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TALKING PHONE BOOK NIGHT
RESULTS
AND PHOTO GALLERY
June 7, 2008 (full story)
After further review, it's Tommy
Gun;
Rolfe's dramatic charge wins Late Model
OXFORD, Maine - Tommy “Gun” Tompkins has lost a championship no
thanks to one bad week at the technical inspection shack.
Not much chance, then, that you’ll catch the defending Allen’s
Coffee Flavored Brandy Strictly Stock king giving back the checkered
flag from his first start of the season at Oxford Plains Speedway
after Mike Short’s post-race disqualification Saturday
night.
Tompkins isn’t chasing points this season. He spent most of his
overdue arrival chasing Short, who appeared to set sail to his
second straight victory after overtaking Larry Emerson in traffic on
lap 56.
“My little boy was crying all morning because he couldn’t be
here,” said Tompkins. “So I’ll take this home to him. He’ll
be happy with that.”
Emotions ran high in victory lane on a toasty Saturday night.
After a remarkable run along the outside lane from fifth to first in
the closing laps of the Oxford Networks Late Model feature, two-time
OPS champion Ricky Rolfe fought back his own tears.
“I really just wanted to get up here in the top three,” said
Rolfe, his voice wavering, “so I could get up here and dedicate
this one to my son (Matt). He’s graduating from Fryeburg Academy
this weekend. I’m awfully proud of him.”
Don Mooney was stoic as usual in the Allen’s Mini Stock winner’s
circle, but why not? His 30-lap victory was his second in a row,
third out of six this season, and sixth in the last 11 points races
dating back to last August.
“Hopefully we can keep it running,” said Mooney, who slightly
padded his point lead in a razor-close championship race.
There was exultation in the Marston Family Racing pit, where
Allen’s Ladies racer Debbie picked up the 20-lap checkered flag
that she and husband Kendall have been chasing in the Acceleration
Series for many season.
Jerry Goss was a familiar face in a new place. A past winner in the
Call of the Wild RV Center Sport Truck and Macdonald Motors Runnin’
Rebel divisions, Goss completed a career triple crown with his first
Chimney Tech Outlaw victory in the second of twin 20-lap
features.
David Childs captured the opening round.
Tompkins makes himself at home
again
The familiar Dave’s Janitorial/Tommy Gun’s Pit Stop #113 was no
slouch in the Strictly Stock main event, second across the finish
line or not.
After winning his heat race, Tompkins started seventh and ran in the
top five throughout the night.
Larry Emerson led most of the opening half, with a lone three-lap
exception when Short briefly made a run in the outside groove and
put a fender in front. Emerson encountered difficulty while
negotiating double-wide lapped traffic, however, and a freight train
of Short, Tompkins, Glen Henderson and Dave Brannon stormed
past.
That was all the momentum Short needed to draw away by more than a
two-second advantage. The second and final caution flag on lap 84
tightened the field but didn’t immediately help Tompkins’ cause,
either.
Tompkins has been enjoying a lower-key spring than usual, attending
to his many business interests in the River Valley while cutting
back on his racing hobby. The perfect night didn’t immediately
alter his plans.
“You probably won’t see us every week, but we’ll be back here
and there,” Tompkins said.
Wholesale changes blanketed the top five after tech, with
third-place Henderson also receiving the boot. Rick Thompson moved
up to second both in the race and in the significantly tightened
points chase.
Emerson ascended to third just ahead of son Zach, making his initial
Strictly Stock start of the season. Those were the only four cars on
the lead lap. Brannon finished fifth.
Twenty-three cars attempted to qualify for the first round of the
Agren Appliance Triple Crown, with 21 starting the main event.
Three of those drivers -- Mike Blue, Dana Cook and Jason Decker --
were making their first start in an OPS Strictly. Blue ran in the
top 10 throughout and finished an impressive eighth. Cook ran as
high as seventh before two trips to pit lane for repairs.
Trouble befell three of the division’s heavy hitters. B.J. Chapman
retired from the race after only nine laps. Matt Williams ran in the
top three before an unscheduled pit stop to remove a wayward body
panel. And point leader Skip Tripp crashed out of the top five after
a late encounter with the lapped car of Dean Coolidge.
Rolfe flies past three champs and
a rookie
Mired in fifth at the halfway point, in a race without any sign of a
caution, on a night when ventures to the outside were risky at best,
most drivers would have been content to remain the caboose in the
lead freight train.
