OXFORD — There’s a new twist in the three-day racing spectacle at Oxford Plains Speedway this year.

Along with Sunday’s 44th annual Scott’s Recreation Oxford 250, presented by Fastway Trailer Products, on Sunday afternoon and evening, the Granite State Pro Stock Series will make its debut at Oxford on Saturday evening.

Several of the Super Late Model drivers on Sunday’s entry list also plan to run the GSPSS 100. While some will run the same car, others, like Jay’s Dave Farrington Jr., 2015 series champion Derek Griffith and NASCAR Cup Series spotter Derek Kneeland are bringing separate cars for each race.

“I’m pretty excited for Saturday’s race with the Granite State series,” Griffith said. “It’s always good to see my old friends. It’s never a bad thing to get an extra 100 laps at Oxford, that’s for sure. Hopefully, we can pull off a good finish and move on to the 250 with confidence.”

Among the series regulars entered in Saturday’s race are Mike O’Sullivan and 2016 champion Barry Gray, of Belchertown, Massachusetts. Other drivers to watch include Nick Lascuola, Devin O’Connell, Cory Casagrande and Josh King.

Farrington is anxious to hit the track on Saturday with his second car. While he has plenty of laps on the finicky Oxford oval, he still wants to be out there as much as possible before the 250 itself.

“I’m really looking forward to running that race,” Farrington said. “I’ll use it as a learning experience. We don’t want to wear ourselves all out the night before the 250, but it will help keep up with changing track conditions. It should be a pretty exciting show, with plenty of good cars.”

King, of Vernon, Vermont, is the series’ most recent winner. He notched his first career victory on Aug. 12 at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire. Gray finished third at Monadnock, while O’Sullivan was fourth. Two-time Oxford 250 winner Travis Benjamin finished seventh out of 17 cars.

O’Sullivan, of Springfield, Mass., currently leads the Granite State series point standings. He holds a 16-point advantage over Scott MacMichael, who finished second at Monadnock. Gray now sits third, while Casagrande and Lascuola are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

Former series winner DJ Shaw, of Center Conway, New Hampshire, will compete at Oxford after scoring a 50-lap feature win on the famed 3/8-mile oval last weekend. Teenage sensation Gabe Brown, who almost beat veteran Garrett Hall to the finish two weeks ago, is also entered for Saturday night.

New Hampshire veteran Bryan Kruzek will make his return to Oxford on Saturday night. Kruzek has been fast during Pro All Stars Series (PASS) events at Oxford in the past, and could be factor to win. The multi-talented Bobby Timmons, of Windham, will also compete, along with Chad Dow.

With series regulars and crossover from PASS drivers looking to learn about track conditions before Sunday’s big dance, there could easily be a field of 30 quality cars in Saturday’s 100-lapper. The cars in the GSPSS are nearly identical to their PASS North cousins. Running both races can benefit any driver.

Qualifying for Saturday’s race program begins at 5 p.m. The Granite State series 100 will cap the night.

pwhipple@sunjournal.com

Derek Griffith
Hudson, New Hamphire native Derek Griffith drives off Turn 4 at Oxford Plains Speedway earlier this season. Griffith is doing double duty this weekend, competing in Saturday night’s Granite State Pro Stock Series 100 along with the 250 on Sunday.