Hundreds of campers and trailers rolled into Oxford Plains Speedway this past week, with thousands of fans celebrating the 46th annual running of the Oxford 250. 57 drivers and teams from around the nation (and Canada!) showed up to compete on Sunday, but only 44 drivers would go on to make it into the big show.

Qualifying on Sunday began with five initial heat races where the top five drivers would advance into the 250. Drivers drew their starting positions for the heat races on the front stretch Sunday morning, drawing a pill that determined their fate as their teams watched in anticipation.

Nick Sweet took home the first heat victory, locking himself into the coveted race. Ryan Kuhn, Travis Benjamin, Bubba Pollard and Tim Brackett followed.

Eddie MacDonald, a New England racing legend in his own right, took home the second heat victory. DJ Shaw, Mike Hopkins, Reid Lanpher and Craig Weinstein, an underdog in his own right, rounded out the top five.

Cassius Clark, a fan-favorite to win coming into the race weekend, took home the third heat victory. Johnny Clark, TJ Brackett, Adam Gray and Josh Childs followed.

Derek Griffith, the 2018 PASS National champion, took home the victory in the fourth heat. Curtis Gerry (2017 Oxford 250 Champion), Trevor Sanborn, Ray Christian III and Brandon Barker rounded out the top five.

The fifth and final heat was an “underdog” heat of sorts and Cole Butcher took the heat victory, locking himself into the big race. Alan Tardiff, Ryan Robbins, Jake Johnson and Scott Robbins followed.

After the initial heat races were complete, it was time for the consolation heat races, where the top four drivers from each heat would advance into the 250.

Ben Ashline, competing in his first Oxford 250 since 2012, took home the first consolation heat victory. Scott McDaniel, Joey Pole (another former 250 champion) and Dave Farrington, Jr. rounded out the top four.

Ben Rowe took home the second consolation heat victory while Tracy Gordon, Kyle Desouza and Garrett Hall followed, locking themselves into the big race.

After the consolation heat races were completed, four of Oxford Plains’ support divisions took to the big stage. Skip Tripp took home the 30-lap feature victory in the Street Stocks, Chris Foster won the 30-lap Rebels feature, Matthew Sonnhalter was awarded the victory in the 50-lap NEMST feature and Casey Call scored the victory in the Legends feature.

There was then a 30-lap “Last Chance” heat, where only the top finisher would advance into the 250. Austin Teras, who has been tearing it up in the Legends division this season, took home the last chance victory, completing the field.

Two underdog favorites, Ryan Green and John Peters, failed to make the field due to getting caught up in unavoidable wrecks during their heat races. Kelly Moore, a racing legend in his own right, also had a tough day and failed to make the field this year.

Dan Winter was one of the drivers lucky enough to recieve a provisional for the 250. This was Winter’s first time competing in the big race, which is any driver’s dream.

After the field was set, it was time for the running of the 46th annual Oxford 250.

Eddie MacDonald took the early lead over young gun, Ryan Kuhn. Nick Sweet was also on the move early, advancing into the runner-up spot over Ryan Kuhn on lap 10 and later advancing into the lead on lap 20. The leaders were setting a blistering pace early, lapping cars at the tail-end of the field by lap 21. Joey Pole took a vicious spin on the front stretch on lap 47, making hard contact with Scott McDaniel. The yellow flag came out the following lap, setting Joey Pole one lap down.

Eddie MacDonald was all over Nick Sweet for the lead following the restart, stealing the top spot back away from Sweet on lap 55. Drivers were 3-wide for second on lap 58, with Cassius Clark advancing into the spot as Nick Sweet fell back to fifth. Bryan Kruczek, Saturday’s ACT Tour winner, blew up on lap 74, pulling to the infield.

Cassius Clark was using lap traffic to his advantage, advancing into the lead over Eddie MacDonald on lap 95. Joey Pole’s troubles continued on lap 98 as he went off-track in turns 3 and 4, resulting in another caution. Most of the leaders pitted, which sent DJ Shaw into the lead following pit stops.