Not Rolfe, who had not only his family’s special weekend but a
six-week winless streak in mind. Since winning the New England Dodge
Dealers American-Canadian Tour 150 on April 26, Rolfe hadn’t been
the same irresistible force on Saturday nights.
He owned one of the many cars battered beyond recognition after last
week’s rare caution-fest. The driver who often reaps so many thank
you expressions from the rivals whose Race Basics rides he builds
and repairs showed that he knows how to fix his own, too.
Rolfe drove around Travis Adams -- how often do we say that in any
context? -- on lap 23. Kurt Hewins fell into Rolfe’s clutch one
lap later. It took eight circuits to catch Shawn Martin, but the
runner-up spot belonged to Rolfe with eight to go. Rookie Shawn
Knight’s one-second advantage disappeared in a matter of five
laps, with Rolfe forging ahead on lap 37.
Spins by Neil Martin and Paul Bosse necessitated a
green-white-checker finish, but Rolfe wouldn’t be denied.
“The car isn’t perfect, I’ll tell you that. I had to drive the
snot out of it,” Rolfe said flatly. “I’m tired even after 40
laps. I was hustling.”
The stoppage was worse news for Knight, who was a sitting duck for
Martin and Hewins and slipped back one spot shy of his first Late
Model podium.
Martin didn’t have much to show for a fast Oxford
Networks/Bombardier #94 through the first month, but the 2004
champion charged to the front early and stayed in Knight’s tire
tracks.
“I think the bad luck gremlins have been on our side this year,
and finally tonight I hope we turned it around.” Martin said.
“Maybe one of these days we’ll carry the checkered flag
again.”
Third was a redemption for Hewins, who led the first half of last
week’s wild one in the J&C Trucking #96 before becoming
involved in the same multi-car wreck that took out Rolfe.
“It was pretty bad in the heat, and we made a big change. I’m
glad we got the caution,” said Hewins, a past champion of the old
Limited Sportsman class. “I’ve got to thank Conrad Childs and
his wife. They own the car and pay the whole bill."
Adams was fifth, his first finish out
of a trophy position in Championship Series competition this season.
It's Mooney in the bank
Mooney doesn’t hear the boos and accusations that follow most
drivers who enjoy his unrivaled success.
Part of that is because he drives essentially the same car that
carried him to 2000 and 2004 Mini Stock championships. Also, he’s
rarely the fastest or even one of the first three or four cars you
notice in a four-cylinder feature. Mooney simply puts his years of
experience to use and almost always gets positive results.
He was fortunate enough to miss the three tangles that slowed the
race on laps 8, 9 and 14. Those exchanges and some smooth moves in
traffic vaulted Mooney’s Reggie’s Sales & Service #80 from
15th to second, where he then admittedly snookered second-year
driver Shane Kaherl slightly on the final restart with a timely mash
of the gas.
“I didn’t figure I could get him. I thought I’d probably have
to jump it a little bit, and it worked out,” Mooney said of the
move that won him the Time Warner Cable Turbo-Charged Move of the
Race prize package.
Only rookie Darrell Moore could challenge Mooney in the closing
stages, and that determined charge fell a car length short.
“I didn’t know if I could get around him, but we had so many
problems with this car today that at one point I didn’t even know
if I’d make it to the track,” Moore said.
Mooney’s winning a bunch these days, but it won’t be long before
Moore and third-place Greg Watkins take the leisurely lap of honor
at the end of a 30-lap victory. Watkins backed up his first-ever
trophy with another one just seven days later in the Magic
Lantern/Hayes True Value #29.
“This is getting to be a good habit,” Watkins said.
Kaherl, a former Runnin’ Rebel champion still chasing his initial
Mini Stock win, wound up fourth, just ahead of Ashley
Marshall.
Childs, Goss, Marston accelerate
their seasons
All was not lost for Mike Short on Saturday night. David Childs put
in a good word for his friend after his second Chimney Tech Outlaw
win of the season.
“He does my set-up, and nobody sets up a car like him,”
said Childs, who is 2-for-2 in Agren Showdown appearances.
Dan Brown put up a valiant fight but couldn’t get closer than
Childs’ back bumper. Ron Abbott Jr. and Jay Wilkins followed in
third and fourth, with Gerry Richard’s misadventure at tech
propelling Randy Robitaille to fifth.
Goss completed two progressions with his ‘A’ feature victory.
