Redemption Podium in Rain-Shorted ACT Pine Tree State Excursion at Oxford

OXFORD, ME – The persistent spring rains once again aggravated officials, teams and fans of the American-Canadian Tour during the start to the 2024 season on their return to Oxford Plains Speedway. While early morning rains dried off, grey clouds returned just after the halfway point of the American-Canadian Tour special and added area-wide lightning threats pushed both ACT and Oxford Plains officials to end the program early with the ACT Pine Tree State event official after completing 65 of the originally scheduled 125 laps.

Thirty-six drivers from across New England and Quebec, Canada joined the field at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday with championship hopefuls Derek Gluchacki, D.J. Shaw, Brandon Barker and Jonathan Bouvrette claiming the four heat race wins. By earning a +4 handicap in the fourth heat, Center Conway, New Hampshire’s Gabe Brown led the American-Canadian Tour field to green with Steuben, Maine’s Rowland Robinson, Jr. to his outside after earning a +3 in heat one.

The melee that sealed everyone’s fate; Jesse Switser (25NH) and Jonathan Bouvrette (41QC) power under lapped car Bryan Mason (10NH) leaving leader Gabe Brown (Outside Mason) having to power up on the outside groove in attempt to hold his lead. (Alan Ward photos)

Brown made quick work in the preferred bottom groove of the 3/8-mile Maine oval while several spins in the opening laps from the back-half of the field continued to show Brown’s restart dominance at the front. With the field getting their first long-term green flag run following a lap 19 scuffle, an adversary in Jesse Switser appeared in the rear-view mirror. Stalking Brown from the initial green in the third-place starting position, Switser had followed the former Oxford Plains Speedway champion by just inches off his back bumper until he could wait no more.

With the help of a blanket of lapped cars ahead, Switser used the opportunity to split the Bryan Mason machine with Brown and seize the lead. During the same melee, Blainville, Quebec’s Jonathan Bouvrette also crested into the top five and underneath Brown for second as the intensity continued at the front of the field. Unfortunately for the top pilots out front, ominous clouds once again filled the skies and two late-race spins allowed enough time for the rains to come and end the event two laps after the halfway point.

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With the field reaching the halfway point, the Pine Tree State was declared official on the lap 65 caution for a stalled Reilly Lanphear and post-race technical inspection officially gave Jesse Switser his second American-Canadian Tour victory followed by Gabe Brown and Jonathan Bouvrette. All three had spoiled runs in the Tour’s first event of the year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and all three found redemption under a grey sky at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday.

The American-Canadian Tour makes a quick turn-around this week in preparation for the 26th annual Community Bank N.A. 150 at the Nation’s Site of Excitement, Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont. The American-Canadian Tour will also pay respects for one its founders, Ken Squier with the Kenley Dean Extravaganza; A Celebration of Life for the One-and-Only Ken Squier on Saturday, May 4 before taking on the infamous high-banks Squier built way back in 1960 for the Community Bank 150 on Sunday, May 5 along with the Flying Tigers, Street Stocks and Road Warriors for a whopping season opener!