—
OXFORD, Maine — Glen Luce might never have to play the role of underdog again, at least not at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Glen Luce, center, won the 42nd annual AIM Recycling USA Oxford 250 on Sunday night at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine. The victory was the first PASS win of Luce’s career./Photo courtesy of Brenda Meserve and Image 81.
Luce thumbed his nose at all the naysayers on Sunday night at Oxford Plains, using a late four-tire pit stop and a consistently fast race car to drive away from all challengers over the final 50 laps and win the 42nd annual AIM Recycling USA Oxford 250 for the first time in a journeyman career.
The victory paid $30,100 and was the first touring series victory of any kind — either in the Pro All Stars Series or American Canadian Tour — in the Turner, Maine, driver’s career.
Luce’s best prior finish in the Oxford 250 was second, in 2008, when he watched NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick win in a Late Model.
“This is much better,” Luce said. “I don’t have to be the ‘other guy’ anymore. It’s still like a dream. It’s unbelievable.”
Second-place finisher Reid Lanpher, of Manchester, Maine, had a similar feeling feeling of disbelief. The 17-year-old driver and point leader at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway started 20th after finishing in the final transfer spot in his first-round qualifying race — and methodically worked his way into contention over the final third of the race.
Luce took the lead for good on lap 201, just a handful of laps after the race’s final restart, and Lanpher pulled onto his rear bumper in some heavy lapped traffic.
“There was a lot of red in my eyes, I’ll tell you what. I was going for it,” Lanpher said. “I was digging for all I could after about lap 220 or so. We really turned it loose, but it probably didn’t help me much. I was probably overdriving it a little bit, where it was better when I was just trying to save my stuff.”
Luce said he knew Lanpher was coming, and he was trying his best to set a comfortable pace that left him with enough tire should he need to make a final sprint to the finish.
“They told me not to burn up the car, I was getting too far out front,” Luce said. “(Lanpher) never really left me, until I started concentrating and hitting my marks. I did look at the scoreboard once and I felt the car bobble. I was like, ‘Pay attention to the track. Don’t watch the scoreboard.’
“(Laps) just seem to tick really slow when you’re out front.”
The race played into Luce’s hands early, running inside the top 10 for much of the first half of the race and capitalizing as a number of early contenders — polesitter Eddie MacDonald, Shawn Knight, Cassius Clark and Bryan Kruczek among them — started fading in desperate need of fresh tires and adjustments.
Luce took the lead for the first time on lap 189, leading just a single lap before a caution flag came out. Only two cars — Shawn Martin and David Oliver — stayed out, setting up the run to the finish and Luce’s 1.041-second margin of victory.
It was an emotional victory lane for Luce, owner of only eight previous career wins at Oxford Plains Speedway — seven of them in support divisions.
For a driver who grew up racing at Oxford Plains Speedway, winning 6-cylinder Charger division races and helping his brother, Scott Luce, win a championship, winning the race he referred to Saturday afternoon as “our Daytona” seemed surreal.
But Luce said he also graduated from the ‘just happy to be part of the show’ class. There came a time when he wanted to expect more.
“I did. I was there. I was there this weekend,” Luce said. “I said, ‘We haven’t done that well all year.’ We’d be good for 30-40 laps into (a race), and we’d go backwards. My expectations were low. I think it was good for us that I wasn’t expected to do anything. We just kept working hard and taking notes, and the car was phenomenal. It made my job easier.”
Ben Lynch, a New Hampshire native who now calls Charlotte, N.C., home finished third after scoring corrected an earlier mistake that had him scored several laps down through the middle stages of the event. Six-time PASS champion Johnny Clark was fourth, while Joey Polewarczyk of Hudson, N.H., finished fifth after needing to win the 50-lap last-chance qualifier to earn the 34th spot on the starting grid.
Cassius Clark, Wayne Helliwell Jr. (who led a race-high 145 laps), Corey Bubar, David Oliver and Trevor Sanborn finished sixth through 10th.
Unofficial AIM Recycling USA Oxford 250 results.
He was fast all weekend, long green flag run midway through the race seem to hurt the early front runners. Good win, and only his second ever feature win.
Just a really good 250. Six heats with 12 cars apiece. 3 consis with 16 cars. An LCQ race with 30+ cars that featured top-shelf drivers like Joey Pole, Brian Hoar, Richie Dearborn, Travis Benjamin and Ben Rowe. And the stands were packed. Good crowd on Saturday night, too, for the Valenti MRS race.
I wish the Modifieds had an event like the 250.
Derek Ramstrom earned his way into the show by winning one of the consis (quite easily), but struggled with the car in the 250, and called it quits just before halfway.
Can’t help but think the time spent on the modified is hurting them with their PASS car. Hope the rumors are wrong that Ramstrom may be hanging up his helmet after this season.
Dillon Moltz almost earned a starting spot, but fell just a little short in the LCQ race.
My money was on Eddie MacDonald to get the win in the 250. I knew Luce was fast — he has been, all year — but past history didn’t favor him winding up in victory lane. Congrats to him. I’m sure that Kyle Bush car cost some serious coin.
(Thanks to Travis for filling in that blank. I heard Christopher Bell’s spotter tell him to take it easy around Luce (Bell was laps down) because it was “one of the bosses’ cars.” Had no idea what he meant till I read Travis’ articles.)
Mike- I agree, I wish someone in the modified community could put a race like this together; the 50 lap LCQ race would be a stout race at any track across the country.
Not sure anyone could have any complaints about this past weekend.
Camper and parking lot were neat and really well marked, as well as PACKED. Not sure I’ve seen that many campers in last 10 years there. Pit gates even opened early every day to help alleviate the wait times.
Food was great, stopped of at belly busters and had the track food, both were good and well priced.
Racing programs all three days moved right along, heats and features rolled right along without a hitch.
Great car counts in all the classes.
The 250 was so unpredictable. Who would have thought that the fastest car would have won, congrats to Glen Luce. Joey Doiron was flying in the race, blew a motor though. Ranstrom had tire issues during the race and parked it because he was a couple laps down and in the way.
The media presence was great too, and not just from RACECT staff. Had friends in the south watch the $29.99 pay-per view on Sunday and they loved it, only had one 30 second spot where it “froze up”.
Chris, Mike, there are some pretty big modified races ran this year with the tri track. Two more at Waterford in the next two months. No they don’t pay 30,000 to win but are pretty big shows either way.
Chris: That LCQ race was a quality field. Just really happy with the whole weekend at OPS.
Paul: You nailed it. Mayberry put on a hell of a show.
Rich: I’m a modified fan, first and foremost. I really appreciate what the Tri-Track guys are doing.
But I would love to see the mods have a race like the 250. One-day event. No time trials. Big lap money. And a boatload of money to win. I’d run it at Seekonk or Thompson.
Just a wish 🙂