After another long, grueling season, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model and Modified divisions will close out the 2016 season this Saturday afternoon at Oxford Plains Speedway.
The Modified class carries a tight points battle into the finale, with Andy Shaw leading Dixfield’s Ryan Robbins by a mere four points. New Gloucester veteran Ben Tinker sits in third place, just 19 points behind Shaw, bringing the three-way fight down to the wire.
The battle for the PASS North Super Late Model crown comes down to two former champions, DJ Shaw and Johnny Clark. Shaw leads Clark by 69 points as they come to Oxford for Saturday afternoon’s 150-lap event.
Clark, a six-time series champion, won his first race of the season at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Sept. 24. While Shaw hasn’t won since April at Beech Ridge, consistent finishes have him on the way to earning a second title.
“As far as the season goes, I would consider it successful, but we really wanted more wins,” Shaw, the driver of the Precision JLM/Mulkern Excavating No. 60, said. “We race for wins, and they just didn’t come this year. We have a shot at winning our second race Saturday, but you always want more.”
While Shaw has a fairly healthy advantage over Clark, he knows Oxford always has some of the best car counts on the circuit. For the title hopefuls, an early problem Saturday could mean disaster when it comes to winning the championship.
“I think we’ll have a big field so, at first, we will play it safe and maybe, if a few cars drop out and the risk becomes less, we can go for the win,” Shaw added. “Points racing is a tough deal because we probably could have had one or two more wins, but you don’t want to take risks. Hopefully we have a good car, can take no chances, and still come away with a win and a championship.”
A strong field is expected for Saturday’s finale, led by former Oxford 250 winners Travis Benjamin, Mike Rowe and Ben Rowe. David Oliver returns to the seat of the No. 21 this weekend and will be joined by fellow Maine racers Dave Farrington Jr., Scott Robbins, Tracy Gordon, Dennis Spencer Jr., John Peters, Reid Lanpher, four-time track champion Tim Brackett, and two-time champion TJ Brackett.
Derek Griffith, of Hudson, New Hampshire, a feature winner at Oxford this year, will be back, along with Nova Scotia’s Cole Butcher.
Qualifying races for all divisions begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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