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It it called the 567 Gear Rule.
Its job is to limit the number of gears, thus creating parity among drivers and cars in the 26th annual Oxford True Value 250 on Sunday.
Strong’s Tracy Gordon, second in points on the Busch North tour, called it a “stupid rule” and expects one of Oxford Plains Speedway’s pro stock regulars to win the 250.
“If they don’t, it’s because they don’t have their act together,” said Gordon, who has finished second in the last two Oxford 250s. “The regular series guys will have such a huge advantage over evenow. They race there every week. They’re used to the gear rule. They know how to get through tech [inspection] and they’ve got their cars dialed in.
“The Busch guys are used to running with a lot of gears. Now they’re taking it away. We’ll even have to change our driving style,” added Gordon. “Luckily, I’ve been to Oxford enough and I should be able to adapt pretty quick.”
Defending champ Ralph Nason agreed with Gordon.
“It used to be that the best from everywhere would congregate to have a showdown at the Oxford 250,” said Nason. “It’s not going to be that kind of deal any more. They’re working the rules to give the Saturday night cars an advantage. They’ve got to have a home track advantage. It’s their tires, their track and their gear rules.”
Tim Brackett is the pro stocks points leader at Oxford.
Race director Randy Black said the decision to implement a gear rule had been discussed for several years.
He said the big-money teams always had a distinct advantage over the low-budget teams.
“Most of the big-buck teams were able to run a lot of gears,” said Black. “They were able to run at 8000 or 8200 RPMs. Now we make them run around 7400 RPMs.
“This levels the playing field. Everyone is on the same turf. Nobody has to spend big dollars,” added Black. “It should be a good competitive race. Instead of having two or three guys running for the lead we should have five or six guys.”
Black hopes the rule will entice more local drivers to enter.
However, it could also cost him some high-profile drivers.
Scott Fraser of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, who is leading the points in the first year of the six-race International Pro Stock Challenge split between Halifax and Oxford, said 1993 Oxford 250 champ Junior Hanley told him the new rule will keep him home.
Gordon said he may not have been able to enter if local driver Bill Lagerson hadn’t offered him a motor that met the gear specifications.
“This will stop a lot of good cars from coming,” said Gordon.
Black said all a driver would have to do is open up the rear end cover and slide in another set of gears, which cost $100, to become legal.
Fraser said the gear rule “works out great for me because that’s the gear we always run here. We don’t have to change our car or our set-up.”
Two-time Oxford winner Rowe took it in stride, saying “we’ll just have to adjust to it and go from there.”
The drivers said the keys will be patience and luck.
“There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it, you have to be patient,” said Gordon.
Rowe said, “You’ve got to have a lot of luck. You could have the fastest car there but if somebody blows a motor in front of you and you hit the oil……Or it could be one bump and you’re gone.”
Nason, Rowe and Fraser feel they have as good a chance as anybody to take home the $25,000 winner’s purse. In addition, each driver gets $100 for every lap he leads.
“I’ve got a real good car (Mustang),” said Unity’s Nason.
Turner’s Rowe, who was third last year, feels he has a “pretty good chance.”
Fraser, who has finished as high as fourth at the Oxford 250, said “I feel my chances are even better than in past years because I set the track record at Oxford earlier this year. I have a real fast car.”
Fraser won the first International Pro Stock Challenge race at Oxford on May 22.
Gordon said he is “skeptical” about his chances because he hasn’t driven a pro stock car in over a year and hasn’t driven this particular car.
“But I may have a totally different outlook this weekend,” said Gordon.
26th Oxford True Value 250
Race tidbits
Time and place: Sunday, 2 p.m. (heats), 7 p.m. (race), Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford
Length of track: 1/3 mile
Distance of race: 83.33 miles
Drivers to watch: Ralph Nason, Tracy Gordon, Mike Rowe, Scott Fraser, Dave Dion, Dale Shaw, Benji Rowe, Tim Brackett
Outlook: The new 567 gear rule will create even more parity by limiting the RPMs. Due to the congestion, contact, and constantly changing track conditions, it is the driver and team that are able to be resilient and adaptable that usually wind up winning. Luck also plays a pivotal role. There hasn’t been a back-to-back champion since current Winston Cup driver Geoffrey Bodine won the 1980 and ’81 Oxford 250s.
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