OXFORD – Two-time champion Dennis Spencer Jr. held off a late-race challenge from Travis Adams to claim his first feature win of 2007 – the Superior Concrete Trophy Dash on Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Spencer led wire-to-wire in a race slowed by just two cautions, the second of which led to a three-lap sprint to the finish.

Rick Hebert, Dottie Patria, Sumner Sessions and Jim Childs were also feature winners on Superior Concrete night at the 3/8-mile western Maine oval.

Jon Brill of Sebago was in contention for much of the Late Model event, yet was sent to the rear by officials for his role in that lap-37 melee. Brill did not get up to speed as she should have on the restart, and it cost him a chance at the win. Spencer had pressure from not only Adams at the end, but from former NASCAR standout Eddie McDonald, as well, who was in town getting a feel for the car he’ll steer in this year’s prestigious TD Banknorth 250. McDonald, who enjoys the services of Auburn resident Rollie Lachance as crew chief, edged Adams for second at the line, while Shawn Martin and teenage sensation DJ Shaw completed the top five.

Shaw was perhaps the biggest story of the night, coming from 18th on the grid to post a top-five finish. At just 17, Shaw is a third-generation driver who earned a Late Model crown at New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park in 2006 in just his first year behind the wheel. Before that, he competed in the Friday night karting program at Oxford.

“It’s about time,” said an elated Spencer. “The crew has worked hard, and we had trouble the first couple of races. Now we have the Crazy Horse engine back in, and it’s got plenty of power. Travis made me earn this one tonight. It felt good to be able to hold him off for the win. Now we need to win a few more of these.”

McDonald was pleased with his performance, expressing his increasing comfort level when he competes at Oxford.

“The car was running awesome tonight,” said McDonald. “Rollie did a nice job of setting it up as usual. We’ve been playing with it every time we come back here, we think we’ve got a pretty good setup now. I’m happy for Dennis, he did a great job up front the whole race.”

Adams, of Canton, is always animated when he scores a podium finish, and this night was no different.

“I’m absolutely tickled with this third place run,” he said. “The car wasn’t quite as good as it was last week, but it wasn’t far off, and we know what we need to do to make it better. Overall, it was a very good run for the Decatur Repair/River Valley Grill Chevrolet.”

In earlier feature action, Hebert was awarded a victory in the Sport Truck division after apparent winner Jake Burns failed post-race technical inspection. Burns appeared to claim his third straight win of 2007 until the infraction was discovered. Hebert made a strong late-race challenge on Burns and was dialed in perfectly for track conditions. Marvin Hamilton piloted his truck to a solid third-place finish, while Lee Spurling and Eugene Corson completed the top five. Hamilton was later disqualified in post-race technical inspection.

Patria came out on top of a competitive feature for the Ladies division, the other of two Wednesday night divisions to join the program on a dry but chilly, overcast Saturday evening.

The Turner driver battled side-by-side for most of the event with Cathy Manchester, who led the first 10 circuits. Manchester hung on for second, while Patty Brannon led briefly and finished third. Elaine Chapman and Kelly Lizotte rounded out the top five in a caution-free affair.

Each week officials from Oxford are showcasing two of their entry-level classes as part of the weekly Saturday program. So far, it has proven to fill out the show quite nicely and has produced some exciting racing.

Sessions cruised to his second straight victory in a wild feature for the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Strictly Stock division. The Norway driver drove by Kim Tripp on lap nine and never looked back. Tommy Thompkins started 14th, fought his way to the front and went sliding across the finish line for second at the end, while Tripp claimed third. Matt Williams and Guy Childs completed the top five.

“I got a little nervous there once when we went three wide through Turn 3,” said Sessions. “With some of those guys, you can’t tell exactly what they’re going to do. But we got through it clean, and held them off at the finish. It’s great to be standing here again tonight.”

Childs found redemption for mechanical failure the previous week with a convincing victory in the 30-lap Mini Stock feature. The Leeds native has been the man to beat in this division, and most knew it was just a matter of time before he returned to Victory Lane. Justin Karkos, with a win already under his belt this year, finished second, while Shane Kaherl of Jay posted his best finish of the young season in third. Sophomore sensation Adam Polvinen claimed fourth at the finish after starting 10th, while Turner’s Butch Keene completed the top five.

“We’ve been having a lot of mechanical problems this year,” said Childs. “In fact, last week we blew the clutch. But it’s starting to come together now. The car ran great tonight, and I hope we can carry this momentum into next week.”

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