Not only has he posted a feature win in all three original
Acceleration Series men’s divisions, but Goss moved up to the top
of the leader board after running third and second in his last two
Saturday starts.
“We’ve been a lot faster this year. It’s fun,” Goss
said.
Rick Spaulding crossed the stripe second but also flunked the tech
test, making John Patria second and series point leader Zach Bowie
third. Keith Landry and Steve Moon rounded out the top five.
Marston dominated the full 20-lap Ladies distance by a full
straightaway over Cathy Manchester.
“Ken, my husband, has invested so much blood, sweat and tears,
literally, into this car,” Marston said.
Dottie Patria made it two trophies for her household on the evening,
with the defending Agren champion and current point leader charging
home third after an early spin. Christina Spaulding and Kimberly
Sessions chased Patria to the finish.
OPS roars back to life Wednesday with a full card of Acceleration
Series action at 6:30 p.m. It’s the same starting time next
Saturday, June 14 for the Championship Series, featuring five
divisions of racing and a 100-lap Mini Stock championship
event.
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY STRICTLY STOCK
TALKING PHONE BOOK 100
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (7) #113 Tommy Tompkins, Dixfield, 100
2. (5) #07 Rick Thompson, Naples, 100
3. (2) #24 Larry Emerson, Durham, 100
4. (10) #23 Zach Emerson, Durham, 100
5. (1) #14 Dave Brannon, Topsham, 99
6. (16) #13 Gerry Burgess, Sabattus, 99
7. (18) #0 Sumner Sessions, Norway, 99
8. (8) #2 Mike Blue, Leeds, 99
9. (11) #777 Mike St. Germain, Auburn, 98
10. (12) #11 Chris Burgess, Lewiston, 98
11. (20) #4 Michael Roe, West Paris, 97
12. (9) #59 Dana Cook, Lewiston, 92
13. (19) #6 Jeff Prindall, Lisbon, 91
14. (13) #29 Chris Mosher, Litchfield, 86
15. (15) #12 Skip Tripp, Poland, 85
16. (3) #63 Matt Williams, Brownfield, 55
17. (17) #1 Dean Coolidge, Oxford, 35
18. (14) #81 B.J. Chapman, Bridgton, 9
19. (21) #32 Jason Decker, Bangor, 4
DQ (6) #56 Mike Short, Auburn
DQ (4) #57 Glen Henderson, Sabattus
DNS #27 Jerry Harrison, Freeport
DNS #77 Perry Tucker, Sumner
Lap leaders: L. Emerson 1--55, Tompkins 56-100.
Cautions: 2 (laps 23, 84)
Time of race: 36 minutes, 33.366 seconds
Margin of victory: 1.862 seconds
Fast lap: Matt Williams, 18.604 seconds
OXFORD NETWORKS LATE MODEL (40 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (12) #51 Ricky Rolfe, Albany Township, 40
2. (13) #94 Shawn Martin, Turner, 40
3. (3) #96 Kurt Hewins, Leeds, 40
4. (7) #25 Shawn Knight, South Paris, 40
5. (15) #03 Travis Adams, Canton, 40
6. (11) #18 Carey Martin, Denmark, 40
7. (6) #6 Tommy Ricker, Poland, 40
8. (18) #95 Dennis Spencer Jr., Norway, 40
9. (17) #85 Travis Stearns, Auburn, 40
10. (16) #1 Billy Childs Jr., Leeds, 40
11. (1) #59 Tyson Jordan, Poland, 40
12. (14) #56 Dale Verrill, Paris, 40
13. (10) #63 Don Wentworth, Otisfield, 40
14. (22) #84 Matt Sanborn, West Baldwin, 40
15. (5) #26 Corey Morgan, Lewiston, 40
16. (2) #08 Gerald Parlin, South Paris, 40
17. (9) #15 Ben Ashline, Pittston, 40
18. (19) #07 Scott Luce, Strong, 39
19. (20) #12 Nick Brown, Bath, 39
20. (4) #52 Paul Bosse, Gray, 39
21. (21) #44 Neil Martin, Freeport, 39
22. (8) #10 Jimmy Childs, Leeds, 37
Lap leaders: Jordan 1-5, Knight 6-36, Rolfe 37-40.
