OXFORD, Maine – Two of Oxford Plains Speedway's three headline championships have been clinched with a week to spare, each by repeat offenders.
Skip Tripp won for the fifth time in his last six Strictly Stock starts and his eighth overall to capture that crown for the second year in a row.
All is not lost for Karkos, who needs only to start his heat and feature race next weekend to cement his first career championship.
It applied an exclamation point to what has been a frustrating season for Marshall, whose team has sustained no fewer than five engine failures in its title defense.
"I just gave it some and it's still ticking," said Marshall, referring to a series of celebratory tire doughnuts. "There's no way I would be here without all the time and effort my dad (Jeff) has put into this car this year."
Calvin Rose Jr. gave himself a mathematical chance at the championship and solidified his rookie of the year credentials with a runner-up finish. He dedicated the run to his mother, Bonnie, who was just released from a two-week stay in the hospital with a life-threatening condition.
Jeff Beaule made it two rookies on the podium with his initial third-place trophy.
Marshall's win was slowed only twice by caution, the final time at lap 90, By then, he had a buffer zone of five lapped cars between himself and Rose.
Tim Brackett put on a clinic in the 40-lap Late Model showdown, charging from the rear of the field in the outside lane to log his third win of the season.
"Was that awesome or what? That's the best the car has gone since we've been back here," said Brackett, a 2005 OPS champion who returned to the speedway in midseason of '08. "It's good to be home, and this (victory lane) is the best place of all."
Scott Luce led most of the event before yielding to Brackett on lap 27 and settling for a season's best second. Shawn Martin used a last-lap pass of Jeff White to collect third, with Jimmy Childs fifth.
Tripp steered clear of a tangle between the top two cars of Mike St. Germain and Matt Williams on lap 10 and dominated a green-white-checkered restart to seal his title defense.
The father-son tandem of Larry and Zach Emerson was second and third, respectively, followed by Kim Tripp and a resurgent St. Germain.
Corey Williams claimed his first OPS checkered flag in more than 10 years of trying, leading wire-to-wire in the 20-lap Sport Truck feature.
John Lizotte took second and clinched the title in the Acceleration Series Saturday Showdown, joining his father Jon as an Oxford champion. Wednesday night point leader Ryan Farrar took third.
Derek Cook and birthday boy John Childs took the checkered flags in twin, 20-lap Runnin' Rebel features. Kyle Hewins, third in the 'A' feature in the car normally driven by his nephew, Ryan, held on for his second Saturday Showdown championship in three years.
MINI STOCK (100 laps): 1. Ashley Marshall, Jay; 2. Calvin Rose Jr., Turner; 3. Jeff Beaule, Lewiston; 4. Jake Burns, Gray; 5. Butch Keene, Turner; 6. Dan Morris, Auburn; 7. Kevin Bishop, South Paris; 8. Matt Moore, South Paris; 9. Greg Watkins, Bridgton; 10. Nathan Guptill, North Turner; 11. Darrell Moore, Mechanic Falls; 12. Dale Brackett, Oxford; 13. Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 14. Justin Karkos, Jay; 15. Nik Coates, Lisbon; 16. Jim Robbins, Dixfield; 17. Greg Aptt, Oxford; 18. Travis Dunbar, Lisbon. DQ: Larry Melcher, Livermore Falls.
LATE MODEL (40 laps): 1. Tim Brackett, Buckfield; 2. Scott Luce, Strong; 3. Shawn Martin, Turner; 4. Jeff White, Winthrop; 5. Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 6. Travis Adams, Canton; 7. Al Hammond, Paris; 8. Corey Morgan, Lewiston; 9. Ben Ashline, Pittston; 10. Gary Chiasson, Peru; 11. Shawn Knight, South Paris; 12. Kenny Harrison, Pownal; 13. Gerald Parlin, South Paris; 14. Don Wentworth, Otisfield; 15. Billy Childs Jr., Leeds; 16. Tommy Ricker, Poland; 17. Jason Larrabee, Raymond; 18. Tyler Knightly, Paris.
STRICTLY STOCK (30 laps): 1. Skip Tripp, Poland; 2. Larry Emerson, Durham; 3. Zach Emerson, Durham; 4. Kim Tripp, Oxford; 5. Mike St. Germain, Auburn; 6. Mike Short, Auburn; 7. Sumner Sessions, Norway; 8. Keith Stuart, Naples; 9. Rick Spaulding, Lisbon; 10. Vern Hodgkin, Lewiston; 11. Jeremy Wescott, Naples; 12. Derek Farrington, Freeport; 13. B.J. Chapman, Bridgton; 14. Matt Williams, Brownfield; 15. Nick Hoyt, Mechanic Falls.
RUNNIN' REBEL 'A' (20 laps): 1. John Childs, Leeds; 2. Matt Dufault, Turner; 3. Kyle Hewins, Leeds; 4. Scott Farrington, Minot; 5. Zach Audet, Wilton; 6. Troy Jordan, Turner; 7. Doug Degroat, Oxford; 8. Brady Romano, Livemore Falls; 9. Gerard Cote, Oxford; 10. Corey Beaulieu, Oxford; 11. Craig Farrington, Hebron; 12. Jamie Heath, Waterford; 13. Roger Bourgoin, Sabattus.
RUNNIN' REBEL 'B' (20 laps): 1. Derek Cook, Livermore Falls; 2. Jeff Hebert, Auburn; 3. Dustin Salley, Auburn; 4. Jason Berry, Turner; 5. Mark Childs Jr., Mechanic Falls; 6. Craig Bartlett, Denmark; 7. Derek Cairns, Waterford; 8. Jonah Farrington, Hebron; 9. Charlie Hall, Oxford; 10. Cody Smith, Oxford; 11. Bob Lucas, Peru; 12. Don Smith, Oxford; 13. Brandon Palmer, Bridgton; 14. Mikel Tabor, Auburn.
SPORT TRUCK (20 laps): 1. Corey Williams, Sumner; 2. John Lizotte, Mechanic Falls; 3. Ryan Farrar, Oxford; 4. Jeff Schmidt, Mechanic Falls; 5. Nathan Merrill, Norway; 6. Ken Varney, South Paris; 7. Sean Jordan, Auburn; 8. Ryan Varney, South Paris. DQ: Herb Farrar, Sumner.