OXFORD – He weaved his way through the pack. He would pass on the outside, the inside and, on a few occasions, he even split cars right down the middle.

But after getting spun on lap 156 and not having another caution flag until lap 244, Unity’s Ralph Nason simply couldn’t catch 36-year-old pole-sitter Gary Drew of Windham and had to settle for a third-place finish in his quest to win a fourth consecutive Oxford True Value 250 Sunday night.

Twenty-eight-year-old Scott Robbins of Dixfield finished second after qualifying 14th.

Drew was the pole-sitter and led for the first eight laps before surrendering the lead to Mercer’s Jeff Taylor on lap nine. Taylor was in the lead until Nason caught him on lap 43.

Nason led until he was bumped from behind and spun by Gray’s Paul Bosse on lap 156. He regained control of the car and was able to stay on the lead lap as new race leader Drew approached him after circling the track.

“I got tagged. I was lucky to stay on the lead lap,” said Nason who spent the rest of the race passing lapped cars as well as the other four cars still on the lead lap.

But Drew was simply too far ahead and went on for the victory, collecting more than $35,000 for first place.

“I needed a caution. Then I would have had a crack at him. Then we would have had a race,” said Nason who started sixth and drove the Ford Taurus that won the 1998 and ’99 True Value 250s.

“Once we got the lead, I felt we have everyone covered,” said Drew, the points leader in the pro stock division at Oxford Plains Speedway. “But we were worried about Ralph. We knew he had fresher tires [because he pitted later than the other cars].

“When we got to lap 234, I knew we had it won as long as the car didn’t fall apart.”

Drew said they used the same set-up on his Camaro as they use for their Saturday night pro stock races. However, when the race started approximately half an hour early, he said his tires and set-up weren’t as effective as they became later in the race when the cool temperatures and darkness changed the track.

“Patience was the key for us,” said Drew who admitted that his win “hasn’t sunk in yet.”

It was Drew’s seventh Oxford True Value 250 and just his second finish in the top 19. He was third in 1997.

His father, Homer, ran three Oxford 250s in the 1970s but three open-heart surgeries prevented him from attending the race.

Robbins was running in his third Oxford True Value 250 and had a 15th two years ago and a sixth last year.

“I couldn’t be happier even if I won the race,” said Robbins who ran consistently in the top 10 throughout the race.

“I just tried to keep pace with Ralph. I didn’t try to overdo it. Ralph kept putting some pretty good cars a lap down and that helped us,” said Robbins who credited his brother, Spencer, with making his second-place finish possible.

Spencer Robbins is his crew chief and works on his car.

Robbins is a pro stock driver at Oxford Plains, also.

Nason took his third in stride.

“You aren’t going to win every race. They [Drew and Robbins] both did a helluva job,” said Nason. “My crew did a beautiful job. They’re the best crew here.”

Alan Wilson of Hebron finished fourth. Rounding out the top 10 were Mike Maietta Sr. of South Portland, Louie Mechalides of Tyngsboro, Mass., Kevin Kimball of South Portland, Chuck Lachance of Cushing, Steve Knowlton of Ipswich, Mass., and Anson’s Scott Moore. There were six cautions.

Taylor, who started on the outside pole and who fabricated the chassis for Drew at his Distance Racing Products Inc., was involved in a collision on lap 156 that involved Justin Belfiore of Haverhill, Mass. Belfiore was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. Taylor finished 34th and Belfiore was 36th. Ben Rowe, the runner-up the last two years, had car trouble and finished 39th. Strong’s Tracy Gordon, who has also finished second on a couple of occasions, also had car problems and wound up 38th.

There were 86 entries and 41 cars made the show. Former three-time champ Dave Dion received a provisional and finished 16th, 1996 winner Larry Gelinas, who also earned a provisional, wound up 13th and two-time winner Mike Rowe was 25th after starting 19th.