|
forceforceforceforceforceforceforce |
= |
|
|
 |
 |
|
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30th |
|
|
Speed51 videos
of the Oxford 250 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
SUPER LATE MODELS at OPS 250
OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS - 8-30-20 |
1) 54 - Johnny Clark - 250 Laps
2) 88T - Jeff
Taylor - 250
3) 21 - Joey Doiron - 250
4) 23 -
Dave Farrington Jr. - 250
5) 15 - Mike Hopkins - 250
6) 60s - DJ Shaw - 250
7) 99 - Ben Ashline - 250
8) 29s - Trevor Sanborn - 250
9) 94h - Garrett Hall -
250
10) 47b - Gabe Brown - 250
11) 9t - Alan
Tardiff - 250
12) 7g - Curtis Gerry - 250
13) 32 -
Derek Ramstrom - 250
14) 13 - Cassius Clark - 249
15) 17ma - Eddie MacDonald - 249
16) 29t - Austin
Teras - 249
17) 4 - Ben Rowe - 249
18) 51 - Jon
Peters - 248
19) 88b - Brandon Barker - 248
20) 81
- Dan Winter - 248
21) 24 - Mike Rowe - 248
22) 96
- Wyatt Alexander - 247 |
23) 12 - Corey Bubar - 247
24) 7b - Travis
Benjamin - 245
25) 90 - Craig Weinstein - 245
26)
14 - Scott McDaniel - 243
27) 10 - Kate Re - 240
28) 20 - Joey Pastore - 237
29) 12g - Derek Griffith
- 228
30) 3c - Josh Childs - 220
31) 93ct - Ray
Christian III - 205
32) 1 - Kyle Desouza - 183
33)
8 - Calvin Rose Jr. - 171
34) 26p - Bubba Pollard
-155
35) 94 - Shawn Martin 113
36) 41 - Tracy
Gordon - 101
37) 72 - Scott Robbins - 99
38) 85 -
Travis Stearns - 91
39) 60b - Tim Brackett - 65
40) 72x - Ryan Kuhn -46
41) 36 - Ryan Robbins - 32
42) 53 - Alan Wilson - 26
43) 14c - Anthony
Costantino - 23
44) 40vt - Nick Sweet - 17 |
 |
Clark Scores Elusive
Oxford 250 Win;
Taylor Left
Wondering |
Story by: Zach Evans, Speed51 Content Supervisor –
Twiter: @ztevans |
Oxford, ME - After a
pit road miscue during a lap 179 caution relegated
Taylor to 10th, Clark took the lead from Alan Tardiff
and led the rest of the way for his first Oxford 250 win
in 16 attempts.
Finally climbing to the
mountaintop at Oxford nearly rendered Clark speechless
afterwards, reflecting on a wild year on and off the
race track.
"It's unbelievable. It really is. I
don't know what to say. It's been a crazy year.
Honestly, the fact that it's been such a crazy year is
probably why we're standing here."
"It's been
stressful to be a good dad, be a good husband, and be
the best race car driver you can be. The fact that I've
been able to slow down a ton has been huge for me and
huge for my family, everything, personally."
The
victory was the culmination of a year's worth of effort
for the six-time PASS North champion to finally score
the elusive win.
"We worked so hard right from
March," said Clark. "We've got an awesome relationship
with Gary Crooks and Port City Race Cars. He has busted
his a-- to get this company where it's at, and I'm
reaping the rewards for it. We talked almost nightly;
you can ask my wife.
"It's unbelievable. We just
worked so hard. I know Jeff Taylor has worked really
hard to get to victory lane here, but man, we've worked
really busted a---- this season."
Taylor was
another home-state driver looking for his first Oxford
250, making his 23rd appearance in the race in 2020.
Instead, he came away with his third runner-up finish in
the event.
During the lap 179 caution, Taylor
exited pit road after his first pit stop of the night.
Believing he had driven through the stop sign at pit
exit, Taylor took a self-imposed pass-through penalty on
pit road rather than forcing series officials to
penalize him.
That put the nine-time Oxford
Plains track champion 10th in the field with less than
100 laps to go, a distance he was unable to make up in
that span.
"I did it to myself, so it's not
really a luck thing. I wasn't paying enough attention
coming out of the pits. I screwed it up getting out of
the pits. I decided to penalize myself.
"I don't
know if that was the right move or not, but that's the
one I made. Inevitably, it cost us a chance."
