Story courtesy of Racing America

Brandon Barker added his name to the list of Oxford 250 winners on Sunday, claiming the 53rd Annual Nitro Trailers Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Barker dominated the second stanza of a race that truly proved to be the tale of two halves. Rainfall interrupted the prestigious event after 126 of 250 scheduled laps, with Barker running second to Gabe Brown at the time of the red flag.

Oxford Plains Speedway and Pro All Stars Series officials committed to making every effort to complete the full, 250-lap scheduled distance, with intense track-drying efforts following the rain. At approximately 11:30 p.m. local time, the race resumed, and Barker took the lead shortly thereafter when Brown went to pit road.

When a caution flew with 46 laps to go, Barker, leader D.J. Shaw and many others pitted, while others stayed out to gain track position. Barker restarted ninth, but picked up several spots as Cory Hall made contact with Scott McDaniel on the restart, who then slid into Bubba Pollard.

Barker took the lead for the final time on lap 212, pacing the remaining 38 laps for his first Oxford 250 victory in his ninth attempt in the crown jewel event.

"A lot of people to thank," said Barker in victory lane. "I couldn't do this without so many people. My parents couldn't afford it, so guys like Jimmy Burgess stepped up, Sam and Jaimy Snow, Sam Snow Construction, Archie St. Hilaire, them guys at Landshark, Kyle, Eric and Mickey.

"A good day in the 250 for me would be, maybe, a top-10. Being able to work with these guys, they boost my confidence so much and the cars are so good."

Especially after the lengthy delay that pushed the Oxford 250 into the early hours of Monday morning, the victory lane celebration felt too good to be true for Barker.

"It's surreal right now, but I think we've got a lot of beer in the cooler, still. We'll probably see the sun come up this morning."

Johnny Clark, the 2020 Oxford 250 winner, finished second, marking his eighth career top-five finish in the event in 22 attempts. However, he took very little credit for Sunday's performance.

"We didn't have a second-place car," Clark admitted. "The guys pulled off an unbelievable pit stop. We went into the pits, and my brother was telling me, you've just got to maintain. They put two tires on when a lot of people hit pit road on lap 90-something. We put rears on, and the thing was brutal tight.

"It started to come around, and then rain came. We didn't know what the track was going to do, but I could tell you it tightens up real bad. I was a sitting duck on the outside, and we fell back to 12th or something.

"We went into the pits around there and came out, D.J. [Shaw] was the only one to beat us out of the pits. It's all to them why we're standing here with a second-place trophy. I can't thank them enough."

Joey Doiron finished third, his fourth time on the podium in the Oxford 250. Doiron entered the evening still searching for his first victory in the event after rattling off top-10 finishes in six consecutive attempts between 2018 and 2024.

However, Doiron took little joy in his third-place result, offering his apologies to D.J. Shaw for contact between the two drivers in the final 50 laps.

"I've just got to apologize to D.J. I just got in there, I hadn't been loose in all day," said Doiron. "I just made a mistake. I just got in there, tried to stay off him, but we were so close, there was nothing that I could do. I've been on the other end of that before, so I'm hoping we can talk it out. We'll see."

Ryan Kuhn finished fourth, while Alexendre Tardif recovered from an up-and-down evening to finish fifth.

Oxford 250 proceedings started on Sunday with five heat races after the blind draw to determine the qualifying race lineups. Barker won the fifth heat race to earn the fifth starting spot on the grid, behind fellow heat race winners Tardif, Shaw, McDaniel, and Garrett Hall.

Derek Griffith, Doiron, and Caden Kvapil won the two consolation races that followed, with Troy Patterson winning the Last Chance Race.

Barker will have a chance at more Oxford Plains Speedway glory next Monday, September 7. The Labor Day event marks the finale for the Oxford Championship Series, including a 100-lap feature for the Mid-Coast Excavation Super Late Models. Barker enters the finale one point behind seven-time track champion Mike Rowe in the points standings.

Photo by Pro All Stars Series

Story courtesy of Racing America

Trevor Sanborn started his Oxford 250 weekend in dramatic fashion, driving through the field to win the PASS 150 on Friday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.