Jake Johnson powered into the runner-up spot on the restart and was all over DJ Shaw’s back bumper by lap 108. He made his way to Shaw’s inside on lap 115, posing a challenge for the driver of the #60. Curt Gerry was also making moves, advancing to fifth over Craig Weinstein on lap 118. But, Alan Tardiff was right there, wrangling the position away from Gerry on lap 120. After battling it out for the lead for a handful of laps, Jake Johnson finally overtook the lead on lap 125.

Alan Tardiff was still red-hot, advancing into the runner-up spot on lap 130 and later, into the lead, on lap 132. Ben Ashline was also on the move, finally breaking the top five on lap 147. There was a 3-way battle for fourth on lap 151, with Nick Sweet taking over the spot. Sweet continued his pursuit back to the front of the field, clearing DJ Shaw for third on lap 160. Mike Hopkins also showed up in the second half of the race, breaking the top five on lap 168. 2019 was not Bubba Pollard’s year like last year was, which was made clear when Pollard retired to the back pits on lap 168.

Mike Hopkins advanced to fourth over DJ Shaw on lap 173 with Ben Rowe and Ben Ashline in tow. Josh Childs then took a spin on lap 179 in turn 1, leading to another yellow flag. Alan Tardiff, Nick Sweet and Dave Farrington, Jr. all elected to stay on the track while the rest of the leaders pitted. Cassius Clark won the race out of the pits.

Jake Johnson lost a tire on the restart, making heavy contact with the front stretch wall. The impact led to an immediate yellow flag. Johnson was a bit banged up following the incident, but he was able to walk away under his own power. 

Nick Sweet powered away with the lead on the restart, but trouble was brewing behind the leaders. Gabe Brown took a spin on lap 182 in turn 1, leading to another caution. Both Alan Tardiff and Nick Sweet elected to pit under yellow with both drivers electing to take two right side tires. This catapulted Cassius Clark into the lead yet again.

Cassius Clark pulled away with the lead on the restart as Dave Farrington, Jr. fell back, losing a handful of positions. Travis Benjamin was on the move late, advancing into the runner-up spot on lap 190. Benjamin was all over Cassius Clark for the lead on lap 208, finally clearing him for the top spot on lap 211. 

Derek Griffith and Cassius Clark began battling it out for the runner-up spot on lap 215, with Griffith pulling away with the spot just two laps later. DJ Shaw quickly navigated his way through lap traffic, advancing into the runner-up spot over Derek Griffith on lap 222. Eddie MacDonald faced mechanical troubles on lap 228, retiring to the pits. Ashton Tucker came to a slow on lap 238 in turn 3, leading to a late-race yellow.

Travis Benjamin pulled away with the lead yet again on the restart. Garrett Hall came to a slow, falling to the rear of the field on lap 240. Tim Brackett took a spin on lap 246 in turn 3, collecting Mike Rowe, Gabe Brown and others in the carnage. The incident led to another caution and a 4-lap shootout that would determine the race winner.

Travis Benjamin took off on the restart and never looked back, creating history as he collected his third career Oxford 250 champion. Benjamin now ties Mike Rowe with three Oxford 250 wins and they are the only two (currently active) drivers ti achieve the feat. Bejamin picked up his $25,000 check in Victory Lane, celebrating victoriously with his son, family and team members.

Derek Griffith, DJ Shaw, Johnny Clark and Mike Hopkins rounded out the top five.

The 2019 Oxford 250 sure didn’t disappoint, brought many surprises and most importantly, the grandstands and the parking lots were absolutely packed with excited fans that remained on their feet for 250 exciting laps. This was my second Oxford 250 and I can’t wait to attend many more in the future!

Congrats to Travis Benjamin and the entire #7 team!

Thank you to my website sponsors, Texas Roadhouse Scarborough, Four Season Synthetic and Drown Excavation. Your support means the world to me.

The post Travis Benjamin Crowned 2019 Oxford 250 Champion appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

Sixteen drivers and teams battled the heat and showed up at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday night to compete in the Pro All Star Series 150, an 150-lap Super Late Model feature.

