By Phil Whipple,Staff Writer

OXFORD – Jim Childs picked the right time to go on a hot streak.

The Leeds driver posted his second consecutive Mini Stock victory and third of 2005 in a thrilling 100-lap climax to the season on Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Childs took the lead from 2004 champion Don Mooney on lap 73 and hung on for top honors, while Monney settled for second and Larry Melcher finished third. Bill Thibeault and Dave Mooney completed the top five, with seven cars finishing on the lead lap. Only two cautions slowed the pace, both for minor incidents.

Auburn native Danny Morris clinched the points championship, the third member of his family to earn a title at Oxford. His brother Chris was the 2001 Mini Stock champ, while father Ron used to dominate the old Charger division here at Oxford.

“That was one hard race,” said an excited Morris in Victory Lane. “I have a lot of people to thank, including my father and great sponsors. We all worked hard to get here, and now it’s time to celebrate with my family.”

Gary Drew, Travis Adams, Dennis Spencer Jr., Jim Davis Jr. and Jerry Freve were also feature winners on Bancroft Contracting/Falls Fencing night at the 3/8 mile oval.

In early action, Freve posted a wire-to-wire victory in the Strictly Stock B feature. The Buckfield driver started third on the 15-car grid but came out on top of a wild, three-wide dash into Turn 1 to lead the first lap. David Weir came from the 10th starting position to claim second, while B.J. Chapman finished third. Lewiston’s Ben Alden was fourth with Skip Turner fifth. Only one caution slowed the pace of this final points-paying race of 2005.

Davis notched his victory in the Strictly Stock A feature with another wire-to-wire performance. The Sabattus driver was followed closely the entire race by Jeff Moon who settled for second, while Rusty Gaghan held off a hard-charging Rick Tompson for third.

All eyes in this feature, however, were focused on Durham’s Larry Emerson, who became the first three-time Strictly Stock champion in the history of the division with an 11th-place finish.

“I didn’t really like driving that style of race tonight,” said Emerson. “We just did what we needed to do and stayed out of trouble. This is a great feeling to win a third title, and I have to thank all of my sponsors, family and crew for their support.”

Spencer put in the night’s most dramatic performance as he charged through the field to win the Limited Sportsman feature and record his fourth career championship at Oxford. The Norway native joins an elite list of four-time champions, truly a remarkable feat given today’s level of competition.

“I really wanted to win this one,” said an emotional Spencer. “It means so much to me, but it wouldn’t be possible without the help of a lot of people. We made some changes to the car a couple of weeks ago, and it’s really handling well now. It’s just a great way to cap off a successful season.”

Carey Martin came on strong in the closing laps to claim second, while Shawn Knight finished third. Kenny Harrison and Shane Green completed the top five.

Adams had the fans on their feet with his win in the 40-lap Lee Auto Mall Late Model Stock feature. The Canton driver took the lead from Chris Hatstat on lap 37 and passed cars almost at will on his way to victory. Hatstat got caught up in lapped traffic but managed to finish second, while Ron Charpentier Jr. of Wales was third. Tom Watson Jr. and Steve Reny ran within sight of the leaders the entire distance and rounded out the top five.

Although the LMS championship was locked up last week, Newcastle’s Chuck Colby raced hard and was proud of his accomplishment.

“We’ve been doing this for a lot of years, but I’ve never won a title until now,” said Colby. “I’ve really enjoyed racing at Oxford this year, and this class is full of great people. It feels great to have earned this championship over some tough racers.”

Drew took the lead from Corey Morgan and ran away with the Oxford Networks Pro Stock feature while Timmy Brackett narrowly earned his first-ever points championship. Scott Moore drove a smart race to claim second, while Bill Whorff Jr. of Topsham edged Jeff Taylor for third at the line. Early race leader Corey Morgan of Lewiston faded slightly at the finish but salvaged a solid fifth-place run.

After numerous feature wins and playing the role of bridesmaid all too often, Brackett was thrilled with his first championship.

“At the beginning of the race, I felt the title slipping away. But fortunately, we caught some breaks in the second half and worked our way up to a sixth-place finish,” said Brackett.

“I’ve tried awful hard to get here for years, and it feels as good as I hoped it would.”

Brackett is one of the more popular drivers at Oxford and his title drew hearty cheers from the fans.