OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY
Route 26, Oxford, ME 
Phone: (207) 539-8865 
E-mail: ops@oxfordplains.com

ACCELERATION SERIES 

With Richard Spaulding's car sandwiched between the equally fast rides of Steve Moon and Mike Ballard for 10 straight laps in a three-wide scramble for the win, there was a time when it felt like maybe none of them would last long enough to make the commute to victory lane. 

In the end, it was Spaulding finally sticking his nose out front as the white flag appeared and speeding to the 30-lap win, his second straight in Outlaw competition at OPS. Spaulding's previous triumph was an Agren Appliance Grand Slam event on a Saturday night program. 

Jim Archer and Bob Ferguson prevailed in the first two Outlaw events, with the finishing order in each affected by a flurry of post-race technical disqualifications. 

Patty Brannon led the entire Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Ladies event for her first-ever win at OPS, and Marvin Hamilton nailed down his first triumph of the campaign in Call of the Wild RV Center Sport Truck. Jamie Heath won his second straight and fourth out of five in the Crazy Horse Racing Engines Renegade scrap. 

Amazingly, four divisions turned 160 laps of feature racing with only one caution flag. That stoppage came in the final event of the night, when Jerry Freve’s Outlaw car coasted to a stop in turn three. 

That hardly disrupted the dramatic Outlaw finale, which featured eight lead changes in the first 22 laps. Spaulding and Moon swapped the top spot seven times among themselves, even as Ballard charged from 16th to third in the outside lane and added himself to the spotlight. 

Spaulding shot ahead for the final time on lap 22, gaining a few feet of real estate with each succeeding circuit before finally padding that cushion to a full car length when the white flag flew. 

The outside lane allowed Ballard to celebrate his 41st birthday with a second-place finish. Ballard has been the runner-up in every Wednesday night race thus far this season. 

“He doesn’t go on the outside like I can,” Spaulding boldly stated. “That was awesome.” 

Moon finished a fender in front of John Patria for third. Addison Bowie brought it home fifth. Jim Drake also led the event early before he was black-flagged for a leak.

Archer’s unpretentious, silver, duct-tape numbered #6 was the only car to finish officially on the lead lap in the Outlaw opener after the second through fifth-place cars of Jacob Hethcoat, Tom Averill, Dan Brown and Kevin Plummer all failed inspection. 

It took Archer eight laps in the second groove to complete his winning pass of Hethcoat on lap 14, although among the cars credited with a finish, Archer ultimately was first in line on lap 2.

"I know it isn’t pretty, but if I had $5, I’d put it under the hood,” said Archer. “I wouldn’t put it on the outside. Racing like that is fun.” 

Kevin Leighton moved up the ladder to a career-best second, followed by rookie Maurice Martel Jr., Nick Hanson and another freshman driver, Michael Auger. 

Ferguson crossed the line fourth but collected the checkers in round two when Leo Hatch-Auger, Kimberly Sessions and Zach Bowie all ran afoul of the inspectors. 

Tina Titus and Thom Bell took home the other two trophies after the shuffling of the deck. John Spencer and Randy Robitaille completed the revised top five. 

Sessions and Hatch-Auger stole the show, teaming up to lead all 30 laps of the caution-free sprint. Hatch-Auger snuck to the inside to take the top spot on lap 13 and held off Bowie’s charge at the conclusion. Sessions actually regained the apparent runner-up spot from Bowie in the final corner before the finish was overturned. 

Ferguson took over fourth (and ultimately the win) from Jay Wilkins on lap 10. 

Brannon battled a mirror full of Deanna Bisbee and Vanna Brackett in the closing laps to hold on for the Ladies victory. 

At the helm of Thom Bell’s fast #18, Brannon wobbled slightly in traffic with six laps remaining, but it merely brought Bisbee and Brackett within six car lengths. 

Prior to that, Brannon’s edge topped out at a full straightaway. 

“I just tried to drive,” Brannon said. “That was a lot of laps.” 

Christina Spaulding filled the runner-up role for much of the race before three separate spins took her out of contention. Dottie Patria wound up fourth, with Debbie Marston moving up to fifth in light of Cathy Manchester’s trouble at the tech shack. 

Hamilton, the 2002 Truck champion, had the finishing kick in a race that resembled the Outlaw finale, at times. Hamilton, Rick Hebert, newcomer Roger L. Allard and Jake Burns all took their turns in first and second spot, with heavy traffic spiking the mix. 

