OXFORD – It has been a difficult racing season for Joe Bessey of Scarborough.

He was hoping his appearance at Sunday’s True Value Oxford 250 would help him begin his turnaround.

The weekend got off to a strong start as he drove the Jeff Rich-owned FMG Systems Grand Prix to a second-place finish in Saturday’s fourth heat race. That earned Bessey the 11th position in Sunday’s starting field.

“I would have bet money last night that the way things have been going for us that we wouldn’t have gotten in last night,” Bessey said. “Hopefully, that’s a sign of things to come for the second half of the season.”

Bessey’s appearance at the Oxford 250 may come as somewhat of a surprise to some, since he has been racing full-time on the NASCAR Grand National North tour and has entered a handful of Grand National events in the South.

He said difficulties in securing sponsors for some of those races have forced him to race wherever he gets a chance.

“This isn’t my equipment, this is just an opportunity to come in here and drive the car,” Bessey said. “I want to race.”

However, the fact Bessey is a Maine native and was a regular at Oxford, Beech Ridge Speedway and New Hampshire International made the Oxford 250 a natural stop.

“I’m from Maine and this track up here made me,” Bessey said. “I’ve got a lot of friends here, and it’s obviously the biggest thing going on in New England today.”

Bessey is driving a car that had not been raced this year until Saturday.

Defending champion Junior Hanley of Campbellville, Ontario, won the pole on Saturday and then went to the hospital to have a metal splinter removed from his left eye.

Hanley was walking around the OPS pits on Sunday with a patch over his eye.

It was off before the start of Sunday night’s 250 and Hanley admitted that Derek Lynch on the outside pole would be more of a bother than the eye.

Dave Whitlock of Petrolia, Ontario, will never forget his 1994 Oxford 250.

He destroyed his car during a Saturday night heat race then made the 17-hour round trip trek from Oxford to Petrolia and came back with him backup car.

He received a provisional starting spot and began the feature field in the 40th position.

This year’s Oxford 250 featured drivers from as far away as Florida and Wisconsin.

Mike McCrary of Winter Haven, Fla., and Kevin Cywinski of Misinee, Wisc., were in the running for what ACT calls its “longest tow” honors.

Both drivers made the 250 starting grid, with Cywinski starting 29th and McCrary 35th.