OXFORD – Wayne Warren didn’t pick up the bonus points or the $250 cash. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Warren easily won the first two segments of the Mini Stock Iron Man competition at Oxford Plains Speedway Saturday night, but a flip of the coin sent him to the rear of the field for the deciding third leg.

Despite the handicap, Warren just missed getting to the podium anyway as he worked his way up to a fourth-place finish.

The event was won by Ted Audet, who took the lead in the final turn of the last lap. Audet had followed Bill Thibeault for 17 of the 20 laps. As the pair raced to the checkered flag, Audet went low and Thibeault got caught behind a slower car, spinning them both out.

“That was a wild finish, said Audet. “I had closed in on Bill Thibeault but my tires got too hot so I backed off. Then I tried again. He gave me room on the inside and he got caught behind Danny Morris.”

The change in the last lap moved the field up on position. Joe Treadwell ended up second.

“Dave Mooney drove for me last year and was successful,” said Treadwell. “My thanks to him but I knew I had to get to victory lane myself and here I am.”

Butch Keene, who ran strong all three segments finished third while Craig Wade was fifth.

In the first segment of the Mini Stock competition, Wayne Warren took the lead from Scott Audet on lap 15 of the 20-lap event. Audet, who started on the outside of the front row, took command early and led until Warren got past him.

In the second 20-lap segment, Warren picked up where he left off and led every lap. Scott Audet ran in second for the first half of the race. After a lap nine caution, he slipped to third with Treadwell moving up.

Shane Green reached a milestone with his fiftieth career win at the Oxford track in the 35-lap Limited Sportsman feature. Green led every lap and stretched the field out posting a large lead over second place finisher Troy Morse. Morse ran second for all but the first lap. Steve Bennett Jr. ran in that spot the first time around the oval and ran third the rest of the way.

“He (Green) was going pretty good,” said Morse. “I’ve got a pretty good car but he was quite a bit better than I was tonight.”

Green had no trouble with the field but as it turned out, he almost didn’t race at all and his success masked trouble with the car.

“We almost loaded it tonight (take it home), we’ve got a sick motor,” said Green. “I asked my brother if we should load it but he said run it. The motor’s coming out cause it sick. I had a good run though.”

Jerry Harrison was fourth and Dennis Spencer finished fifth.

It took a few tries to get the Oxford Networks 50-lap Pro Stock feature rolling but when it finally did, it was a sweep at the top by the Maiettas. Mike senior led all fifty laps to claim the win.

I wasn’t as easy for Mike junior. He didn’t crack the top five until lap eight when he moved into fourth place. He moved into third on lap 31. A restart on lap 38 brought the field together and he was able to pass Scott Robbins on lap 40. Robbins finished third.

“I think we gained a little bit today,” said Robbins. “I looked like a heck of a race from where I was from.”

Miaetta junior put the pressure on his father on the white-flag lap but could not make a final move.

“I thought I was just going to spin him out and go underneath him,” said Mike Maietta Jr. “But he pays the bills and is real good to me with this racing stuff. I would not have been able to drive around him but if it was anyone else I probably would have definately gotten under him.”

“Being behind me was a lucky thing I guess,” said the senior Maietta. “We got real loose at the end and I’d rather have him there than anyone else.”

Tim Brackett, Alan Wilson, and Tommy Tompkins rounded out the top five.

T.J. Brackett made the Lee Auto Mall 40-lap Late Model Stock feature seem easy as as the Buckfield resident led wire-to-wire.

Buddy Leavitt of New Gloucester chased Bracket for the first 22 laps. A caution on lap 20 helped shuffle the field enough and Leavitt finished fifth.

Dave Raymond and Ricky Morse took turns following the leader for the rest of the race with Morse in second for the checkered flag. Morse made the last ten laps as uncomfortable as possible for Brackett.

“I think it would be great starting from the rear,” said Brackett. “It weren’t too much fun from up front. We had motor problems last week so I have a lot of people to thank for tonight.”

For Morse, it was his second trip to the trophy stand in as many attempts this year. He finished third last week.

“Good job T.J,” said Morse. “The win will come and we will keep working on it. We gave it all we could give her tonight.”

Raymond was third and Travis Adams was fourth.

Zach Emerson took advantage of a Lap 12 caution, moving into the top spot on the restart and cruising to a win in the 30-lap Strictly Stock feature.

After a red flag when Brian Dennison was hit hard on the backstretch, Emerson was able to move into second place behind Kim Tripp but could not catch him.

The pair swapped slots in the restart and Emerson never looked back.

The real action in the feature was the battle behind him. Kim Tripp, Mike Short, and Phil Mitchell III battled it out, usually bumper-to-bumper.

Kim Tripp finished second, Short third, and Mitchell fifth. David Tripp was fourth.


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