After starting near the rear of the field and making an early pit stop, Sanborn worked his way through the field in Friday's Super Late Model feature. Sanborn took the lead inside of 20 laps to go and pulled away to the win.

"The first pit stop we made there, I wasn't sure we could get back through that," said Sanborn in victory lane. "They kept saying on the radio, you're faster than the leader, you're faster than the leader. We just kept trucking."

Any PASS win at Oxford Plains Speedway is an accomplishment worthy of celebration. However, this win also sets the tone for Oxford 250 weekend. The Super Late Models will be back in action for the crown jewel event on Sunday, August 30.

"Man, that really pumps me up for Sunday," Sanborn said. "I don't care where we start in that race. We've got a good car."

During the closing laps, Sanborn was part of a fierce multi-car battle for the lead which included the likes of Garrett Hall, Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. and Cory Hall.

Garrett Hall finished second, happy to secure a strong finish with a car that was not quite handling to his liking.

"I knew at the start of the race we were a little too free," said Hall. "I was able to hold off on the outside there when the 00 moved me up. I was able to hold him off and we had a pretty decent run. I thought we were going to be able to hold the guys off. The last stretch of cautions, the right-rear was gone."

Renfrew finished third to round out the podium. He is eager to take notes from Friday's race and apply them for the rest of the weekend in his pursuit of Oxford 250 glory on Sunday.

"I just never quite got the track position there. I was never able to quite clear for the lead there. I tried to be consistent. We know what we need now for the 250. Another podium here in PASS, so I can't complain at all.

"I can't thank all my guys enough for working on this thing all day long. I think we're going to have a real good shot on Sunday. Hopefully, between the three of us, we put on a show for you fans out there and gave you a bit of a glimpse of what it's going to look like on Sunday."

D.J. Shaw finished fourth, with Cory Hall rounding out the top five.

The Oxford 250 weekend continues on Saturday, August 29 with racing for the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour, NEMA Midgets, NEMA Lites, Kennebec Equipment Rental PASS Modifieds and more. The weekend concludes on Sunday, August 30 with the 53rd Annual Nitro Trailers Oxford 250.

Photo by Jimmy Wiggin Speedway Images

August 25, 2026 — Oxford, Maine — Over 50 drivers have already put their name into the mix for the 53^rd Annual Nitro Trailers Oxford 250 on Sunday, August 30.  With the caliber of talent on the entry list already, one of the nation’s biggest and most popular short track races promises to be another exciting, unpredictable affair.  The question becomes which drivers are the favorites to hold the trophy, the big check, and the immortality that comes with being an Oxford 250 winner.

Thirty-eight different drivers have triumphed in the 52 editions of the Oxford 250 since the inaugural event in 1974. The historic race has proven a difficult conquest for many, and through the first 52 rounds, no driver has won more than three times. Nevertheless, former winners should be given high consideration when making predictions for the 53rd running of the one-day extravaganza.

Six former winners are currently on the entry list, accounting for ten 250 championships, including father-son duo Mike and Ben Rowe.  It’s not every day that a 76-year-old driver is considered a favorite, but most 76-year-olds aren’t Mike Rowe.  Rowe has been competing weekly at OPS in 2026, and as of this writing, has scored a win and is in a multi-way championship battle. Ben Rowe is a two-time champion of the race and has showed no signs of slowing on the track when he comes to race.

The same can be said for Johnny Clark, Scott Robbins, and two-time winner Eddie Macdonald.  Bubba Pollard, the 2018 champion, recently filed his entry and will chase a second crown. All six of these drivers can win on August 30.

Among drivers who have yet to win the Oxford 250 is a quartet of drivers universally acknowledged to be in their prime.  D.J. Shaw, Derek Griffith, Joey Doiron, and Garrett Hall are on the short list of favorites. As a nine-time PASS champion, there’s no question D.J. Shaw is one of the great modern Super Late Model racers. Yet the Oxford 250 has escaped him in 15 previous attempts. His three straight third-place finishes have been a textbook case of “close but no cigar.” However, Shaw scored a thrilling win in this year’s Celebration of America 300, potentially setting him up to finally break through.

