OXFORD — Ever since the potent driver-crew chief combination of Glen Luce and Seth Holbrook won the prestigious HP Hood Oxford 250 in August of 2015, they’ve been a legitimate threat to win in Pro All Stars Series (PASS) competition, especially when the tour returns to historic Oxford Plains Speedway.

Luce closed out the 2016 campaign with another stellar performance on Saturday, driving under Travis Benjamin at lap 136 and surviving a late restart to win the 150-lap season finale for touring Super Late Models. 

It was the team’s second victory of 2016 after winning the Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road on May 29. Benjamin settled for second, while early leader Joey Doiron crossed the stripe in third. Ben Rowe, who won the PASS opener at Oxford in April, finished fourth, with Scott Mulkern a solid fifth.

“We had a little setback after qualifying and had to run the Consi today,” Luce said. “This team just never gives up; they don’t get rattled and they got the the car perfect for late in the race. I had to push it to get under Travis; he’s always fast here. This win is dedicated to my aunt who we just lost on Friday. She was like a second mother and was riding with me today.” 

Third-generation racer and former series champion DJ Shaw kept his nose clean and finished sixth, enough to secure his second points title in three years.

As the son of 1994 NASCAR Busch North Series champion and respected car builder Dale Shaw, DJ has always had big shoes to fill. Now, with a second PASS crown competing against today’s top talent, it’s safe to say he’s filled them well.

“I would have liked to have been up front contending for the win, but we did what we needed to do,” Shaw said. “We had to play it safe today, but still had a strong car overall. I can’t thank all of our great partners and crew members for making this championship a reality. It may take a day or so to sink in.”

Finishing seventh through 10th on Saturday were Nova Scotia native Cole Butcher, young hotshoe Derek Griffith, of Hudson, N.H., Dave Farrington Jr., of Jay, and six-time PASS champion Johnny Clark, who was a distant 69 points behind Shaw going into the series finale.

Four cautions slowed the pace, none for serious incidents. Fourteen of the 40 cars that started finished on the lead lap, while Luce’s margin of victory over Benjamin was just a tick over 3/4s of a second. Four drivers led the event, with Doiron, Taylor (99 laps); and Benjamin (12 laps) joining Luce up front.

The race ran under green-flag conditions from the initial restart at lap eight (after a spin by Chris Coolidge in Turn 2) all the way to lap 122 when Coolidge spun again in the same corner. At the time, Taylor was lapping cars at an alarming rate, weaving his way through traffic like a nine-time champion.

Other notable finishers in Saturday’s 150 include two-time Oxford champion TJ Brackett (11th); 2015 Beech Ridge Pro Series champion Reid Lanpher (13th); newly-crowned Beech Ridge champion Curtis Gerry (16th); and four-time track champion Tim Brackett of Buckfield (26th). 

Dixfield’s Ryan Robbins capped a successful 2016 campaign in the PASS Modified division Saturday. The skilled veteran overcame a four-point deficit to Andy Shaw by winning the 40-lap feature and clinching the championship. Ben Tinker of New Gloucester crossed the stripe in second, while Wales-based driver Bruce Helmuth filled out the podium in third.

Other feature winners on PASS Championship Day at Oxford include Turner’s Calvin Rose Jr. (75-lap Street Stock Open); Auburn’s Cody Childs (Runnin’ Rebels); and East Bridgewater, Massachusetts native Ryan Kuhn (Legends).

pwhipple@sunjournal.com    

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