Rookie Ivan Kaffel first-time Super Late Model winner at Oxford Plains Speedway

Oxford, Maine – Ivan Kaffel of Raymond drove to his first career Super Late Model victory Saturday night, topping the Budweiser Championship Series racing card at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Kaffel, 16, started seventh in the 50-lap race. He worked his way into second position, well behind racelong leader Ryan Deane of Winterport when the lone caution flaf displayed during the race appeared with just seven laps to go.

Deane and Kaffel showed that rubbin’ is racing almost 28 years to the day that classic racing movie ‘Days of Thunder’ was released, thrilling the crowd as they swapped the lead several times in the closing laps, with Kaffel getting to the checkered flag just .068-seconds ahead of runner-up Deane.

Four-time Oxford Plains Speedway track champion Timmy Brackett of Buckfield, who also survived a paint-swapping battle versus the eventual winner, nailed down a third-place finish in what may have been the last ride for a tired racecar. TJ Brackett, a two-time OPS titlist, stayed on top of the championship standings with a fourth-place run. Austin Teras of Gray rounded out the top five.

Matt Dufault of Turner showed the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock field that he is clearly the man to beat for the championship, padding his lead in the division’s championship points standings with his third victory of the season aboard the Rodney Williams 61.

Dufault wasted no time as the green flag waved over his 30-lap test, coming from his eighth starting position into second position in one lap, gaining several positions while racing three-wide in the far outside groove. Dufault needed a few laps to chase down and pass early race leader Andrew Breton of Greene before pulling away from the field.

Sparks flew in a spirited battle for the second-place finishing position, with Gray’s Tyler King able to get by Rick Spaulding of Lisbon on the final circuit to claim runner-up honors. Spaulding, Breton and Greene’s Zach Bowie rounded out the top five.

Veteran four-cylinder racing star Emerson Cayer of Contoocook, New Hampshire nailed down his third North East Mini Stock Tour victory of the season, outrunning a competitive, 20-plus car field in that tour’s first appearance at OPS in a couple of years.

Cody Leblanc, a Gorham, New Hampshire native battling Cayer for the NEMST championship, drove to an impressive second-place finish. Massachusetts invaders Michael Viens and Jarod Soucy were third and fourth, respectively. Rounding out the top five was Dublin, New Hampshire’s Devin Guy.

Kyle Hewins of Leeds won a wild, hotly-contested 20-lap main event for the four-cylinder Bandits division, literally smoking the competition over the final lap. As the white flag waved to indicate the start of the last lap, Hewins had the engine erupt under the hood of his Honda. He kept his right foot on the floorboard, leaving a thick trail of smoke for his rivals to negotiate en route to the checkered flag.

Shaun Hinkley of Oxford was the best of the rest in the greasy wake left by Hewins’ winning mount, claiming runner-up honors ahead of Waterford’s Jamie Heath, who was closing in quickly as the race ended. Dustin Salley of Poland maintained his ranking atop the championship standings with a fourth-place finish. Oxford’s Jake Hall battled for the race lead throughout the race before last-lap issues dropped him to fifth spot.

Kyle Kilgore of South Paris extended his lead atop the Figure 8 division’s championship standings, earning his fifth victory of the year in the 20-lap race for the highly-entertaining racing class. Kilgore had to chase down and pass three-time winner Dale Lawrence of Lisbon, who later lost out on runner-up honors to Poland’s Larry Lizotte after cutting a tire late in the race. Lawrence, Greg Durgin of South Paris and Oxford’s own Chachy Hall filled out the top-five rundown.

Thomas Brackett of Auburn won his eighth Rookie division race, outrunning Waterford’s Brady Heath to the checkered flag. Newcomer Brady Childs of Leeds claimed the third-place trophy.

The next event at Oxford Plains Speedway is the Christmas In July spectacular on Friday, July 20, with six divisions of Oxford Acceleration Series competitors joined by the Motor Mayhem events, including endure races, spectator drags and ATV drags. Post time is 6:00 p.m. The Budweiser Championship Series continues Saturday night, July 28 at 7:00 p.m. The Oxford Acceleration Series is in action every Wednesday night through the end of August, with racing action beginning at 7:00 p.m. Oxford Plains Speedway is located at 877 Main Street, on State Route 26 in Oxford, Maine. For more information visit oxfordplains.com or call (207) 539-8865.

