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NEWS
October 6, 2007
Adams enjoys ACT breakthrough,
wins New England Dodge Dealers ACT 150
OXFORD, Maine - Travis Adams boasts back-to-back Oxford Networks
Late Model championships and three of the last five titles at Oxford
Plains Speedway.
At least one trophy was conspicuously
absent from his his mantle, however.
"My father (crew chief Don) said
he's been wanting me to come out here and win one of these ACT
races," said Adams.
Mission accomplished. Adams outlasted
Scott Dragon and held off TD Banknorth 250 champion Roger Brown to
capture the American-Canadian Tour New England Dodge Dealers 150
season finale at his home track Saturday.
Adams, 30, won for the seventh time
at Oxford this season, setting a new career high. He joined Ricky
Rolfe, Shawn Martin and Ryan Moore as OPS champions to win races in
the historically even rivalry with the Vermont-based tour regulars.
"We were third in our last ACT
race, but prior to that we had horrible luck and mechanical
problems," Adams said. "Thank God the car held together
for 150 laps. I was a little concerned with fuel, but apparently it
had enough left in the tank to do a burnout."
For a while, it looked like the
celebration would belong to second-generation touring standout Scott
Dragon. His night ended in dramatic and bizarre fashion nine laps
from the finish.
Dragon and Adams swapped the lead
five times, the last when the lapped car of Doug Coombs spun and
then pulled directly into the leaders' path in the fourth turn with
nine laps remaining.
Running roughly two car lengths in
front of Adams at the time, Dragon had nowhere to go and barreled
into the back of Coombs' ride, leaving both cars in a shambles.
Adams steered to the right and narrowly averted the fracas.
"I missed that by inches. I'm
the driver-owner of this car, so I pay the bills. I decided I'd
better stay out of that mess," Adams said.
Brown and Canadian charger Donald
Theetge exchanged the runner-up spot twice after the ensuing
restart, giving Adams the cushion he needed to secrire the victory.
Although he fell two car lengths shy
at the checkers, Brown happily settled for the lucrative Oxford Open
crown. Including his TD Banknorth 250 winnings, Brown took home more
than $40,000 from OPS this season.
"Everything Bill Ryan has done
for late models makes me want to race here every week next
year," Brown said. "We only had a top-five car today. I'm
absolutely sick for Scott Dragon. I've been in that situation before
when it feels like you have the car to beat, and it leaves you
depressed when it turns out that way."
Theetge claimed his first career
podium finish at Oxford, running in the top five throughout the main
event after a surprising second-place run in his qualifying race.
"We missed the set-up completely
and didn't qualify for the 250," Theetge said. "I used to
hate this track because of the way we ran here, but I love it right
now."
Brent Dragon and Eddie MacDonald
rounded out the top five, followed by Martin, Alan Tardiff, John
Donahue, Randy Potter and Tracie Bellerose.
MacDonald, Donahue and Potter were
previous winners along with Brown in the L/A Harley-Davidson Late
Model Challenge series.
Forty-eight cars signed in at the pit
gate, with 34 starting the finale. Six caution flags slowed the race
on the heels of MacDonald's flag-to-flag win in August.
Dragon led a total of 111 laps, with
Adams using the outside lane to steal away the advantage briefly on
laps 16 and 95 prior to the fateful encounter with Coombs. Dragon
reclaimed the top spot on lap 124 when Adams slid up the slight
banking in turn one.
"I was able to get around him a
couple of times early in the race and show the strength of this
car," Adams said. "When I got the lead, it got a little
bit tight on me and he passed me again. It was setting up to be a
pretty good race there at the end until he got tangled up in that
mess."
Childs family finishes season
with more winning ways
Saturday also marked the final 2007
event for six other Weekly Racing Series and Acceleration Series
divisions, and it provided perfect punctuation to the dominance
displayed by the Childs family this season.
Two-time Allen's Coffee Flavored
Brandy Mini Stock champion Jimmy Childs rode out a 45-minute rain
delay and dominated his caution-filled, farewell race in the
division. It was the four-cylinder half of the annual Little Guy
100s.
The father-son tandem of David and
Josh Childs swept the co-headline events in the Acceleration Series
portion of the program. David ruled the 50-lap Chimney Tech Outlaw
feature, an event postponed from the Summer Showdown event on Sept.
8. Josh showed the way in a 30-lap Macdonald Motors Runnin' Rebel
tangle.
Ryan Farrar (Call of the Wild RV
Sport Truck) and Vanna Brackett (Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy
Ladies) also collected 20-lap victories.
