Joey Doiron Racing: PASS North Series
Oxford Plains Speedway Race Preview
Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, joins the rest of the PASS North Series when it heads to the TD Bank Oxford 250 weekend for the Dunkin’ Donuts 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Saturday, July 21. Doiron posted a pair of Top-10 finishes in the two PASS races held on the flat, .375-mile oval last season and is looking for more of the same to stay in the thick of the PASS North Series championship battle this time around. The No. 73 JBJ Machine/Scarborough Downs Chevrolet is coming off an eighth-place finish last time out at Thompson International Speedway in Thompson, Conn., and sits just 32 points out of the series lead with just seven races remaining – including two at Oxford, where the series returned last season for the first time in five years.
THE FACTS
WHO: Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: Joey Doiron Racing No. 73 JBJ Machine/Scarborough Downs Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: John Doiron, Berwick, Maine
BEST CAREER OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY FINISH: 10th (July 2011)
LAST RACE AT OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY: 10th (October 2011)
WHAT: PASS North Series Dunkin’ Donuts 150
WHERE: Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (.375-mile flat oval)
WHEN: Practice – 9 p.m., Friday, July 20; 2:30 p.m., Saturday, July 21; Qualifying – 6:30 p.m., Saturday, July 21; Race – 8:30 p.m., Saturday, July 21
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: July 12, California Paints 75, Thompson Int’l Speedway, Thompson, Conn. (8th)
NEXT RACE: August 4, PASS 150, Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass. (.333-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 6th
DID YOU KNOW?
Joey Doiron was named one of the three finalists in the “Maine Young Guns” competition last week. The winner will earn the right to participate with Go Green Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.
Joey Doiron won more than 55 career feature events as a go-kart racer from 2001-2005.
Joey Doiron has never been this close to the PASS North Series point lead in the second half of the season.
Joey Doiron has more Top-5 finishes (3) this season than in his two previous seasons combined (2) and has finished in the Top-10 in six of eight races this year.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
JOEY DOIRON, Driver of the No. 73 JBJ Machine/Scarborough Downs Chevrolet, On heading back to Oxford Plains Speedway this weekend: “After last fall, I just want to get back there and try to redeem myself. It’s never been one of my favorite tracks, but at the same time Oxford’s always been a track where we’ve been pretty good. As a driver, I’ve always had something happen to cost us a good finish.
“We were really good there in October, especially at the end of the race. Finally, we were able to recover from a mechanical failure and get a Top-10 finish. Hopefully, we can start Saturday where we finished off last year.”
On getting out of Thompson Speedway last weekend with a Top-10 finish: “The car is in one piece, so that’s a good thing, and I definitely learned a lot to go back with next year. It’s definitely a track that’s different from anywhere else we go.
“It’s not that difficult a track to drive by yourself, but it’s a place that’s hard to learn how to pass on. Now we’re at a track where we can determine our fate a little more, where track position isn’t as important. You can pass with a good car.”
On the importance of running well at Oxford, with two of the final six races being held at the track: “If you have a bad run here, it could set you up for a difficult end of the year. There are three races left at Oxford and Beech Ridge which are a lot alike – if you’re a slouch on these types of tracks, it’s really going to hurt your championship hopes.
“Outside of Beech Ridge a couple weeks ago, these are the tracks we’ve always run our best at. If we can do what we normally do here, we can rebound and close some of the gap in the point standings.”
On being part of the TD Bank Oxford 250 weekend: “I think it’s a huge deal. We raced the Late Model there a few years ago, and it’s always a big deal to be there on that weekend. As a kid, the few times I went to Oxford was for the 250 with the Super Late Models, so to get back there and run well last year was kind of special. I think a lot of other people felt the same way.
“Hopefully, this year we’ll have the same thing and the newness won’t have worn off, because there’s no better place to be this weekend. The ‘250’ is the biggest race north of the Mason-Dixon Line. To race there this weekend is a great thing for the series.”