OXFORD – The 30th annual Oxford True Value 250 came down to a three-lap sprint.

And it was Turner’s Ben Rowe who prevailed.

Rowe, a two-time runnerup (1999, 2000), held off a thrilling challenge by Steve Knowlton of Ipswich, Mass., following a lap 247 restart to win by half a car length. Otisfield’s Gary Drew, the 2001 Oxford True Value 250 winner, finished third just a few feet behind Knowlton.

Ben Rowe pocketed $34,500 for his victory.

Rounding out the top five were Mike Rowe of Turner, Ben’s father and a two-time winner of the Oxford True Value 250, and Scarborough’s Larry Gelinas. Hours after the race’s completion, there was some confusion over fifth place with Gelinas claiming he finished ahead of Strong’s Tracy Gordon, who was eventually moved to sixth.

South Paris’ Sam Sessions was seventh, Rangeley’s Joe Bessey was eighth, Johnny Clark of Farmingdale was ninth, and Town Hill’s John Phipppen was 10th.

Ben Rowe started on the pole with his father on the outside and he led various stages of the race. He took the lead on a controversial lap 209 restart when he appeared to jump the gun and blew around leader Gary Drew. But the restart was allowed and he never trailed.

But a multi-car wreck on lap 247 caused some anxious moments for Rowe, who had a comfortable lead prior to the wreck. It was the 11th caution of the race and involved Fredericton, New Brunswick’s Shawn Tucker, Topsham’s Bill Whorff Jr. and Turner’s Glen Luce. It took track officials several minutes to apply Speedy Dry to soak up the fluids.

“I didn’t want to see that yellow. I knew I had to go. I was protecting the bottom,” said Ben Rowe, who drove a Chevy Monte Carlo. “They [his crew] said ‘He’s (Knowlton) going to sneak under you. He’s going to sneak under you.’ I tried to do my old man’s move [drift up the racetrack on the first turn and then slide down the racetrack on the second turn]. Then I got too cautious and he drove right beside me. I said ‘Wow. He can’t make it stick coming off that Speedy Dry and I just put it to the floor and let it drift up. I took away his line. I had to. We were coming to the checkered flag.

“I can’t believe it. This is something else. To start off the day sitting on the pole with my father sitting beside me. You couldn’t write this any better than it came out to be,” said the 29-year-old Rowe.

The 38-year-old Knowlton, driving a Chevy Camaro with a borrowed engine and a borrowed hauler to transport his car, said he his right front tire was going down as they came to the checkered flag “and I pushed up just a smidge. He got up along side of me and we drag-raced to the finish line and he nicked me out.”

Knowlton, who hasn’t been racing due to financial constraints but saved up for this race, started 30th.

Knowlton said he knew the lap 247 restart provided him with an opportunity to catch Rowe.

“I was excited and then I was nervous. When you start on the outside, you never know. You could get up in that Speedy Dry and go from second to fourth in the blink of an eye,” said Knowlton, who had never finished higher than “seventh” in his previous eight Oxford True Value 250 appearances.

“It was a good day,” added Knowlton whose race was his first of the season.

Knowlton said the track, which was repaved in October, came apart during the race and that made the track slick like it had been in previous years.

“I had a skipping motor the whole race long but with a slick racetrack, the skipping motor was probably helping me out. I didn’t have enough power to spin the tires,” said Knowlton.

Ben Rowe and Drew were both mystified on the lap 209 restart.

“I looked up the and green was out. I couldn’t believe it because neither one of us had taken off yet,” said Rowe. “Usually, we start over on the back side and I was waiting and waiting until Gary started off. I looked up and the green was out. I said “Wow.’ That was kind of a freebie for me,” said Rowe. “I hate it for him. I hate getting by him like that but I’ll take any way I can by him. He’s tough to get by anyway. It doesn’t matter how you get by him I think they threw the green while we were still tight before we came up to speed. They tried to throw a fast one on us.”.

Drew said he can only recall a similar restart once in his racing career and that came when he was racing Stan Meserve of Unity several years ago.

“We had raced for 28 laps and we had two to go [when they had the final restart]. I was some ugly at the end of that race,” said Drew.

As for Sunday’s restart, he said, “There’s not much I can say about it. Everybody saw it.”

Mike Rowe passed his son on the first lap and went on to lead until lap 41 when Whorff nosed around him just before a caution.

Ben Rowe took advantage of lapped traffic to slip around Whorff for the lead on lap 77. Whorff got stuck behind Wiscasset’s Scott Chubbuck.

Al Hammond and his nephew, Brad Hammond spun between turns three and four on lap 107 and that sent the leaders to the pits to change tires.

Knowlton came out of the pits first with 2001 champ Gary Drew of Otisfield second.

Gelinas, the 1996 Oxford True Value 250 winner, spun on lap 110 with Drew leading and Knowlton running second.

Sessions took a brief lead on lap 131 before Drew recaptured the lead moments later.

Gordon closed on Drew, the two bumped and Gordon flew by him for his first lead of the evening on lap 141.

Following another caution on lap 168, Gordon continued to lead Sessions and Ben Rowe.

But Sessions slid inside Gordon on lap 171 and, three laps later, Ben Rowe got past Gordon into second place.

Gordon gradually slipped back due to tire wear.

Ben Rowe regained the lead on lap 181 as he got by Sessions on the outside.

Rowe expanded his lead and Clark caught Sessions for second place.

But Clark spun between turns one and two on lap 201 and, five laps later, Drew drove past Ben Rowe to take the lead.

Several cars pitted on lap 208 and when the racing resumed, they only completed one lap before a multiple-car pile-up between turns one and two resulted in a lengthy caution.

Whorff, Dale Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. and Dale’s nephew, Andy Shaw, were among those involved in the wreck.

Defending champ Scott Robbins of Dixfield had electrical problems and fell off the pace.