|
NEWS
October 2, 2007
35th annual TD Banknorth 250
date set for Sunday, July 20, 2008
OXFORD, Maine - For the fifth
consecutive year, Oxford Plains Speedway has announced that the
richest single-day late model stock car race in the region will
coincide with an off weekend for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
The 35th annual TD Banknorth 250
Presented by New England Dodge Dealers, which attracted a record
number of pre-entries and one of the largest fields of qualifying
hopefuls in its proud history last summer, is slated for Sunday,
July 20, 2008.
All qualifying heats, consolation
events and the 250 green-flag laps of the main event will be
contested on that Sunday.
“We’re excited to celebrate
another milestone in the history of the TD Banknorth 250,” said
OPS owner Bill Ryan. “Many short track races have come and gone
since 1974, but all eyes have turned to Oxford in the month of July
for 35 years. That’s an amazing tradition, and we’re thrilled to
see more tradition being made in 2008.”
Ninety-seven drivers attempted to
qualify for the 2006 edition of the TD Banknorth 250, with drivers
converging from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Florida and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and
Ontario.
Roger Brown of Lancaster, N.H.,
joined three-time champion Dave Dion as a winner from the Granite
State, holding off OPS weekly competitor Dale Verrill of Paris,
Maine, to prevail by less than a car length and take home over
$35,000 in purse and lap leader bonus money.
“I came here with my dad to watch
the race with my dad when I was a kid,” said Brown, “and I never
imagined it was possible to put my name on that list of winners.”
It’s a roll call that includes Dion
and fellow three-time champions Mike Rowe and Ralph Nason as well as
two-time winners Geoff Bodine, Jamie Aube, Ben Rowe and Chuck Bown
and nationally notable competitors such as Butch Lindley, Bob
Pressley, Tommy Ellis, Dick McCabe, Ricky Craven, Junior
Hanley.
Thanks to the open weekend on the
NASCAR docket, multiple Nextel Cup drivers have competed in the TD
Banknorth 250 each season since 2004. That delegation includes
champions Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Terry Labonte and current
Chase for the Championship drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle
Busch.
“That list of competitors speaks
for itself,” said Ryan. “There has been a buzz in the Cup garage
about our race ever since Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch entered in
2004. Every winter and spring, it’s exciting to answer the phone
and hear who might be interested in giving it a shot.”
First prize in the TD Banknorth 250
remains a stout $25,000, with an additional $100 awarded for every
green flag lap led.
TD Banknorth 250 Weekend Presented by
New England Dodge Dealers is once again a three-day showcase, with
full cards of racing scheduled for Friday, July 18 and Saturday,
July 19.
Full details and the complete 2008
schedule are expected to be announced within a matter of weeks.
|