Derek Ramstrom took off with the early lead in the feature, with Joey Pole quickly advancing up to fourth in the early laps. Travis Benjamin took over the lead on lap 6 with Bobby Therrien right on his heels. Joey Pole continued his pursuit to the front on lap 22, making his way to Derek Ramstrom’s inside for third. He completed the pass the following lap as Dillon Moltz also powered his way around Ramstrom for fourth.

The leaders were setting a blistering pace early, collecting the tail-end of the field by lap 34. Joey Pole made his way to the inside of Bobby Therrien for the runner-up spot on lap 40, later advancing into the spot just five laps later. Dillon Moltz was all over Therrien for third on lap 46, taking control of the spot the following lap. 

Nick Sweet was also on the move in the first half of the race, breaking the top 5 on lap 57 after battling it out with Derek Ramstrom for a handful of laps. DJ Shaw was maneuvering his way through the field after starting toward the back of the pack, advancing to seventh by lap 60, and later sixth over Derek Ramstrom on lap 66. Dan Winter took a spin on lap 79 in turn 1, leading to the first caution of the feature.

Joey Pole powered to the lead on the restart as DJ Shaw finally broke the top 5 a little further on back in the field. By lap 90, Pole held a half straightaway lead over his competitors. Dan Winter’s troubles continued as fell off-pace on lap 91, retiring to the pits. Ben Rowe cut down a tire on lap 105, leading to a caution. This was followed by the same happening to points leader Garrett Hall, resulting in another quick yellow.

Derek Griffith and Dillon Moltz nearly tangled on the restart, but both drivers collected themselves as Griffith advanced into the runner-up spot. DJ Shaw was still on a mission, moving into fourth over Travis Benjamin on lap 116. By lap 117, Derek Griffith was all over Joey Pole for the top spot. He advanced into the lead on lap 119 as Joey Pole fell back to third.

Dillon Moltz and Joey Pole made contact on the backstretch on lap 120, allowing DJ Shaw to catch up to the two drivers. He made his way to Joey Pole’s inside on lap 124, challenging him for third. Travis Benjamin made hard contact with the turn 2 wall on lap 133 after having a right front tire go down, leading to a late-race caution.

DJ Shaw advanced to third on the restart as Derek Griffith took off with the lead once again. After his earlier troubles, Ben Rowe was already knocking on the door of the top 5 on lap 139, all over Nick Sweet’s back bumper. He advanced into the spot the following lap, but nobody was any match for Derek Griffith at the front of the field.

Derek Griffith took home the victory, followed by Dillon Moltz, DJ Shaw, Joey Pole and Ben Rowe. In Victory Lane, Griffith praised his crew for their valiant efforts despite his recent troubles at Oxford Plains Speedway this season and celebrated with them on the front stretch.

There is still plenty more PASS racing to come in 2019, but Garrett Hall still remains the point leader with a 12-point lead over DJ Shaw.

You can catch the Pro All Star Series next on Tuesday, July 30th at Star Speedway. Racing begins at 6:00 pm, the PASS SLM’s will be battling it out for 200 laps and the PASS Mods will also be in attendance. 

Get out there and support your local short track! See you there!

Thank you to my website sponsors, Texas Roadhouse Scarborough, Four Season Synthetic and Drown Excavation. Your support is more than appreciated!

The post Derek Griffith Captures PASS 150 Victory at White Mountain appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

The day’s events kicked off with a driver meet and greet on the front stretch, which allowed fans, families and media members to mingle with drivers from each and every competing division.

After this concluded, the Sunoco Modified division took to the track for their 30-lap feature with Keith Rocco starting on the pole.

The beginning of the feature was plagued with early-race cautions, as Paul Buzel and Josh Zentek both faced trouble in the early laps of the race.

Once the field settled down and went back to green, Todd Owen briefly stole the lead away from Rocco, but Rocco was quick to reestablish his command over the field shortly thereafter.