Derek Griffith is also among the contemporary Super Late Model greats with two PASS National championships and 23 PASS wins, including three at Oxford. In 11 Oxford 250 tries, his best result is a second in 2019, and he is trying to do one better this year. Garrett Hall has had a bit of a resurgence in the last two years after snapping a three-year winless drought about 18 months ago.

Joey Doiron, who was the inaugural Celebration of America 300 winner, is another driver who has come oh so close but has not yet crossed the line P1. Trevor Sanborn, Mike Hopkins, Travis Stearns, Dennis Spencer Jr. and Dave Farrington Jr. have all had success at the tricky 3/8 mile oval and could land in Nitro Trailers Oxford 250 victory lane.

The group that has been a force in the last few years is the under-30 contingent.  Many these drivers started racing karts as kids and participate in IRacing on a regular basis. Many in this group have had their learning curve accelerated dramatically, so by the time they ascend to compete in the Oxford 250, they have enough “seat time” to be considered threats to win.

Jimmy Renfrew Jr. leads this list of drivers.  With success up and down the eastern seaboard, Renfrew has four wins in 2026 between PASS and Oxford Super Late Model action. Gabe Brown and Alexandre Tardif are two other perennial front-runners no matter what kind of car they wheel.  Sylas Ripley and Cole Robie are not yet old enough to vote, but have both proven they can run near the front on a big stage.  Add drivers like Ryan Kuhn, Kate Re, and Kaiden Fisher, and it’s entirely possible someone from this group will stand atop the podium at the end of the night.

Among weekly Oxford Super Late Model racers, plenty of contenders should be given serious thought. Brandon Barker is the point leader at post time and has scored a league-leading three wins in weekly competition. Add a PASS triumph at Lee USA Speedway early in the year, and the #88 is a driver to keep an eye on. Brandon Varney spent 2025 on the PASS tour and came home as the Rookie of the Year and PASS National Champion. The year 2026 has seen him concentrate on weekly racing at Oxford, garnering a pair of wins and a multitude of top-fives.  Scott McDaniel is the defending champion and is always a threat to win while Tom Abele Jr. has been a model of consistency throughout his campaign. 

But you don’t have to be a full-timer with PASS or Oxford Plains Speedway to upset the apple cart. Several outsiders have entered the fray for the 53^rd annual Nitro Trailers Oxford 250. Southern star Caden Kvapil, the current CARS Tour Late Model Stock point leader based out of North Carolina, will be at the helm of Archie St. Hilaire’s GoFas Racing #32.

Joining him will be Georgia’s Casey Roderick, a former All-American 400 and Rattler winner, who will be behind the wheel of a Kate Re Motorsports machine.  Northern transplant and modified driver John-Michael Shenette has leased a car from Tom Abele Jr. and looks to make his first SLM start at OPS.  Another invader, New Brunswick’s Cory Hall, is always a threat to win and will drive a machine prepared by former Oxford 250 winner Jeremie Whorff. Part-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competitor Alex Labbe is another late entry and will try, along with Tardif, to become the first Quebeois to win the Oxford 250.

The one thing we know is that anything can happen at the Oxford 250. We have seen it before and could see it again.  There are another 25-plus names that could surprise everyone and wear the victory wreath at the end of the night.   From Southern interlopers to established track and touring champions, massive upsets, utter domination, and more, fans have seen a lot of names on top in the 52-year history of this event. We’re certain the 53^rd Nitro Trailers Oxford 250 has plenty of storylines and surprises in store, and we can’t wait for the green flag to fly!

For more information on Oxford Plains Speedway, visit www.oxfordplains.com.

For more information on the Pro All Stars Series, visit www.proallstarsseries.com.

To take advantage of marketing opportunities with the Pro All Stars Series or Oxford Plains Speedway, or to purchase lap sponsorships for the Oxford 250, please call 207-577-1836 or inquire at OPSmarketing50@gmail.com.

For technical information concerning all PASS divisions, please contact passracing@roadrunner.com or call Jason Ricker at 704-881-4429.

Don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series, OPS, NESS, and the PASS MODS Touring Series on Facebook: 

facebook.com/ProAllStarsSeries

facebook.com/p/Official-Page-of-Oxford-Plains-Speedway

https://www.facebook.com/NESupers

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Photos by Norm Marx