Larry Emerson Sweeps Enduro Series at OPS
Enduro races are many many things. They are exciting. They are a great way to take out your frustrations. They are a crowd favorite. And they are a great way to fund your weekly series racing team. Just ask Larry Emerson of Durham. He came and he conquered and he was proclaimed the "King of the Oxford Enduro Series" Sunday afternoon at Oxford Plains Speedway. Emerson started his day by teaming up with son Zach in the 10 lap Tag Team event. They won it easily over Scott Collins and Shannon Judd.
The 25 lap Ladies Division event was a Sunday fun run for Sally Gherardi as she led the entire distance to win another race at OPS. Tina Springer closed to within a couple of car lengths before Miss Gherardi realized that competition was coming. She won by three lengths at the end. Stephanie Bowie rounded out the top three.
Next on the agenda was a 100 lap Enduro for 4 cylinder cars. About 100 cars took the green flag and before the race was 25 laps old along come quiet unassuming Larry Emerson to take the lead. Before the checkered flag fell he'd lapped the field and was standing tall in victory lane. Joe Ring got around Archie Watt Jr. with less than 20 laps to go for the next two spots. Dave Cloutier came from New York state and finished fourth. Bob Washburn rounded out the top five.
A Spectator Drag show saw Lyman McKeage beat his son in the quarter finals and then dispose of Justin Cote in two straight to win the best out of three final. 28 cars ran in the crowd pleaser.
Next up on the fund raiser calendar was a 97 car field for the 100 lap "Full Size" Enduro and by lap 49 Mr. Emerson drove his tried and trusty Pontiac Firebird to the top spot and again he finished the race in a lap by himself. Don Veinott drove in the top five for most of the race and managed to move up to runner-up. Geno Leblanc ended up the race in third after Bill Dunphy was disqualified. Scott Buffington and Zach Emerson rounded out the top five.
Oxford started their Enduro events back in 1985 and expanded to the Triple Enduro format in 1996. Never before has anybody ever swept the day as Emerson did on Sunday. The second event in the 2000 VIP Discount Auto Centers / 3 M Automotive Enduro Series is set for Sunday July 23 at 1 PM. That's the annual Hell On Wheels program with added wacky events rounding out the day.
Sources: Oxford Plains Speedway PR
Full Size – 100 laps
1 Larry Emerson
2 Don Veinott
3 Jean LeBlanc
4 Scott Buffington
5 Zack Emerson
Four Cylinder-100 laps
1 Larry Emerson
2 Joe Ring
3 Archie Watt
4 Dave Cloutier
5 Bob Washburn
Ladies-50 laps
1 Sally Gherardi
2 Tina Springer
3 Stephanie Bowie
4 Minta Mayberry
5 Darcie Bolduc
Tag Team Race-10 laps
1 Larry & Zack Emerson
2 Shannon Judd & Scott Collins
Spectator Drags
1 Lyman McKeage
2 Justin Cote
Ramp Jump
1 Craig Glass – 110 feet
2 Matt Frechette – 103 feet