Curtis Gerry Wins 44th Oxford 250; Scores $35,000+

Story By: OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY – OXFORD, ME – Curtis Gerry of Waterboro dominated when go time came, scoring the biggest racing victory of his career Sunday in the 44th annual Oxford 250 at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. With lap leader bonuses included, Gerry’s win should be worth over $35,000.

Gerry, who lined up 21st on the starting grid, needed 123 laps to chase down early race leader Cassius Clark in Rollie MacDonald’s 13. A round of pit stops saw Scott McDaniel earn some lap leader bonus cash for 26 laps before Gerry took command for good with just over 50 laps to go.

Manchseter’s Reid Lanpher made a late charge into second position, claiming runner-up honors for the second time in the Oxford 250. Cassius Clark flat-footed the King 13 to a third-place finish, making a five-figure lap leader bonus check to add to the trophy payoff.

Eddie MacDonald blazed a difficult trail to his fourth-place finish after an apparent heat race victory was negated in post-race tech. ‘The Outlaw’ from Rowley, Massachusetts needed a provisional starting spot to get in the 250, and was 38th on the grid when the green flag waved to start the main event.

Maine Racing Hall of Famer Mike Rowe of Turner, at age 67, raced to a top-five finish in the region’s top full-bodied racing class, in their biggest event of the season. Starting 41st, the man who is by far the most prolific winner in the history of Oxford Plains Speedway, schooled a racer or two en route to the checkered flag.

Wayne Helliwell, Jr., of Dover, New Hampshire – the defending champion of the Oxford 250, was sixth under the checkered flag. Derek Ramstrom of West Boylston, Massachusetts battled his share of adversity and finished in seventh place. Garrett Hall of Scarborough was eighth and proved to be a contender.

McDaniel ended up in ninth position, scoring his best-ever racing payday after lap leader cash is factored in. Alan Tardiff of Lyman rounbdd out the top ten, just ahead of six-time PASS North Super Late Model champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale.

They know who he is now in the grandstand. Jeremy Davis of Tamworth, New Hampshire made a last-lap move from third to first, winning the 50-lap last chance race to nail down the 44th and final starting spot to the 44th annual Oxford 250.

For more than half the race two-time Late Model track champion Dennis Spencer was racing hard versus Hall-of-Fame seven-time champ and all-time top OPS winner Mike Rowe from Turner. That tandem spent most of the race less than a car length apart, but a little last-lap bumping and grinding found Davis getting to the checkered flag first.

Spencer was second at the line, with Rowe third, and while Spencer was done for the night, Rowe’s night was far from over. Connecticut’s Ray Christian III wrapped up a decent weekend for a Super Late Model newcomer in fourth spot. Kyle Hewins of Leeds, in just his fourth Super Late Model start, rounded out the top five.

Ben Tinker of New Gloucester broke a three-race losing streak in PASS Mod competition on Saturday night, and on 250 Sunday he completed the weekend sweep in the open-wheel class, winning for the seventh time this season and extending his already-impressive championship points lead.

Bruce Helmuth of Wales built a big early lead and may have had a shot at outrunning Tinker if not for caution periods and the resultant restarts. Helmuth was the runner-up, with Steve Dickey, Jr. of Milford, New Hampshire filling out the podium in his best PASS mod run to date.

Gary Shackford of Center Conway, New Hampshire and Glenburn’s Scott Alexander filled out the top-five rundown. Dickey and Jimmy Emerson of Windham claimed 10-lap heat race victories prior to the 40-lap main event.

Greene’s Andrew Breton picked a good afternoon to claim his first-ever Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock division race, leading all the way in the 30-lap race before the track’s biggest crowd of the season. Kurt Hewins of Leeds earned runner-up honors, claiming his second trophy in two nights.

Livermore’s Tyler King had a two-race winning streak snapped under sunny skies, finishing off a three-trophy Street Stock Oxford 250 weekend with a third-place run. Anthony Constantino of Sumner and West Poland’s David Whittier completed the top-five rundown. Breton and Bryce Mains of Bridgton posted 10-lap heat race victories.