Along with being a milestone victory for the Maine
standout, it was a bounce-back performance from a dismal
showing a month ago. When the PASS North series visited
the bullring on July 18, Clark finished three laps down
in 26th place during a 150-lap feature.
Despite
that showing, Clark knew they had the pieces to contend
for the Oxford 250 this weekend, and that they did.
"We've been good here testing, but In July we went
three laps down here. Our heads were hanging when we
left, but we knew that it just didn't work that day. We
had already found what would work, we just had to get
back to it.
Joey Doiron completed the podium,
with Dave Farrington, Jr. and Mike Hopkins rounding out
the top five.
Fans who missed Sunday's Oxford 250
can click here
to watch an on-demand replay of Speed51's live broadcast
of the race. |
|
|
Special Bonus $500
For Winner of the 250 Last
Chance race.
Sponsored by Rex Garrett, Dale
Earnhardt Inc. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Poland, ME - (207) 890-0913
PASS MODS 75 Lap Feature at OPS 250
OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS - 8-30-20 |
1) 34 - Spencer Morse - 75 Laps
2) 19 - Ben Tinker -
75
3) 11 - Tyler King - 75
4) 13 - Shawn Knight -
75
5) 64 - Matty Sanborn - 75
6) 52 - Colby
Benjamin - 75
7) 4x - Kris Matchett - 75
8) 18 -
Justin Larson - 75
9) 12 - Kevin Durgin - 75
10) 4
- Milo Washer - 75
11) 09 - Ryan Ripley - 75
12)
41x - Mike Nichols - 74 |
13) 55 - Gary Dwinal - 74
14) 35 - Bobby Nadeau - 74
15) 66 - Jake Madore - 74
16) 25 - Ryan Nelson - 74
17) 7 - Spencer Vaughan 73
18) 6t - Troy Morse - 61
19) 44 - Ashley Beyea - 54
20) 6 - Chanler Harrison -
41
21) 2 - Ajay Cates - 30
22) 28 - Mark Lunblad
Jr. - 16
23) 33 - Bill Dixon - 12
24) 00 - JR
Barill - 1 |
 |
|
|
|
Mixers Night Club and Lounge Rebels:
1. 0 Matt Mahar, 2. 18 Dustin Salley, 3. 69 John Childs,
4. 14x Adam Oneil, 5. 10 Corey Roussel, 6. 50 AJ Smith,
7. 56 Addie McDaniel, 8. 00 Chris Giguere, 9. 01 Chuck
MacDonald, 10. 37 Cam Richards, 11. 55 Darick Barker,
12. 52 Keegan Leighton, 13. 12 Chris Lavanway, 14. 21Q
Darryl Quinlan, 15. 71 Chris Foster, 16. 31 Thomas
Richards, 17. 3 Cam Childs, 18. 85 Doug Degroat
|
 |
|
Street Stocks Feature #2: 1. 1 Billy
Childs Jr., 2. 51 Kyle Hewins, 3. 24 Johnathon Emerson,
4. 64 Skip Stanley, 5. 83 Dan Brown, 6. 30 Dylan Street,
7. 67 Michael Haynes, 8. 35 Kris Watson, 9. 62r Kyle
Robinson, 10. 55m Corey Morgan, 11. 38 Garrett Lamb, 12
.4e Calab Emerson Mains ,13. 20 Matt Rickards, 14 .81
Lewis Anderson, 15. 95 Cody Childs, 16. 25 Shawn Knight,
17. 23 Zach Emerson, 18 .33 WM Bimbo, 19. 07 Mark
Grantham, 20. 36 Richard Spaulding, 21. 61 Matt Dufault,
22. 28 David Cameron, 23. 30p ---, 24. 14 Kurt Hewins,
25. 17 Bobby Seger, 26. 3x Jordan Pearson.
|
 |
|
|
|
North East Mini Stock Tour:
1. 20 Jason
Kimball , 2. 7NH Cody Leblanc, 3. 10c Jimmy Childs, 4. 34
Tom Silva, 5. 90 Desmond Skilling, 6. 10r Issac Rollins,
7 .4 Joe Katula, 8. 85 Mike Viens, 9. 55me Kyle Gray,
10. 18 Jake Rheaume, 11. 04 Justin Faford, 12. 34 Justin
Trombley, 13 .33 Dan Morris, 14. 8 Ryan Kennison, 15.
