Victory Lane at TD Banknorth 250 is Wide Open this Weekend

By George Campbell

It’s Oxford 250 time again. I know it’s the TD Banknorth 250, and I will refer to it for the rest of this column, but for me growing up less than ten miles from Oxford Plains Speedway in the 1970’s & 80’s, this has always been the Oxford 250.

This race has had as much of a rich tradition and real racing excitement as ANY race it the country. I won’t rehash the history of this great event here, but I will say this was always the big event on my racing calendar since I have been a race fan.

I have had the great fortune to attend races at major speedways from Daytona to Las Vegas, from Charlotte to Watkins Glen and bullrings from Holland, NY to New Smyrna, FLA to all over the Northeast. Hundreds of races in all. But I have always said, this is the big one. This is the most exciting day in all of racing for me. From the early drawing of starting position in the heats to the last chance race to the last green flag lap, there is no better day of racing in the world.

I have been talking to race fans across the country that once they found I was from Maine, could be from my slight accent, they wanted to know about the 250. 

The names that entered this race are as impressive as any race track in the country. The list of winners is impressive, any the list of those that want to be on that short list is long. From one shot wonders to the best NASCAR has had to offer. The biggest names in the sport have tried their skill in this event. Some of the least known have also had their shot at fame. Ask  Ricky Craven what this race did for his career. Ask Mike Rowe and Dave Dion what their 250 wins meant to them.

There was a time in the 1990’s where this race seemed to have lost a little bit of the luster it once had. I thank the current track owner, Bill Ryan, for bringing back the glory to this crown jewel of short track racing. 

This years TD Banknorth 250 could produce a winner that makes his living in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. There are no less than four NEXTEL Cup drivers entered in this years event. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, JJ Yeley and Ricky Craven have all filed entries.

There is no reason this years winner couldn't be a surprise, and there is no reasons we won't see the best short track drivers in the country battling down to the last lap. 

When asked who he thought would win this years 250, Three time winner Mike Rowe said Kyle Busch will be the man to beat this year. "Kyle Busch,” Rowe said.  “He's serious about this. He was there Monday working on the car with us. He wants it to go right. Other than Kyle, I'd say Jeff Taylor is the one to beat with the year he's having.”

Mike is the favorite by many to win this event himself.  He won the event last year, as his team mate Kyle Busch came close. Kyle will again be a team mate to Rowe this time around. This could easily be a one two effort for SP2 Motorsports.

Mike’s son Ben, who is with a new team this year, is looking for his third 250 win. He is a favorite by many, especially after winning his third straight American-Canadian Tour race in a row last week. But that was a different team than the one he will enter the 250 with. His PASS team has been gearing up for the 250, and Ben feels they will be ready when the green flag drops.

“We took a brand new car up to the last P.A.S.S. (OPS) race a month ago,” Ben told us.  “The chassis was decent but we had a little motor trouble.  So we took it back, straightened it out, tested with it some more, got everything where we think we need to be.  It's just a matter of going up this weekend.  The track changes at Oxford week to week so it's just a matter of going up Friday and Saturday trying to get a hold of the track for a few practice sessions.  Maybe when the heat's out during the day Saturday we'll go out and run a few laps.  I think there's 13 or 14 hours of practice during the weekend.  It's just a matter of dialing the car back in.  We should be pretty close.”

Having a good car isn’t always all that it takes. To qualify for the race, you must do so through the series of heats and consolation races. The draw for starting position in the heats is vital, as only the top four finishers in each of the 20 lap heats will advance.

“It basically all boils down to how you draw,” the younger Rowe explained. “As long as you can get into this race, anybody can win it.  My father ran every lap of every race to get into the 250.  He started dead last and ended up winning it last year.  The biggest thing is to get qualified in the heat race, then you can watch the rest of the mess.  Last year we tried to run every race and ended up taking a provisional, got caught up in a wreck.  The competition is the best of the best from everywhere coming to this race.”

Ben’s dad is running a different car than what he won with last year, as Kyle Busch will be driving that car this year.

“The car that I'm running - we haven't actually tested it yet but Jeff Taylor drove it the first race and we're going to be up there Friday testing a couple of hours, then the day on Saturday,” Mike Rowe said.

Kyle and Mike have not been the only Cup and local drivers to team up. Johnny Clark is teaming with Ricky Craven while JJ Yeley is teaming with the Whorff family team.

Last year Matt Kenseth teamed with the Whorff’s and they gained a lot from the experience.

“It definitely has helped us out,” Bill Whorff Jr. said.  “We have actually reeled in a sponsor, which is AAA Insurance Group.  Without Matt Kenseth coming I don't think that would have materialized for our race team.  They end up sponsoring Jeremy and I on our weekly series.  They've been very helpful.  Also, alot of feedback.  Once you've got a guy like that involved we've actually gotten phone calls from other people that want to sponsor.”

This year Yeley is with the team, and he is well aware of the tradition involved with this event.

“The TD Banknorth 250 is one of those races that you hear a lot about when you travel around the country, whether you’re in the Nextel Cup garage or racing at a dirt track,” Yeley said. “With the qualifying races, it’s a lot like the atmosphere at some of the big sprint car events. I’m excited to get there and be a part of it.”

Another NEXTEL Cup driver, and recent winner at Pocono, Denny Hamlin entered the event with local racer Scott King of Livermore Falls, Maine. King and his team are excited about the opportunity to work with Hamlin this year.

“It’s an honor for us to work with a NASCAR Nextel Cup driver for the first time,” Scott King said. “All the preparation we do every winter is centered around the TD Banknorth 250. We’re excited about working with Denny and trying to get one of our cars into the winner’s circle.” 

The race could be won by one of the PASS racers – other than the two Rowe’s as well! Johnny and Cassius Clark are both considered potent threats to win the event this year. Cassius has dominated several PASS events so far and many are considering him to be a favorite this weekend. Scott Chubbuck is another PASS racer who is a favorite.

Cassius Clark would like to bring the trophy home to Farmington, Maine.

"I watched my Dad almost win it a few times," Clark stated at the OPS media day.  " In my eyes, I'd like to win it not just for him but for a lot of the great drivers in Franklin County who've never done it. I think of Jeff Taylor, Niles Gage, Tracy Gordon and my father. I'd like to take the trophy home to Franklin County ... Each region of the country has its big race, and the 250 beats the pants off those. You have to draw the pill for your heat race, and yeah, it sucks, but it's the 250. You just take what you get and go for it."

Past winners attempting to make the field include Dave Dion, Gary Drew and Scott Robbins. All of those drivers are hoping for positive results. Dion won at OPS last season in the NASCAR Busch North Series, and is hoping he will return to victory lane this year. He recently finished 8^th in a Busch East race at New Hampshire International Speedway. Drew remembers what his win meant to him.

“When we won, it meant to us what it meant to Dale Earnhardt to win Daytona," Drew said.  "If you win one race, this is the one to win.”

There are a bunch of very talented drivers entered in the race that have been picked to win in the past, but have yet to win, that have as good a chance as any. This list certainly includes OPS regulars Jeff Taylor, which is who Drew feels is the frontrunner for the event.

"The way Jeff Taylor is going, I'm going to have to say Jeff. If he gets into the race early in the day, he's going to be a tough guy to beat. His car is working so good and smooth. I think if he gets a good draw and qualifies up front, you'd better watch out.” 

I have spoken to several of the staffers at Busch