OXFORD — With chain lightning providing the not-too-distant backdrop, Carey Martin thundered to victory Friday night in the Sun Journal 75 Pro All Stars Series Sportsman race at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Martin, who was a five-time champion when the Limited Sportsman cars competed at OPS on a weekly basis, scored his 45th win at OPS, tying him for No. 14 on the speedway’s all-time, all-class list.
He claimed the pole position by winning his heat and was never challenged in the main event, which was shortened to 57 laps by the thunderstorm.
Joey Pastore, Ricky Burgess, Rusty Poland and Nate Leavitt completed the top five.
It was the first of three straight nights of racing, to culminate with the 40th annual TD Bank 250 super late model showcase Sunday.
Three of Oxford’s Championship Series divisions and all four of its Acceleration Series classes were in competition.
Feature winners were Zach Bowie (Street Stock), Justin Larsen (Mini Stock), Corey Morgan (Outlaw Sportsman), Phil Mitchell III (Outlaw), Cody Chiasson (Runnin’ Rebel), Gerry McKenna (Sport Truck) and Rachel Dubois (Ladies).
The Street Stock, Mini Stock and Outlaw Sportsman classes are competing for a separate Triple Crown championship this weekend in addition to season points.
Bowie, who narrowly missed out on a division title in 2012, stayed out fron green to checkers in a race that was slowed by only one minor incident.
Larry Emerson crept to within three car lengths in the closing laps but couldn’t capitalize. Matt Williams, Ryan Hewins and Zach Emerson followed.
Larsen remains unstoppable in the Mini Stock ranks. Friday’s 25-lap win was his fifth straight. He was unchallenged after storming past Shane Kaherl on the third circuit.
Kaherl stayed second and enjoyed a wide margin over the tense third-place scrap between Jimmy Childs, Calvin Rose Jr. and Nik Coates. Childs held off Rose, with Coates spinning out of the top five on the final lap.
Making only his second start of the season, Mitchell held off Matt Dufault in a one-lap shootout at the end of the 25-lap Outlaw feature.
“It went really good tonight and it went really good last week,” said Mitchell, whose last OPS feature win came in 2006. “I hope this deal continues.”
Kyle Treadwell, Kyle Hewins and Deanna Bisbee completed the top five.
The Outlaw top three reappeared at the front of the 30-lap Outlaw Sportsman feature. The only difference? Dufault, Mitchell and Treadwell were chasing Corey Morgan, who continues to dominate the division that bridges Oxford’s Wednesday and Friday programs.
In the best of the Acceleration Series races, Chiasson kept his hot hand in the Runnin’ Rebel division, stalking leader Dustin Salley throughout before making the winning move to the outside with two laps remaining.
Chiasson’s father, Gary, is one of the nearly 60 drivers already registered for Sunday’s 250.
David Booth and Nate Dubuc also were embroiled in the four-car battle up front. New Hampshire’s Booth took third-place honors after Dubuc departed with late-race gremlins under the hood.
Dubois, the top rookie in the division a year ago, led from wire-to-wire in the 20-lap Ladies race for her first win of the season.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Dubois said. “I’ve had some tough luck this year.”
Sport Truck champion McKenna rallied from early contact and a pit stop to pin down at least half the wrinkled hood of his ride, taking command on a lap 3 restart.
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