Cautions: 1 (lap 38)
Time of race: 15 minutes, 23.429 seconds
Margin of victory: 0.410 seconds
Fast lap: Ricky Rolfe, 16.292 seconds
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY MINI STOCK (30 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (15) #80 Don Mooney, New Gloucester, 30
2. (13) #12 Darrell Moore, Mechanic Falls, 30
3. (7) #29 Greg Watkins, Bridgton, 30
4. (1) #19 Shane Kaherl, Jay, 30
5. (12) #77 Ashley Marshall, Jay, 30
6. (16) #65 Dave Mooney, Wales, 30
7. (9) #08 Kevin Bishop, South Paris, 30
8. (11) #8 Bill Thibeault, Oxford, 30
9. (8) #9 Bob Guptill, Mechanic Falls, 30
10. (6) #28 Craig Moore, Woodstock, 30
11. (2) #25 Ken Daigle Jr., Lisbon, 30
12. (3) #21 Rick Giguere, Auburn, 30
13. (10) #7 Randy Kimball, Mechanic Falls, 30
14. (17) #40 Curtis Fanjoy, Oxford, 29
15. (19) #22 Chuck Higgins, Wales, 29
16. (4) #35 Dale Brackett, Oxford, 21
17. (7) #14 Matt Moore, South Paris, 19
18. (18) #1 Justin Karkos, Jay, 13
19. (14) #10 Bill Childs Sr., Leeds, 9
20. (20) #91 Brad Dwinal, Freeport, 0
Lap leaders: Kaherl 1-14, Don Mooney 15-30.
Cautions: 3 (laps 8, 9, 14)
Time of race: 22 minutes, 7.915 seconds
Margin of victory: 0.191 seconds
Fast lap: Bill Childs Sr., 18.346 seconds
CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW #1 (20 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (9) #5 David Childs, Oxford, 20
2. (3) #83 Dan Brown, Peru, 20
3. (8) #39 Ron Abbott Jr., Sabattus, 20
4. (4) #69 Jay Wilkins, Gray, 20
5. (12) #51 Randy Robitaille, Norway, 20
6. (10) #47 John Spencer Jr., Auburn, 20
7. (1) #43 Rod Englehaupt, Oxford, 20
8. (5) #10 Scott Ellis, Lewiston, 19
9. (6) #112 Dennis Morang, South Paris, 17
10. (7) #87 Dan Bryan, Conway, N.H., 13
11. (13) #15 Zach Robitaille, Norway, 6
12. (2) #53 Steve Brill, Bridgton, 4
13. (14) #54 Jonathan Baldwin, Auburn, 0
DQ (11) #57 Gerry Richard, Leeds
Lap leaders: Engelhaupt 1-3, D. Childs 4-20.
Cautions: 2 (laps 0, 6)
Time of race: 14 minutes, 8 seconds
CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW #2 (20 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (4) #99 Jerry Goss, Mechanic Falls, 20
2. (3) #34 John Patria, Turner, 20
3. (11) #04 Zach Bowie, Mechanic Falls, 20
4. (7) #90 Keith Landry, Oxford, 20
5. (10) #19 Steve Moon, Gray, 20
6. (8) #18 Thom Bell, Minot, 20
7. (1) #72 Bill Coolidge, Bryant Pond, 20
8. (13) #12 Nik Coates, Lisbon, 20
9. (12) #00 Guy Childs Sr., Turner, 19
10. (2) #139 Jerry Freve, Buckfield, 17
11. (5) #3 Tom Averill, Peru, 11
12. (6) #97 Shannon Judd, Jay, 1
DQ (9) #36 Rick Spaulding, Lewiston
Lap leaders: Coolidge 1-4, Goss 5-20.
Cautions: None
Time of race: 6 minutes, 36 seconds
ALLEN'S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY LADIES (20 laps)
Fin. (Start) No., Driver, hometown, laps completed
1. (2) #92 Debbie Marston, Hartford, 20
2. (7) #69 Cathy Manchester, Gray, 20
3. (8) #34 Dottie Patria, Turner, 20
4. (4) #36 Christina Spaulding, Lewiston, 20
5. (6) #2 Kimberly Sessions, Auburn, 19
6. (1) #29 Shannon Wheeler, Auburn, 19
7. (5) #44 Annie Chartier, Mexico, 17
8. (3) #139 Lisa Vining, Turner, 11
Lap leaders: Marston 1-20.
Cautions: None
Time of race: 6 minutes, 57 seconds
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Oxford Networks
Late Model
Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy
Strictly and Mini Stock
Photos by
Trudy Marshall
Click on photo
to enlarge
(207) 645-4571
Photos from
all OPS divisions!
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