Short Track Stars Look To Stop Pollard In This Weekend’s Oxford 250
NAPLES, ME (August 21) – With just days left before on track activity begins at Oxford Plains Speedway for the 46th Annual Oxford 250 and hundreds of campers already dot the property, Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model teams are making final preparations for one of the biggest events on the racing calendar. While many eyes will be on Georgia’s Bubba Pollard as he attempts to defend his Oxford 250 crown, the short track star might not enter Sunday’s race as the favorite. 2017 winner Curtis Gerry of Waterboro, ME, has concentrated all his efforts on competing at Oxford Plains this season, with several wins in weekly competition and a PASS North win there as well. Championship contender, Garrett Hall sits just 15 points behind the 3-time PASS North titlist, DJ Shaw, largely in part due to his two wins at Oxford Plains earlier this year. But, after advancing from the last chance race a year ago before going on to win the 250, Pollard is still the driver many feel will be the one to beat in 2019.
“Before the race I was a nervous wreck just not knowing what to expect or how these guys race,” says Pollard, who will be driving the Harrison’s Workwear Ford #26. “After we started and got about 50 laps in, I was like, these guys are good and race with respect. I had a blast.”
Pollard has won virtually every major Super Late Model event from Florida to Washington state and even Canada. But with nearly 100 checkered flags over the last decade and more accolades than one could count, Pollard says his experience at the 2018 Oxford 250 was an eye opener.
“I’ve traveled up and down the road and raced at a lot of places, but the Oxford 250 is probably the coolest race I’ve ever been a part of,” says Pollard. “I’m excited to get there this weekend and race in front of that awesome crowd.
Competitors will once again have the opportunity to race for one of the richest winner’s purses in asphalt short track racing, with $25,000 to win, plus an additional $25,000 in lap leader money. Pollard took home over $28,000 last year for his efforts in becoming the first southern driver since Tommy Ellis in 1983. While no one in the last two decades has led more than Joey Polewarcyzk’s 205 laps in 2012, if a driver could somehow manage to lead all 250 laps, they would take home $50,000 for the win.
The huge weekend of racing at Oxford Plains Speedway as part of the 250 on August 23-25 will see a variety of cars from across the spectrum of short track racing. On Saturday, August 24, the ACT Late Models will return to Oxford Plains Speedway, along with the Tour-Type Modifieds of the Tri-Track Open Modified Series. Drivers like Ron Silk, Matt Hirschman, Woody Pitkat, Matt Swanson, Andy Jankowiak and more are all expected to compete on The Night Before The 250 at Oxford Plains. The complete weekend schedule is located at ProAllStarsSeries.com.
This year’s entry list has grown to nearly 60 and features some of the best short track racers in North America, including former Oxford 250 winners, Mike and Ben Rowe, Travis Benjamin, Joey Polewarcyzk, Eddie MacDonald, Glen Luce, Curtis Gerry, Bubba Pollard, and Scott Robbins. Former PASS champions, Johnny Clark, DJ Shaw, and Cassius Clark have also entered, along with defending PASS National champion, Derek Griffith and 2019 national title contenders Mike Hopkins, Ray Christian, III, and Jake Johnson.
Entry forms for the 46thAnnual Oxford 250 and the Lanier National 200 at Lanier Raceplex in Georgia are available at ProAllStarsSeries.com.
