Despite a delayed start forced by a lingering late-winter snow pack, local race teams and fans are anxiously gearing up as Oxford Plains Speedway waves the green flag over a new season Saturday afternoon.
A 150-lap contest for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Super Late Models kicks things off, with the first regular Oxford Championship Series points-paying event slated for Friday night, May 2.
It continues a Western Maine tradition that began when George Damon built and opened the track as a half-mile dirt oval in 1950.
PASS North is loaded with talent, and local fans welcomed the Super Late Models back to the speedway with enthusiasm in 2013. Along with the Ripley & Fletcher Ford 150, heats and features for the PASS Modified and Sportsman cars and NELCAR Legends are also on the card for Saturday’s season opener.
The doubleheader weekend will conclude with Sunday’s Colossal Carnage 150, an Enduro event that will pay $7,000 to the winner.
Highlights on the 2014 schedule include the 41st annual Oxford 250 on July 20, to be run this year without TD Bank as title sponsor after a 10-year run.
Dick Therrien, new general manager at Oxford, spoke earlier this week about finding a new title sponsor for the 250, highlights on this year’s schedule and his outlook on the new season overall. The Vermont native has years of experience in speedway management, most recently at New Hampshire’s Canaan Fair Speedway.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to add several new marketing partners during the offseason,” Therrien said. “We’re very sad to see TD Bank go, but appreciate the support they provided. We’re working hard to find a suitable sponsor for our premier event. We are negotiating with two national companies and hope one of them signs on soon. Yet the 250 is just one of many great events we have planned for 2014, and I hope fans will look over the schedule and join us for what I feel will be a very exciting season.”
Other highlights include the Bentley Warren ISMA Classic, featuring the return of the ground-pounding Supermodifieds, the fastest winged-warriors on the planet. Warren, an icon for decades in this type of racing, will serve as grand marshal for the 75-lap event slated for Friday night, June 20.
Also on tap is a $4,000-to-win Triple Crown program for the newly-created PASS Northeast Late Model Series. This experimental program has generated interest from Vermont and New Hampshire teams, as well as several Maine drivers with Late Models sitting idle in their garages. The rules package is setup to accept a wide variety of cars, creating a modern-day replica of the old “Getty Open Series” for which Oxford was so famous in the 1970s. This new series will run its first 100-lap event Friday, June 13.
Buckfield native TJ Brackett captured the 2013 Pro Late Model championship at Oxford, while his two-time champion father Tim finished second. His sister Vanna made it a family affair in third, but the defending champ says what happended last year will likely have little or no bearing on how this season will unfold.
“Last year was really the first time I’ve been able to put that kind of season together,” Brackett said. “I’ve always been a horrible points racer, but it all came together in 2013. I’ve been so busy with customer work I’m just now prepping my own car for this weekend. It was hooked up pretty well in last fall’s PASS finale, then I ran over a piece of lead and tore the braking system out of it. We’ll get it fixed and try to make the show Saturday. I’ve learned a lot over the winter and hope we can start off strong.”
Cassius Clark of Farmington earned his first PASS North title in 2013. He started that championship drive off with a win at Oxford last April, and hopes to begin his title defense in the same fashion. Clark drives the No. 77 Hight Chevrolet, prepared by one of the top teams in New England.
Ready to mount a challenge on the highly competitive tour are Maine natives Joey Doiron of Berwick, Travis Benjamin of Morrill and multi-time champion Ben Rowe of Turner. Benjamin won the 2013 Oxford 250.
Lewiston native Corey Morgan dominated the Outlaw Sportsman class in 2013, winning the title by a wide margin. In 2014 he will focus on his Pro Late Model ride.
“The 2013 season was pretty amazing for us,” Morgan said. “As we start a new season, my expectations are realistic knowing I probably won’t match those stats. I practiced my Strictly Stock car at Wiscasset last week. It went extremely well and I’m excited for this week’s race down there.
“This past weekend, I practiced Missy’s (his wife) car at Oxford. Everything is last-minute with me, so we were late getting there. The engine skipped all day, but at least the car handled well. I plan to run Pro Late Model only at Oxford, and that car still needs a lot of work before opening day. We’ll get it ready as best we can.”
Qualifying for the PASS North Ripley & Fletcher Ford 150 begins at 2 p.m. Saturday.
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