OXFORD, Maine – Tommy Tompkins elected not to defend his championship in the Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy Strictly Stock division.
The unofficial title as reigning king of long-distance races in the class remains his, however.
Tompkins dominated the second half of the Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy 100 at Oxford Plains Speedway on Saturday night, outlasting B.J. Chapman and holding off Mike Short for his second Agren Appliance Triple Crown victory of the year.
His fourth victory of the season matched Short for the most among Strictly Stock drivers in that category. It also came one week after Tompkins' night ended with a hard crash into the front stretch wall.
"Jimmy Davis put the whole car back together," Tompkins said. "And both Skip Tripp and Richard of R.P.M. Racing Engines were underneath that thing fixing the rear end."
Tripp, the division point leader, chased Short across the line in third. Larry Emerson edged his son, Zach, for fifth.
Only caution flag slowed the main event, for Rick Thompson's broken axle on lap 75.
Chapman led the first 57 laps before a developing mechanical problem caused him to slow in the outside groove. Tompkins, who made numerous overtures to Chapman's inside over the first half of the event, wasted no time expanding his lead prior to the lone yellow.
Short closed to Tompkins' rear bumper on the final lap but couldn't find a line around the 2007 champ.
"He knew it was coming. He waved at me," Short said of his gentlemanly bumper tag in the late stages. "The track was wicked slippery on the outside."
Travis Stearns became only the third repeat feature winner in the Oxford Networks Late Model division, denying Don Wentworth and point leader Travis Adams to claim his first victory since his breakthrough on May 24.
"We've really struggled this season," said Stearns, the 2007 Lampron's Energy Rookie of the Year. "We took the car up to Race Basics and they were able to find some things we couldn't see."
Dennis Spencer Jr. finished fourth, with Shawn Martin rallying from a crash in his qualifying race to claim fifth and stay within reach of Adams in the division point standings.
Steve Barker, who returned to racing after celebrating his 50th birthday in May, sped to his first Allen's Mini Stock victory in six years.
"My son (Darick) has been driving this car for a while, but now it's the old man's turn," Barker said.
Shane Kaherl and Matt Moore tangled while battling for the lead at the halfway point. Kaherl rallied from the rear of the field to pass Moore, and everyone but Barker, to salvage second. Point leader Ashley Marshall and Bill Thibeault followed.
Chimney Tech Outlaw point leader Addison Bowie enjoyed his first 20-lap feature win of the year in Agren Saturday Showdown competition. Bowie captured the 'B' feature in front of Bill Sprague and Kevin Leighton. Fred Clavet took fourth, with Jonathan Baldwin a career-best fifth.
The 'A' main went to Nik Coates, who labored for his fourth win of the summer with Dan Brown and Gerry Richard closely in tow. John Patria and Tom Averill wrapped up the top five.
Debbie Marston backed up her first career victory earlier this season by latching onto her second Allen's Ladies checkers in impressive fashion. Marston used the outside lane to grab the lead on lap 11, then held off reigning champion Vanna Brackett and Deanna Robertson. Lisa Brooks and Kimberly Sessions were next in line.
OPS returns to action at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with a full card of Acceleration Series action, including double features for the Outlaws. Next Saturday is Time Warner Cable/99.9 The Wolf Fan Appreciation Night, with $5 adult tickets and juniors admitted free. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY STRICTLY STOCK (100 laps): 1. Tommy Tompkins, Carthage; 2. Mike Short, Auburn; 3. Skip Tripp, Poland; 4. Larry Emerson, Durham; 5. Zach Emerson, Durham; 6. Matt Williams, Brownfield; 7. Sumner Sessions, Norway; 8. Chris Burgess, Lewiston; 9. Shane Green, South Paris; 10. Michael Roe, West Paris; 11. Rick Thompson, Naples; 12. Kim Tripp, Oxford; 13. B.J. Chapman, Bridgton; 14. David Tripp, Oxford; 15. Dean Coolidge, Oxford; 16. Glen Henderson, Sabattus.
OXFORD NETWORKS LATE MODEL (40 laps): 1. Travis Stearns, Auburn; 2. Don Wentworth, Otisfield; 3. Travis Adams, Canton; 4. Dennis Spencer Jr., Oxford; 5. Shawn Martin, Turner; 6. Ricky Rolfe, Albany Township; 7. Shawn Knight, South Paris; 8. Kurt Hewins, Leeds; 9. Corey Morgan, Lewiston; 10. Tim Brackett, Buckfield; 11. Billy Childs Jr., Leeds; 12. Nick Brown, Bath; 13. Ron Charpentier Jr., Wales; 14. Matt Sanborn, West Baldwin; 15. Tyson Jordan, Poland; 16. Ben Ashline, Pittston; 17. Neil Martin, Freeport; 18. Gerald Parlin, South Paris; 19. Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 20. Tommy Ricker, Poland; 21. Cecil Bryant, Wilton; 22. Jeff White, Winthrop.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY MINI STOCK (30 laps): 1. Steve Barker, Jay; 2. Shane Kaherl, Jay; 3. Matt Moore, South Paris; 4. Ashley Marshall, Jay; 5. Bill Thibeault, Oxford; 6. Kevin Bishop, South Paris; 7. Darrell Moore, Mechanic Falls; 8. Greg Watkins, Bridgton; 9. Bob Guptill, Mechanic Falls; 10. Brad Dwinal, Freeport; 11. Don Frechette, Turner; 12. Dale Durgin, Oxford; 13. Ken Daigle Jr., Lisbon; 14. Craig Moore, Woodstock; 15. Curtis Fanjoy, Oxford; 16. Bill Childs Sr., Leeds; 17. Butch Keene, Turner; 18. Justin Karkos, Jay; 19. Bob Martin, Oxford; 20. Wayne Titus, Minot; 21. Bill Mooney, New Gloucester.
CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW #1 (20 laps): 1. Addison Bowie, Auburn; 2. Bill Sprague, Minot; 3. Kevin Leighton, Minot; 4. Fred Clavet, Buckfield; 5. Jonathan Baldwin, Auburn; 6. Mike Haynes, Livermore Falls; 7. David Brown, Gray; 8. Mike Blash, Oxford; 9. Dan Bryan, Conway, N.H.; 10. Bruce Kiley, Oxford; 11. Robert Lowe, Auburn; 12. Walter Connell III, South Paris; 13. Rodney Englehaupt, Oxford; 14. Tyler Belanger, Buckfield. DQ: John Spencer Jr., Auburn.
CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW #2 (20 laps): 1. Nik Coates, Lisbon; 2. Dan Brown, Peru; 3. Gerry Richard, Leeds; 4. John Patria, Turner; 5. Tom Averill, Peru; 6. Keith Landry, Oxford; 7. Zach Bowie, Mechanic Falls; 8. Jerry Goss, Mechanic Falls; 9. Shannon Judd, Jay; 10. David Childs, Oxford; 11. Steve Moon, Gray; 12. Steve Brill, Bridgton; 13. Scott Veinott, Sabattus; 14. Dennis Morang, South Paris; 15. Scott Ellis, Lewiston; 16. Guy Childs Sr., Turner; 17. Rick Spaulding, Lewiston.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY LADIES (20 laps): 1. Debbie Marston, Hartford; 2. Vanna Brackett, Buckfield; 3. Deanna Robertson, South Paris; 4. Lisa Brooks, Auburn; 5. Kimberly Sessions; 6. Missy Blash, Oxford; 7. Dottie Patria, Turner; 8. Kristen Brown, Gray; 9. Shannon Wheeler, Auburn; 10. Annie Chartier, Mexico.
