August 10, 2026 — Oxford, ME — Alexendre “Fireball” Tardif served up an inferno at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, August 9, to win the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Tune-Up to the 250. The Notre-Dame-Des-Pin, Quebec resident started from the pole and never looked back on the way to his first PASS victory in the final visit to Oxford before Nitro Trailers Oxford 250 Weekend.
By scorching the field on a packed day of racing, Tardif became the third first-time PASS winner of the 2026 season. He is also the first Quebec-based driver to win a PASS event since Patrick Laperle in June of 2015.
The only serious challenge Tardif faced came in the early stages of the event when Johnny Clark and then Corey Bubar put pressure on the first-year PASS racer. Bubar got to draw alongside Tardif following the lone caution on lap 28 when Travis Stearns came to a halt with a flat right-rear tire, giving the veteran his best chance at the top spot.
Although Bubar was able to hang with Tardif for a spell, he and Clark eventually dropped back, unable to maintain Tardif’s torrid pace. They gave way to Jimmy Renfrew and Gabe Brown, both long-distance feature winners at Oxford already in 2026.
Tardif, though, was not to be denied, deftly working his way through traffic and eventually lapping up to 12th place in the 28-car field. Renfrew, who had drifted back as far as 15th in the early stages, acknowledged after the race that he had used too much of his car charging through the field to have anything left to contend for the win. As such, Tardif took the victory by 6.405 seconds, announcing himself as a legitimate Oxford 250 contender.
Renfrew and Brown were second and third, with the latter making serious gains in the PASS North championship chase, as point leader D.J. Shaw muddled home to a 12th-place result. Cole Robe, Trevor Sanborn, Garrett Hall, Clark, Brandon Varney, Derrick Griffith, and Eddie MacDonald filled out the rest of the top 10.
In the Kennebec Equipment Rental PASS Modifieds, hometown favorite Bill Penfold dazzled the field and delighted the crowd on the way to his first win of the season. The 64-year-old’s day began by charging back from a flat tire to finish second in his heat race, which eventually earned him the pole for the 50-lap main event.
Penfold took it from there, manhandling his machine around the 3/8-mile oval to keep the pack at bay. Teenager Jacoby Maines proved to be Penfold’s closest adversary, even nudging ahead for two circuits following a lap-nine caution. But Penfold proved too strong, holding the inside line and getting stronger on the long runs.
Maines had a final chance on a restart with 15 laps to go, which ironically came after Penfold’s son Mike spun. The elder Penfold, though, brought it home, beating out the kids for his first victory at Oxford since 1992.
Another teen, Cody Macomber, grabbed the third spot with two laps to go when Tyler Connolly got together with a lapped car, setting Connolly back to fourth in the final rundown. Ricky Thompson Jr., Logan Spencer, point leader Spencer Morse, Jeremy Davis, Reed Reno, and Chanler Harrison were fifth through tenth.
The Tune-Up to the 250 was part of a massive Sunday at Oxford Plains Speedway brought about by a Saturday rainout. With the entire Oxford Championship Series weekly racing card moved to Sunday, fans were treated to nine divisions of fantastic action.
Renfrew’s runner-up in the PASS main event came not long after he triumphed in the Mid-Coast Excavation Super Late Model 50-lap feature. The Candia, New Hampshire standout flew through the field to grab the lead from Tom Abele Jr. on the 22nd circuit and cruised to victory after a mid-race caution.
D.J. Shaw also did double-duty and came home second. Brandon Barker roared from 12th to 3rd and unofficially took the points lead with just two weekly features remaining. Dave Farrington Jr. and Abele completed the top five.
The KHM Thunder Stocks were also in the spotlight with a 50-lap special that saw Tyler Moore grab his fourth win of the season. After stalking leader Jacob Aptt for most of the event, Moore took advantage of an opening to grab the lead with seven laps remaining.
Shane Farrar also walked through the door and took second. Appt, Joe Turner, and Moore’s brother Spencer rounded out the top five.
Wade Gelinas took his sixth Dow Excavating Limited Sportsmen feature of the year in an epic clash with Shawn Knight. After Gelinas chased down Knight, the duo ran the last 10-plus circuits of the 35-lap feature wheel to wheel with Gelinas rolling on the outside. Knight made a last bid in the final corners which led to slight contact, but both held on, and Gelinas muscled across the finish line first.
Former champion Jordan Russell completed the podium. Chris Foster was fourth with point leader Kyle Treadwell in fifth.
It was a brotherly affair in the Street Stocks as Billy Childs Jr. held off his brother Jimmy for the victory. Jimmy tracked down Billy late in the 30-lap feature but ran out of time to make a move on the defending champion. Will Dunphy finished third followed by Spencer Barth and Rick Spaulding.
Nick Hoyt made quick work in the 20-lap feature for the Green Lawn Solutions Mad Bombers, needing only seven circuits to charge from the 11th starting position to the lead. It was no contest from there as Hoyt grabbed his second win of the season. Cody Billing came home second followed by Josh Cook, Cole McIntire, and Adam Stearns.
Ricky Austin held off the pack to win a wild 207 Flight School Runnin’ Rebel main event. Point leader Gunnar Josselyn slipped through a late scrum to finish second ahead of Chance Childs. Ryder Cyer copped his second Aroma Joe’s Rookie victory this year with Mason Willis and Lucas Russell earning trophies.
The Pro All Stars Series travels to Riverside Speedway in Groveton, New Hampshire on Sunday, August 16 at 2:00pm. The make-up event is a doubleheader with the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour that also includes the Kennebec Equipment Rental PASS Mods and ACT Twin State Flying Tiger Series. Oxford weekly racing continues on Saturday, August 16, 6:00pm with the Plant’s Seafood 100, which is a Nitro Trailers Oxford 250 qualifier. Visit www.proallstarsseries.com or www.oxfordplains.com for more information.
