PORTLAND – Last year, relative unknown Roger Brown captured the 34th annual TD Banknorth Oxford 250 after starting 30th. The Lancaster, N.H., driver, who was ninth in points in the American-Canadian Tour, pocketed $35,800.

If he is able to defend his title on Sunday, it will be an even greater accomplishment.

He will have a completely new team, a different car and he has raced just three times this season.

“Things have changed a lot [since last year],” explained Brown at a press conference at the Holiday Inn West in Portland on Monday. “When we got to the end of the year, the car owner decided he had made enough money so he shut the team down. We sold the car, we sold everything.”

The owner was Brown’s father, Roger Brown Sr.

“He thought it was a good time to get out which I understood with the way the economy is. He’s in the trucking business and it isn’t very good,” added Brown.

However, he said things have turned out “great” because car owners Mike Lux and Jerry Hicks gave him a part-time ride in the Chevy No. 24 formerly driven by Turner’s Mike Rowe.

So he has started all over.

“It has been a big learning curve for us. For me, anyway,” said Brown. “I had been working with the same guys for my whole life up until this year. So [the crew] is learning what I want and I’m learning what they want.”

They have run only three races and Brown said his top finish has been an 18th.

“The car hasn’t been good. We’re struggling with it. But it’s a new car with a lot of new stuff in it,” said Brown who said crew chief Dave Bath has been working hard on the car.

“We’ll have a lot of changes come Saturday [for practice]. I think we’ll have fun,” added Brown, who can qualify for a past winner’s provisional if he doesn’t earn a spot during the heat races.

Brown said it has been a different type of season for him as a part-time driver.

“I ran the ACT tour regularly the last four years but when you’re a part-time driver, you don’t get the track time so you can’t get on a consistent roll. That hurts us,” said Brown.

However, the 29-year-old Brown isn’t conceding anything.

“The crew is good enough. If we can get the car where I need it, we can win the race again,” said Brown, one of just two TD Banknorth Oxford 250 winners who started 30th or worse.

Mike Rowe started 37th in 2005.

“With these cars, anybody can win. You’ve got to have things go your way and you can’t make mistakes,” added Brown.

Rolfe expects to be a contender

One of the favorites for this year’s race will be Albany Township’s Ricky Rolfe, who has won five of the last six races in the Late Model division at Oxford.

“He’s been on fire,” Brown said.

Rolfe finished seventh a year ago and had a career-best second-place finish in the 2004 Oxford 250.

When asked whom he considered to be the favorites, he feels he is among them.

“[Camping World East regular] Eddie MacDonald. Probably me. I’ve won a bunch of races lately,” said Rolfe who also considers a bunch of ACT regulars in the mix “because they run long races every weekend.”

He feels two-time winner Ben Rowe of Turner to be another top contender.

Rolfe has been successful running in the third groove on the outside at OPS but he said he has been getting more company lately.

“I like the third groove but some of the other guys are starting to figure that out. They’re starting to run out there. They’re getting used to it,” said the 44-year-old Rolfe, who will drive a car with a Chevy engine and a Ford body.

Rolfe has already earned a provisional berth by virtue of leading the Late Model points at OPS. So if he didn’t qualify in the heat races, he would get a spot in the back of the starting grid.

“But we’d like to qualify on our own and move up further. When you start in the back, the leaders are on you pretty quick,” said Rolfe.

And Rolfe would love to lead some laps.

“They pay you $100 for every lap you lead. The way I look at it, I’d like to win as much money as I can in case something [bad] happens at the end of the race,” said Rolfe.

Martin seeks better finish

A year ago, Frenchville native Shawn Martin won the pole for the TD Banknorth Oxford 250. He led 41 laps.

He finished 40th, completing 181 of the 364 total laps (including cautions). He had previous finishes of 31st and 25th.

He will drive the same Chevy he had a year ago and is looking for a much better finish.

He is currently running fourth in points in the OPS Late Model division and said “the car has been really good the last month.

“We won’t have quite the same setup as we had last year. We’ve kind of hit on something [better],” said Martin.

He feels if he is able to get in the field, “we should fare all right.

“It’s definitely a crapshoot,” said the 29-year-old Martin, who now lives in Turner.

He began racing at Caribou’s Spud Speedway at the age of 17 and is glad to hear the track has been doing well after sitting dormant for six years.

Racing resumed at Spud Speedway last summer.

“It’s a lot of fun [racing at Spud Speedway]. It’s very special to me. I hope to get up there again and run some laps. There’s a lot of talent up there and I’m happy they have a place to go on weekends,” said Martin.

Martin said he prefers to run at OPS than in a touring series “because I love racing and like being in a race car every Saturday night. When you tour, you don’t race every week and I probably couldn’t afford it.”

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

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