Drivers fight to qualify Shaw wins pole on his 14th try

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OXFORD – The 14th attempt was a charm for Center Conway, N.H., native Dale Shaw.

Shaw won the pole for the 27th annual True Value 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway Sunday afternoon.

“It feels good. I’ve tried for a lot of years,” said Shaw, making his 14th appearance in the True Value 250. “But I don’t know if I can make the best of it. I got the luck of a good draw today [in my qualifying race]. The big thing is I’m not as fast as Jeff Taylor.”

Taylor qualified sixth.

Shaw, owner of Dale Shaw Race Cars (N.H.), had the opportunity to race his nephew, Andy Shaw, who qualified 19th.

Andy Shaw actually works for his uncle. He is a fabricator at his uncle’s shop.

“If I don’t win it, I hope he does even though he doesn’t use one of my chassis,” said Dale. “But the same guy owns both of our cars: Tommy Mason.”

Feeling the heat

The heat was a factor as it usually is at the True Value 250. Temperatures in the mid-80s created 100-plus temperatures in the cockpits.

“I began preparing for the heat a week before. I started drinking more water than usual,” said Farmington’s Taylor, owner of Distance Racing Products in Unity. “I’ve never put a gauge in the car but it must get 120-130 degrees in there.”

Taylor said having a 7 p.m. start “helps quite a bit” in cooling down the cockpits.

Taylor said business has been booming.

What is his major focus in building a chassis?

“Safety first,” said Taylor. “It has to be strong and easy to work on.”

Taylor figured there were at least a dozen of his chassis in the True Value 250.

He liked the way his car was running and said the key to winning the True Value 250 is “keeping it simple.”

Nason takes it easy

Unity’s Ralph Nason, the defending two-time winner, qualified 24th as he took it easy during his qualifying race. His car wound up overheating but he wasn’t that concerned with the overheating or his starting position.

“I just set it out. I didn’t want to pull out and risk getting stuck in the marbles [rubber from the tires],” said Nason.

As for the overheating, he said he was stuck behind a car and figured it prevented his from getting any air.

He said he prepares for the True Value 250 beginning in June but he doesn’t do anything specifically to combat the heat or any other obstacle.

“It’s my mental attitude,” said the 60-year-old Nason.

He described his car as “not half-bad.”

Too loose to qualify

There were 39 qualifiers among 86 entrants. Two that didn’t make the grid were Fort Fairfield’s Kirk Thibeau and Morrill’s Travis Benjamin.

Thibeau’s situation was particularly frustrating.

“I finished one spot out in both heat races,” said Thibeau. “My car was loose all day. We just couldn’t seem to tighten it up. The track was awfully slippery. That threw a wrench at us.”

Thibeau wrecked his chassis in the International Pro Stock Challenge race at Unity Raceway last weekend and he and his crew spent the week repairing it.

“The bolt components and the front wheels had to be repaired along with the rear end. You can still smell the paint on it,” said Thibeau.

Benjamin had the same trouble with his car being loose.

“The car was decent in practice but in the heat races it was slow. It was loose. The car had been good. We’ve been running in the top five and top 10 all year,” said Benjamin.

Turner family trio

The Shaws weren’t the only racing family in the race.

Turner’s Mike Rowe began in the 27th spot and sons Ben and Tommy started second and 11th, respectively.

He liked it so much, he bought it

Bill Ryan bought out his partners and became the sole owner of Oxford Plains Speedway a few weeks ago.

“This means there will be stability here for the next 20 years,” said Ryan, who doesn’t envision any major changes.

“You don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken,” said the 32-year-old Ryan. “This has been a great weekend for us. The crowds have been great for all three nights [including regular series racing].”