OXFORD – It’s difficult to discern the difference between a championship challenge and a research and development ride when Jeff Taylor is at the controls.

Taylor, the eight-time Oxford Plains Speedway track champion who said last year that he wouldn’t pursue his ninth crown this season, chased away two weeks worth of mechanical gremlins and proved that he’ll be a force whenever he shows up at the 3/8-mile oval with a wire-to-wire Pro Stock victory Sunday.

The 59th OPS feature win of Taylor’s career was one of his most uneventful. Because he dropped out of last week’s feature before the green flag, Taylor started on the pole. He survived two early restarts and modest challenges from Tommy Tompkins and Billy Whorff before winning the sprint to the checkers by about five car lengths.

“Everybody’s tough. Nowadays everybody’s pretty much got the same stuff. It’s getting so that most of the races are won from the front,” said Taylor, who won a total of only three main events in his last two championship campaigns.

Whorff, who was spun out of a possible top-three finish last week, rebounded to run second. Kevin Kimball, Tompkins and Brad Hammond completed the top five in the 25-car grid.

Taylor had a hand in Late Model Stock victory lane, as well, as a car constructed at his Distance Racing shop and driven by Ricky Morse of St. Albans prevailed for the second straight week.

Tommy Ricker, Matt Williams, Larry Emerson and Dennis Scribner also garnered feature wins on the final afternoon program of the spring. The speedway moves to its regular Saturday night format next weekend.

Morse demonstrated that the outside lane is developing slowly but surely on the new asphalt. After following the inside to move from 13th to fifth in the first nine laps, Morse boldly drove to the high side and had a domino effect on the top five.

He swiped fourth from Corey Morgan on lap 12, third from Ron Charpentier Jr. on lap 14 and second from Dennis Dee on lap 16. Don Wentworth put up a tougher fight after Morse reeled him in, forcing the eventual winner to race door-to-door for three straight circuits before making the move stick on lap 24 of the 30-lap scramble.

Bill Ingerson and Darick Barker crashed hard on the frontstretch to bring out the only caution flag two laps later, but Morse ruled the restart and hammered out his repeat triumph.

“Just be patient,” Morse said of his measured approach. “Some guys are struggling, and our lane was the fast lane. If it opens up, you take it. One piece is a fast car. When it’s in two or three pieces every week, it’s not so fast.”

Jerry Harrison and Charpentier snuck underneath the fading Wentworth in the closing laps to claim second and third. For Harrison, the division point leader, it was his third straight runner-up effort to open the season.

Three of the toughest competitors in the Limited Sportsman class staged the most entertaining finish of the day. Ricker and Kenny Harrison swapped the lead four times over the final eight laps of the 25-lap tangle, with Ricker using the preferred inside line after a restart with three laps to go to protect the point position.

Carey Martin was a car length back in third. Those three drivers have combined for 57 Limited wins in their careers.

“We were doing a lot of sideways stuff. Those last few laps my car started skating real bad,” said Ricker. “It’s real fun racing when you can go that tight, that hard for that long and nobody gets wrecked.”

Williams exhibited plenty of forward bite in the first Strictly Stock feature, reeling in early leader Kim Tripp and driving around him with five to go in the 20-lap run. Steve Page snuck past Bob Crocker for third in the final corner.

Emerson outfoxed Jon Brill on a lap 13 restart to pick up his victory. Brill later spun in his efforts to reclaim the top spot and had to rally to fourth behind Emerson, Peter Hafford and Kurt Hewins.

“I don’t know if he spun his tires or fell asleep or what happened (on the restart),” said Emerson.

Scribner outdueled Butch Keene in a friendly battle of Volkswagens at the front of the Mini Stock 20-lapper. Scott Audet edged his brother Ted for third.

“I saw Butch coming and I was sure that I was in trouble,” said Scribner.

Keene noted that he welded Scribner’s car together in the offseason.

“Maybe I should have welded something in there bent,” joked the runner-up.