Ben Ashline doesn’t know quite how to react when he sees his name next to the No. 6 in the American-Canadian Tour point standings.

Shocked? A little. Honored? To put it mildly.

Mostly, the 20-year-old is taken aback by the caliber of his neighbors.

“We’re one point out of fifth. I’m ecstatic about that,” Ashline said. “To look at the names on that list and to see my name up there with them, it’s a great feeling.”

Just ahead of Ashline in the championship chase: Seven-time ACT champion Brian Hoar, John Donahue and Randy Potter. All three have steered late models around tracks throughout New England and Canada since Ashline was learning his alphabet.

Last year’s top rookie, Brad Babb, is a fender in front of Ashline in the points parade. Four of the region’s best — Brent Dragon, Jamie Fisher, Glen Luce and Joey Polewarczyk Jr. — find themselves chasing the newcomer.

Ashline and his family race team didn’t even intend to tackle the entire ACT slate this season. They planned to sample the waters on weekends that didn’t conflict with the schedule at their home track, Oxford Plains Speedway.

Nothing changed after Ashline got agonizingly close, only to miss qualifying for the season-opener at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire by one position.

“That showed us that if we ever did have any intention of doing the whole ACT deal, it wasn’t going to be easy,” Ashline said. “There’s some stiff competition.”

But when you have the car, the talent and the patience to manage both, there’s a thin line between awestruck and awesome.

Ashline posted top-10 finishes at three tracks that were new to him. He charged from 13th to eighth on Memorial Day weekend at Thunder Road in Barre, Vt. In his inaugural visit to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., Ashline started 27th and went home a career-best fifth.

Last weekend, Ashline rallied from 22nd starting position and a mid-race spin to take 10th at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H.

Strangely enough, Ashline’s only finish out of the top 10 and off the lead lap in the last two months was at OPS. The Pittston driver started 10th and made an early surge to fourth before fading to 13th.

“The car was good. We missed the set-up just a little bit, and you don’t have to be off more than half a tenth (of a second) to go from top five to hanging on for 20th,” Ashline said.

Ashline gets his shot at redemption Saturday night in the Q97.9 ACT 150 at Oxford.

It’s the final tour tune-up for the lucrative, open-competition TD Bank 250 on Sunday, July 24. Ashline has qualified for the race each of the last two summers.

With each successful 100- or 150-lap venture onto relatively foreign soil, his expectations for that crown jewel event continue to grow.

“I know how much time I put into the car just myself. The rest of the crew works every bit as hard, and it’s showing in our finishes,” Ashline said.

Last year was a breakthrough season for Ashline, who made the colossal jump from go-karts to late models in 2007.

Less than a month after his primary ride was destroyed in a crash, Ashline piloted a new Distance Racing Chevy to his elusive first stock car win.

“It wasn’t difficult adjusting to this car at all,” Ashline said. “It’s fast and it’s a more consistent car.”

Ashline’s overnight touring success mirrors the growth in his professional life away from the track.

In January, he started working at the Distance shop under the watchful eye of Farmington native and nine-time OPS champ Jeff Taylor.

“He knows his stuff. There’s nobody else I could be working with who has been there and done that more than he has,” Ashline said. “I don’t have much experience. I’m just trying to learn any amount of information I can. I’m so blessed to have the opportunity that’s been given to me.”

Taylor’s advice with the car: Go with what you know.

That means Ashline — see the pattern — immersing himself in knowledge that’s nearly older than he is.

“The set-up we’re using is a 20-year-old set-up,” Ashline said. “We don’t have the latest and greatest technology yet, because we can’t afford it. It’s a consistent set-up and it works.”

Better than he ever dreamed.

OPS NOTES

Winthrop’s Jeff White dominated the 150-lap ACT race at Oxford three weeks ago, scoring his first career victory in the series.

Due to multiple rainouts and regularly scheduled Motor Mayhem events, Oxford’s Weekly Racing Series is off to a disjointed start. Ricky Rolfe won the lone weekly 40-lap Late Model feature to date on Friday, May 27.

Strictly Stocks and Mini Stocks will compete on Saturday’s card for only the third time this season. Racing starts at 6:30 p.m.

The speedway’s Acceleration Series ran for the second time Wednesday night. Feature winners were Billy Childs Jr. and Thom Bell (Outlaw), Craig Bartlett (Runnin’ Rebel), Ryan Farrar (Sport Truck), Missy Morgan (Ladies) and Dustin Salley (Renegades).

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