Evan Roy Joins Wave of First-Time Winners in Oxford Championship Series Super Late Models

It's been a summer full of first-time winners in the Super Late Model division at Oxford Plains Speedway, and that trend continued Saturday night.

Evan Roy scored his first career Oxford Championship Series Super Late Model win on Saturday, becoming the fourth new winner in the series this year. Other first-time winners this season include Dominic Curit, Sylas Ripley and Dalton Gagnon.

Roy, who is in contention with Curit and another race winner in Brandon Varney for the division's Rookie of the Year title, acknowledged the growing list of new winners after he joined the club on Saturday

"I really just can't believe this," said Roy in victory lane. "It's going to take a while to sink in. I was waiting for it, everybody was getting their first wins. I can't seem to draw good and it seems the tires are different every week, it's a big battle."

Roy took the lead from three-time Oxford 250 winner Travis Benjamin on a late-race restart, passing Benjamin out of turn two with three laps to go. There was some contact between the two drivers, but Benjamin said his trouble started when he clipped the curb that lines the inside of the corners at Oxford Plains.

"We had a great car," said Benjamin. "I have a tendency to save too much and say, oh. I'll get there at the end. I felt like I ran too much tonight, I should have backed it up a little bit. I messed up going into one. I got on the lip a little bit, and Evan got in there. It was a great race. Congratulations to him."

"I know [Benjamin] had four new tires today, or at least I thought he did," said Roy. "I appreciate him. He admitted to sliding up the track a little bit. I don't race like that, but I know I got into him a little bit. I appreciate him for taking the blame there."

Austin Teras rounded out the podium, making up some ground in the Oxford Championship Series points battle after entering the evening fifth in the standings.

"I think we spent more time in the third groove than any other groove," said Teras. "It was way more grip up there than on the bottom. We were fifth on that last restart and got put sixth, but made the best of it."

Garrett Lamb finished fourth, with Calvin Rose, Jr. rounding out the top five.

Many of these Super Late Model teams will race again on Sunday at Oxford Plains Speedway alongside the touring competitors of the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model Series. The PASS Super Late Models will go for 150 laps at Oxford Plains on August 4, with the green flag waving at 4 p.m. for heat racing.

-Photo credit: Oriana Lovell, O.L. Photos

Oxford Championship Series Unofficial Results - August 3