Adams enjoys ACT breakthrough,
wins New England Dodge Dealers ACT 150
OXFORD, Maine – Travis Adams boasts back-to-back Oxford Networks Late Model championships and three of the last five titles at Oxford Plains Speedway.
At least one trophy was conspicuously absent from his his mantle, however.
"My father (crew chief Don) said he's been wanting me to come out here and win one of these ACT races," said Adams.
Mission accomplished. Adams outlasted Scott Dragon and held off TD Banknorth 250 champion Roger Brown to capture the American-Canadian Tour New England Dodge Dealers 150 season finale at his home track Saturday.
Adams, 30, won for the seventh time at Oxford this season, setting a new career high. He joined Ricky Rolfe, Shawn Martin and Ryan Moore as OPS champions to win races in the historically even rivalry with the Vermont-based tour regulars.
"We were third in our last ACT race, but prior to that we had horrible luck and mechanical problems," Adams said. "Thank God the car held together for 150 laps. I was a little concerned with fuel, but apparently it had enough left in the tank to do a burnout."
For a while, it looked like the celebration would belong to second-generation touring standout Scott Dragon. His night ended in dramatic and bizarre fashion nine laps from the finish.
Dragon and Adams swapped the lead five times, the last when the lapped car of Doug Coombs spun and then pulled directly into the leaders' path in the fourth turn with nine laps remaining.
Running roughly two car lengths in front of Adams at the time, Dragon had nowhere to go and barreled into the back of Coombs' ride, leaving both cars in a shambles. Adams steered to the right and narrowly averted the fracas.
"I missed that by inches. I'm the driver-owner of this car, so I pay the bills. I decided I'd better stay out of that mess," Adams said.
Brown and Canadian charger Donald Theetge exchanged the runner-up spot twice after the ensuing restart, giving Adams the cushion he needed to secrire the victory.
Although he fell two car lengths shy at the checkers, Brown happily settled for the lucrative Oxford Open crown. Including his TD Banknorth 250 winnings, Brown took home more than $40,000 from OPS this season.
"Everything Bill Ryan has done for late models makes me want to race here every week next year," Brown said. "We only had a top-five car today. I'm absolutely sick for Scott Dragon. I've been in that situation before when it feels like you have the car to beat, and it leaves you depressed when it turns out that way."
Theetge claimed his first career podium finish at Oxford, running in the top five throughout the main event after a surprising second-place run in his qualifying race.
"We missed the set-up completely and didn't qualify for the 250," Theetge said. "I used to hate this track because of the way we ran here, but I love it right now."
Brent Dragon and Eddie MacDonald rounded out the top five, followed by Martin, Alan Tardiff, John Donahue, Randy Potter and Tracie Bellerose.
MacDonald, Donahue and Potter were previous winners along with Brown in the L/A Harley-Davidson Late Model Challenge series.
Forty-eight cars signed in at the pit gate, with 34 starting the finale. Six caution flags slowed the race on the heels of MacDonald's flag-to-flag win in August.
Dragon led a total of 111 laps, with Adams using the outside lane to steal away the advantage briefly on laps 16 and 95 prior to the fateful encounter with Coombs. Dragon reclaimed the top spot on lap 124 when Adams slid up the slight banking in turn one.
"I was able to get around him a couple of times early in the race and show the strength of this car," Adams said. "When I got the lead, it got a little bit tight on me and he passed me again. It was setting up to be a pretty good race there at the end until he got tangled up in that mess."
Childs family finishes season with more winning ways
Saturday also marked the final 2007 event for six other Weekly Racing Series and Acceleration Series divisions, and it provided perfect punctuation to the dominance displayed by the Childs family this season.
Two-time Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy Mini Stock champion Jimmy Childs rode out a 45-minute rain delay and dominated his caution-filled, farewell race in the division. It was the four-cylinder half of the annual Little Guy 100s.
The father-son tandem of David and Josh Childs swept the co-headline events in the Acceleration Series portion of the program. David ruled the 50-lap Chimney Tech Outlaw feature, an event postponed from the Summer Showdown event on Sept. 8. Josh showed the way in a 30-lap Macdonald Motors Runnin' Rebel tangle.
Ryan Farrar (Call of the Wild RV Sport Truck) and Vanna Brackett (Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy Ladies) also collected 20-lap victories.