33w Erin Akens, 16. 69 Louis Manher, 17. 33Vt Matthew
Sonnhalder, 18. 5 Eric Banks, 19. 43Vt Dana Shepard, 20.
55 Nick Anderson, 21. 01 Chuck MacDonald, 22. 37 Jesse
Copp
|
 |
|
|
PASS MODS 50 Lap Feature at OPS 250
OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS - 8-30-20 |
1) 55 - Gary Dwinal - 50 Laps
2) 19 - Ben Tinker - 50
3) 12 - Kevin Durgin - 50
4) 11 - Tyler King - 50
5) 6t - Troy Morse - 50
6) 4x - Kris Matchett - 50
7) 13 - Shawn Knight - 50
8) 35 - Bobby Nadeau - 50
9) 64 - Matty Sanborn - 50
10) 28 - Mark Lunblad - 50
11) 66 - Jake Madore - 50
12) 52 - Colby Benjamin -
50
13) 2 - Ajay Cates - 50 |
14) 00 - JR Barill - 50
15) 4 - Milo Washer - 50
16) 09 - Ryan Ripley - 50
17) 83 - Dan Brown - 49
18) 7 - Spencer Vaughan - 48
19) 34 - Spencer Morse -
45
20) 25 - Ryan Nelson - 40
21) 61 - Brad Hammond
- 35
22) 33 - Bill Dixon - 19
23) 18 - Justin
Larson - 15
24) 41x - Tracy Gordon - 15
25) 6 -
Chanler Harrison - 15
26) 44 - Ashley Beyea - 1 |
 |
|
|
Hebert Finally Breaks Through at
Oxford
to
Extend ACT Point Lead |
Oxford, ME -- Williamstown's Jimmy Hebert
finished a job he had come close to so many times before
by winning the Oxford Plains 150 at Maine's Oxford
Plains Speedway on Sunday, August 30. Hebert took the
lead for good from Turner, ME's Ben Rowe with 57 laps to
go and was never seriously threatened from there on his
way to becoming the first repeat winner of the
American-Canadian Tour (ACT) season.
For Hebert,
it was a victory that had been within reach on multiple
occasions prior to Sunday. In nine previous starts at
Oxford, he had posted six top-5 finishes with a pair of
runner-up results. His elusive first win at the historic
3/8-mile track also put him in the driver's seat for his
first ACT championship with three point-counting events
remaining.
Hebert started 10th in the 28-car
field and spent the first third of the event conserving
his Hebert Excavation Chevrolet as the field tussled in
front of him. Polesitter Marcel J. Gravel of Wolcott, VT
led the first five laps before Steuben, ME's Rowland
Robinson Jr. got underneath him on the backstretch to
snatch the top spot. Robinson's stay at the front was
also short-lived as Candia, NH's Jimmy Renfrew pulled a
similar move six laps later to lead an ACT event for the
first time.
Renfrew paced the field for the next
42 circuits as Robinson, Gravel, Rowe, Ryan Kuhn, and
others fought to position themselves for the long haul.
Rowe was up to the second spot by lap 40, and after
looking to the outside of Renfrew multiple times, he
finally made it stick on the high groove to move in
front on lap 54.
The long green-flag run came to
an end on lap 69 when Robinson and Renfrew tried to
split a lapped car on the front chute. Robinson bounced
off Renfrew's driver-side door entering turn one, and
the contact sent Robinson spinning to bring out the
first caution. His misfortune moved Milton, VT's Dylan
Payea into the third spot with Hebert right behind him
for the restart.
When the green flag came back
out, Hebert decided it was time to go. He had slashed
his way to the second spot when the second caution flew
seven laps later after Connor McDougal got turned
around. Hebert restarted outside Rowe and rode the rim
to put a nose out front for the next four circuits.
The point leader couldn't make it stick, though, and
fell back in behind Rowe on lap 81. After stalking the
multi-time Pro All Stars Series (PASS) champion for the
next 13 laps, Hebert got a great run through turn two
and dove beneath Rowe exiting the corner to fly into the
lead.
After dodging a bullet on lap 98 when Matt
Anderson and Dave MacDonald spun right in front of the
leaders coming out of turn four, Hebert pulled out to a
huge advantage with New Sharon, ME's Dillon Moltz moving
into second. However, the gap was instantly erased when
Jimmy Linardy spun in turn three to trigger caution
number four.
