OXFORD — As the biggest single-day short track race in the nation quickly draws closer, one local driver feels he’s finally ready to give it a whirl.

Billy Childs Jr. powered around Brandon Lambert on lap nine and held off a hard-charging David Farrington Jr. to claim the Maine Highway Safety Late Model Trophy Dash on Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Brady Romano, Rob Greenleaf and Ryan Robbins were also feature winners on a hot, sticky night for racing in western Maine.

Saturday’s showcase was the final chance for area Late Model teams to dial in their machines before next Sunday’s 39th annual TD Bank 250. And just like they did the previous two weeks, several outsiders showed up to work on their setups.

Childs and Farrington staged a battle in the Late Model feature, running side-by-side for at least a dozen laps, with Childs up high and Farrington down low.

Austin Theriault thrilled the crowd as he drove a new car from deep in the field to claim third in the closing laps. Bryan Mason and points leader Travis Stearns completed the top five.

“It’s been a long season and a tough road,” Childs said. “It feels good to finally have things turning around. I can’t thank Dave (Farrington) enough, he’s a good, clean racer and he never touched me once. He knew that if I held that outside groove, he wasn’t going by me. I also need to thank B&B Motorsports, they help me out a lot, and the Lucas Oil company. Without them, I wouldn’t be racing.”

Finishing sixth through 10th in the Late Model trophy dash were Shawn Martin, Chris Coolidge, Lambert, Jeff White and TJ Brackett. Only one caution slowed the pace, brought out when rookie Vanna Brackett smacked the backstretch wall on lap 10. And for the second straight week, the entire program of six heats and four features was run off in two and a half hours.

In earlier feature action, Romano fought off a big challenge from Troy Jordan to claim the 20-lap tussle for Runnin’ Rebels. The driver from Livermore Falls powered to the inside of Jordan to take over the point at lap 10 and hung on for top honors. Jordan settled for second, while Jonah Farrington came home third. Dustin Salley and Justin Larsen completed the top five.

Greenleaf powered his way around the outside of Scott Farrington on lap 22 and blasted away to claim his third Mini Stock victory of the season. The division newcomer from West Bath has been the man to beat in 2012, yet if Jimmy Childs hadn’t spun after contact with another machine, he would have had to wait for another win.

Calvin Rose Jr. came from 10th on the grid to claim second, while defending champion Darrell Moore finished third. Farrington faded to fourth in the closing laps, while former champion Ashley Marshall completed the top five.

“That was about as hot as I’ve ever been in the car,” Greenleaf said while wiping his head in Victory Lane. “This car has been super-fast all season, and it was again even in the heat tonight. It feels great to win again, and I’m hoping to do the same thing next weekend during the 250. I sure wouldn’t mind if it was a little cooler next time out.”

Robbins used a slick move in traffic to steal a victory from Kurt Hewins in the 30-lap battle for Strictly Stocks. Hewins, the defending and two-time champion from Leeds, led from lap 11 through 27 until he chose the wrong line going through traffic. Robbins jumped to the inside and recaptured the lead and wheeled it home from there. Matt Williams finished third, and Lewiston’s Corey Morgan and Zach Bowie rounded out the top five.

“That was an opportunity I couldn’t possibly pass up,” said a surprised Robbins. “I didn’t know where Kurt was going to pass that car, he chose to go high and had trouble; I went low and regained the lead. It feels awesome to be up here. Any time you can win in this class, you’ve done a big stroke of business.”