And the fan following for the event at Oxford Plains Speedway -- enjoying its 36th edition this Sunday at the track -- is unrivaled by anything else. At least, anything else in sports. "I think the Oxford 250 is like Jimmy Buffett. The Finheads. It's a following," Wallace said during a recent trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a Nationwide Series race. "Everybody in their region has their deal. The midwest has their race, the west coast has a race, the south has a race. WESTBROOK, Maine -- As far as Kenny Wallace is concerned, there are only two short track races of any merit in the United States. There's the Snowball Derby in the south and there's the Oxford 250 in the north.
"In the northeast, the legendary short track race is the Oxford 250, and like I say, it's a cult following. When you grow up, that's what you do is go to the Oxford 250."
Thus far, track officials have released 109 "probable" entries for drivers and teams expected to make the trip to Maine for this weekend's TD Banknorth 250.
The 2002 champion of the event, Scott Robbins, still eats the same breakfast on '250' race day he's eaten every year since he was a child. Ricky Rolfe has raced in several versions of the '250,' in different kinds of cars.
No matter the format -- or the sponsor's name slapped in front of it -- it remains the Oxford 250.
"It means a lot," Rolfe said of the race. "It's not something I'm going to take to my grave that I didn't win, but it is big... Every aspect of it (makes) it worth running the race. Even if you finish last, just making the race -- it's a blast."
Kenny's nephew, Steve Wallace, is a past winner of the Snowball Derby and will drive this weekend for ACT Late Model team owner Kendall Roberts of Barre, Vt.
* TIM BRACKETT, WHO returned to full-time competition at Oxford Plains Speedway this season and won a 40-lap Late Model feature on June 27, knows he's got a fast car. He's just not sure he's ever going to get to use it on Sunday.
If you don't make it through the rigors of afternoon qualifying, there won't be a spot for you in the evening's main event.
"I know we've got a pretty good race setup, but the qualifying races are everything," said Brackett, a past track champion. "You can have the fastest car in the world at night, but if you don't make the race, it's not going to matter at all."
Brackett was asked if he knew what adjustments could be made to his car's setup to make it better in the afternoon.
"I wish I knew," he said with a laugh.
Not everybody believes that the track changes all that much from the heat of the day to the cool of the night. Al Hammond, second on the track's all-time win list with 81 victories, said a good car is a good car at any time of day.
"I never put much faith in that old wive's tale about the thing tightening up at night," said Hammond, who has won in every decade at OPS since the 60s but still hasn't hit '250' victory lane. "Your setup is for you. If it runs well in the day, it will run well at night."
* RICKY ROLFE HAS twice taken the car Wallace will drive out for testing this summer, and he's wishing it was his own. Both will drive for owner Mark Brackett, who fields Rolfe's ACT Late Model Tour effort.
"That car was three-tenths (of a second) faster than mine," Rolfe said. "You want to take it out and race it (to adjust on it), but it's just so good you don't want to take any chances."
* BEN ASHLINE IS giving new meaning to the term "leadfoot" this week.
Ashline, of Pittston, broke his foot in three places recently while working at his job detailing cars. A snowplow fell onto his right foot.
"I thought I'd lost some toes," said Ashline, who is attempting to qualify for his first Oxford 250. He missed making the race by one spot a year ago.
He's wearing a large protective walking cast on his foot, though he takes it off when he races. Last week, he finished second in Oxford's 40-lap feature event.
"It's to help with the healing," Ashline said of the boot, which he swaps for a driving shoe on race day.
"It's a tight fit," he said of the shoe.
-- TRAVIS BARRETT, GWC Editor
I think Tim is my sentimental pick for this race with him coming back to race full time at OPS this year. I remember on opening day he was saying "This is home, no other place to be".
He's had a pretty rough time of it in past 250's. He's had several bad breaks, DNQ's and mediocre finishes. I think his best finish was a 5th.
Posted by: Kevin F | 16 July 2009 at 09:01 AM