Legends Car racer Ryan Kuhn of East Bridgewater, Massachusetts loves Oxford Plains Speedway, and the 16-year-old added to his growing hardware collection with an impressive 25-lap score on the undercard. Even at 16, the youngster who admitted to the crowd that he begged his father to haul to Oxford after racing twice earlier in the weekend closer to home, and the decision paid off with his triumph.

Kuhn was the oldest racer on the podium, with a pair of 14-year-olds joining him in victory lane. Casey Call of Pembroke, New Hampshire, who won Friday night at OPS, claimed runner-up honors. Trenton Goodrow of Carver, Massachusetts finised up in third position for the second straight night at the Speedway. Windham’s Parker Varney and Thomas Everson of Gilmanton, New Hampshire filled out the top five. Kuhn and Goodrow won the heat races.

Cody Childs of Auburn drove his dad’s car to victory lane in a special, 25-lap race for the Runnin’ Rebels division, an entertaining part of the Speedway’s Acceleration Series, racing mostly on Wednesdays through the summer months. Childs hit the wall hard earlier in the weekend in his own car, and father Conrad Childs handed his ride to the kid, and he came through before the big Sunday crowd.

Brandon Varney of Auburn and Cam Childs of Leeds claimed trophies in the highly-competitive race. Jamie Heath of Waterford and Stoney, David Stone, Jr. from Alfred, rounded out the top five. Cam Childs and Matt Mahar of Raymond scored victories in a pair of eight-lap heat races for the Runnin’ Rebels.

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Unofficial results from the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model and Mod races Oxford Plains Speedway; Oxford, Maine; Sunday, August 27, 2017 showing finishing position, car number, driver’s name, driver’s hometown:

Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model Oxford 250 (250 laps) 1 7 Curtis Gerry, Waterboro; 2 59 Reid Lanpher, Manchester; 3 13 Cassius Clark, Farmington; 4 17 Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA; 5 24 Mike Rowe, Turner; 6 27 Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH; 7 35 Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, MA; 8 94 Garrett Hall, Scarborough; 9 14 Scott McDaniel, Livermore; 10 9 Alan Tardiff, Lyman; 11 54 Johnny Clark, Farmingdale; 12 44 Trevor Sanborn, East Parsonsfield; 13 7 Glen Luce, Turner; 14 7 Ben Lynch, Charlotte, NC; 15 97 Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH; 16 94 Shawn Martin, Turner; 17 7 Travis Benjamin, Morrill; 18 23 Dave Farrington, Jr., Jay; 19 00 Bryan Kruczek, Newmarket, NH; 20 60 Tim Brackett, Buckfield; 21 73 Adam Polvinen, Hebron; 22 60 DJ Shaw, Center Conway, NH; 23 50 Jeff White, Winthrop; 24 15 Mike Hopkins, Hermon; 25 72 Scott Robbins, Dixfield; 26 09 Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, NH; 27 2 Lonnie Sommerville, St. Johns, NB, Canada; 28 41 Tracy Gordon, Strong; 29 4 Ben Rowe, Turner; 30 99 Sarah Cornett-Ching, Summerland, BC, Canada; 31 45 Kodie Connor, Kannapolis, NC; 32 8 Calvin Rose, Jr., Turner; 33 09 Justin Drake, Burnham; 34 97 John Flemming, Halifax, NB, Canada; 35 48 Bobby Timmons, Windham; 36 53 Cole Butcher, Porters Lake, NS, Canada; 37 01 Andy Saunders, Ellsworth; 38 12 Derek Griffith, Hudson, NH; 39 73 Joey Doiron, Berwick; 40 4 Jay Fogelman, Durham, NC; 41 16 Travis Stearns, Auburn; 42 10 Kyle DeSouza, Williamston, SC; 43 03 Joe Squeglia, Jr., Derry, NH; 44 61 TJ Brackett, Buckfield. Lap leaders: 13 Cassius Clark 1-123, 7 Curtis Gerry 124-172, 14 Scott McDaniel 173-197, 7 Curtis Gerry 198-250.

