RPMMotorsports Looks To Add To Late Model Legacy At OPS
. GEORGIA, Vt– Before you can evenrun through all of the team’s accomplishments over the years, RPMMotorsports owner Rick Paya stops you short.
“But we’ve never won this one,”said Paya, owner and crew chief of the No. 37 GossCars.com DodgeCharger driven by Brian Hoar.
The ‘one’ is this weekend’s 39thannual TD Bank Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine.Practice takes place on Saturday and Sunday, with qualifying and themain event slated for Sunday afternoon and evening, respectively.Hoar’s best finish in the event was a runner-up effort in the 2010 TDBank 250.
“This is definitely the one that’smissing for us,” said Paya, who has won eight ACT Late Model Tourchampionships as a car owner, as well as races at New Hampshire MotorSpeedway, New Smyrna Speedway during Florida Speedweeks and theprestigious People’s United Milk Bowl at Thunder Road InternationalSpeedbowl in Vermont. “We’re working hard. I really want it bad,just like everyone else. We tested (at Oxford) last week, and welearned some stuff, but we still need to find some more.
“Some of those other guys there havereally stepped up.”
Recent history has shown that Hoar ismore than capable of winning the biggest race of his career. He hasfinished in the Top-5 in the TD Bank 250 in each of the last threeyears, including the second-place finish behind two-time championEddie MacDonald two years ago.
With a new setup under the car for thisweekend, the 40-year-old Williston, Vt., driver is hoping it’sfinally his time.
“I think we’re in the ballpark. Ithink when we go to a lot of these races, we’ve been good,” saidHoar, an eight-time ACT champion, including the last three in a row.“But Oxford’s one that – it’s not just the Oxford 250. For me,I’ve never won a race at Oxford. Performance-wise, I’ve always beenbeaten by somebody.
“We’re going in with a great setup,but it’s a little bit untested and unproven for us. How are we in thelong runs will be key. In the short runs it seemed to go good intesting. We’ll find out. We’re going to pair up with the best of thebest and see where we come out.
“I’m very excited to get back upthere.”
Hoar will get plenty of seat time thisweekend. In addition to the TD Bank 250, RPM Motorsports will alsobring a Super Late Model to compete in the PASS North Series event onSaturday night. Hoar ran both PASS races at Oxford in 2011 –finishing a career-best fifth last October.
Both driver and car owner said thatSaturday’s Super Late Model race is about having fun at the racetrack.
“That’s absolutely what it’s allabout,” Hoar said. “In the overall scheme of things, that’s whatit’s all about for any of us, anyway. Sure, we ramp it up whenthere’s points on the line or for bigger events, but for us there’snot a lot of pressure when it comes to this PASS race. We’re justgoing out to have fun and make a total racing weekend out of it.”
Things will get more business-like onSunday. With more than 70 cars expected to try and qualify for the TDBank 250, the focus is as much on collecting the big trophy on Sundaynight as it is just being sure you can make the starting field.
And the team feels as though the gainsits made over the last two months since finishing 13th in the ACTLate Model Tour race held at Oxford this season have made it just asstrong a contender as it has been over the last three years.
“We’ve really been trying to get thecar better,” Paya said. “Going into the 250, we’re actuallyexcited. We think we’ve got something for them, something better thanwe had last year. We think we learned a lot the last couple weeks, sowe’re excited about this.”
“It’s history. It’s that simple,”Hoar said. “It’s not about the money. It’s just a huge, huge race.You look at everybody that’s won that race, everybody that’s not wonthat race, been in that race – you win it and you’re forever in thehistory books in this part of the country, if not the rest of thecountry. It’s one of those races.
“It’s a big deal.”