PASS North Series: Trevor Sanborn
Oxford Plains Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
ARUNDEL, Maine – Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield, Maine, pulls double duty again this weekend with the PASS North Series 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Sunday, June 23. Sanborn will drive the Stilphen Racing No. 70 Pave-Tek Chevrolet – the same team he usually serves as crew chief for in weekly competition. Sanborn, who did not qualify for the PASS North season opener at Oxford in April while driving for another team, finished fifth in a 40-lap Pro Late Model feature last weekend with the No. 70 and is hoping to take what he learned about the car’s performance in that event and turn it into a strong run at Oxford against the tour’s full-blown Super Late Model teams.
THE FACTS
WHO: Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield, Maine
TEAM: Stilphen Racing No. 70 Pave-Tek Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield, Maine
BEST CAREER OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY FINISH: 2nd (July 2012)
LAST RACE AT OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY: 31st (October 2012)
WHAT: PASS North Series 150
WHERE: Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (.375-mile oval)
WHEN: Sunday, June 23 – 12 p.m., practice; 4 p.m., qualifying; 6 p.m., race
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: June 8, PASS 150, Speedway 660, Geary, N.B. (PPD-rain)
NEXT RACE: June 29, PASS 150, Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
DID YOU KNOW?
Trevor Sanborn finished second the PASS North Series only summer appearance at Oxford Plains Speedway last season on July 21.
Stilphen Racing’s regular driver Tommy Stilphen of Arundel, Maine, became the youngest driver ever to win a feature event at Oxford Plains Speedway when at 14 years old he won a 40-lap Pro Late Model feature on May 17.
Trevor Sanborn and Tommy Stilphen first crossed racing paths as drivers in the Race 101 program in North Carolina.
Trevor Sanborn earned his most high-profile win as a crew chief when he led Steve Jones to a Super Late Model victory in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in 2012.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
TREVOR SANBORN, Driver of the Stilphen Racing No. 70 Pave-Tek Chevrolet, On having the opportunity to compete in the PASS 150 this weekend after the news that his previous car owner was closing that team down: “After everything that’s happened, I’m definitely excited about it. I honestly never expected (car owner Bill Stilphen) to ask me to drive the car in the PASS race. I really didn’t.
“You know me, I just want to race. Anytime I can have a chance to run with the PASS guys, I’m looking forward to it.”
On how good the No. 70 Pave-Tek Chevrolet has been this season at Oxford: “Timmy (Stilphen) was good enough to win a race with it, obviously, and if we had a few more laps last week I think we were good enough to finish in the Top-3. It wasn’t good enough to beat (Tim Brackett), but the car really wasn’t that bad for just getting in it and going.
“I knew it was pretty good with (Stilphen) driving it, but I knew there was some room for improvement., too – I just didn’t know exactly where. Being able to drive it myself, there were some things that I walked away wanting to work on. We’ll do some things with the shocks and the cross-weight, that kind of stuff. It should be better this weekend.”
On whether the Pro Late Model package can compete over the long haul with the PASS Super Late Models: “I don’t know. I really don’t. I think it can run with them, but I just don’t know how balanced it is to be able to run up front the whole 150 laps. I guess we’ll find out.
“We’re shooting for a Top-5, but after that I don’t know. All I know is that it’s got to be better than how I ended up there in the spring when I didn’t even qualify.”
UP NEXT
Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, returns to weekly competition on Friday, June 27, while the PASS North Series returns to Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H., for the PASS 150 on Saturday, June 29.