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Racin’
Ralph Nason makes it three in a row in an exciting finish over Ben Rowe (Lee
Truman photo) |
It is a race that has seen this countries greatest stock car
drivers humbled and left with nothing but memories and thoughts of ‘what
ifs’. Winston Cup stars like Jeff
Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Bobby Labonte, and Dale Jarrett have all attempted it,
but none have come even close. Short
track warriors Freddie Query, Hal Goodson, and Kevin Cywinski have given it a
shot with very little to show for it.
The race is the True Value 250 at Oxford and it is nationally recognized
as the “Richest one day short track race in America.” This year was the 27th annual version of a race that
is known by many drivers across the land as one of the toughest races to
win. The track is Oxford Plains
Speedway in Oxford, Maine and since 1974 drivers from all across New England,
Canada, the south and the Midwest have attempted to solve the mystery of the
difficult track and be the best car standing out of 80-100 that attempt to qualify.
The race has seen its share of dominance over the years as
Geoffrey Bodine won it in back to back years in 1980 and 1981. Dave Dion has won the event on three
occasions in 1975, 1985, and 1992.
Southern drivers have seen their share of successes as well in the form
of Bob Pressley and Butch Lindley in the late 70’s to Tommy Ellis’s win in
1983. However, it has always been
unthinkable that a driver could conquer this race three straight times. The unbelievable has happened.
Ralph Nason has long been a Maine and New England short
track legend and is well known in all short track racing circles. He’s brash, oftentimes blunt, but always
charismatic. He is also the first
driver to win three straight True Value 250’s as he held off a furious charge
over the last 5 laps by second generation driver Ben Rowe to pocket $31,900,
and more importantly, to rewrite the record books and set standards that may
never be duplicated.
This race is made so difficult by the fact that all drivers
must run heat races to make it into the big show. There are no wimpy time trials in this race that is almost as
famous for its rockem’ sockem’ battles to get into the race as the race itself. With 85 cars in the pits attempting to
qualify for 36 starting spots, the action heats up quickly and often. With an average of 15 cars per heat race
vying for just 4 spots, the majority of cars must move onto the consolation
rounds where again, only the top 4 finishers get into the race. After 36 spots are filled, the remaining
cars (40 or more) ran a 50 lap last-chance race for the option of taking $2000
and going home or starting 37th on the grid in the True Value 250.
The first car qualified for the race actually made it in on
Saturday night. At Oxford, Pro Stocks
and Late Models are slightly different as Late Models have a smaller carburetor
and narrower tires (among other things), but the winner of Saturday nights 50
lap Late Model race got an automatic berth into the True Value 250. Henry Hudson of Harrison, Maine proved too
much as he was the beneficiary of a hard-fought battle between two cars that
resulted in them falling out of contention.
Henry, however, would decline to enter the Late Model in the True Value
250 as he was a Pro Stock driver for another car owner and was attempting to
get in with that car. He made history
on Sunday by being the first driver to actually qualify two different cars for
the big race.
The six heat race winners on Sunday were NASCAR Busch North
Series standouts Dale Shaw and Tracy Gordon, five-time Oxford Pro Stock
champion Jeff Taylor, Ben Rowe, Gary Drew and Steve Knowlton. The three consolation winners were two-time
True Value 250 champ Mike Rowe, Sam Sessions, and Bill Zardo. Dave Gorveatt won the last chance race and,
like every winner in the past, chose to run the True Value 250.
Back to Ralph Nason.
In 1998 and 1999 he overcame many True Value 250 demons on his way to
dominating the races and pocketing $89,100 in the process. He was on his way to victory in 1976 when
southern standout Lindley roared past him late in the race for the win. His goals this year were a bit different as
he tried to write history and do the unthinkable. Instead of dominance, he planned on playing the waiting
game.
“I came in here and knew I just had to race the race track
and dodge the bullets,” said Nason after the race. “I heard that eight million times in my head.” (from crew chief
and son, Ron Nason).
The race didn’t start out as the Racin’ Ralph show it had in years past. In 1998 and 1999 Nason started second on the
grid and got out front early to lead a lot of laps. His starting spot in 2000 was 24th. Undaunted, his plan was to let the other
cars fall apart in front of him and just be around at the end. Pole sitter Dale Shaw led the first 10 laps
before pre-race favorite Taylor worked his way around the outside with Tracy
Gordon right behind him. As the two
leaders caught lapped traffic, Gordon was able to sneak by Taylor for the lead
on lap 32. After the leaders cleared at
lap 41, Taylor showed his strength by roaring by Gordon on the outside. The two cars swapped the lead a couple of
times before Taylor asserted himself on lap 48 and stretched it out over the
next 22 laps until the races’ first caution flew on lap 72. Many driver, including Shaw, 1996 True Value
250 winner Larry Gelinas, and Canadian favorite Scott Fraser decided to pit at
this time. All the while, Ralph Nason
had quietly- cracked the top 10.
