Trevor Sanborn Gets His Shot At Oxford 250
Pave-Tek Motorsports Crew Chief Takes Driver’s Seat This Weekend
ARUNDEL, Maine – When Bill Stilphen came calling, Trevor Sanborn was all ears.
Sanborn, of Parsonsfield, Maine, will take his second shot at Maine’s premier racing event when he drives for Stilphen’s Pave-Tek Motorsports team in the 40th annual TD Bank Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Sunday, July 21. Sanborn last competed in the event in 2006, when he finished sixth.
Incidentally, that year was the last time the race was contested under Super Late Model rules. After a six-year hiatus, the race returns to a PASS North Series sanction this weekend.
“It’s probably the biggest race for anyone in Maine,” Sanborn said. “Truthfully, what short track race is better? I know there’s the Snowball Derby and the Winchester 400, but the Oxford 250 is still the Oxford 250.
“If we could go there and have a great day, it would be an eye-opener for Bill’s whole team. I’d really just like to do it for him. If we could go and finish in the Top-5, that would be spectacular in a race like the 250.”
Sanborn typically serves as the crew chief for the No. 70 Pave-Tek Chevrolet in weekly Pro Late Model competition at Oxford Plains Speedway. Back in May, 14-year-old Tommy Stilphen won a 40-lap feature event under Sanborn’s direction to become the youngest feature winner in Oxford’s long and storied history.
A few weeks ago, as the younger Stilphen took a break from racing, Bill Stilphen asked Trevor – a multi-time winner in PASS Super Late Model competition as a driver – if he’d be interested in racing the car at Oxford. Sanborn finished fifth in his first career Pro Late Model start at the track in June, and he followed that with a 15th-place finish in the PASS 150 at the track last Friday night.
“Bill’s got a heart of gold,” Sanborn said. “Obviously, it’s his grandson’s deal, and when he wants to come race, it’s his. But Bill has the fever for racing. We’ve had a relationship for the last three years, and he’s been really good to me. He’s helped me a lot. I’d love nothing more than to run up front with his car.
“The guy just loves racing. He doesn’t want to just sit at home this weekend.”
After having the chance to drive the car over the last few weeks, Sanborn believes that it is more than capable of running with the full-blown Super Late Models in the PASS North Series. He had a better car than his finish indicated last weekend – after making two early pit stops in the race, one for a handling adjustment and the other for what he feared might have been fire under the car.
In either case, he believes the team will be ready when it unloads for practice at Oxford this weekend.
“I’ve always gone good there. I really like the track,” Sanborn said. “I think as of the last race we just had, the car was pretty decent.We just got mixed up on pit road. Other than that, I think we’ll have a good car for Sunday.”