Sam Sessions wanted to enter a charger division race at Oxford Plains Speedway 21 years ago.

His brother, Sumner, had been hauling a friend’s charger car to the track and when his friend couldn’t afford to race that particular weekend, Sumner was going to drive it.

“I offered my brother 100 bucks if he’d let me drive it,” said Sessions. “He gave me the chance. And I didn’t have to give my brother the hundred dollars.

“It was the worst thing I’ve ever done,” chuckled Sessions, who grew up in Norway, just eight miles from Oxford Plains Speedway.

Sessions was instantly hooked on racing and has had his share of success in his 21-year career, including leading the current points in the Pro All-Stars Series tour that will invade Hermon’s Speedway 95 on Saturday evening for the Pine Tree 150.

Sunoco pole qualifying begins at 5:30; heat races begin at 7 and the actual feature will start at approximately 9 p.m. There will also be a full card of regular series racing.

Sessions’ Chevy Monte Carlo is a far cry from that first charger car, which he drove a few more times after his debut.

“We had to keep putting bigger tires on the right front side to keep the frame off the ground,” joked Sessions.

Sessions, the owner of Sam Sessions Inc., a welder by trade who manufactures an apparatus that shaves limbs off trees, has a 14-point lead over Detroit’s Adam Friend in the standings after finishing fifth at Lee USA Speedway (N.H.) and fourth at Scotia Speedworld in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Two races at White Mountain Motorsports Park (N.H.) have been rained out and rescheduled. One will be held on July 4.

“I’m very happy with the way things have gone so far,” said Sessions. “I’m driving the same car I’ve had for six years. It’s a Junior Hanley car that was built in 1992.

“It was Dave Whitlock’s backup car the year he won the Oxford 250 [1995]. It was a Ford and I changed it over to a Chevy,” added Sessions. “I’m not a real big believer that an old car can’t be a good car.”

Sessions has never won a points title but his three wins at Oxford Plains two years ago was the most in the pro stock division. He was third in points.

The 44-year-old Sessions will be running at Speedway 95 for the sixth time in his career and he is looking forward to it.

“I love it up there. It’s a little different. To begin with, it goes against everything I’ve grown up with in this area because you can run [successfully] in the second [outside] groove at Speedway 95,” said Sessions referring to the fact the outside grooves at Oxford Plains and other Maine tracks are significantly slower than the inside grooves.

Sessions credits Tom Constantino, who owns Auburn Metal Fabrication, for much of his success since he is his biggest sponsor.

“He has supplied most of the [car] parts the last couple of years,” said Sessions, who expects Friend and Turner’s Ben Rowe, the 2000 International Pro Stock Association and Northeast Pro Stock Association points champion, to be two of the favorites.

Sessions enjoys the series and the challenge racing presents.

“I like the longer races and this is a good bunch of guys to race with,” said Sessions. “The best part of racing is the competition. You’d like to think you’re better than the next guy and this is your chance to go out and prove it.”

One of the local drivers who could make a run for the win is defending two-time Speedway 95 pro stock points champ Duane Seekins of Stockton Springs.

“The local guys will have the home-track advantage,” said Seekins. “We’ll know how to set our cars up. But they’ll have a lot more power and experience [in longer races].

“I think I’ll do all right,” added Seekins, who will be vying for the first place prize of $4,000.

PASS cancels July 7 race

Tom Mayberry, the president of PASS, said the tour’s July 7 event at Circuit St. Croix in Quebec has been cancelled.

“They [St. Croix track officials] called us and asked us to postpone the race when they found out there was a CASCAR [Canadian NASCAR tour] race at Montmagny. They said we wouldn’t draw any fans,” said Mayberry. “So when we had our June 17 race at White Mountain rained out, we rescheduled that for July 4.

“Then the CASCAR race fell through so the St. Croix people called us back and told us we could race there on July 7,” he added.

But Mayberry explained that with PASS races at Speedway 95 on Saturday and White Mountain on July 4, it was simply too much to ask his drivers to go up to St. Croix on July 7. He also pointed out that the prestigious Coastal 200 at Wiscasset Raceway is on July 8 and several of his drivers intend to run that one.

He said he received an angry letter from St. Croix officials which seriously jeopardizes a regular scheduled Aug. 4 race there.

“But we may add a race in Thompson [Conn.], we may go to Lee again and there’s a possibility of putting a race in Antigonish [Nova Scotia],” said Mayberry. “We’ll have 12 races this year and it looks pretty good for 15 races next year.”

Moore looks for second in row

Scarborough’s Kelly Moore will be shooting for his second straight Busch North Series win on Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl (Conn.).

Moore picked up his 21st career series victory last Friday at the CARQUEST 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway (Conn.).

Moore’s triumph moved him up to fifth in the points. Mike Olsen leads followed by Mike Johnson, Strong’s Tracy Gordon and Brad Leighton.