On the restart it was Taylor back to the lead when Shaw spun
off turn 1 and lost a lap. His night
would end shortly after with engine troubles on a lap 84 caution and Fraser
called it a night as well. The race
resumed with Taylor still leading Gordon until lap 97 when the Tic-Tac Monte
Carlo of Gordon’s began losing power.
His fading to the back culminated with a wreck on lap 109 that would end
his chances of a first victory after finishing second two times.
“I thought I had the car for awhile there,” said Gordon from
pit lane. “I was looking for a caution
(after he began losing power) and didn’t get it.”
Taylor, Ben Rowe, Mike Rowe, and other leaders decided to
pit at that point with Taylor making a strange decision to only take left side
tires. That would seemingly hurt him
later on.
The lap 111 restart saw local campaigner Scott Robbins
assume the lead in his Rowe Ford of Auburn sponsored Mustang. Of the cars yet to pit, he seemed to be the
fastest. Nason was now up to third, but
he wasn’t the stalwart in years past and simply road around. Waiting.
Another local racer, Donnie Whitten was enjoying his best True Value 250
race in second place.
Another caution on lap 121 brought Robbins down pit lane, as
his strategy was to pit around the halfway point. The lead was now Nason’s as he had worked his way around Whitten
just laps before. Nason’s lead was
short-lived, however, as Gelinas had come back to the front on his fresh tires
and powered under Nason on lap 122 to take his first lead. The whole complexion of the race changed on
lap 137 as Jeff Taylor, who had still not taken right side tires, blew his
right front and stopped on the front stretch.
He lost a lap on the track and then was assessed a one lap penalty for
bringing out an intentional yellow.
Taylor’s chances for an elusive win ended right then and there. Nason decided it was time to pit.
“When Gelinas roared by I decided I better pit and we came
in on the next yellow.” The fearsome
looking black Mustang got four fresh tires and was ready to go the
distance. Gelinas would dominate the
race until a lap 165 caution when he decided to pit again thinking he needed to
have fresh tires at all times. Local
driver Sam Sessions became the race leader and held it through a couple of
cautions until Racin’ Ralph went around him quite easily on lap 183.
The stage was set at lap 200 as Nason set the pace with the
quiet and patient Andy Shaw lurking in second place. Shaw, the current International Pro Stock Challenge point leader,
had been in the top 5 for most of the night and was waiting until the end to
make his run. While Nason and Shaw ran
first and second, the fresh tires of Ben Rowe were back into the top 3 by lap
220. Rowe was making a legitimate
charge to the front even though his lap 175 pit stop only gave him right side
tires.
It was on a restart with lap 224 that it started to become
apparent that Nason had a very good chance of winning this race. Most True Value 250 fans never thought
they’d see a single driver be able conquer the toughest task in American short
track racing three times. It looked
like they were right after Rowe was able to work underneath Shaw for second
place on lap 235 and set his sights on Nason who was seven car lengths in
front. A couple of lapped cars slowed
Nason’s pace and with 5 laps to go, Rowe was trying a power move off turn 2
which Nason blocked expertly. Rowe
settled in for a couple of laps planning his final charge as Shaw waited a
couple of car lengths back to see if the leaders would stumble. As Nason took the white flag, Rowe was
making up ground. Out of turn 2 he
pulled up alongside Nason and they both drove into turn 3 very hard with Nason
attempting to make his car slightly wider.
Both cars had good runs off turn 4 and Nason took the checkered flag by
a car length. Rowe, Shaw, Sessions, and
a fast closing Mike Rowe rounded out the top five.
When asked why he didn’t give Nason a little nudge, Rowe’s
response was professional and sincere.
“Ralph races me clean all the time and if I bump him and he
spins, I end up going to the rear as well.
I don’t race that way. I don’t
mind running second to somebody like Ralph, but one of these days I’m going to
win one of these.” Rowe finished second
to Nason last year as well.
The True Value 250 has always been about short track racing,
a huge crowd (there were 10,000 fans on hand this year), and about the
unexpected being the norm. The 2000
edition was no different. Nobody
expected Ralph Nason to win three straight races, but this is the True Value
250 where the unexpected seems to happen a lot.
27th Annual
Oxford 250 Pictures
OPS or Mark Turcotte Photo