Mulkern Looks To Score First Oxford 250 Win
Veteran’s Best Finish Came In Last Start In Summer’s Biggest Race
FALMOUTH, Maine – The last time Scott Mulkern had a car capable of winning the Oxford 250, incidentally, was the last time he started the race.
Mulkern, of Falmouth, will join the best Super Late Model drivers from all reaches of the United States and Canada when he competes in the 40th annual TD Bank Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Sunday, July 21. Mulkern finished fourth in the 2006 edition of the race, the last time it was contested under the current Super Late Model rules.
The Mulkern Racing No. 84 Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep Dodge has been a full-time entry into PASS competition this season for the first time in more than a decade. After six seasons under Late Model rules, the race returns to PASS North Series sanctioning and Super Late Model rules.
“Obviously, it’s good that these cars are back in this race,” said Mulkern, who finished seventh at Oxford Plains in the PASS 150 last Friday night. “I’ve always wanted to have another chance to win the 250. We’ve been pretty good this year. I think we can have a shot at it.”
Mulkern qualified for eight previous Oxford 250s with two Top-10 finishes and one Top-5. This year in the PASS North Series, he has started all five races and sits sixth in the point standings with three Top-10s.
Joining Mulkern’s efforts in trying to win the Oxford 250 for the first time will be crew chief Gary Crooks of Mooresville, N.C. Crooks is a Nova Scotia native who has always held the 250 in high regards.
“Growing up in Nova Scotia, it’s like the Daytona 500 to us,” Crooks said. “Back then, I’d never even heard of the Snowball Derby or races like that. Even now, I’ve taken cars to both of those races, and I still get way more amped up at Oxford than I do at Pensacola.”
Mulkern hopes what the team learned at Oxford Plains last weekend will point them in the right direction this week. Teams will practice Saturday and Sunday, with qualifying set to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
“We were pretty good there last weekend,” Mulkern said. “We were just a little bit too loose, but the car was still going good. I just needed a little bit more at the end, but now we know some more and we should be pretty good.”