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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