On the backstretch following the
restart, Rowe slid underneath Moltz on the back chute to
regain second. Both Moltz and Payea then went for the
low lane entering turn three and got together. Each made
great saves coming to the frontstretch, but the field
got bunched up behind them, and Anderson was the
innocent victim as he looped it for the fifth and final
yellow.
That meant one last 15-lap sprint to
decide the winner. Hebert easily outpowered Rowe on the
restart, and although Rowe tried to keep pace, Hebert
was simply too strong as he captured his seventh career
ACT Late Model Tour victory.
Rowe finished second
for his best run of the year in a limited ACT schedule.
Newmarket, NH's Bryan Kruczek continued his mid-season
resurgence by completing the podium after making several
passes in the third groove. Payea had his best career
ACT result in fourth. Moltz, Kuhn, D.J. Shaw, Renfrew,
Robinson, and Derek Gluchacki completed the top-10. The
result unofficially gives Hebert a 39-point edge over
Shaw in the overall standings.
The ACT Late Model
Tour makes its second visit of the year to Barre, VT's
Thunder Road on Sunday, September 6 at 1:00pm for the
Optical Expressions Berlin Labor Day Classic. Both the
ACT and Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model regulars will go
at for 200 green-flag laps. They'll be joined by Thunder
Road's Lenny's Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, Allen
Lumber Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road
Warriors.
Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for
kids ages 12 and under with limited fan attendance.
Advance tickets are on sale now at
https://happsnow.com/event/Thunder-Road-Speedbowl.
Please visit www.thunderroadvt.com for information on
face mask policies and other health and safety
guidelines. For those who can't attend in-person, the
Northeast Sports Network is offering a $25 live
pay-per-view broadcast at
www.NSNsports.net/sponsors/racing.
For more
information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963,
media@acttour.com,
or visit
www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on
Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.
- |
|
ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
OXFORD PLAINS 150
OFFICIAL
RESULTS
|
|
Pos., Start Pos., Driver,
Car #, Hometown, Laps
1. ( 10 ) Jimmy Hebert ( 58VT
) , Williamstown, VT , 150 Laps
2. ( 4 ) Ben Rowe ( 4ME ) ,
Turner, ME , 150 Laps
3. ( 8 ) Bryan Kruczek ( 19NH
) , Newmarket, NH , 150 Laps
4. ( 9 ) Dylan Payea ( 7NH )
, Milton, VT , 150 Laps
5. ( 14 ) Dillon Moltz ( 5ME
) , New Sharon, ME , 150 Laps
6. ( 11 ) Ryan Kuhn ( 72MA )
, E.Bridgewater, MA , 150 Laps
7. ( 17 ) D.J. Shaw ( 04VT )
, Center Conway, NH , 150 Laps
8. ( 2 ) Jimmy Renfrew Jr. (
00NH ) , Candia, NH , 150 Laps
9. ( 3 ) Rowland Robinson,
Jr. ( 28ME ) , Steuben, ME , 150 Laps
10. ( 16 ) #Derek Gluchacki (
03MA ) , Dartmouth, MA , 150 Laps
11. ( 19 ) Brockton Davis (
47NH ) , Whitefield, NH , 150 Laps
12. ( 15 ) Christopher Pelkey
( 64VT ) , Graniteville, VT , 150 Laps
13. ( 5 ) Max Dolliver ( 0NH
) , Londonderry, NH , 150 Laps
14. ( 18 ) Jesse Switser (
25NH ) , W. Burke, VT , 150 Laps
15. ( 7 ) Ryan Olsen ( 61NH )
, N. Haverhill, NH , 150 Laps
16. ( 12 ) Stephen Donahue (
2VT ) , Graniteville, VT , 149 Laps
17. ( 21 ) Connor MacDougal (
8NH ) , Rochester, NH , 149 Laps
18. ( 1 ) #Marcel J. Gravel (
86VT ) , Wolcott, VT , 149 Laps
19. ( 25 ) Reilly Lanphear (
21VT ) , Waterbury, VT , 148 Laps
20. ( 22 ) James Linardy (
77MA ) , Somerville, MA , 148 Laps
21. ( 26 ) Mike Benevides (
50RI ) , Westerly, RI , 148 Laps
22. ( 23 ) #David MacDonald (
69ME ) , New Gloucester, ME , 147 Laps
23. ( 27 ) Matt Anderson (
49NH ) , Andover, NH , 147 Laps
24. ( 13 ) Joey Laquerre (
15VT ) , E. Montpelier, VT , 115 Laps
25. ( 6 ) John Donahue ( 26VT
) , Graniteville, VT , 80 Laps
26. ( 28 ) Garret Leiter (
20ME ) , Winslow, ME , 64 Laps
27. ( 20 ) #Tom Carey III (
5MA ) , New Salem, MA , 1 Laps
28. ( 24 ) Jeff Lebrecque Jr.
