By Lou Modestino
$10 off tickets are now available throughout the area at many different vendors for the June 20th, 2014 edition of the Bentley Warren Classic for ISMA Super Modifieds, brought to you by Locke Crane Services.
“We are pleased to be able to offer these discount tickets at various outlets throughout the area surrounding Oxford Plains Speedway, stated OPS owner Tom Mayberry. We want as many people as possible to see this mega-show, and also visit the many different mini-marts, restaurants and stores throughout the Oxford region. We will be posting the names of businesses that have these $10 off coupons on our website.”
The Bentley Warren, ISMA Super Modified Classic will feature some of the fastest race cars on the planet. Super-Modifieds are winged warriors that have a huge horsepower to weight ratio, and the wings on the roof and nose pieces allow these cars to adhere to the racing surface like glue. Racing legend Bentley Warren will be the Grand Marshall for the event. Warren, an Indy 500 competitor, and Super Modified ace will be honored for his achievements in the sport of auto racing. Coastal 181 publishing will be providing a very special trophy for this event.
For more information on this event, as well as the stores where the discount coupons can be found, plus other information about Oxford Plains Speedway, please visit the OPS website at www.oxfordplains.com, or call the Track hotline at 207.539-8865. Oxford Plains Speedway is located on Route 26, Oxford, Maine.
After their third consecutive Friday night rain out at Oxford Plains Speedway in 2014, management has hired professional bad weather eliminators to hopefully secure good weather for the upcoming Budweiser Night at the races scheduled for Friday night, May 30th at 7:30 p.m.
It will be a full night of racing for the Budweiser Championship Series as the Budweiser Pro Late Models as well as Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stocks, Ripley & Fletcher Ford Outlaw Sportsman, and the debut of the all new four cylinder Bandit class will all be in action as will be the PASS Sportsman running a 50 lapper, and the PASS Mods racing 40 laps. Post time for this giant card of racing is 7:30pm, while the pits will open at 4pm, and the grandstands will open at 5pm. Adult tickets are just $12, Senior citizens and military personnel $10, Juniors ages 6 to 11 are just $5, while kids five and under are free.
Barre’s own Jason Corliss scored his first career Thunder Road Late Model win in the 52nd running of the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. Corliss stole the win with a last lap pass of multi-time Thunder Road Champion Nick Sweet in a photo finish of the first Vermont State Late Model Championship event of the year.
Sweet led every step of the way during the first 99 laps of the caution free 100 lap event. The hometown favorite rode the much favored high lane as he lapped the majority of the field. Sophomore driver Corliss and Cody Blake caught Sweet in the final 10 laps as they worked heavy lap traffic. Corliss got by Blake but couldn’t find the grip to get around Sweet. With the white flag flying, Corliss made a last ditch effort as he threw his Burnett Scrap Metals Ford Fusion to the low lane.
The duo banged fenders all the way around the final quarter mile and slid sideways out of turn four as they came to the checkered flag. Corliss edged Sweet at the line by the smallest recorded margin of victory in Thunder Road and ACT Late Model racing’s history at eight one-thousandths of a second.
“We banged a little bit, but that’s short track racing,” said an elated Corliss in victory lane. “I was 16 years old towing a junk Street Stock here every week and I didn’t think this was ever possible.”
Corliss is a former Allen Lumber Street Stock Champion (2008) who worked his way up through the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen ranks at Thunder Road. Last season he climbed behind the wheel of an ACT Late Model for his rookie season. Corliss and Sweet were joined in victory lane by Cody Blake, making it an all Barre top three. Three-time Memorial Day Classic winner Dave Pembroke took fourth followed by Jimmy Hebert in fifth. Chip Grenier, Derrick O’Donnell, Phil Scott, Brooks Clark and Shawn Fleury completed the top ten.
The event was completed in just 23 minutes and 50 seconds with no cautions. A total of 15 cars completed all 100 laps, while 30 of the 31 starters took the checkered flag.
The Modified Challenge Series featuring Modifieds from Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT were on hand for the Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic. Jessey Mueller of Olmstedville, NY earned the win in the Twin 20’s event. Mueller also claimed the checkered in 2013’s Modified portion of the Memorial Day Classic. Jason Durgan and Vince Quinneville, Jr. completed the podium.
Brendan Moodie of Wolcott claimed his ninth career feature win in the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen portion of the event. He was chased to the line by Jason Woodard and Mike Martin.
Second generation driver Marcel Gravel of Wolcott earned his first career Allen Lumber Street Stock win in a thrilling feature event. Dave Whitcomb and Alan Maynard completed the podium. The point battles continue when Thunder Road International Speedbowl opens its gate’s again on Thursday, June 5 for the first Thursday night event of the season presented by Fairpoint Communications.
There were plenty of rain outs in the north country over the Memorial Day weekend and there were too many to list them all.
Due to numerous rainouts, Memorial Day was filled with the sounds of racing at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine. After a few morning showers the grandstands filled in nicely for $5 Buck Monday, Fan Appreciation Day, courtesy of 99.9FM, The Wolf. Winners included Trevor Sanborn, Matt Williams, Michael Haynes and Matt Bourgoine.
Once again the numbers in the Budweiser Pro Late Models tipped thirty-two cars, forcing some of the top teams to start deep in the field. Tim Brackett rolled to the point and held the lead for over forty laps in the fifty lap main event before Trevor Sanborn outgunned him on a lap 42 restart and started to pull away. In the mean time TJ Brackett from his seventeenth starting spot drove around four cars to the runner-up spot on lap 46. However time ran out on the 2013 champion as he settled for the second spot with Sanborn securing the win, his first of the season. Tim Brackett held on for third ahead of Jeremy Davis and Brad Babb. Positions six through ten were held by Kyle Treadwell, Vanna Brackett, Dale Shaw, Kyle Desouza and Shane Green. Qualifying checkers flew for Gary Chaisson, Sanborn and Billy Childs Jr.
Matt Williams ran a flawless race in the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock 30 lap main event as he held off a late race challenge from Zack Emerson. Kyle Hewins edged out BJ Chapman for third spot and Richard Spaulding rounded out the top five. Heat checkers flew for BJ Chapman and Kyle Hewins.
“Magic Shoes” Michael Haynes scored his first win of 2014 in the Ripley & Fletcher Ford Outlaw Sportsman as he held off a late run by opening night winner Troy Jordan to nail down the win. David Tripp completed the top three finishing ahead of Guy Childs Sr., and Bryce Mains. Steve Moon, and Haynes won their respective heats.
Matt Bourgoine topped a seventeen car NELCAR Legends field as he defeated Reid Lanpher, Bob Weymouth, Wyatt Alexander and Dan Winter in the 25 lap event. Weymouth and Alexander scored heat victories.
Oxford Plains Speedway will be back in action this coming Friday night as Budweiser will sponsor the evening’s activities. The giant card will feature PASS Sportsman, PASS Mods, Pro Late Models, Street Stocks, Outlaw Sportsman and the debut of the new Bandit four cylinder division. Post time is 7:30 p.m.