OXFORD — Don Wentworth was the Late Model winner Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.

If hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of destroyed equipment a week before the biggest race of the year are the barometer, the battle for biggest loser was too close to call.

Otisfield’s Wentworth held off Fort Kent teenager Austin Theriault by a car length to claim his first feature win of the summer, a 40-lap journey dramatically slowed and painfully marred by three major wrecks in the second half of the event.

“You never know what might have happened, but Jeff (Taylor) had a pretty good car and got torn up,” Wentworth said. “I don’t know what the hell everybody was thinking the week before (the TD Bank 250). We tore up some good race cars. I hope they can all make it back.”

Taylor led by a half-straightaway and appeared to have his 72nd career OPS win in the bag when New Jersey newcomer Daniel Khilall staged his second single-car spin of the night, this time perilously in front of the field at the start-finish line.

The nine-time track champion applied his brakes to avert what could have been a more disastrous situation, but the front clip of his green machine appeared to be a total loss after the inevitable impact. Neither driver was seriously injured.

T.J. Brackett and Carey Martin inherited the front row for the ensuing restart. After two aborted attempts at a restart with the third time seemingly a charm, contact between those two sent Brackett for a loop and stacked up six more cars on the backstretch in the process. Brackett and Ricky Rolfe were the most heavily damaged.

Martin was black-flagged for his role in the fracas, and Wentworth took the lead from Shawn Knight on the next green.

That lasted only one before another multi-car tangle.

The final 13 circuits rattled off without incident. Theriault closed to Wentworth’s back bumper going into every corner, but the OPS veteran reclaimed daylight down the straightaways.

“I believe in momentum, and I think we have a good shot next week,” Theriault said.

Jeff White, Shawn Martin and Ben Ashline completed the top five. Despite all the carnage, 18 of 29 starters were running on the lead lap at the finish.

Skip Tripp, Matt Moore, Tyson Jordan and Josh Childs also celebrated feature victories.

Tripp edged Vanna Brackett in a one-two Strictly Stock finish for the second time in Brackett’s rookie season.

This time, the three-time Ladies champion and past Strictly king exchanged paint on multiple occasions over the final two laps before Tripp prevailed by less than a car length.

“She was giving me a little bit of room there,” Tripp said. “That’s racing. I’ve got to expect it.”

Brackett took over the top spot from fellow first-year Strictly driver Ryan Hewins and set out to a sizable lead.

Tripp took over second from Hewins on lap 18 and quickly zeroed in, making his first overture to the outside on lap 22 before taking the lead three passes later.

“I probably should have run up into the second groove and made him go by me on the inside,” Brackett said. “Usually the key is to protect the bottom, so I guess I’ll have to figure that out.”

Jim Davis Jr. rallied from engine woes a week ago to finish third, chased by Hewins and Rick Spaulding.

Moore became the fifth different Mini Stock driver to drive into victory lane without a repeat winner this season.

In addition to a fast car, Moore caught two healthy breaks along the way.

Half the 10-car field was involved in a tangle without necessitating a caution flag on lap 1, scattering the pack and giving the top four of Moore, Jimmy Childs, Calvin Rose Jr. and Jeff Beaule a spacious advantage.

Then Childs retired to the garage area on lap 10 with mechanical issues.

“I kind of let one slip away a couple weeks ago, and I wasn’t about to let that happen again,” Moore said. “I was trying to keep the 10 car (Childs) at a safe distance, which is no easy task. When he dropped out I kind of put it into cruise control a little bit, although I still couldn’t relax.”

Rose inherited second but could never nudge within eight car lengths. Beaule was third for his best finish of the season, followed by series leader Darrell Moore and Dan Morris.

Three of Oxford’s lady drivers foreshadowed Brackett’s late-evening success, combining to set the pace for 24 of the 40 laps in the two Outlaw races.

Missy Morgan and Deanna Bisbee took turns at the front in the first half of the double dip. Dottie Patria stayed a car length ahead of her husband, John, for much of round two.

Starting deep in the field was no obstacle in the end for Jordan and Childs, however. They charged from 15th to 14th, respectively, to win.

Bisbee, who won a race in the men’s division in 2005 and took the Ladies checkers on Wednesday, was second in the ‘B’ main. John Patria edged his wife for third in the ‘A’ sprint.

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