OXFORD – It’s been said over the long, rich history of the prestigous 250 at Oxford that action in the qualifying heats is easily worth the price of admission. With over 80 entries looking to secure one of 36 sacred starting positions for the “big dance,” it can get pretty intense in a hurry.

That was the case again Sunday, as the best Pro Stock drivers from across the eastern United States and Canada went head-to-head for those coveted starting spots. There were some big names that qualified directly through their 20-lap heats, and some big names that had to make the show through consolation rounds.

In the first of six crucial heats, Johnny Clark started on the pole and led wire-to-wire for the win and the coveted pole position for the Banknorth 250. Henry Hudson III of Harrison finished second, while 2003 OPS track champion Ricky Rolfe and Steve Knowlton came home third and fourth to earn the final transfer positions.

In heat No. 2, multi-time Oxford winner Mike Rowe of Turner started out front and stayed there for the distance. Tracy Gordon worked his way through the field to finish second, while Bill Rogers and Paul Bosse completed the top four. Oxford regular Scott King suffered damage to his machine and was relegated to one of three consolation rounds.

Dale Shaw was the man to beat in the third qualifying heat, a race which saw Oxford regular Jeff White of Winthrop penalized for rough driving. White spun leader Ted Christopher on lap nine and was promptly sent to the rear. Shaw easily held off eight-time OPS champion Jeff Taylor for the win, with Glen Luce and Scott Chubbuck earning the other transfer spots.

Heat No. 4 saw veteran Stan Meserve lead the field to green with NASCAR Nextel Cup Series star Kurt Busch fourth on the grid. Meserve quickly distanced himself from the field while Busch ran into trouble. He was forced to swing wide going into Turn 3 to avoid a spinning car and lost several positions. Meserve cruised to an easy win while Scott Mulkern, Toni Ricci and Travis Kheil earned their way into the big show.

Kevin Kimball started out front in the fifth heat, leading Canada’s Lonie Somerville and Chuck Lachance down into turn one. Timmy Brackett, another of the popular OPS weekly warriors, fought to get free of traffic but failed to get into a qualified position. Kimball pulled down the win with 2001 race winner Gary Drew second and Jarod Robie third. Brockie Gerry earned the final transfer position.

ACT Dodge Tour regular Patrick Laperle started on the pole for Heat No. 6, with Alan Wilson of Hebron alongside. Former OPS regular Sam Sessions of South Paris made a strong move to the front mid-race and drove to the win, while Laperle kept his cool and finished second. Veteran Al Hammond and Kirk Thibeau finished third and fourth.

In the first of three 20-lap consolation rounds, the time to boogie had arrived. Last year’s 250 winner Ben Rowe was the man on a mission, taking the lead from Cassius Clark on lap three and driving home for the win. Clark hung on to finish second, while Mike Maietta Sr. and Dan McKeage followed.

The second consolation round saw a stellar performance from a NASCAR invader. Busch knew he needed a good run to avoid running the 50-lap “last chance” qualifying event. He showed his short track prowess, holding onto the fourth and final transfer position while Bill Whorff Jr. was forced to the front row of the infamous “Hooligans” race. Larry Gelinas, the 1996 250 winner, drove to the win with Andy Saunders of Ellsworth and Donnie Whitten of Biddeford finishing second and third.

Wilson would get his opportunity to make the big show in third consolation round, but it wouldn’t be easy. Nextel Cup champ Matt Kenseth didn’t fare much better this time around, spinning out on the backstretch on lap four. Wilson made an impressive charge up the outside for the lead in the closing laps, but fell just short. Jay Sands cruised to the win while Mike Maietta Jr. and Glenn Josselyn secured spots in the race.

Whorff Jr. knew what he needed to accomplish in the last-chance qualifier. The Topsham native held of a hard-charging Richie Dearborn to notch the win and earn a spot in New England’s biggest short track extravaganza. Richie Dearborn and Andy Shaw finished second and third to miss out on the show.

Timmy Brackett and Ricky Morse were awarded provisional starting spots based on their current ranking in Oxford’s weekly points standings, while Kenseth made the show via a special provisional created for the reigning Nextel Cup Series champion.