Twenty-two of the original 36 drivers
patiently waited through two hours of rain delays before track
officials ran out of time to complete the 100-lap Allen's Strictly Stock
finale. The race was canceled and will not be made up. The purse for
the race will be evenly divided among the drivers who attended the
late-night drivers' meeting to announce the rainout.
Jimmy Childs sped to his seventh win
of the season after reeling in early leaders Darrell Moore and Shane
Kaherl and moving to the top of the leader board on lap 12.
Top challengers Kaherl and Don Mooney
fell out of the race shortly thereafter.
Childs used the only extended
green-flag segment of the race to pile up a 3/4-lap lead over
runner-up David Mooney, Ashley Marshall and Moore, who was making
his first Mini Stock start after graduating from the Acceleration
Series.
"I'm looking forward to driving
a Late Model, but I'm really going to miss this division,"
Childs said. "I've had so much fun over the years. I really owe
it all to my dad (Bill Sr.) This is his ride, and he's let me drive
it the last four years."
David Childs denied his uncle, Guy,
in a tight Outlaw finish that left the two exchanging a few words in
the winner's circle.
"I guess he doesn't like to
lose, no matter who it is," said David, who led the first five
laps before Richard Spaulding took over. Childs returned the favor
on a lap 13 restart.
Guy charged from his 30th (and last)
starting position to take second spot at the halfway point. Despite
several overtures outside and inside, the veteran was unable to
mount a challenge for his fifth win of the season. Instead, it was
David pocketing his fourth.
David tried to make it a personal
sweep but could only claw his way to fourth in the Runnin' Rebel
event, while his son and Doug Degroat ran away from the field.
Josh's win was the third of his Wal-Mart Rookie of the Year
campaign.
"It's easy when you start up
front," he admitted.
Kyle Hewins overtook David Childs
late in the race for third, with Derek Cook completing the top five.
Degroat also claimed second in the
Truck scramble, chasing Farrar across the stripe to the latter's
second checkered flag of '07. Opie Allard, the top rookie in the
pick-up class, took third away from Rick Hebert in the final turn.
Ross Spurling, who won't officially be a rookie until next season,
finished fifth in just the second race of his career.
Brackett, the Ladies champion,
steered clear of a lap 6 wreck that took out leader Kimberly
Sessions, second-place Cathy Manchester and fourth-place Patty
Brannon in their 20-lap feature.
From there, Brackett held Deanna
Bisbee at bay for her fifth conquest of the season. Lisa Brooks was
third in Manchester's usual ride, matching her best result of the
year. Christina Spaulding ran fourth, and Shannon Wheeler was a
career-best fifth.
NEW ENGLAND DODGE DEALERS
AMERICAN-CANADIAN TOUR (150 laps): 1. Travis Adams, Canton; 2.
Roger Brown, Lancaster, N.H.; 3. Donald Theetge, Boischatel, Quebec;
4. Brent Dragon, Milton, Vt.; 5. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass.; 6.
Shawn Martin, Turner; 7. Alan Tardiff, Lyman; 8. John Donahue,
Gramiteville, Vt.; 9. Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H; 10. Tracie
Bellerose, Gorham, N.H.; 11. Dennis Spencer Jr., Oxford; 12.
Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, Vt.; 13. Joey Polewarczyk, Hudson, N.H.; 14.
Dale Verrill, Paris; 15. Ricky Rofle, Albany Township; 16. Brian
Hoar, Williston, Vt.; 17. Scott Payea, Milton, Vt.; 18. Leon
Heckbert, Wilton; 19. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, Vt.; 20. Jamie Aube,
Bow, N.H.; 21. Steve Reny, Boothbay; 22. Glen Luce, Turner; 23. T.J.
Watson, Harpswell; 24. Scott Luce, Strong; 25. Mark Childs Jr.,
Mechanic Falls; 26. Corey Morgan, Lewiston; 27. James Linardy,
Milton, Mass.; 28. Pete Potvin III, Graniteville, Vt.; 29. Scott
Dragon, Colchester, Vt.; 30. Doug Coombs, Livermore; 31. Brad
Hammond, Sabattus; 32. Tommy Ricker, Poland; 33. Scott Robbins,
Dixfield; 34. Ron Henry, New Gloucester.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY
MINI STOCK (100 laps): 1. Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 2. David Mooney,
Wales; 3. Ashley Marshall, Jay; 4. Darrell Moore, Mechanic Falls; 5.
