Second-guessing is plentiful in a sport in which second place can sometimes feel like last place.
Going around Oxford Plains Speedwayâs track 250 times means thereâs at least that many chances to make the wrong move in the Oxford 250 â a wrong move that can cost a driver not only money but, more importantly, a win.
Sometimes the wrong move doesnât take place in turns one, two, three or four, but during the one or two pit stops a driver makes during the prestigious race.
âIâve seen pit stops take a great car thatâs leading every lap, and if you donât pick the right time, it takes you right out of the race,â two-time Oxford 250 champ Ben Rowe said. âAnd Iâve seen, it happened with us last year, we wasnât the best car last year, but we kind of made our pit stops right, and with 25 to go we were right in the top three contending for the win.â
Curtis Gerry, the 2017 race winner, said that because of pit stops thereâs âno comparisonâ for most drivers between the 250 and the other races in which they compete.
âThe PASS 150 is easy, you donât have to pit for tires or anything like that, so you donât have the live pit stops involved. And this one here, itâs got that extra-special thing involved that can go wrong,â Gerry said.
Gerry appeared to be the driver to beat leading up to last yearâs race, having won seemingly every time he took the track at Oxford in 2018 after winning the 250 the previous year. But on race day day, after he overcame car troubles in the heats and clawed his way into contention in the feature, Gerry said he made âprobably the wrong callâ on when to pit.
âIf we had done that same thing (race winner Bubba Pollard did) we wouldnât have probably gotten caught up in the wreck (that ended our chances). So itâs like trying to figure it out, that perfect timing,â Gerry said. âAnd pit stop speed has got to be on-point, because the year we won we came in (to the pit) first and we came out 24th. That doesnât help a lot.â
Because many of the drivers donât do much â if any â live pit stops throughout the year, being ready for the 250 becomes that much more important.
âIt gives your crew that has worked hard on these cars all year long, it gives them a chance to be part of this race,â Rowe said. âThey come over the wall, change tires, stuff like that, fuel it up, and theyâre part of this race.â
Not only will pit crew members have their chance to shine Sunday, they might even make or break a carâs chances of winning.
âHaving a good pit crew is crucial. You need a lot of hands on deck,â Calvin Rose Jr. said. âPit stops are pretty important, as you need to be in and out to try to salvage spots on the track.â
Garrett Hall hopes to be at or near the front for most of the race, and he said his team will be practicing all day Sunday.
âI got my friends that are mechanics, and theyâre really good and fast and in good shape, so they know what to do,â Hall said. âAnd hopefully weâll have a good car and pit strategy, and tire-changing wonât have really anything to do with it.
âHopefully weâll just have a fast car and a dominant car. If we have a good pit stop, that will be a bonus.â
Like Gerry, Hall also said that pit strategy might have hurt his chances last year, though a fourth-place finish helped make up for some of the what-ifs.
Three-time race winner Mike Rowe said heâs combining his Oxford and Beech Ridge pit crews in hopes that it can give him one, solid crew to help him earn a record-breaking fourth Oxford 250 victory.
âWe try to pinpoint down what weâre going to do, and this and that, and sometimes things work out and sometimes donât,â Rowe said. âBut you just got to have a lot of luck and patience.â
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