Adam Gada had the save of the race on lap 5 as he almost lost control in the middle of the pack, only to miraculously keep it off of the wall and avoid making contact with any of his competitors.

Ronnie Williams had mechanical failures on lap 11 as he slowed on the backstretch, making his way down to the pits.

Jake Berchem brought out the caution on lap 14 after a single-car spin in turn 4.

On lap 20, Zach Leone took a spin and backed into the infield wall on the backstretch, leading to a late-race caution. This incident was followed by another caution on the restart, as Matt Vassar went hard into the turn 3 wall.

Todd Owen was all over Keith Rocco on the restart, but Rocco managed to hold him off for the feature victory.

Woody Pitkat and Mike Christopher, Jr. battled it out until the very end behind the leaders, with Pitkat beating Christopher to the line for a third place finish. Glen Reen rounded out the top five.

Defending race winner, Derek Griffith, Ben Rowe, Reid Lanpher, Ray Christian, III and 2018 PASS North champion, DJ Shaw, were some of the heavy hitters competing the 75-lap Pro All Star Series feature.

The #28 of Greg Nanigan took a spin on lap 1, leading to an early-race caution.

Ben Rowe immediately snagged the lead on the restart, but Johnny Clark and Gabe Brown made it a 3-wide battle for the top spot on lap 2.

Gabe, Oxford Plains Speedway‘s 2018 track champion, briefly stole the lead back after he started on the pole for the main event.

Ben Rowe, Derek Griffith and Johnny Clark spearheaded a battle for the runner-up spot on lap 7, with Griffith finally capturing the spot on lap 10.

Derek Ramstrom had right rear tire troubles on lap 11, leading to a caution. His crew got to work under yellow, but he was unable to get back onto the track before the field went back to green.

Griffith powered into the race lead on the restart with Johnny Clark and Gabe Brown in tow.

Reid Lanpher was on the move in the early laps of the race, breaking the top 5 on lap 14. He continued his fight to the front just a handful of laps later on lap 19, advancing into the fourth spot over Gabe Brown as DJ Shaw also advanced into the runner-up spot over Johnny Clark.

By lap 26, DJ Shaw was all over Derek Griffith’s back bumper, challenging him for the top spot.

Dan Winter faced mechanical troubles on lap 29, bringing his #81 car into the pits.

After starting toward the rear of the field, Ray Christian III finally broke the top five on lap 32 and advanced to fourth over Reid Lanpher in the same lap.

Although he had a strong show for the first half of the race, Reid Lanpher’s early-season troubles continued as he began to descend through the field mid-race, falling back to 11th place on lap 38.

While battling it out for the top spot, Shaw and Griffith nearly collided on lap 39 in turn 4. Shaw later got a big run on the inside groove on lap 44, finally capturing the top spot from Griffith just two laps later.

Nick Johnson had a single-car spin on lap 46, leading to a caution.

After missing out last week at Richmond due to health problems, Jimmy Renfrew was hoping for a great finish at Thompson, but he was plagued with mechanical problems during the second half of the race and remained parked in the pits from lap 46 – on. 

It was a wild restart, with Derek Griffith powering back into the lead with Ray Christian III in tow.

DJ Shaw found himself fighting for position once again, battling it out with Christian for the runner-up spot. He was able to capture the position on lap 55, but their battle allowed Griffith to extend his lead by a handful of car lengths.

DJ put the pedal to the floor, finally catching up to Griffith on lap 66. He made his way to his inside on lap 68, but the leaders were plagued by lap traffic on lap 69. This broadened the gap between the two leaders, but Shaw worked his way to Griffith’s outside on lap 73, hoping it would stick.

Shaw finally made the pass on Griffith at the start/finish line on lap 74, managing to hold him off for the remainder of the final lap to win the feature in exciting fashion. The wild finish had nearly all of the fans in the grandstands on their feet, hooting and hollering as the two drivers crossed the finish line.

Ray Christian III, Johnny Clark and Jake Johnson rounded out the top five.