( 12NH ) , Rochester, NH , 0 Laps
|
 |
|
|
|
Street
Stocks Feature #1: 1. 14 Kurt
Hewins, 2. 3 Jordan Pearson, 3. 1 Billy Childs Jr. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
SPEED51
250 PAY-PER-VIEW |
 |
|
The 47th Annual Oxford 250 is moving forward as
scheduled at Oxford Plains Speedway, and fans worldwide
will be able to enjoy the prestigious event via a
pay-per-view broadcast on Speed51. Oxford Plains
Speedway, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) and Speed51
have partnered to provide a live broadcast of the Super
Late Model crown jewel event on August 28-30.
Three days of action from the weekend will be
available and fans can watch it all with a three-day
video ticket for only $50. Individual video
tickets for each day of racing are also available;
however, the three-day ticket offers a savings of $20
compared to the individual ticket prices. A video
ticket to watch Sunday's 47th Annual Oxford 250 is
available for $40, while Saturday's ticket is $20 and
Friday's ticket is $10.
Currently, officials at Oxford Plains Speedway are
working with the state of Maine to gain approval to have
more fans in the grandstands. However, with current
restrictions on spectators, front grandstand tickets for
the Oxford 250 are currently unavailable. The live
pay-per-view broadcast on Speed51 will allow fans
worldwide the opportunity to watch the prestigious race
if they're not able to buy a ticket.
"Everyone is always excited for the
Oxford 250 with how prestigious this race is to the
entire community," said PASS President Tom Mayberry.
"In this time we are in there is an extremely limited
number of tickets we can sell. The pay-per-view with
Speed51 will allow fans who cannot purchase a physical
ticket the opportunity to still watch the race. We are
looking forward to all the exciting racing action of the
Oxford 250 weekend."
The live broadcast of Oxford 250 weekend will begin
on Friday, August 28 with a full plate of local racing
divisions on the schedule. Street Stocks will
headline the racing card with a 35-lap main event.
Rookies, Trucks, Cruisers, Ladies, Bandits, Outlaws and
Rebels will also be in action. Fans who purchase a
three-day video ticket or Friday only video ticket will
also be able to enjoy a portion of the day's Super Late
Model practice session.
On Saturday night, the American-Canadian Tour (ACT)
will headline the racing with a 150-lap main event.
PASS Modifieds, Street Stocks, Classic Lites and Wicked
Good Vintage Cars will also be in action during the
night.
That all leads up to a full day of racing on Sunday
with the PASS Super Late Models battling for $25,000 in
the 47th Annual Oxford 250. The
always-entertaining heat races and qualifying rounds
will also be shown on the live Speed51 broadcast.
Additionally, the PASS Modifieds will be in action for a
special 75-lap feature. The North East Mini Stock
Tour, Street Stocks and Rebels will battle around the
3/8-mile Oxford oval prior to the main event.
Currently, 59 Super Late Models are entered for the
Oxford 250. The entry list features a handful of
former race winners, including three-time and defending
winner Travis Benjamin, 2018 winner Bubba Pollard, 2017
winner Curtis Gerry, two-time winner Eddie MacDonald,
two-time winner Ben Rowe, three-time winner Mike Rowe
and 2002 race winner Scott Robbins. They will be
joined by a full field of drivers who will be hungry for
their first win in the crown jewel event.
ARCA driver Derek Griffith #12G, defending PASS North
champion DJ Shaw #60, six-time PASS North champion
Johnny Clark, Canadian standout Cole Butcher, nine-time
Oxford track champion Jeff Taylor and former PASS North
champion Cassius Clark are just a few of the names
chasing their first Oxford 250 win.
Don't miss out on the exciting weekend of racing from
Oxford, Maine.
Order your video ticket for the 47th Annual Oxford 250
today by
clicking here.
|
 |
|
Any Given Sunday
|
Oxford, ME - - Predicting the winner of
the 47th annual Oxford 250 is like trying to pick the
right numbers in the lottery. Any race of the magnitude
of "The 250", as it's affectionately known, attracts top
notch drivers and teams from all over the Eastern
Seaboard. 2020 is no different.