Twenty-two of the original 36 drivers patiently waited through two hours of rain delays before track officials ran out of time to complete the 100-lap Allen's Strictly Stock finale. The race was canceled and will not be made up. The purse for the race will be evenly divided among the drivers who remained at the track when the race was declared official.
Jimmy Childs sped to his seventh win of the season after reeling in early leaders Darrell Moore and Shane Kaherl and moving to the top of the leader board on lap 12.
Top challengers Kaherl and Don Mooney fell out of the race shortly thereafter.
Childs used the only extended green-flag segment of the race to pile up a 3/4-lap lead over runner-up David Mooney, Ashley Marshall and Moore, who was making his first Mini Stock start after graduating from the Acceleration Series.
"I'm looking forward to driving a Late Model, but I'm really going to miss this division," Childs said. "I've had so much fun over the years. I really owe it all to my dad (Bill Sr.) This is his ride, and he's let me drive it the last four years."
David Childs denied his uncle, Guy, in a tight Outlaw finish that left the two exchanging a few words in the winner's circle.
"I guess he doesn't like to lose, no matter who it is," said David, who led the first five laps before Richard Spaulding took over. Childs returned the favor on a lap 13 restart.
Guy charged from his 30th (and last) starting position to take second spot at the halfway point. Despite several overtures outside and inside, the veteran was unable to mount a challenge for his fifth win of the season. Instead, it was David pocketing his fourth.
David tried to make it a personal sweep but could only claw his way to fourth in the Runnin' Rebel event, while his son and Doug Degroat ran away from the field. Josh's win was the third of his Wal-Mart Rookie of the Year campaign.
"It's easy when you start up front," he admitted.
Kyle Hewins overtook David Childs late in the race for third, with Derek Cook completing the top five.
Degroat also claimed second in the Truck scramble, chasing Farrar across the stripe to the latter's second checkered flag of '07. Opie Allard, the top rookie in the pick-up class, took third away from Rick Hebert in the final turn. Ross Spurling, who won't officially be a rookie until next season, finished fifth in just the second race of his career.
Brackett, the Ladies champion, steered clear of a lap 6 wreck that took out leader Kimberly Sessions, second-place Cathy Manchester and fourth-place Patty Brannon in their 20-lap feature.
From there, Brackett held Deanna Bisbee at bay for her fifth conquest of the season. Lisa Brooks was third in Manchester's usual ride, matching her best result of the year. Christina Spaulding ran fourth, and Shannon Wheeler was a career-best fifth.
NEW ENGLAND DODGE DEALERS AMERICAN-CANADIAN TOUR (150 laps): 1. Travis Adams, Canton; 2. Roger Brown, Lancaster, N.H.; 3. Donald Theetge, Boischatel, Quebec; 4. Brent Dragon, Milton, Vt.; 5. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass.; 6. Shawn Martin, Turner; 7. Alan Tardiff, Lyman; 8. John Donahue, Gramiteville, Vt.; 9. Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H; 10. Tracie Bellerose, Gorham, N.H.; 11. Dennis Spencer Jr., Oxford; 12. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, Vt.; 13. Joey Polewarczyk, Hudson, N.H.; 14. Dale Verrill, Paris; 15. Ricky Rofle, Albany Township; 16. Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt.; 17. Scott Payea, Milton, Vt.; 18. Leon Heckbert, Wilton; 19. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, Vt.; 20. Jamie Aube, Bow, N.H.; 21. Steve Reny, Boothbay; 22. Glen Luce, Turner; 23. T.J. Watson, Harpswell; 24. Scott Luce, Strong; 25. Mark Childs Jr., Mechanic Falls; 26. Corey Morgan, Lewiston; 27. James Linardy, Milton, Mass.; 28. Pete Potvin III, Graniteville, Vt.; 29. Scott Dragon, Colchester, Vt.; 30. Doug Coombs, Livermore; 31. Brad Hammond, Sabattus; 32. Tommy Ricker, Poland; 33. Scott Robbins, Dixfield; 34. Ron Henry, New Gloucester.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY MINI STOCK (100 laps): 1. Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 2. David Mooney, Wales; 3. Ashley Marshall, Jay; 4. Darrell Moore, Mechanic Falls; 5. Bob Guptill, Mechanic Falls; 6. Spencer Garvin, Searsport; 7. Bob Mooney, Lewiston; 8. Kevin Bishop, South Paris; 9. Dave Green, Hampden; 10. Chuck Higgins, Monmouth; 11. Curtis Fanjoy, Oxford; 12. Larry White, South Paris; 13. Pete McCollett, Readfield; 14. Bob Hafford, Danforth; 15. Shane Kaherl, Jay; 16. Reggie Bickford, Oakland; 17. Adam Polvinen, Oxford; 18. Randy Kimball, Mechanic Falls; 19. Bill Irving, New Gloucester; 20. Dale Brackett, Oxford; 21. Craig Woodworth, Harrison; 22. John Childs, Leeds; 23. Rick Giguere, Auburn; 24. Darick Barker, Jay; 25. Scott Farrington, Oxford; 26. Don Mooney, New Gloucester; 27. Justin Trombley, Winter Harbor.
CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW (50 laps): 1. David Childs, Oxford; 2. Guy Childs, Turner; 3. Richard Spaulding, Lewiston; 4. Addison Bowie, Auburn; 5. Steve Moon, Gray; 6. Shannon Judd, Jay; 7. Craig Smith, Arundel; 8. Mark MacDonald, Center Conway, N.H.; 9. Jerry Goss, Mechanic Falls; 10. Bubba Collins, Lewiston; 11. Jim Archer, Chesterville; 12. Thom Bell, Minot; 13. Kevin Leighton, Minot; 14. Jeremy Paradis, Poland; 15. Scott Ellis, Lewiston; 16. Jerry Freve, Buckfield; 17. Keith Landry, Oxford; 18. Mike Rainville, Littleton, N.H,; 19. Craig Coolidge, Auburn; 20. Kevin Plummer, Oxford; 21. Rick Vining, Bridgton; 22. Randy Robitaille, Norway; 23. Ron Abbott Jr., Lewiston; 24. John Spencer Jr., Auburn; 25. Michael Haynes, Livermore Falls; 26. Scott Veinott, Turner; 27. Jeremy Leavitt, Poland; 28. Carey Robertson, Leeds; 29. Tom Averill, Peru; 30. Mike Ballard, Mechanic Falls.
MACDONALD MOTORS RUNNIN' REBEL (30 laps): 1. Josh Childs, Oxford; 2. Doug Degroat, Oxford; 3. Kyle Hewins, Leeds; 4. David Childs, Oxford; 5. Derek Cook, Livermore Falls; 6. Troy Jordan, Turner; 7. Nathan Guptill, North Turner; 8. Craig Wade, Peru; 9. Randy Nutter, Auburn; 10. Brian Hawthorne, New Gloucester; 11. Mike Anderson, Lewiston; 12. Ken Daigle Jr., Lisbon; 13. Brady Romano, Livermore Falls; 14. Craig Farrington, Hebron; 15. Chuck Higgins, Monmouth; 16. Gerard Cote, Oxford; 17. Matt Dufault, Turner; 18. Josh Brown, Conway, N.H.; 19. Tyson Jordan, Poland; 20. Gerry Record, Poland; 21. Randy Henderson, West Paris; 22. Jason Short, Mechanic Falls; 23. Gregg Norton, Lewiston.
CALL OF THE WILD RV CENTER SPORT TRUCK (20 laps): 1. Ryan Farrar, Oxford; 2. Doug Degroat, Oxford; 3. Opie Allard, Harpswell; 4. Rick Hebert, Peru; 5. Ross Spurling, New Gloucester; 6. Jake Burns, Gray; 7. John Lizotte, Mechanic Falls; 8. Brian Farrar, Sumner; 9. Herb Farrar, Sumner; 10. Dan Oliver, Gray.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY LADIES (20 laps): 1. Vanna Brackett, Buckfield; 2. Deanna Bisbee, South Paris; 3. Lisa Brooks, Auburn; 4. Christina Spaulding, Lewiston; 5. Shannon Wheeler, Auburn; 6. Annie Chartier, Mexico; 7. Cathy Manchester, Gray; 8. Kimberly Sessions, Auburn; 9. Patty Brannon, Topsham.