stevens (88, 98)

Worst starting position for champion
37th, Mike Rowe (2005)

Second worst starting position for champion
30th, Roger Brown (2007)

Most positions gained from start to finish
41st - 3rd, Matt Kenseth (2004)

Rain
1979 - postponed one week
1986 - held the next day
1991 - delayed, ran same day

Most Cautions
21 in 1997

Father/Son champions
Rowe, Mike (84, 97, 05) & Ben (03, 04)

Father/Son qualifiers
Allison, Bobby & Davey
Babb, Bob & Bobby
Babb, George & Jerry
Brackett, Tim and T.J.
Clark, Billy and Cassius
Cusack, Ralph & Glenn
Darveau, Dave Sr.& Dave Jr.
Demers, Dennis & Trampas
Dragon, Beaver & Brent
Drew, Homer & Gary
Fraser, Frank & Scott
Gerry, Bob and Brockie
Lynch, David & Derek
Maietta, Mike Sr. & Mike Jr.
Pressley, Bob & Robert
Ripley, Doug & Daren
Rowe, Mike, Ben & Tom
Shaw, Henry Jr. & Andy
Tripp, John & Bob
Whorff, Bill & Jeremie

Brother qualifiers
Bodine, Brett, Geoff & Todd
Bouchard, Ken & Ron
Burton, Jeff & Ward
Busch, Kurt and Kyle
Dragon, Beaver & Bobby
Labonte, Bobby & Terry
Pinkham, David & Richard
Rosati, John & Tom
Rowe, Ben & Tom
Wallace, Kenny & Rusty

Grandfather/grandson qualifiers
Fadden, Stub & Olsen, Mike
St. Clair, Dave & Josh

1974 - History in the making
Al Grinnan leads the very first lap in Oxford 250 history. Joey Kourafas wins the 200-lap event when George Summers runs out of gas three circuits from the finish.

1975 - What's your price?
Dwayne "Tiny" Lund starts the race by buying a starting position from a previously qualified driver. Lund starts at the rear, 37th position, and finishes 22nd.

1976 - Bicentennial bash
Butch Lindley beats Maine's Ralph Nason in a result that's still disputed by some to this day.

1978 - Makin' it look easy
Bob Pressley leads 213 laps en route to victory.

1979 - Where's Junior?
Junior Hanley qualifies on the pole, but does not compete. Hanley was unable to make the show after the race was rained out and rescheduled for the following week. Tom Rosati became the youngest race winner.

1980 - When gas cost $20,000 a gallon
Geoff Bodine and Butch Lindley duel for the win. Lindley runs out of fuel on the final lap. Bodine's tank goes dry on his victory lap.

1981 - Show me the money
Lap money is offered for the first time in the race's history.

1982 - Don't you forget about me
Mike Barry comes back after being a lap down to win.

1983 - Junkyard dog
Tommy Ellis drives from 26th starting position to win, In his victory lane interview, "Terrible Tommy" decries the local "junkers" he was forced to pass.

1984 - Lucky 6
Mike Rowe becomes the only driver to win with a V-6 under the hood. Chuck Bown was the first to qualify with the engine in 1983, he finished 22nd.

1984 - Who's In Front?
The race featured 17 lead changes between Geoff Bodine, Robbie Crouch, Morgan Shepherd Dick McCabe and race winner Mike Rowe.

1985 - The one that counts
Dave Dion wins by leading only the final lap.

1987 - Marathon, not a sprint
Jamie Aube makes his move over the final 50 laps, taking the lead when OPS weekly racer Billy Clark stops for fuel, and picks up the first of his two 250 titles

He Ain't Heavy...
The Dragon Brothers, Beaver & Bobby, competed in the same TD Banknorth 250 ten times. (74, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85)

1989 - Movin' on up
Ricky Craven finishes sixth after starting 43rd.

1989 - Generation Gap
Stub Fadden and Mike Olsen become the only grandfather and grandson to qualify for the race. Stub finished 25th, Mike 17th.

1990 - Bown and determined
Chuck Bown outlasts Tommy Houston to win his second 250 en route to a NASCAR Busch Series championship

1991 - On his way
Ricky Craven, future NASCAR Cup and Busch Series Rookie of the Year, wins his home state's biggest race.

1992 - Glad he came
Dave Dion gets a phone call from track owner Michael Liberty, encouraging him to end his boycott of NASCAR and compete in the 250. Dion shows up and holds off Dale Shaw to become the first three-time winner.

1993 through 1995 - Oh, Canada
Junior Hanley, Derek Lynch and Dave Whitlock take the big prize north of the border, when the race was sanctioned by ACT.

1996 - Larry Who?
Relative unknown Larry Gelinas wins the pole, then wins the race when rookie Ben Rowe runs out of gas with two laps remaining.

1997 - Lucky 13
Thirteen years after his first victory, Mike Rowe sets a new record for most years between 250 triumphs

1998 through 2000 - King Ralph
Ralph Nason is the first driver to win three consecutive 250s.

2001 and 2002 - Home field advantage
Gary Drew and Scott Robbins give victory lane a local flavor.

2003 - Front Rowe
Ben Rowe starts on the pole, alongside his father and two-time champion, Mike Rowe. Ben won the event with Mike placing fourth.

2004 - Nextel Cup Invasion
Defending Nextel Cup champion Matt Kenseth and Cup superstar Kurt Busch compete in the TD Banknorth 250. Kenseth placed third, Busch 13th.

2005 - They're back
Kenseth announces his intentions to return to the TD Banknorth 250 along with Busch's younger brother, Nextel Cup rookie Kyle Busch.

2005 - Worst to first
Mike Rowe cannot win the provisional starting spot for most recent race champion, meaning that he needs to win the 50-lap last chance race just to start 37th in the main event. He becomes the first driver in 250 history to win the non-qualifiers' event and the grand finale.

2006 - Family affair
Jeremie and Bill Whorff becoming the first son-father combo to run one-two in the 250, leading a field that includes NASCAR stars Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ricky Craven and J.J. Yeley.

2007 - Roger Dodger
"Rocket" Roger Brown tops a staggering field of 97 entries to win the first TD Banknorth 250 under the late model rules package.