The day’s events rolled on, which included some of Thompson’s weekly divisions getting the spotlight with their main events.

Ryan Weatherman took home the victory in the 20-lap Limited Sportsman feature and Steve Michalski scored the surprise win in the 15-lap Mini Stock feature after the two leaders (Doug Curry and Jared Roy) took each other out in turn two with just three laps to go. Due to time constraints, the race schedule was changed during the day, forcing the Late Model division to be the last feature of the day. Tom Carey III scored the victory in the 25-lap shootout and Woody Pitkat, pulling double duty, pulled off a third place finish.

All eyes were on Doug Coby and Justin Bonsignore all weekend for the 150-lap Whelen Modified Tour main event, with Coby topping the speed charts with a top speed of 119.332 mph to capture the pole and Bonsignore going for his fifth consecutive Modified win at Thompson.

Doug Coby darted away with the early lead in the feature, pulling away from the rest of the pack.

Calvin Carroll and Rob Summers made contact on lap 24 in turn 3, leading to the first caution of the feature.

By lap 40, the two leaders (Coby and Justin Bonsignore) were catching the tail-end of the field, with a 3/4 straightaway lead over the driver in third. By the halfway point of the race, this was extended to a full straightaway as Coby and Bonsignore continued to set a blistering pace.

Anthony Nocella put on a hard-fought battle, but finally went a lap down on lap 80. 

Andrew Krause faced mechanical troubles on lap 82, which ended his day early.

On lap 99, the #54 of Tommy Catalano went hard into the turn 1 wall, leading to a caution.

With only 13 cars remaining on the lead lap, all of the lead lap teams elected to pit under yellow.

Doug Coby won the battle off of pit road, but fans were shocked when he was hit with a pit violation after running over an air hose under yellow. This mistake cost Coby the lead and forced him to restart at the tail end of the field, which was a shocking and fate-changing turn of events.

This game-changer moved Justin Bonsignore into the lead and Ron Silk, another fan-favorite, into the runner-up spot.

The field went back to green with just 40 laps remaining and Coby began to climb through the field, finally breaking the top ten on lap 125 after restarting at the back of the pack.

 Anthony Nocella faced troubles in the closing laps of the race as his air cleaner flew off on lap 147, forcing the yellow and forcing the team to come down to pit road.

This late-race caution sent the feature into overtime, with Bonsignore electing the outside line for the restart. He was able to hold off his competitors, taking home his fifth consecutive win at Thompson and his tenth career win in the Whelen Modified Tour division. Ron Silk, Eric Goodale, Patrick Emerling and Doug Coby rounded out the top five. Burt Myers, another fan-favorite, wound up finishing sixth.

Overall, Sunday was a day full of amazing racing action across all divisions and game-changing pivotal moments that changed the expected outcome entirely of some races. This made it enjoyable for fans of all ages and made it a great kickoff to the 2019 race season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park!

You can catch the Pro All Star Series, American-Canadian Tour, PASS Mods, Honey Badger Street Stock Series and the North East Mini Stock Tour this Sunday, April 14th, at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine. (Rain date: Sunday, April 28th) Racing action begins at 1:30 pm. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to my website sponsors, Texas Roadhouse Scarborough, Four Season Synthetic and Drown Excavation. I’d also like to give thanks to Dan Winter, who is another driver that will be riding along with Chasing the Checkered in 2019. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the support of all of you!

The post Bonsignore and Shaw Steal the Show at Thompson's 45th Annual Icebreaker appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine will be hosting their 70th race season in 2018. With the track reaching this big milestone, there will also be some big changes coming in 2018. The biggest change is seen in the scheduling, where NASCAR Nite drivers will be getting a break every third week of the month during the race season.  This will give drivers from the Pro Series, Sport Series and the Wildcats division the opportunity to either explore different race tracks on their off weeks, or enjoy time away from the racetrack with their family and friends. In addition to the scheduling changes, there will be a newly-introduced series making a bigger presence at the track in 2018.

