NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH
By Lou Modestino
Entries have already started coming in for the 42nd Annual Oxford 250, slated for August 28-30 at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. 21 drivers have already filed entries for the event with local drivers making up the majority of those entries.
Early entries include Cassius Clark, the 2013 Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Super Late Model champion from Farmington, ME, who filed the first entry for the 2015 Oxford 250. Two-time defending Oxford 250 champion Travis Benjamin out of Morrill, ME will be attempting to pull off what only one other driver has ever done in the history of the Oxford 250 as he tries to win three back-to-back Oxford 250s. Benjamin will have plenty of competition with past 250 Champions Mike Rowe and Ben Rowe out of Turner, ME on the early entry list along with six-time PASS North champion Johnny Clark as he tries to grab his first 250 Victory.
Joey Doiron came out on top at the PASS North Championship Event at Oxford Plains Speedway in September and is always a tough competitor anywhere on the Pro All Stars Series circuit as he seeks his first 250 win. Glen Luce, also representing the town of Turner, ME, has filed his entry after some strong runs with the PASS North Series in 2014. Luce had a very strong car, but was involved in a hard crash during the 2014 Oxford 250 that took him out of competition early in the event…David Oliver out Standish, ME has also entered for the 2015 Oxford 250 he dominated the majority of the September PASS Race at Oxford Plains Speedway and ended up finishing second to Doiron after a hard fought battle in the closing laps.
Oxford Plains Speedway’s weekly Super Late Model roster is also well represented on the entry list with multi-time track champion Tim Brackett entered along with three-time track Champion TJ Brackett as they try to add an Oxford 250 title to their impressive accomplishments at the speedway. Also hailing from the town of Buckfield, ME, the 2014 Budweiser Super Late Model Rookie-of-the-Year Kyle Treadwell has entered after qualifying for the 250 on his first attempt last year. Following a successful season in Street Stock division at Oxford Plains Speedway, Super Late Model rookie Spencer Morse has entered the Oxford 250 after getting a ride in the Oxford Hills Middle School Super Late Model.
New Hampshire also has some tough competition already entered including Bryan Kruczek from New Market, NH, the 2014 PASS Modified Champion Andy Shaw out of Center Conway, NH, along with the 2012 Oxford 250 Champion and 2014 American Canadian Tour Champion Joey Polewarczyk out of Hudson, NH.
This year’s Oxford 250 is once again sure to host a slew America’s Greatest Short Track Competitors along with plenty of hard charging Canadian’s including Raphael Lessard as he makes his way down from Quebec to compete in the prestigious event.
Advanced Tickets are on sale now and can be ordered by calling the Speedway Office at 207-539-8865, the Speedway office is open from 10:30-4:30pm on Thursday’s and Friday’s.
The 2015 PASS season will get under way on Saturday, March 7ht when the PASS South Super Late Models and PASS Pro Late Models take to Dillon Motor Speedway for the 10thAnnual South Carolina Clash. The PASS North Super Late Model season is slated to start on Saturday, April 18 with the Ripley & Fletcher Ford 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Sprint Car racing history will be made in Vermont as The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway hosts a blockbuster open-competition event – the inaugural “Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals” – on Saturday, September 26. The new 1/3-mile clay oval is set for a showdown featuring the region’s most fearless racecar drivers and their lightning-quick, winged, open-wheel machines.
The Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals will be the richest Sprint Car race in Vermont history and is expected to draw the region’s top teams. The purse boasts a $3,000 winner’s prize and a minimum of $300 to start. The event is co-sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) and the Bond Auto Parts Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE), but is open to any winged Sprint Car with a 360-cubic-inch engine limit.
SCoNE champion Chris Donnelly of Piermont, NH became the first Sprint Car winner at The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl last fall. Other top SCoNE racers include Dan Douville, Clay Dow, Kevin Chaffee, Luke Greenwood, Jake Williams, Tyler Austin, and SCoNE president Will Hull. Front-running ESS drivers include Chuck Hebing, Jason Barney, Jeff Cook, Matt Tanner, and Cory Sparks, along with Canadians Lee Ladouceur and 2014 champion Steve Poirier. A family rivalry is also expected between SCoNE’s Lacey Hanson and her cousin, ESS competitor James Hanson, who are each based in Orwell, VT just 10 minutes from Devil’s Bowl.
“I think the Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals will be something special,” ESS promoter Dean Reynolds said. “We’ll see the best of both series, and I bet a few Canadian teams will come to Devil’s Bowl for the great purse being offered. We can’t wait for this race.”
“I’m excited and anxious to bring together all of the region’s top Sprint Car teams for the first time,” SCoNE president and competitor Will Hull said. “We had a great time at Devil’s Bowl last fall and I really think this is going to be a race to remember.”
“Our fans are going to see a wild show at the Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals,” Devil’s Bowl promoter Mike Bruno said. “Dean Reynolds of ESS and Will Hull from SCoNE deserve a lot of credit for putting this event together. It’ll be exciting to see how the best from each series stack up against each other.”
The inaugural Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals will be held on Saturday, September 26, with additional details to follow. Drivers will also have two additional opportunities to compete at The Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl, as SCoNE holds stand-alone events on Sunday, July 5 and Sunday, August 9.