Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. Picks Up $45,000 and Wins the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains

Joey Polewarczyk Jr., 23, of Hudson, was the class of the field at Oxford Plains Speedway Sunday, winning the 39th TD Bank 250 by a four car-length margin over Jeff Taylor and pocketing $45,500.

Polewarczyk started on the outside pole in the Pole’s Automotive/Riveteyelet.com/ No. 97, and led the first 135 laps and the final 63 laps. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine — soon to be Polewarczyk’s brother-in-law put on a late charge to claim third ahead of Dover’s Wayne Helliwell Jr. and Oxford regular Travis Stearns in fifth.

Helliwell and Joey Pole had themselves a Granite State scrum at the front for many a lap after the second of three cautions on lap 135. Helliwell Jr. led laps 137-197.

“This is huge,” Polewarczyk said. “I’ve been coming to this race since I was seven years old. To have your name go up there with the winners of this race, Kyle Busch included, is great. I have to thank my mom and dad and everyone who’s supported me.”

“I had a good car, but he had a better one,” Taylor said. “There was a lot of traffic out there and it got pretty slippery.”

Positions 6-10 went to Dave Farrington, Patrick Laperle, TJ Brackett, Eddie MacDonald and Brent Dragon.

At the halfway mark, Polewarczyk held a slim lead over Theriault with Stearns third, MacDonald fourth, Taylor fifth and Helliwell Jr. sixth. After the yellow on 135, Brian Hoar stayed out and took the lead while the other leaders pitted. Helliwell Jr. got out first and soon shot under Hoar for the lead.

Polewarczyk Jr., Dale Shaw of Center Conway, Helliwell Jr., Bryan Mason of Stark and MacDonald qualified well in their heats. Defending ACT champion Hoar and former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne of Knoxville made the field via consolation races. Bayne finished 32nd.

39th Annual TD Bank 250 Official Finish
Pos. No. Name
 1 97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.
 2 88ME Jeff Taylor
 3 57ME Austin Theriault
 4 27NH Wayne Helliwell, Jr.
 5 85 Travis Stearns
 6 23 Dave Farrington, Jr.
 7 91QC Patrick LaPerle
 8 61 T.J. Brackett
 9 17MA Eddie MacDonald
 10 55VT Brent Dragon
 11 94 Shawn Martin
 12 07 Scott Luce
 13 50 Jeff White
 14 17RI Ray Parent
 15 60 Tim Brackett
 16 37VT Brian Hoar
 17 6VT Cris Michaud
 18 32VT Jean-Paul Cyr
 19 71 Gary Chiasson
 20 72 Chris Coolidge
 21 50VT Jay Laquerre
 22 7NC Ben Lynch
 23 51ME Ricky Rolfe
 24 22VT Roger Brown
 25 01 Bryan Mason
 26 27 Doug Coombs
 27 55NH D.J. Shaw
 28 58VT Jimmy Hebert
 29 25 Shawn Knight
 30 28 Dillon Moltz
 31 21TN Trevor Bayne
 32 20 Charlie Rockwell
 33 52 Bruce Haley
 34 28ME Rowland Robinson, Jr.
 35 6 Tommy Ricker
 36 26VT John Donahue
 37 37 Larry Gelinas
 38 63 Don Wentworth
 39 10NH Ben Rowe
 
Lap leaders: Polewarczyk, Jr. 1-135, Hoar 136-137, Martin 138, Helliwell, Jr. 139-180, Polewarczyk, Jr. 181-250
Cautions: 3 (Laps 69, 135, 208)