Allard set the pace for the first eight circuits before Hamilton forged ahead for the next five. The rookie reclaimed the advantage from laps 14 to 17 before Hamilton finally found open real estate and made the winning move to the high side. 

Hebert surged within a truck length of the lead before making contact with a lapped vehicle and eventually falling out with a tire problem. That vaulted point leader Burns to second, and Hamilton nearly suffered a repeat of his earlier misadventure in traffic before hanging on. 

“I thought we were going to lose it with two to go,” Hamilton said, “but somehow we made it work.” 

Fast-closing Doug Degroat finished third, trailed by Allard and Lee Spurling as the final trucks on the lead lap. 

Heath didn’t dominate the Renegades this week. Ken Marston and Gerard Cote lurked within a few car lengths at the checkers. 

“This thing isn’t running that great,” Heath said. “I broke something.” 

The Acceleration Series returns next Wednesday, June 13, with all five divisions in action at 6:30 p.m. The L/A Harley-Davidson Late Model Challenge 100 provides the thunderous main event this Saturday, June 9, with qualifying set for 6:30 p.m.

CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW #1 (30 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (8) #6 Jim Archer, Chesterville, 30
2. (6) #52 Kevin Leighton, Minot, 29
3. (7) #17 Maurice Martel Jr., Greene, 29
4. (2) #101 Nick Hanson, Leeds, 29
5. (16) #27 Michael Auger, West Paris, 29
6. (5) #28 Don Veinott, Sabattus, 29
7. (15) #777 Mike St. Germain, Auburn, 29
8. (12) #82 Josh Paradis, Sumner, 29
9. (4) #100 Curt Chapman, Lewiston, 28
10. (11) #54 Jonathan Baldwin, Auburn, 27
11. (20) #30 Scott Veinott, Greene, 26
12. (13) #9 Ralph Felker, Poland, 25
13. (18) #110 Dillon Coburn, Auburn, 19
14. (17) #13 Dana Stevens, Oxford, 17
15. (19) #40 Josh Morang, Norway, 7
16. (9) #06 Rick Vining, Bridgton, 4
DQ (1) #37 Jacob Hethcoat, Norway
DQ (14) #3 Tom Averill, Peru
DQ (10) #83 Dan Brown, Peru
DQ (3) #60 Kevin Plummer, Oxford
Lap leaders: Hanson 1, Archer 2-30
Cautions: None
Time of race: 10 minutes, 4 seconds

CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW #2 (30 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (14) #63 Bob Ferguson, New Gloucester, 30
2. (13) #48 Tina Titus, Lisbon Falls, 30
3. (15) #18 Thom Bell, Minot, 30
4. (5) #35 John Spencer, Auburn, 30
5. (16) #51 Randy Robitaille, Norway, 30
6. (18) #53 Steve Brill, Bridgton, 30
7. (3) #69 Jay Wilkins, Gray, 30
8. (9) #112 Dennis Morang, South Paris, 30
9. (8) #09 Bruce Robertson, Leeds, 30
10. (10) #08 Carey Robertson, Leeds, 30
11. (17) #33 Tyler Belanger, Sumner, 29
12. (11) #10 Scott Ellis, Lewiston, 29
13. (1) #95 Justin Dennison, North Yarmouth, 29
14. (20) #1 Randy Allen, Casco, 29
15. (6) #71 Fred Clavet, Buckfield, 15
DQ (4) #62 Leo Hatch-Auger, Norway
DQ (2) #2 Kimberly Sessions, Auburn
DQ (7) #04 Zach Bowie, Lisbon Falls
DQ (12) #8 Gerald Parlin, South Paris
DNS #0 Joe Geroux, Bowdoin
Lap leaders: Dennison 1-2, Spencer 3-4, Ferguson 5, Wilkins 6-9, Ferguson 10-30.
Cautions: None
Time of race: 10 minutes, 7 seconds

CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW #3 (30 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (5) #36 Richard Spaulding, Lewiston, 30
2. (16) #666 Mike Ballard, Mechanic Falls, 30
3. (6) #19 Steve Moon, Gray, 30
4. (13) #34 John Patria, Turner, 30
5. (12) #38 Addison Bowie, Auburn, 30
6. (18) #97 Shannon Judd, Jay, 30
7. (19) #24 Kevin Lawrence, South Paris, 30
8. (11) #39 Ron Abbott Jr., Lewiston, 30
9. (15) #5 David Childs, Oxford, 30
10. (17) #61 Mark MacDonald, Center Conway, N.H., 30
11. (4) #89 Stan Morgan, Auburn, 30
12. (3) #75 Gordon Bell, Auburn, 30
13. (10) #122 Mike Rainville, Littleton, N.H., 30
14. (1) #43 Rodney Englehaupt, Oxford, 30
15. (14) #90 Keith Landry, Oxford, 30
16. (7) #57 Gerry Richard, Leeds, 24
17. (8) #139 Jerry Freve, Buckfield, 9
18. (2) #169 Jim Drake, Hebron, 4
19. (9) #68 Bubba Collins, Lewiston, 4
Lap leaders: Drake 1, Moon 2-10, Spaulding 11-15, Moon 16, Spaulding 17, Moon 18-19, Spaulding 20, Moon 21, Spaulding 22-30.
Cautions: 1 (lap 10)
Time of race: 14 minutes, 25 seconds

CALL OF THE WILD RV SPORT TRUCK (30 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (12) #7 Marvin Hamilton, New Gloucester, 30
2. (18) #74 Jake Burns, Gray, 30
3. (9) #84 Doug Degroat, Oxford, 30
4. (1) #68 Roger L. Allard, Harpswell, 30
5. (2) #17 Lee Spurling, New Gloucester, 30
6. (13) #39 Corey Williams, Sumner, 29
7. (8) #34 Joe Farrar, Oxford, 29
8. (16) #1 John Lizotte, Mechanic Falls, 29
9. (19) #41 Doug Stevens, West Sumner, 29
10. (14) #26 Yogi Hiscock, Jay, 29
11. (11) #3 Scott Marston, Mechanic Falls, 29
12. (4) #139 Gale Williams, Sumner, 29
13. (5) #54 Devon Smith, Norway, 28
14. (3) #88 Geoff Griffiths, Lewiston, 28
15. (6) #31 Mark Welch, Hartford, 28
16. (20) #6 Herb Farrar, Sumner, 28
17. (17) #28 Kevin Oliver, Gray, 28
18. (10) #32 Brian Farrar, Sumner, 26
19. (7) #19 Rick Hebert, Peru, 26
20. (23) #40 Tom Libby, Gorham, 25
21. (22) #44 Mike Blash, Oxford, 11
22. (21) #63 Brent Westberry, Buckfield, 9
23. (15) #69 Ryan Farrar, Oxford, 4
Lap leaders: Allard 1-8, Hamilton 9-13, Allard 14-17, Hamilton 18-30.
Cautions: None
Time of race: 10 minutes, 12 seconds

ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY LADIES (30 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (1) #18 Patty Brannon, Topsham, 30
2. (12) #51 Deanna Bisbee, South Paris, 30
3. (14) #23 Vanna Brackett, Buckfield, 30
4. (10) #34 Dottie Patria, Turner, 30
5. (11) #92 Debbie Marston, Hartford, 30
6. (3) #2 Kimberly Sessions, Oxford, 30
7. (5) #29 Shannon Wheeler, Auburn, 30
8. (9) #281 Lisa Vining, Poland, 30
9. (2) #13 Missy Roussel, Oxford, 29
10. (8) #28 Sue Veinott, Sabattus, 29
11. (4) #00 Christina Spaulding, Lewiston, 28
12. (9) #21 Lisa Brooks, Auburn, 27
13. (6) #44 Annie Chartier, Mexico, 26
14. (15) #100 Alyshia Chapman, Lewiston, 25
15. (16) #30 Jennifer Veinott, Greene, 10
DQ (13) #69  Cathy Manchester, Gray
Lap leaders: Brannon 1-30.
Cautions: None
Time of race: 10 minutes, 33 seconds

CRAZY HORSE RACING ENGINES RENEGADE (10 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (4) #91 Jamie Heath, Waterford, 10
2. (2) #92 Ken Marston, Hartford, 10
3. (1) #05 Gerard Cote, Oxford, 10
4. (5) #2 Charlie Hall, Oxford, 3
5. (3) #3 John Childs, Leeds, 2
Lap leaders: Cote 1, Heath 2-10.
Cautions: None
Time of race: 3 minutes, 33 seconds

(207) 645-4571
Photos by Trudy Marshall from 
all OPS divisions!