Bob Guptill, Mechanic Falls; 6. Spencer Garvin, Searsport; 7. Bob
Mooney, Lewiston; 8. Kevin Bishop, South Paris; 9. Dave Green,
Hampden; 10. Chuck Higgins, Monmouth; 11. Curtis Fanjoy, Oxford; 12.
Larry White, South Paris; 13. Pete McCollett, Readfield; 14. Bob
Hafford, Danforth; 15. Shane Kaherl, Jay; 16. Reggie Bickford,
Oakland; 17. Adam Polvinen, Oxford; 18. Randy Kimball, Mechanic
Falls; 19. Bill Irving, New Gloucester; 20. Dale Brackett, Oxford;
21. Craig Woodworth, Harrison; 22. John Childs, Leeds; 23. Rick
Giguere, Auburn; 24. Darick Barker, Jay; 25. Scott Farrington,
Oxford; 26. Don Mooney, New Gloucester; 27. Justin Trombley, Winter
Harbor.
CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW (50 laps): 1. David Childs, Oxford; 2.
Guy Childs, Turner; 3. Richard Spaulding, Lewiston; 4. Addison
Bowie, Auburn; 5. Steve Moon, Gray; 6. Shannon Judd, Jay; 7. Craig
Smith, Arundel; 8. Mark MacDonald, Center Conway, N.H.; 9. Jerry
Goss, Mechanic Falls; 10. Bubba Collins, Lewiston; 11. Jim Archer,
Chesterville; 12. Thom Bell, Minot; 13. Kevin Leighton, Minot; 14.
Jeremy Paradis, Poland; 15. Scott Ellis, Lewiston; 16. Jerry Freve,
Buckfield; 17. Keith Landry, Oxford; 18. Mike Rainville, Littleton,
N.H,; 19. Craig Coolidge, Auburn; 20. Kevin Plummer, Oxford; 21.
Rick Vining, Bridgton; 22. Randy Robitaille, Norway; 23. Ron Abbott
Jr., Lewiston; 24. John Spencer Jr., Auburn; 25. Michael Haynes,
Livermore Falls; 26. Scott Veinott, Turner; 27. Jeremy Leavitt,
Poland; 28. Carey Robertson, Leeds; 29. Tom Averill, Peru; 30. Mike
Ballard, Mechanic Falls.
MACDONALD MOTORS RUNNIN' REBEL (30 laps): 1. Josh Childs,
Oxford; 2. Doug Degroat, Oxford; 3. Kyle Hewins, Leeds; 4. David
Childs, Oxford; 5. Derek Cook, Livermore Falls; 6. Troy Jordan,
Turner; 7. Nathan Guptill, North Turner; 8. Craig Wade, Peru; 9.
Randy Nutter, Auburn; 10. Brian Hawthorne, New Gloucester; 11. Mike
Anderson, Lewiston; 12. Ken Daigle Jr., Lisbon; 13. Brady Romano,
Livermore Falls; 14. Craig Farrington, Hebron; 15. Chuck Higgins,
Monmouth; 16. Gerard Cote, Oxford; 17. Matt Dufault, Turner; 18.
Josh Brown, Conway, N.H.; 19. Tyson Jordan, Poland; 20. Gerry
Record, Poland; 21. Randy Henderson, West Paris; 22. Jason Short,
Mechanic Falls; 23. Gregg Norton, Lewiston.
CALL OF THE WILD RV CENTER SPORT TRUCK (20 laps): 1. Ryan
Farrar, Oxford; 2. Doug Degroat, Oxford; 3. Opie Allard, Harpswell;
4. Rick Hebert, Peru; 5. Ross Spurling, New Gloucester; 6. Jake
Burns, Gray; 7. John Lizotte, Mechanic Falls; 8. Brian Farrar,
Sumner; 9. Herb Farrar, Sumner; 10. Dan Oliver, Gray.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY
LADIES (20 laps): 1. Vanna Brackett, Buckfield; 2. Deanna
Bisbee, South Paris; 3. Lisa Brooks, Auburn; 4. Christina Spaulding,
Lewiston; 5. Shannon Wheeler, Auburn; 6. Annie Chartier, Mexico; 7.
Cathy Manchester, Gray; 8. Kimberly Sessions, Auburn; 9. Patty
Brannon, Topsham.
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Oxford Networks
Late Model
Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy
Strictly and Mini Stock
Photos by
(207) 645-4571
Photos by Trudy Marshall from
all OPS divisions!
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