Unofficial results from the Saturday, July 14 Budweiser Championship Series racing card at Oxford Plains Speedway; Oxford, Maine; showing finishing position, car number, driver’s name, driver’s hometown:

Budweiser Super Late Model (50 laps) 1 78 Ivan Kaffel, Raymond; 2 54 Ryan Deane, Winterport; 3 60 Tim Brackett, Buckfield; 4 61 TJ Brackett, Buckfield; 5 29 Austin Teras, Gray; 6 4 Brad Babb, Windham; 7 36 Ryan Robbins, Dixfield; 8 47 Gabe Brown, Center Conway, NH; 9 94 Shawn Martin, Turner; 10 8 Calvin Rose, Jr., Turner; 11 03 Scott Moore, Anson; 12 47 Kelly Moore, Scarborough; 13 1 Evan Hallstrom, Northfield, VT; 14 09 Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, NH; 15 63 John Salemi, Nashua, NH; 16 21 Shane Clark, Winterport; 17 25 Shawn Knight, South Paris; 18 57 Travis Stearns, Auburn; 19 9 Alan Tardiff, Goodwins Mills; 20 50 Jeff White, Winthrop; 21 72 Scott Robbins, Dixfield; 22 18 Wayne Parritt, Steuben; 23 77 Bryce Mains, Bridgton; 24 01 Andy Saunders, Ellsworth.

Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock (30 laps); 1 61 Matt Dufault, Turner; 2 11 Tyler King, Gray; 3 36 Rick Spaulding, Lisbon; 4 33 Andrew Breton, Greene; 5 21 Zach Bowie, Greene; 6 4 Jordan Russell, Norway; 7 12 John White, Auburn; 8 52 Mike Nichols, Livermore Falls; 9 67 Michael Haynes, Livermore Falls; 10 27 Patrick Thorne, Standish; 11 56 Addie McDaniel, Bridgton; 12 99 George Haskell, Casco; 13 09 Mark Turner, Norway.

North East Mini Stock Tour (50 laps) 1 88 Emerson Cayer, Contoocook, NH; 2 7 Cody Leblanc, Waterville; 3 85 Michael Viens, Seekonk, MA; 4 42 Jarod Soucy, Marlborough, MA; 5 23 Devin Guy, Dublin, NH; 6 10 Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 7 04 Justin Faford, Westminster, MA; 8 71 Matt Boucher, Andover, NH; 9 20 Matt Glidden, Sidney; 10 90 Desmond Skillings, Antrim, NH; 11 52 Jeremy Carter, East Andover, NH; 12 34 Nate Taylor, Preston, CT; 13 36 Kodi Sabens, Windsor, VT; 14 76 Garrett Labounty, Irasburg, VT; 15 4 Joe Katula, Auburn; 16 2 Butch Keene, Turner; 17 18 Elwin Chambers, Williamstown, VT; 18 43 Dana Shepard; Putney, VT; 19 84 William Schoeler, Warwick, RI; 20 18 Jacob Rheaume, Rochester, NH; DNS 50 Matthew Kimball, Bennington, NH.

Bandits (20 laps) 1 54 Kyle Hewins, Leeds; 2 2 Shaun Hinkley, Oxford; 3 91 Jamie Heath, Waterford; 4 18 Dustin Salley, Poland; 5 5 Jake Hall, Oxford; 6 69 Cam Childs, Leeds; 7 12 Adam Sanborn, West Paris; 8 52 Chad Wills, Buckfield; 9 08 08 Mike McKinney, Berlin, NH; 10 77 Rob Crepeau, Minot; 11 53 Eric Parlin, Mechanic Falls; 12 44 Jeff Libby, Auburn; 13 74 Arthur ‘Junior’ Goldrup, Oakland; 14 68 Mike Rand, Bridgton; 15 55 Dean Jordan, Jay; 16 88 John Leonard, Oxford; 17 24 Travis Verrill, South Paris; 18 42 Nick Ogden, Mechanic Falls.

Figure 8 (20 laps) 1 4 Kyle Kilgore, South Paris; 2 00 Larry Lizotte, Poland; 3 2 Dale Lawrence, Lisbon; 4 41 Greg Durgin, South Paris; 5 3 Chachy Hall, Oxford; 6 40 Robertt Morey, Lisbon; 7 07 Kyle Glover, Oxford.

Rookie (10 laps) 1 3 Thomas Brackett, Auburn; 2 91 Brady Heath, Waterford, 3 1 Brady Childs, Leeds.