Oxford, ME – In the first TD Bank 250 to feature the Super Late Models since 2006, Joey Doiron and the 73 Wild Willy’s Burgers/JBJ Machine team had an incredible day, finishing second after leading 26 laps in the biggest short track race in the country. Many of the biggest stars of motorsports have competed in the annual 250 lap event at Oxford Plains Speedway. 66 of the best Super Late Model drivers tried to qualify for the 41 car field that paid $25,000 to win.
Starting the weekend out with practice on both Saturday and Sunday morning, the team felt confident in their chances going into the heat races. It wasn’t going to be easy however, as Doiron drew 10th place in the first heat race. The pre-race draw is one of the most intriguing parts of the day, as only four cars will get in to the race through the heat races, and the rest go to consolation and last chance races. Doiron wasted no time in his heat to find the front however, as he used the outside groove to work his way forward. With ten laps to go in the 25 lap heat, he was in a transfer spot for the 250. He didn’t stop there though, as he drove to a third place finish, giving him a 13th place starting spot for the main event.
The anticipation was building with the pre-race ceremonies and driver introductions in front of a packed crowd at Oxford Plains. 41 of the best Super Late Model drivers in the country were set to roll off for their biggest event. At the start, Doiron ran on the bottom of the track to work his way into the top ten after a series of cautions slowed the field early on. It wasn’t until lap 50 that Doiron started to make a charge for the front, as he went from eighth to second in a span of just 18 laps. He stayed content in second until lap 132, when he overtook two-time TD Bank 250 Champion Ben Rowe, for the race lead.
Doiron paced the field from that point until a caution flag on lap 145 slowed the field. Doiron came in for tires and fuel under this caution period, and the team pulled off a great four tire stop to get him out third in line, as he restarted ninth behind cars that didn’t pit. After working his way through the pack, Doiron found himself in a race with Travis Benjamin for the win, the two traded the lead many times with just 50 laps to go, as Doiron got the lead briefly before Benjamin got ahead as the two worked lapped traffic. At the finish, Doiron crossed the line in second behind Benjamin.
“My crew gave me a car capable of winning and that’s all I can ask for,” Doiron said after the race, “I was still trying to conserve a bit there at the end in case we had a late caution, we had some guys coming with fresh tires and I wanted to have a shot against them, but Travis never faded there at the end and never slipped up. He and his crew deserve this win, it’s great to see a friend of ours in Victory Lane if it can’t be us.”
With the second place effort, Doiron was able to move up in the PASS National Championship fight, as he went into the event in fourth place. The team will get a week off before their next race at White Mountain Motorsports Park on August 4th.
For more information on Joey Doiron, find him on Facebook at Joey Doiron Racing, on Twitter @joeydoiron73 and online at joeydoiron.com.
Story by Evan Beaulieu
photo by Jamie Williams