PASS Super Late Model Last Chance Race (50 laps) 1 09 Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, NH; 2 46 Dennis Spencer, Jr., Oxford; 3 24 Mike Rowe, Turner; 4 93 Ray Christian III, Norwich, CT; 5 2 Kyle Hewins, Leeds; 6 0 Scott Luce, Strong; 7 84 Scott Mulkern, Falmouth; 8 90 Derek Kneeland, Sebago; 9 71 Gary Drew, Casco; 10 47 Gabe Brown, Center Conway, NH; 11 03 Scott Moore, Anson; 12 8 Jeremie Whorff, West Bath; 13 32 Nick Jenkins, Brownville; 14 42 Corey Bubar, Windham; 15 99 Craig Slaunwhite, Halifax, NS, Canada; 16 12 Joe Graf, Jr., Manwah, NJ; 17 24 Billy Penfold, Oxford; 18 4 Jay Fogelman, Durham, NC; 19 7 Nick Reno, West Bath; 2001 Andy Saunders, Ellsworth; 21 9 JT Thurlow, Windham.

PASS Mods (40 laps) 1 19 Ben Tinker, New Gloucester; 2 25 Bruce Helmuth, Wales; 3 12 Steve Dickey, Jr., Milford, NH; 4 60 Gary Shackford, Center Conway, NH; 5 17 Scott Alexander, Glenburn; 6 28 Mark Lundblad, Jr., Conway, NH; 7 64 Matty Sanborn, Windham; 8 44 David Grysk, Standish; 9 2 Randy Sanborn, West Baldwin; 10 5 Devin Curit, Saco, 11 27 Josh Hedges, Rochester, MA; 12 12 Jimmy Emerson, Windham.

Allen’s Coffee Flavored Street Stock (30 laps) 1 33 Andrew Breton, Greene; 2 55 Kurt Hewins, Leeds; 3 11 Tyler King, Livermore; 4 14 Anthony Constantino, Sumner; 5 58 David Whittier, West Poland; 6 77 Bryce Mains, Bridgton; 7 1 Billy Childs, Jr., Leeds; 8 03 Jason Curtis, Buxton; 9 4 Jordan Russell, Norway; 10 97 Dan Brown, Peru; 11 36 Rick Spaulding, Lisbon; 12 61 Matt Dufault, Turner; 13 35 Kristina Nadeau, Buxton; 14 09 Mark Turner, Norway; 15 05 Brett Osmond, Wiscasset; 16 21 Skip Tripp, South Paris; 17 27 Patrick Thorne, Standish; 18 60 Dan Bryan, Fryeburg; 19 04 Zach Bowie, Greene; 20 56 Mike Short, Auburn.

Legends Cars (25 laps) 1 72 Ryan Kuhn, East Bridgewater, MA; 2 90 Casey Call, Pembroke, NH; 3 31 Trenton Goodrow, Carver, MA; 4 18 Parker Varney, Windham; 5 4 Thomas Everson, Gilmanton, NH; 6 92 Colby Meserve, Buxton; 7 28 Kevin Oliver, Gray; 8 4 Peter Craig, Poland; 9 52 Mathew Burgoine, Newport; 10 129 Adam Sanborn, West Paris; 11 0 Annette Humphrey, Parsonsfield; 12 14 Aliyah Neale, South Royalston, MA; 13 3 Justin Stacey, Hiram; 14 29 Austin Teras, Windham.

Runnin’ Rebels (25 laps) 1 96 Cody Childs, Auburn; 2 1 Brandon Varney, Auburn; 3 11 Cam Childs, Leeds; 4 56 Jamie Heath, Waterford; 5 28 David Stone, Jr., Alfred; 6 59 Dustin Lancaster, Milo; 7 44 Rick Montminy, Auburn; 8 71 Chris Foster, Lisbon; 9 05 Gerard Cote, Oxford; 10 14 Brandon Lizotte, Lebanon; 11 12 Chris Lavanway, Auburn; 13 8 Jim Emmons, Lebanon; 14 0 Matt Mahar, Raymond; 15 21 Dale Squiers, Jr., Springfield, VT; 16 21 Ralph Green, Auburn; 17 18 Durban Davis, Hermon; 18 24 Travis Verrill, South Paris; 19 17 Dan Wade, New Gloucester; 20 14 Adam O’Neil, Turner; 21 3 Chachy Hall, Oxford; 22 69 John Childs, Leeds.