We are less than
a week away from the famed race on the famed 3/8 mile
oval, and two names in particular are on the tip of all
the experts' tongues, Dave Farrington Jr and Nick Sweet.
Both drivers have flexed a fair amount of muscle in
their respective races so far in 2020. Farrington Jr.
comes into the 250 riding a three race win streak, one
of which was a 150 lap Pro All Stars Series (PASS) race
at Oxford Plains Speedway (OPS) making him an easy pick
to score his first win in the marquee event. Vermont's
Nick Sweet has been equally as fast in 2020, four times
a victor including a June 28th triumph at OPS. Sweet
enters the race as the point leader on the PASS tour.
This, however, is the Oxford 250 and that means that
almost anything could happen. Deep fields of talent,
high quality equipment, and in some cases deep pockets
of money do battle with some of the best smaller budget
minded teams in the business. History shows in some
years no matter how good a season has been, no matter
how much preparation, no matter how many practice tires
a team buys, on any given Sunday any driver could come
home with the trophy for one of the most prestigious
short track races in America.
Taking a look at
the 60 car entry list, one's eyes are immediately drawn
to three time champion and defending Travis Benjamin,
2018 winner Bubba Pollard, and 2017 winner Curtis Gerry.
All three drivers have proven they have what it takes to
master the finicky 3/8 mile oval during the hot sun of
the day while adjusting to a cooler tighter track as the
sun fades over the hills and the lights come on.
Eddie Macdonald, twice a winner but never in a Super
Late Model, along with father son combo Mike and Ben
Rowe, and Scott Robbins have eight wins between them and
would dearly love to etch their name in the trophy one
more time. Those seven drivers are the only former
champions entered in the 2020 race, perhaps making this
one of the best opportunities for a first time winner.
Along with the aforementioned Farrington and Sweet,
the list of drivers looking for their first 250 trophy
is led by Saturdays open Winner Ben Ashline, recent PASS
race winner Johnny Clark, defending PASS Champion DJ
Shaw, and perennial contender Shawn Martin. Add in the
likes of Garrett Hall, Alan Tardiff, Ryan Robbins, Derek
Ranstrom, young gun Austin Teras, and veteran Kelly
Moore and picking a winner isn't as easy as looking at
the speed charts.
The Oxford 250 has long been a
race known to occasionally shine its fickle hand of fate
on a dark horse. The races inaugural victor was a
relative 19 year old unknown named Joey Kourafas. He is
joined by '77 winner Don Biederman, '79 winner Tom
Rosati, Larry Gelinas ('96) Saturday night regular Gary
Drew ('01), and the ultimate dark horse Jeremie Whorrf
who, at the time, was better known for his off track
excursions.
2020 could very well be the year we
see another long shot first under the checkered flag at
the end of 250 laps. Scott Moore has turned a lot of
laps at OPS over the years, 16 year old Kate Re vies to
be the youngest and first woman to win the 250. Kyle
Desouza and Jake Johnson have showed plenty of speed at
times as have Corey Bubar, Ryan Kuhn, and Brandon
Barker.
Jeff Taylor still looks to add a 250
trophy to his mantle before he ends his legendary
career. The nine time champion is two for two at OPS
this summer in his only appearances thus far. Derrick
Griffith, Cassius Clark, and Dan Mackeage are always
factors in any race they enter. Add in another 40 high
quality drivers and teams and it doesn't take long to
see on just about any driver can come home P1 on Any
Given Sunday!
Tune in August 30th to find out if
one of these drivers can finally shake the monkey off
their back or if we will have another repeat winner.
Race fans will
be able to watch the Oxford 250 via a live PAY-PER-VIEW
BROADCAST on Speed51. Discounted three-day tickets can
be purchased HERE today for $50.
For more
information
ProAllStarsSeries.com.
For marketing
opportunities with the Oxford 250, PASS, or Oxford
Plains please call 207-693-6497 and email
passracing@roadrunner.com or 207-577-1836 and email
opsmarketing@yahoo.com.
To Sponsor a Lap or
Several call Mary at (207) 693-6497. |
 |
|
Lady Luck a Big Factor for the 250 |
Oxford, ME - With the 47th Annual
Oxford 250 less than two weeks away the attention turns
to who will add one of the most prestigious short track
racing crown jewels to their racing resume. Looking at
the list of winners in the nearly half a century old
race shows a who's who of racing. From Kyle Busch, Kevin
Harvick, Mike and Ben Rowe, Dave Dion, and Geoff Bodine
to Ricky Craven, Travis Benjamin, Dick McCabe, Junior
Hanley and Bubba Pollard, the list of Oxford 250
champions is quite literally littered with some of the
most successful drivers in American auto racing history.
