OXFORD — While winning the Oxford 250 takes skill, drivers are quick to credit luck as well, particularly for the heat draw.

“We just have to have a good day, get a good draw and start up front,” Turner driver and three-time 250 champion Mike Rowe said earlier in the week. “Drawing a good number (is key). If you come in here and start on the pole, it’s a lot easier than drawing dead last and having to win every (qualifying race) there is to get in.”

Rowe wasn’t so lucky in Sunday’s draw, picking the 10th spot in the first qualifying race.

The 75-year-old Rowe found success on the outside, passing five cars to earn the fifth and final qualifying spot in the first qualifying heat and ensuring his spot in another 250.

A car Mike Rowe owns, driven by son Ben Rowe, was more fortunate, starting first in the third heat. The two-time 250 winner ended up taking second in the heat.

Two other drivers made up a lot of ground in the third qualifying heat. Mike Hopkins moved from eighth to third, and Carson Brown moved up from ninth to fourth.

Two-time 250 champion Eddie MacDonald took the No. 1 position in the first heat race and made the most of it, winning the heat and securing a pole position for the feature race.

The 52nd edition of the Oxford 250 draw board for the qualifying heats is filled out. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)

Gabe Brown of Center Conyway, New Hampshire, drew the third spot in the first heat and finished second, a welcome start for a driver who said he’s had a tough season.

“I think this is only the second time in the eight 250s I’ve drawn where I’m inside the transfer spot, that’s big for us,” Brown said. “We have pretty good speed when we put our tires down, so I feel pretty good about that. I just want to make it to show without much effort and we’ll attack it (Sunday night).”

Cole Robie, Ryan Kuhn, Alex Tardif and Brandon Barker all won their respective qualifying heat races.

Sanborn fighting his way back up standings

Cornish driver Trevor Sanborn is currently third in the Pro All Star Series (PASS) North standings (1,452 points) and is trying to gain ground on leaders DJ Shaw (1,498) and Johnny Clark (1,476) at the 250.

“We were having a great season, until the car died (last week) here on Lap 94,” Sanborn said. “We were three points out of the lead with DJ. Now we’re (46 points behind). We’ve just got to keep plugging away, don’t give up, stay positive and get some of them back.”

Mario Ercolani, of Parsonsfield, who is driver Trevor Sanborn’s brother-in-law of drive, puts air in Sanborn’s tire. Ercolani has been Sanborn’s “tire guy” for 10 years. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)

Sanborn kicked the season off with a PASS series win at the Icebreaker 75 at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut.

“Consistency (has been key),” Sanborn said. “We’ve been in the top five for most races. We won the first race. But the bad thing about winning the first race on the PASS tour is you literally hurt yourself. You can’t start better than 11 in any other race. You’d do better to win a race midseason. But overall, it’s been a good time.”

Cookson stays in the game

One of the biggest young names among New England drivers, Max Cookson, was not be in the driver’s seat Sunday.

“I’m taking a step back — building some buildings, getting some properties going and taking a little time off,” Cookson said. “I’ll be back someday.”

The 22-year-old from Palmyra still wasn’t far from the race track on Sunday. Cookson is serving as the crew chief for Tom Abele Jr. of Norwich, Connecticut, at this year’s 250.

Two years ago, Abele Jr. came to Oxford to compete in the October PASS 400 and purchased two cars from Cookson, who clinched the 2023 Oxford Plains Speedway track championship that day.

This year, Abele has been taking part in PASS races at OPS. Cookson wanted to stay involved despite not being on the track much himself (he has competed in a few races), so serving as Abele’s crew chief made sense.

“It helps cut the learning curve in half (to have somebody who’s familiar with the track),” Abele said. “We definitely wouldn’t be far along without him, his guys and everyone who’s helped us out.”

Abele failed to qualify for the 250 out of his initial heat, finishing behind Kuhn, Ben Rowe, Mike Hopkins, Carson Brown and Ryan Littlefield. He ultimately qualified for the race by finishing fifth in the second consolation heat.

Cookson hopes to get back to racing full-time soon. He’s happy to stay involved in any way he can, but is there anything he truly loves about being a crew chief?

“Nothing,” Cookson said. “I don’t get to drive.”

Track conditions can always change

The condition of the track at Oxford Plains Speedway were mixed for drivers on Sunday afternoon, though multiple racers said the track was slippery.

“Today, it’s slippery, there’s no grip,” Sanborn said. “On Friday night, it had all the grip in the world. Today, it’s a new day. Completely new day. But it always does that here, so I’m not surprised.”

Steven Chicoine of Windsor added: “It’s a little greasy out there today. We didn’t tear it up on the speed charts, but we were consistent and put up some good times when we got up to a 10-15 lap run.”

Not all drivers were worried about track conditions.

“Honestly, when we put our tires on, it was a little on the tight side,” said Brown. “Hopefully it stays in that realm of things.”