By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

OXFORD – Mike Rowe has boasted a pretty fast car all season, and Sunday he needed it just to qualify for the TD Banknorth 250.

The two-time champion won the last chance qualifying race to earn a spot in the race. The last time Rowe failed to qualify was 1987.

“I haven’t been in one for a long time, and I hope I never get into another one,” said Rowe, just moments after earning a berth in his 29th 250. Rowe earned the 37th spot in the starting field.

It took a burst of speed in an early restart of the last chance race. Rowe started second behind Tim Brackett. After a yellow caution flag, Rowe got the jump on Brackett on the restart.

“I knew I had to get Timmy right off the bat,” said Rowe. “I let him go the first time. So I knew I had to get him on the restart. We had to get to the bottom and that worked out well for us. We got to the bottom, and we just had to sit there and cruise.”

Once Rowe got the lead, he never let it go. He held a commanding edge for much of the 50-lap affair to earn a spot.

Some drivers who weren’t so fortunate to were Kelly Moore, the 1995 NASCAR Busch North Series Champ. Bill Whorff Jr. and his son Jeremie also failed to qualify. Jeremie Whorff had been running well this season.

Rowe was in position to qualify in his first heat of the day in the afternoon. Rowe started in the third spot in Heat 4 and was in the top four late in the race when he fell back in the pack. Rowe was passed and couldn’t make up the distance through the traffic.

“It’s just racing,” he said.

In his consolation race, Rowe had plenty of competition.

Joining him in the second consolation race of the day were two-time defending champ Ben Rowe, Jeff Taylor, Kenseth, Alan Wilson, Jeremie Whorff and Moore.

Late in the race, Rowe went outside on Denis O’Blenis and then snuck by him on the inside around Turn 3. That put Rowe in the fourth spot with just laps to go, but O’Blenis, of Boundary Creek, New Brunswick, spun Rowe out in the straightaway.

“I pulled a good move on the guy, but he popped me there,” said Rowe. “The Canadian knew he had to be in fourth. So he got disqualified for dumping me.”

That put him in the last chance race, giving him the second spot behind Brackett. Brackett secured the 40th starting spot in the race thanks to being the current points leader at OPS. Ben Rowe also got in with a provisional as the defending champion. He started in the 39th slot.

“I don’t know when the last time was,” Mike Rowe said of competing in the last chance race. “It’s been a long time.”

Mike Rowe has only failed to qualify three times, in 1975, 1977 and 1987. He was the first Mainer to win the race in 1984. He also won in 1997.