There is one list, however, that some very accomplished
drivers would rather take their name off and that's the
list of non-winners of the Oxford 250.
In its 46
years of history to this point, the Oxford 250 is known
as a race that demands a perfect day. From the luck of
the draw to get a good heat race starting spot, to the
dynamic of mid-day qualifying that leads into a sunset
green flag and ultimately a finish under the lights on a
finicky 3/8 mile oval, winning teams must be prepared to
react to ever changing conditions. And any team that
successfully accomplishes that must still hope and pray
that lady luck is on their side. Six time Pro All Stars
Series (PASS) champion Johnny Clark has more than once
fallen victim to the fickle lady luck. "One year we led
around 125 laps and had a dominant car when we got
caught up in a crash not of our doing late in the race
that took us out. Another year we were leading with less
than a 20 to go when a late race spin brought Mike Rowe
to my rear bumper on fresh tires and I just couldn't
hold him off. We just haven't had the breaks go our way
yet."
Clark is not alone. Looking back in history
some of the biggest names in Short track racing never
held a 250 trophy. Robbie Crouch, Morgan Shepherd, Homer
Drew, Leland Kangas, and Dale Shaw all ended their
racing careers without a 250 triumph, while veritable
dark horses like Jeremie Whorff, Larry Gelinas, and Don
Biederman have had lady luck on their side and enjoyed
the spoils of victory.
Defending PASS champion DJ
Shaw hopes to finally etch the family name in the record
books once and for all. "Nobody in the family has ever
won it, so it would be huge for all of us if I could
finally pull it off!" said Shaw. "It would certainly be
the highest achievement I could ever get in my life." DJ
grew up watching several family members compete in and
fall just short of victory in the Crown Jewel. Father
Dale participated in over twenty 250's and fell about a
half a car length short of victory to Dave Dion in 1992.
Certainly one of the most successful drivers in
Oxford Plains Speedway (OPS) history is nine time
champion Jeff Taylor who has also yet to carry the
checkered flag. Taylor, a perennial favorite when he
races, has twice been runner-up and nearly a dozen times
finished in the top 10 in his 20+ starts in the 250. On
more the one occasion the chassis builder has appeared
on his way to victory, but has thus far been denied in a
certain Hall of Fame career. Taylor dominated a 100 lap
open race at OPS earlier in the 2020 season to serve
notice this may be his year, if Lady Luck decides to
shine her light on his way.
Timmy Bracket,
unofficially the record holder for the most laps ever
turned at OPS in history, is another multi time champion
who has not seen much luck in the Oxford 250. When asked
what it would mean to him to win the race at this point
in his career, "It would be a dream come true- Icing on
the cake for my racing career. For a Saturday Night
Racer it's the biggest win you could have." Bracket, a
35 year veteran at OPS and likely approaching the
twilight of his career was also asked if his career
concludes without that elusive win, would that be ok. "I
guess it would have to be ok because it's a very
difficult race to win, especially for a regular racer
and I've given it plenty of shots. Though I this year is
my best chance!"
Clark and Shaw when asked the
same question expressed a bit more regret. "It would eat
at me," Clark said. "Probably more than it would anyone
else. We have won a lot of big money races, we have 40
Pass wins and six championships, but the one thing
that's missing is the 250." Shaw echoed the Clark's
comments. "I wouldn't feel unsuccessful, but I certainly
would feel like my career wasn't complete, like there
was something missing."
These four drivers are
not alone on the entry list in their quest for their
first 250 triumph after a dozen or more starts. Cassius
Clark has led 100's of laps in previous races. Alan
Wilson was less than a dozen laps from victory in 2004
before an off track excursion. Kelly Moore has over 20
starts and a championship at OPS. Shawn Martin is a 20+
year veteran at the oval. Jeff White has lead laps and
been in a nearly 15 races. Tracey Gordon was overtaken
by Ralph Nason late in the 1998 edition.
We are
less than two weeks away. Tune in August 30th to find
out if one of these drivers can finally shake the monkey
off their back or if we will have another repeat winner.
Race fans will be able to watch the Oxford 250 via a
live PAY-PER-VIEW BROADCAST on Speed51. Discounted
three-day tickets can be purchased today for $50.
