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ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY
LADIES PREVIEW
April 26, 2008
More potential winners than ever
Don't let the 46-point final margin fool you. Last year arguably was
the most competitive championship race in the history of the Ladies
division in the Oxford Acceleration Series.
True, Vanna Brackett established
herself as the driver to beat from the drop of the green flag, and
her five feature wins were more than enough to keep that first
speedway championship in her grasp.
There was a bigger picture, though.
Unlike other seasons when you admittedly could predict the top three
every week in no particular order with a high degree of accuracy,
the depth in the field was stronger than ever.
Now fast forward to 2008, when any of
the seven drivers to win a Wednesday or Saturday night feature in
'07 can be considered a title contender. Brackett begins the
discussion, certainly, as the reigning queen and the active leader
with 11 career victories in the division. She's also the only driver
with at least one victory in each of the last four years.
Don't be surprised to see Brackett's
primary rival, Deanna Bisbee, step up her game after capturing a
career-best three wins last summer. Some tough luck probably took
Bisbee out of contention for at least three additional victories at
the wheel of Randy Robitaille's #51. This could be the year Deanna
joins mom Debbie Martin as a Ladies champ.
Patty Brannon also picked up three
checkered flags a year ago, and early reports from the Brannon/Bell
camp is that Patty might have her own ride for the division as she
takes aim at the title. Speaking of drivers who have benefited from
not having to split the driver's seat with their Outlaw
teammate,
Dottie Patria put together a banner
year last summer. Not only was Patria the runner-up to Brackett in
the season sweepstakes, she captured the Grand Slam (now Saturday
Showdown) title with two wins in those three events. Dottie is a
driver who gets stronger as a race or a season move along, so keep
your eye on her from start to finish as she attempts to climb the
final step on the ladder.
After six topsy-turvy years of Ladies
competition, Kimberly Sessions established herself as one of the top
drivers in Lady Land. Sessions stormed to a win on TD Banknorth 250
and rarely found herself out of the top three over the remainder of
the season. Sessions was joined by Cathy Manchester as a first-time
winner last season, and likewise, there's no reason to think it will
take nearly as long for Manchester to claim her second, third and
fourth wins.
Perhaps next in line to crack the
winner's circle is Debbie Marston, back with a sporty new ride after
a top-five finish in the points. Christina Spaulding's ride share
with Outlaw standout Guy Childs yielded her first win in several
seasons and dozens of laps led. Consistency is the key to her hopes
of improving upon an eighth-place points performance.
Don't discount former champion Lisa
Vining, who has teamed up with "Java" Jerry Freve in the
#139 this year. Lisa Brooks is also a candidate to make a big jump
after a late-season podium finish. Rookie of the Year Missy Roussel
looks to make more strides, while third-year racer Shannon Wheeler
hopes to recover from an off-season leg injury and get back up to
speed by early summer.
Lady racers are a popular topic on
the international motor sports scene these days. As far as Maine is
concerned, though, Oxford Plains Speedway has been the place to
watch some of the best female drivers in the region dice it out for
a while now. This summer will be no exception.
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