Brian Hoar: ACT Late Model Tour
Oxford Plains Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., heads in as the ACT Late Model Tour championship leader when the series runs The Big Jab 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Sunday, May 15. Hoar has a win and two Top-5 finishes to start the season as he searches for a third straight ACT title and record eighth championship overall. Despite a runner-up effort in last year’s non-point TD Bank Oxford 250, Hoar has yet to win at Oxford – where the series will run twice in just over a month’s time.
THE FACTS
WHO: Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Rick Paya, Georgia, Vt.
BEST CAREER OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY FINISH: 2nd (July 2010)
LAST RACE AT OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY: 2nd (July 2010)
WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour The Big Jab 150
WHERE: Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (.375-mile oval)
WHEN: 2 p.m., Sunday, May 15
ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
LAST RACE: May 1, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road International Speedbowl (5th)
NEXT RACE: May 22, Spring Green 111, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, Vt. (.500-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 1st
DID YOU KNOW?
Brian Hoar has never won at Oxford Plains Speedway, but he did finish third and fifth in the two ACT points races held at the track last season..
RPM Motorsports and Brian Hoar have not trailed in the ACT Late Model Tour standings since winning at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl in August of 2009.
In two races this season, Brian Hoar has a win at Lee USA Speedway and a pole at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
BRIAN HOAR, Driver of the No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On how important running well at Oxford Plains Speedway is: “You hit the nail on the head. It’s a place where you definitely want to run well there. It’s crucial for points. Fortunately, it’s also a great place to race with multiple grooves. It’s a race-able place. Usually most of the race go pretty well there, so I’m excited about going back this weekend.
“We’ve run good there the past two years. We’ve learned a lot about the place. Last year great for us, and now we’d just like to improve and get a win.”
On what Oxford Plains Speedway is like: “It’s a big circle. There’s not any straightaway there. The big thing that’s changed – it used to be much more of a one-groove track. Now that they’ve started using some sort of track adhesion, it’s been some of the best racing I’ve been involved with at any race track over the years. If they get it right (with the traction compound), that outside groove really comes in.
“I think it’s one of those tricky tracks. When we went in ’09 for the first time together (with crew chief Rick Paya), he was pretty well convinced he had a good setup and I’d always run well there, too. Last year as well as we ran, it was a great track for us, but we just didn’t win. I think we’re going to run well there this weekend. It’s just one of those places that we’ve set a goal where we want to win one. We’d like to get that victory at that place.”
On another strong start to the season: “We’ve been competitive and really well – but it’s funny, because Thunder Road and Oxford are two places where we’ve yet to win. At Thunder Road, starting on the pole and going backwards is no fun. It wasn’t what we expected. We thought we’d be in contention for the win. We went back to the drawing board there. Again, it was a good points day, but that was all it amounted to. Obviously, it’s a bit disappointing to start on the pole and not lead a single lap.
“Obvously, now we go into this weekend with the goal of going forward. Our goal is to win.”
RICK PAYA, Crew chief and owner of the No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger, On racing at Oxford: “It’s a hard track to get a handle on as far as handling goes. It’s really a driver’s track. It’s a unique track. Our setup for that race track is totally different than anywhere we go, anywhere on the circuilt. It’s taken me a few years to really figure it out. Local guys have a big edge over us Tour guys that only race there a couple of times a year. It’s the kind of place where you see that the weekly cars really have it figured out.
“It stays pretty consistent for our setup. What we have in the spring is what we show up for the ‘250’ with. It seems to stay consistent for us. I’ve heard some guys say that it changes for them, but we haven’t really found that. It’s usually the same for us as far as what we bring for a setup everytime we go.”
UP NEXT
The ACT Late Model Tour heads to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., for the Spring Green 111 on Sunday, May 22. It marks the first time the Spring Green will be contested at the half-mile facility … Brian Hoar won the Spring Green in 1999, during a season in which he won the fourth of his seven ACT championships.