Tim Brackett of Buckfield was leading the Pro Late Model division point standings at Oxford after four events, with son and defending champion T.J. trailing by just 10 markers. In this past Friday night’s race, Tim managed to salvage a top-10 finish after being caught up in a mid-race melee while running second.

In a career that began back in 1978 (Street Stock), Brackett has won premier division titles in two kinds of cars (2005 Pro Stock and 2010 Late Model). If he can stay on top, 2014 would make three different types of automobile. He has 47 feature victories to his credit, impressive by any standard.

“It’s been quite a ride over the years, and I’ve enjoyed success in a lot of different cars,” Brackett said last Friday as he was preparing for practice. “I still enjoy it as much as ever, and appreciate it more now since I’m running against kids, two of which are my own.”

Tim’s son is not only a talented driver but also has a very busy and successful race chassis shop, servicing customers throughout the northeast. T.J.’s cars are fast, and his expertise is sought by some very prominent team owners.

Daughter Vanna came up through the ranks, has paid her dues, and is now a competitive driver in the premier Pro Late Model division. In 2013, Tim finished second in points to T.J. second and Vanna third. It marked the first time in speedway history that one family finished 1-2-3 in the top class.

Now 52, Tim has won a race during each of the past five decades and holds the longest steak of winning at least one feature per season (14 years) among active drivers. He’s witnessed an evolution in short track racing from an owner/driver perspective and likes what he sees today.

“Back when we ran full-blown Pro Stocks here weekly, it was expensive and required a ton of work to maintain the cars,” he said. “With this current Pro Late Model rules package, the costs have come down, and the cars are an absolute blast to drive. I’m still racing a 2004 Race Basics chassis, but T.J. has done a lot to bring it up-to-date. Between him and Seth Holbrook, who I consider one of the best, my car goes well.”

Holbrook is a highly-skilled crew chief, chassis expert and shock technician. His knowledge is virtually unsurpassed here in Maine when it comes to making a race car go fast for the entire race.

Brackett’s 2014 campaign got off to a rather slow start with a 33rd place finish in the Ripley & Fletcher Ford 150 PASS North opener on April 27. In the first Friday night points race on May 2, he was running up front for most of the feature until a mechanical issue relegated him to 19th at the finish.

On Memorial Day, he got it pointed in the right direction with a solid third-place run behind eventual winner Trevor Sanborn and son T.J.

“It really turned us around when we discovered why the engine was starving for fuel,” Brackett said, then paused before finishing the unlikely story. “I have no idea of how it got in there, but there was a dragonfly in the fuel filter. When that filter was cleaned, our issues were gone.”

To kick off the month of June, Brackett claimed another podium finish on a Sunday afternoon, finishing third behind New Hampshire ace Quinny Welch and Peru’s Gary Chiasson. On June 6, he chased Billy Childs Jr. across the stripe to finish second as momentum started to build.

Rain washed out the program once again on June 13 (for the fourth time), so this past Friday was only the fifth race of 2014.

With summer finally in full swing here in central and western Maine, veteran drivers such as Brackett will settle into a rhythm. If rain stays away and they can complete a few weeks of consecutive racing, it will really help everybody to get “dialed in” the way they need to be.

“A lot can happen in the heat of summer,” Brackett added. “Some guys will hit on something and run up front, while others may struggle and fade. The track can get a little slick with some hot sun, but we know what to change on the car. We’ll do our best to keep it hooked up. It’s a challenge I still enjoy.”

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