The Quebec tour driver dominates the ACT race; Travis Adams earns a spot in tonight’s True Value 250.
OXFORD – When Patrick Laperle crossed the finish line Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway, there were tears in his eyes. A few seconds later, as Travis Adams flat-footed it across the stripe, he was hooting and hollering.
Why all this emotion? Must be True Value 250 weekend.
Laperle, the only Quebec driver on the speedway grounds this weekend, dominated the second half of the ACT Dodge Tour Maine-ly Action Sports 100 Saturday night.
His weekend isn’t over, either. The 27-year-old Laperle will park his Late Model Sportsman car, climb into a Pro Stock and attempt to qualify for today’s True Value 250. His uncle, Roger, qualified for Oxford’s crown jewel five times in his career.
“To win at Oxford is unbelievable,” said Laperle. “There were tears in my eyes the last two laps. This is so great.”
There was no crying for Adams, and thanks to his seventh-place effort in the 100, there wasn’t much rest for those eyes coming later Saturday night.
As the top OPS regular, the Canton driver earned a provisional starting spot in today’s 250. It will be his first start in anything above a Late Model Sportsman car, provided he starts each of his qualifying races. His team also wil have to make some overnight changes to upgrade their car to Pro Stock specifications.
“Realistically, we’d like to finish in the top 20. Top 15 would be a gift,” said Adams. “Maybe we can avoid the wrecks and finish there. We won’t have as much motor as a lot of these Pro Stock guys.”
Adams, whose neon green car with the hot-pink numerals was tarnished with black tire doughnuts after several tense, side-by-side battles up front, nosed out Shawn Martin for the honor.
“The tour drivers came at us with both barrels. That’s what we expected,” Adams said. “I’ve never worked so hard for seventh place in my life.”
Laperle led six ACT Dodge Tour challengers under the checkered flag. Todd Stone, Phil Scott, Dave Pembroke, Derek Lynch and Brent Dragon followed.
It was a measure of revenge for the tour regulars, who were beaten by home track favorites Ryan Moore and Ricky Rolfe in their first two appearances at Oxford.
Adams won his heat and led 38 of the first 39 laps before yielding to Chad Wheeler.
Wheeler took four laps to get completely around Laperle, moving in front on lap 43. Laperle followed him to the inside two laps later and took command on a lap 56 restart following a spin by Eric Williams.
He survived eight caution flags, three as the leader, for his first ACT win of the season and the fifth of his career.
Wheeler and Pembroke bumped briefly while scrambling for second late in the race, triggering a chain-reaction wreck deep in the field. Wheeler’s hopes of victory ended when his right front tire went flat as the field sped up for the restart.
“I just missed the wreck,” said Stone.
Laperle held off Stone by four car lengths.
In early feature action, after two-and-a-half seasons of trying, including a 2003 campaign that finds him in the top 10 in two different divisions at the halfway juncture, David Raymond achieved his first OPS win in a 25-lap Limited Sportsman sprint.
Raymond surged from third to first in less than a quarter-mile following a lap 5 restart. From there, he pulled away from Doug Poland and division dominators Kenny Harrison and Carey Martin by more than a dozen car lengths in an uninterrupted run to the finish.
“I don’t have to wait anymore,” said Raymond.
Harrison, a five-time feature winner, outmaneuvered Doug Poland for second on the final lap. Martin and early leader Chuck Estes crossed the stripe fourth and fifth.
Raymond earned a provisional starting spot in the ACT Dodge Tour finale. He was the top-ranking OPS driver not to make the field through four heats and a pair of consolation events.
“I’m starting last (37th), so if I win that one it will be quite a show,” Raymond said.
He finished 33rd.
Joe Hutter, Chris Coolidge and Billy Childs Sr. also went to the winner’s circle in supporting features.
Hutter reeled in rookie Glenn Hall and made the winning move to the inside with less than three laps remaining, claiming his second Strictly Stock ‘A’ feature victory of the season. Hall edged fellow freshman driver Bob Crocker for second, with division point leader Gerry Burgess fourth and Jon Brill fifth.
Coolidge cruised to his third Strictly Stock ‘B’ victory in the last five weeks. He led by approximately a half-lap prior to a caution flag with four laps to go and easily outdistanced Bill Dunphy after the ensuing restart. Rusty Gaghan edged Skip Tripp at the line to finish third, just ahead of Jerry Sirois.
Childs patiently forged to the front of the Mini Stock field in a caution-free, 20-lap event for his division-leading fourth triumph of the year. Ralph Felker led the first seven circuits before departing with a fluid leak. Rookie racer Larry Melcher set the pace the next seven times around and offered Childs a few moments of resistance before the point leader drove around him and accelerated to victory.
Melcher and Dan Sirois were second and third, the best finish of the summer for both. Terry Warren and Steve Barker rounded out the top five in a 27-car field.
koakes
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