Story By: MARK THOMAS / OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY – OXFORD, ME – Reigning track champion Alan Tardiff of Goodwins Mills picked a good night to break his current victory drought, scoring a $2000 payday for his 50-lap Super Late Model triumph Friday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Tardiff became the first winner to earn the maximum $800 bonus awarded to a feature race winner who has appeared in all of the eight most recent Budweiser Championship Series racing programs. Several other drivers remain eligible to match Tardiff’s nice payday in future weeks.
Tardiff, who ranks third in the Oxford Plains Speedway Super Late Model championship standings, raced past early leader Scott Moore of Anson, then outran Gabe Brown of Center Conway, New Hampshire to the checkered flag. Brown remained second in the title race with his performance.
Tracy Gordon of Strong, hot off a 100-lap PASS Open score at OPS last Sunday night, made a late bid to get by Brown but settled for third position, his third top-five Super Late Model run in less than a week at the historic Route 26 oval track.
Two-time track titlist TJ Brackett remained atop the current championship standings with a fourth-place finish. Moore led a healthy portion of the race, eventually crossing the finish line in fifth position.
Last year’s Street Stock champion, Billy Childs, Jr. of Leeds ended up with his second win of the season in a special, 50-lap Honey Badger Restaurant Series race for the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock division. Childs bounced back from an assisted spin to earn his second win in just two attempts after apparent winner Kenny Harrison of Durham couldn’t pass a post-race technical inspection.
Childs crossed the finish line in front of current championship points leader Matt Dufault of Turner. Zach Bowie of Greene bounced back from a first-lap crash to claim a third-place finish. Gary Babineau of Hollis Center and Gray’s Tyler King rounded out the top five.
Defending Bandits division champion Brandon Varney of Mechanic Falls claimed his first victory of the season in Budweiser Championship Series action, prevailing in a hotly-contested event. Waterford’s Jamie Heath, another former champion in the four-cylinder-powered class, stayed right on the winner’s rear bumper most of the 20-lap race distance. Chad Wills of Buckfield picked up the third-place trophy. Oxford’s Jake Hall led most of the race before ending up in fourth spot, just ahead of Oxford’s Shaun Hinkley.
Kyle Kilgore of South Paris extended his lead atop the standings in the 20-lap Figure 8 race, posting his fourth win of the season. Oxford’s Kyle Glover led the first half of the event, claiming his third runner-up trophy of the campaign. The previous week’s winner, Dale Lwrence, charged from the back of the field to finish in third position. Greg Durgin of South Paris and Poland’s Larry Lizotte filled out the top-five rundown.
Jud Derbyshire claimed the first win in several years by a Rambler-bodied racecar at Oxford Plains Speedway in one of two 20-lap main events for the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association. Freeport’s Neil Martin rebounded from a spin to earn runner-up honors in a tribute car to legendary OPS and Maine Hall of Famer Al Hammond. Kevin Waterhouse of West Paris was third under the checkered flag aboard his 1955 Studebaker. Sid Smith of Mount Vernon was best in Wicked Good Outlaw division action. Scott Tucker of Monmouth was the best of the rest, followed by Arthur Hannaford of Hollis.
The Budweiser Championship Series continues this Saturday night, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. The Oxford Acceleration Series is in action every Wednesday night through the end of August, with racing action beginning at 7:00 p.m. Oxford Plains Speedway is located at 877 Main Street, on State Route 26 in Oxford, Maine. For more information visit oxfordplains.com or call (207) 539-8865.
Unofficial results from the Friday, July 6 Budweiser Championship Series racing card at Oxford Plains Speedway; Oxford, Maine; showing finishing position, car number, driver’s name, driver’s hometown:
Budweiser Super Late Model (50 laps) 1 9 Alan Tardiff, Goodwins Mills; 2 47 Gabe Brown, Center Conway, NH; 3 41 Tracy Gordon, Strong; 4 61 TJ Brackett, Buckfield; 5 03 Scott Moore, Anson; 6 8 Calvin Rose, Jr., Turner; 7 72 Scott Robbins, Dixfield; 8 54 Ryan Deane, Winterport; 9 94 Shawn Martin, Turner; 10 60 Timmy Brackett, Buckfield; 11 21 Shane Clark, Winterport; 12 77 Bryce Mains, Bridgton; 13 25 Shawn Knight, South Paris.
Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock (Honey Badger Series race, 50 laps); 1 1 Billy Childs, Jr., Leeds; 2 61 Matt Dufault, Turner; 3 21 Zach Bowie, Greene; 4 2 Gary Babineau, Hollis Center; 5 11 Tyler King, Gray; 6 36 Richard Spaulding, Lisbon; 7 4 Jordan Russell, Norway; 8 Michael Haynes, Livermore Falls; 9 58 David Whittier, West Poland; 10 52 Mike Nichols, Livermore Falls; 11 99 George Haskell, Casco; 12 56 Addie McDaniel, Bridgton; 13 33 Andrew Breton, Greene; 14 09 Mark Turner, Norway; 15 5 Guy Childs, Sr., Lewiston; 16 12 John White III, Auburn; DQ 85 Kenny Harrison, Durham
Bandits (20 laps) 1 1 Brandon Varney, Mechanic Falls; 2 91 Jamie Heath, Waterford; 3 54 Chad Wills, Buckfield; 4 5 Jake Hall, Oxford; 5 2 Shaun Hinkley, Oxford; 6 08 Mike McKinney, Berlin, NH; 7 18 Dustin Salley, Poland; 8 12 Adam Sanborn, West Paris; 9 8x Josh Knoll, Mechanic Falls; 10 77 Rob Crepeau, Minot; 11 44 Jeff Libby, Auburn; 12 6 Cody White, South Paris; 13 55 Dean Jordan, Jay; 14 24 Travis Verrill, South Paris; 15 14 Brandon Caston, Casco; 16 8 Jeremy Lauzier, Rumford; 17 42 Nick Ogden, Mechanic Falls.
Figure 8 (20 laps) 1 4 Kyle Kilgore, South Paris; 2 07 Kyle Glover, Oxford; 3 2 Dale Lawrence, Lisbon; 4 41 Greg Durgin, South Paris; 5 00 Larry Lizotte, Poland; 6 40 Robert Morey, Lisbon; 7 3 Chachy Hall, Oxford.
Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association 1 (20 laps) 1 92 Jud Derbyshire, Mount Vernon; 2 1 Neil Martin, Freeport; 3 2 Kevin Waterhouse, West Paris; 4 18 Nick Overlock, Warren; 5 420 Keith Smalley, Warren; 6 19 Ben Overlock, Warren; 7 32 Jim Kinney, Warren.
Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association 2 (20 laps) 1 22 Sid Smith, Mount Vernon; 2 79 Scott Tucker, Winthrop; 3 71 Arthur Hannaford, Hollis; 4 4 Dave Alexander, Standish; 5 64 Bob Guyon, Monmouth; 6 78 Jon Pillsbury, Monmouth; 7 1 Norm Judkins, Casco; 8 110 Curt Snow, Warren, MA.
Rookie (10 laps) 1 3 Thomas Brackett, Auburn; 2 91 Brady Heath, Waterford.