Order your video ticket for the 47th Annual Oxford 250
today by
clicking here.
For more information
visit
oxfordplains.com.
For marketing opportunities
with the Oxford 250, PASS, or Oxford Plains please call
207-693-6497 and email
passracing@roadrunner.com or 207-577-1836 and email
opsmarketing@yahoo.com. To Sponsor a Lap or Several
(207) 693-6497. |
|
 |
 |
ACT Starts Big
Stretch with
150 at Oxford on
Saturday |
Waterbury, VT -- The American-Canadian
Tour (ACT) travels north to Maine's Oxford Plains
Speedway this Saturday, August 29 for round six of the
2020 season. A special "Night Before the 250" card also
kicks off a three-week stretch that could decide who
wins the 29th ACT Late Model Tour championship.
Saturday's 150-lap event is the second of three visits
this year to the famous 3/8-mile oval. While it may
officially be the undercard to Sunday's Oxford 250, the
Saturday program will be star-studded in its own right
with household names such as Jimmy Hebert, D.J. Shaw,
Ryan Kuhn, Bryan Kruczek, and Dillon Moltz trying to
grab the glory.
Eight days after the Oxford 150,
the ACT Late Model Tour is back at Barre, VT's Thunder
Road for the Optical Expressions Berlin Labor Day
Classic 200. Then on Friday, September 11 and Saturday,
September 12, ACT invades New Hampshire Motor Speedway
as part of Full Throttle Weekend. Three events in 15
days on three of the biggest stages in New England means
everyone will need to be on-point if they want to bring
home some trophies.
The battle starts at the top
for the 2020 ACT championship. It is still a three-horse
race between Williamstown, VT's Hebert, Center Conway,
NH's Shaw, and East Bridgewater, MA's Kuhn. Each is at a
different stage of their racing career, but for all, an
ACT title would be a crowning achievement.
Hebert
has been nearly unstoppable this year, finding his way
onto the podium at four of the five events contested to
date. Despite this, he still only has a 12-point edge
over Shaw, who has been just as fast and simply needs a
little good luck to go with it.
The Gardiner &
June Leavitt Memorial 150 last time out was a textbook
example. Hebert steadily worked his way through the
field to finish second while Shaw cut a tire mid-race
and still rallied to finish fourth. Kuhn earned his
first podium finish of the year in the same event, and
if the 19-year-old can snare his first ACT win, he would
cut a big chunk off the current 32-point gap to Hebert.
The man to beat at Oxford, though, could well be
4th-place point drive Bryan Kruczek. The Newmarket, NH
veteran had a rough start to 2020, which included losing
an axle in the first Oxford event as he was running in
the top-three. However, he dominated at Riverside
Speedway, leading all but one lap on the way to victory.
Kruczek swept last year's events at Oxford, and he knows
he needs to keep winning to have a chance at the title.
There are plenty of other things to watch when the
feature rolls onto the track Saturday. West Burke, VT's
Jesse Switser sits fifth in points in his first
full-time ACT season with low-bucker Dylan Payea not far
behind. Graniteville, VT's Stephen Donahue and his
father John Donahue are fast almost every time out but
are searching desperately for some good luck. Meanwhile,
Derek Gluchacki, Marcel J. Gravel, and Tom Carey III are
locked in a close battle for Rookie of the Year.
Several other intriguing names will be added to the mix
as they often are at Oxford. New Sharon, ME's Dillon
Moltz is making his first ACT appearance since winning
$10,000 in the Midsummer Classic 250. Turner, ME's Ben
Rowe is doing double-duty in the ACT event and the
Oxford 250. N. Haverhill, NH's Ryan Olsen was fast at
the first trip to Oxford before fading late. Southern
New England racers Randy Cole and Mike Benevides are
also planning a trip north to be part of the Night
Before the 250.
The ACT Late Model Tour heads to
Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway this Saturday, August 29
at 4:30pm for the "Night Before the 250". The Oxford
Plains 150 is part a program that also includes the PASS
Modifieds, Oxford Street Stocks, Northeast Classic
Lites, and Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association.
The full event will be broadcast live for $20 on
Speed51 TV at www.speed51.com/oxford250/. Spectator
attendance is not permitted at this time due to state
health and safety guidelines.
For more
information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963,
media@acttour.com,
or visit
www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on
Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour. |
 |
|
Photo by Alan Ward |
|
|
|
|
|
|
