What a difference a year has made in the racing life of Junior Hanley.

This time last summer Hanley, a veteran racer from Campbelleville, Ontario, was in the midst of a dominating season in which he won 10 races as well as the season points championship on the American Canadian Tour. One of his victories came in the $210,000 True Value Oxford 250.

About the only thing that will be the same for Hanley this time around is this weekend’s return trip to Oxford Plains Speedway, where he will defend his Oxford 250 championship beginning Saturday afternoon.

Hanley and more than 100 other drivers arrived at OPS on Friday to begin practice sessions. Qualifying begins Saturday at 1:15 p.m. and continues into Sunday with the 250-lap (93.75 mile) feature race scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Sunday.

For the 51-year-old Hanley, this racing season has been a far cry from last year’s season on the ACT circuit.

Opting to return to his days of “outlaw” racing – showing up at tracks unannounced and then often getting out of town with the money – Hanley has had limited success this season.

He entered a couple of ASA races early in the season before mechanical problems ended his run prematurely.

“We started out good, but just ran into some hard luck and broke a couple of motors,” Hanley said. “We’ve been doing all right, but nothing like last season.”

Hanley will be climbing into an unfamiliar ACT car for Sunday’s Oxford 250 instead of the car he raced to victory many times last season. This year’s entry is owned by “someone in the States,” Hanley said, refusing to elaborate.

“It’s a brand-new car,” Hanley added. “We’ll just try to get some seat time on Friday and see how she goes.”

Hanley will be one of 12 drivers trying to grab a front-row position in Saturday night’s front-row qualifiers’ race. Twelve drivers won 12 different races in the Northeast and Canada, giving them an opportunity at the front-row starting spot.

Last year’s pole-sitter, Bub Bilodeau of Bar Mills, was not one of them, however.

Brad Leighton, last year’s second-place finisher, is the top tour contender, having won a pair of ACT races already this season.

Leighton is running with a new team this season.

ACT points leader Derek Lynch of Norwood, Ontario, is another contender along with Dave Dion of Hudson, N.H., the only three-time winner of the Oxford 250; Beaver Dragon of Milton, Vt.; and Steve Knowlton of Ipswich, Mass.

Veteran Maine racers like Mike Rowe of Turner, Ralph Nason of Unity, Stan Meserve of Unity, and Tracy Gordon of Strong are a handful who could take the checkered flag.

By the same token, anybody who starts Sunday night’s feature field could roar cross the finish line first.

“Anybody who makes this field could win this race,” said Rowe. “It will be hard for some of the guys starting in the back. But I tell you, there are plenty of good cars out here.”