Trevor Sanborn Dominates Mid-Week PASS Oxford 250 Tuneup

Trevor Sanborn made an emphatic statement Tuesday in the final Pro All Stars Series (PASS) race at Oxford Plains Speedway before the 51st Annual Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Oxford 250.

The leader in Oxford Plains' Super Late Model track championship standings, Sanborn passed Gabe Brown on lap 40 and led the rest of the way for a dominant victory in the Pierson Heating & Cooling 150.

When the checkered flag fell, Sanborn finished more than a second ahead of D.J. Shaw, with Brown finishing third.

"It was a heck of a race," said Sanborn in victory lane. "I wasn't sure if I could get Gabe [Brown] on the outside there. We wore him down a little bit. He was getting tight and we were rolling good. The car just fired off really good. It was a rocket."

Five-time PASS North champion D.J. Shaw will be seeking the first Oxford 250 win of his illustrious career on August 23-25. Tuesday's race was a strong showing to build towards that objective, but not quite enough to contend with Sanborn for the win.

"It was a good race there," said Shaw. "A lot of long green runs there. We just didn't have enough for the 44 [of Sanborn] there. Fired off terrible tonight. It seemed to come around as we went, but it doesn't matter when the leader can pull away to a straightaway lead. They were pretty dominant. Congrats to them. Another win here in short time, they're going to be tough to beat come the end of August."

Meanwhile, the podium showing was a big bounceback effort for Brown. The New Hampshire driver finished 19th in his last two PASS starts, including an accident at White Mountain Motorsports Park on July 14.

"We are a lot better than we were," said Brown. "I can't thank all my guys enough for working today on this Tuesday, coming out and helping me. Donnie for coming up on Sunday and helping me get this thing back together. We've been taking a little bit of a break since we've been struggling a little bit. D.J. completely went through the car for me and it was a lot better than it has been."

Derek Kneeland, the spotter for Kyle Busch at Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, took advantage of a few more days left in the Olympic Break to take part in the 150-lapper. Kneeland was rewarded with a fourth-place showing, his best career finish in PASS. Dennis Spencer rounded out the top five.

While much of the second half of the race took place under the green flag, the race saw a rough start with a multi-car incident. Five drivers saw their nights end in the incident, with T.J. Brackett taking the hardest shot against the frontstretch wall. Brackett climbed out under his own power.

The Oxford Championship Series races on Saturday, August 10, offering one final racing test ahead of the Oxford 250. That race includes a 100-lap qualifier for the Oxford 250.

The PASS Super Late Models will race on Friday, August 9 at Star Speedway and Wednesday, August 14 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

-Photo credit: Pro All Stars Series

Pierson Heating & Cooling 150 Unofficial Results