Danny Wolfe introduced the ‘Street Devils’ division last year at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. The Street Devils division ran on select Thursday Night Thunder and NASCAR Nite’s in 2017. The division is composed of (once) street-legal cars racing for points, making the division more affordable for those with an interest in the sport of racing that don’t have a lot of financial backing. Defending champion Darryl Quinlan will be back to defend his title in 2018, racing in the 8-race Street Devils season. The division will be racing 3 times in June, two times in July and 3 times in August. Once again, drivers from the division will be competing on a mixture of both Thursday and Saturday nights. The season will begin on Thursday, June 14th and will conclude on Thursday, August 17th. The regular season will then be followed by a non-points shootout on Friday, August 31st.

 The biggest series changes will be happening in the Wildcats division, where Ryan Hewins is making his big return to the speedway. Hewins was the 2015 champion in the Wildcats division, where he was a dominant force week after week. Fans haven’t seen much of Hewins at the speedway since 2015, so his return will give dedicated fans the opportunity to see a fan-favorite and former champion back out on the track once again, competing with some of the best in the series.

 Another fan favorite, Lewis “Dirty Lew” Anderson, will be competing in the Wildcats division once again in 2018. Anderson calls the 2017 season “one of his worst”, where he wasn’t able to capture a feature victory during the season. Anderson finished third in the points in 2017 and recently went down to Florida for the Snowball Derby weekend, finishing fifth. Anderson is looking forward to rebuilding his car and getting back into the competitive spirit in 2018. 2017 Wildcats champion Adam Lovejoy will not be returning to the speedway in 2018.  Lovejoy is reportedly running up at Wiscasset in 2018, where he has advanced from a Wildcat to a Late Model. 2017 Wildcats runner-up and 2016 Rookie of the Year Zach Nicholson also won’t be returning to Beech Ridge in 2017. Nicholson has advanced into a Late Model Sportsman and will be running at Lee USA Speedway in 2018. We will reportedly see the return of father/son duo Jason and Cody Webster in the Wildcats in 2018. Tanner McDougal is also reportedly moving up to the Wildcats division this upcoming season, making his transition from Thursday Night Thunder to NASCAR Nite.

Sally Gherardi will be back to defend her Sport Series title in 2018. Her returning competitors include Clyde Hennessey, Alex Lacognata, Matt Dow and Charlie Sanborn, who was a 4-time race winner in 2017.

 Pro Series competitor Dan Winter has a new ride in 2018, where he will be partnering up with Window World for the season. He’s ditched his old red and black paint scheme for a new blue and white car, which won an award this past weekend at the Northeast Motorsports Expo in Augusta for the ‘Best Appearing Super Late Model’.

 While defending track champion Reid Lanpher is looking to defend his title in 2018, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway veteran Dan “Naughty 40” McKeage is looking to improve in 2017. McKeage was inducted into the Beech Ridge Hall of Fame at the conclusion of the 2017 season and was also awarded with the “Award of Excellence” at the Northeast Motorsports Expo, joining the likes of Ricky Craven and other Maine racing legends. McKeage wasn’t happy about his performance on the track in 2017, and he’s looking forward to making improvements in 2018 that will help him get into Victory Lane once again.

The Beech Ridge season kicks off with the Pro All Star Series 200 on April 28th at 3:00 PM. The regular NASCAR Nite season opener is on May 5th at 7:00 pm, while the Thursday Night Thunder program doesn’t begin until June 14th at 7:00 pm.

The Thursday Night Thunder season will feature its typical 8-division program, which includes the NELCAR Legends division. TNT season will conclude on August 23rd, ending with an Autograph Night. Meanwhile, the regular NASCAR Nite season will conclude on September 8th. The track’s season will be capped off with the Pro All Star Series 150 on September 23rd.

With many scheduling and roster changes coming in 2018, it’s sure to be an exciting 2018 season at Beech Ridge! Join us on April 28th for the PASS season opener, which is sure to be a great event!

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The post Changes on the Horizon for Beech Ridge's Upcoming 2018 Season appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.