Rick Rolfe becomes the first freshman driver to win the crown in the premier class.
OXFORD – The word “rookie” might be a misnomer with Ricky Rolfe. After two decades of driving at Oxford Plains Speedway, one of New England’s most competitive Pro Stock divisions didn’t frighten him a bit.
Rolfe made OPS history Saturday night, becoming the first freshman driver to capture the championship in the speedway’s premier class.
Last year’s Late Model Stock champion from Albany Township is only the fifth OPS driver to win championships in two different divisions. He accomplished the feat thanks to consistency, never leading a lap while enjoying only one finish higher than fifth.
“I ain’t slept for two weeks,” Rolfe said. “I just wanted to keep my head on straight, follow (points runner-up) Andy Shaw and do what I had to do.”
Rolfe finished ninth in the race. Scott King won the 35-lapper.
Winners were in abundance in the final regular season race.
Track titles also went to Travis Adams of Canton (Late Model Stock), Carey Martin of Denmark (Limited Sportsman), Peter Hafford of Greene (Strictly Stock) and Billy Childs Sr. of Leeds (Mini Stock).
King, Mike Stickney, Steve Bennett Jr., Chris Coolidge and brothers Jerry and Rich Sirois were feature winners, while Tommy Tompkins, Ricky Morse, David Raymond, Chris Coolidge and Childs went home with the season-ending Triple Crown Series trophies.
Adams played Corey Morgan’s shadow, following his closest rival to a ninth-place finish and wrapping up the title by eight points. The effort capped a whirlwind campaign that began ominously with an offseason broken ankle and early-season engine troubles.
“This was five years in the making,” said Adams. “I used to sit in the grandstands and watch these guys. We’ve climbed the mountain, and now we’re champions.”
Five drivers finished within 28 points atop the LMS division, where Stickney became the ninth different feature winner.
Martin owned his record fourth Limited Sportsman crown as soon as ths green light appeared in the 25-lap feature.
A three-race winning streak in early June propelled him to the lead over Kenny Harrison and his first points conquest since 1993.
“Ten years ago is a long time, but I did take seven years off,” Martin said.
Martin finished second to Bennett Jr. in the finale.
While Coolidge clinched the T-C title with his sixth win in the Strictly Stock ‘A’ sprint, Hafford needed only a 14th-place finish to clinch his first championship by 28 points over Bob Crocker.
“I didn’t care if I finished first or last. I just knew I needed to finish close to Bob,” Hafford said.
In one of the most memorable victory laps ever, Jerry Sirois celebrated his first-ever Strictly Stock ‘B’ victory and first checkered flag of any kind in seven years by spinning his car into a light pole.
Rich Sirois snagged his third Mini Stock win of the season by an overwhelming margin over Childs, but no cushion at the track was as immense as Childs’ 161-point surplus over last year’s champion Butch Keene for the Mini Stock title.
“I have to thank all the fans who come and cheer for me every week,” said Childs, “and even the ones that boo.”
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