“It’s Our Daytona 500”: Brandon Barker on Oxford 250 triumph

When you’ve worked hard for years, chasing goals and overcoming obstacles, finally reaching those milestones can bring an overwhelming rush of joy, pride, and a sense of accomplishment.

Those emotions were written all over Brandon Barker’s face as he pulled onto the frontstretch at Oxford Plains Speedway, becoming the 53rd Annual Nitro Trailers Oxford 250 champion.

Barker had just won the biggest race of his career, wiping away tears of victory before climbing out of the Snow family-owned super late model. After years of chasing success, the magnitude of the moment finally seemed to sink in.

“I’m not really an emotional guy, but for some reason, I think just seeing the whole crew, my family and everyone, it just kind of hit me,” Barker told Short Track Scene. “I’m really never emotional, but for some reason, seeing all them and all the excitement and all that stuff, just hit me.”

On his ninth attempt, Barker finally conquered the Oxford 250, accomplishing a feat that has eluded countless current and former drivers throughout the race’s storied history.

“That’s the biggest race, it’s our Daytona 500,” Barker said. “To be able to get that and there’s a lot of great drivers that have never gotten to do it. Just to be one of the names on that list and my name’s never coming off that trophy, it means a lot and it’s special.”

Since winning the Oxford 250, Barker has shown endless gratitude towards his supporters and everyone that believed in him over the years.

“It’s huge, you need the support,” said Barker. “It’s all them guys, they support me. The Snow’s have been here for me for a long time for over 10 years now. I don’t have any money to bring. They’re special people. Archie St. Hilaire has given me a great opportunity too. A lot of people have. I can go back to when I first started racing pro stocks or super late models with the Doiron’s and Shaw’s giving me a chance.  There’s so many people that have played a part in getting me here or just to last Sunday or Monday or whenever the race was over at. I can’t thank everyone enough.” 

For the Snow family, watching Barker grow and develop as a driver has been special, knowing him since he started karting. Jaimy and Sam Snow couldn’t be prouder of this monumental moment.

“Sam and I are so proud of Brandon and the whole race team,” Jaimy Snow said. “We have known Brandon since go karting days at Richmond Speedway. Brandon always gives 100% every time he gets behind the wheel-his drive and determination to make the car perform every race has been impressive to watch. We are just happy to be a part of Brandon’s racing career. Winning the Oxford 250 is a dream come true and having Brandon drive our car makes it that more special. Thank you to the team and sponsors who made winning the Oxford 250 possible.” 

Archie St. Hilaire, owner of GoFas Racing super late model, has had Barker pilot his GoFas Racing 32 super late model, including a PASS win earlier this year. Hilaire is proud of the driver Barker has become.

“I am so proud of Brandon winning the Oxford 250,” Archie St. Hilaire exclaimed. “He has matured as a strategic driver over the past two years and knows now that just being fast does not win races. Patience and race strategy pay off in the racing world. Congrats to him , his family, the 88 team, Sam Snow, and the best race shop in the area, Landshark Performance!” 

On Sunday, the day was playing into Barker’s hands, with confidence running high after winning his qualifying race, setting him up for a fifth place start in the 250. Barker was up front chasing down the leaders before the rain arrived.

“We were feeling good,” Barker exclaimed. “We’re a little free to start, but once we put the right side tires on and I was able to get track position back fairly quick. Kyle (DeSouza) was on the radio telling me, ‘rain is coming, so they’re probably going to make it halfway. So push.’ I think I could have gotten them before the rain. But, evidently the rain came before and just passed halfway. I didn’t want the race to end, that’s for sure. Like, I wanted to keep going.” 

Barker was running second when the rain arrived at the mid-point of the race. Barker wasn’t too concerned the race would be called as he relaxed back at his camper during the rain delay.

“No 250s have ever been rain shortened,” Barker said. “I figured they’d probably try to wait it out, but you never know. I didn’t really know, I’m not a weather person. I didn’t really see any radar or how long the rain was going to last, or if it was there to stay longer, or if it was just going to be a quick storm. It rained pretty hard. Luckily it ended and all the fans got to go out and help dry the track to get the show rolling again. I didn’t want it to end under rain, that’s for sure.”

With the rain washing much of the Hoosier tire rubber off the track and cooler temperatures setting in. It was expected the track would be different for the second half of the race. Barker believes the change in the track played a role in how his car handled.

“I felt like the track kind of turned in our favor,” Barker explained. “We’re pretty free to start the race and for a little bit there on the two tires, then once the rain came and got back racing, it definitely tightened up the track just a little bit and that’s all we really needed. It did it before too, when Jeff Taylor won, which is cool because he was 88 too. I think we had the same amount of rain delays when he won and the same hours of rain. We remembered back then that the track really tightened up after the rain. So, yeah the track definitely did change a little bit.” 

After the rain passed and track dried up, Barker would inherit the lead after Gabe Brown pitted following the red flag. Barker would lead over the next 50 laps, until DJ Shaw would reel in Barker, taking the lead away with 65 laps to go.

“I had a gap there and we caught them lap cars and I went to the top to go by them and definitely think the rain kind of ruined the top,” explained Barker. “I couldn’t do anything. It allowed the lapped cars to drive away from us and allowed DJ Shaw to catch up and Eddie MacDonald was right with him. I settled back into third. Just so I could stay with them still. Then we caught back up to them lap cars. DJ tried going to the top of the track to get by them and he couldn’t. I was a little frustrated because I felt like at the time I was racing him, not for the win, but because a lot of stuff could happen.”

Barker thought Shaw was one of the stronger cars on the day and enjoyed the chance to race against a long time friend.

“I felt like he was one of the best cars on Sunday,” Barker said. “I wanted to try to stay ahead of him and just for the pit stop stuff. DJ’s a lifelong friend of mine. I looked up to him when I was a little kid. I’ve known him that long and anytime you get to race with a good friend like that, it’s definitely cool.”

Another caution would fly with 45 laps to go, where many would pit for four tires, including Barker. On that restart, Barker would go three wide through Turn 4, going from ninth to third. A move that likely helped Barker win the 250.

“I had to do something to try to get in front of the 60,” said Barker. “He beat us out of the pits and then we were kind of racing him all race. He fell back a little bit at the beginning there, but I figured if I could get back to the front quicker than him and control the race. That would be the best hope for us. I can’t remember going three wide, but yeah, the seas parted. We just got through there pretty quick, which felt pretty good.

As the laps ticked away, Barker was just trying to hold steady and stand his ground.

“I was just getting my  lap times,” Barker said. “I’m just making sure every restart, I tried getting out to like a 10 car length lead and then just trying to manage that gap and they were reading off my lap times and I was just trying to save my tires, just in case there was a short little dash to the finish, which I think there was with a 10 lap dash. I was just trying to save a little bit of tire just to make sure I matched the guys behind me in speed and prayed that they weren’t going to catch us.” 

For Barker’s crew chief, Kyle DeSouza, he’s enjoyed working alongside Barker and seeing him succeed.

“Brandon is by far the most underrated driver in all of short track racing,” DeSouza said about Barker. “I’m beyond happy and proud that Sam Snow took a chance on him and on us at Landshark to show the world what Brandon Barker was capable of on our biggest stage.” 

Barker, a weekly regular with the super late models at Oxford, currently trails by one point behind ‘The King’ of Oxford Plains Speedway, Mike Rowe.

“We’re definitely going to try,” Barker said. “We got a lot of work ahead of us to be ready for that on Monday, but like I said, I’m not really a point person. We have one mission accomplished. We might as well try and go for that too.”

With Barker taking the biggest crown jewel at Oxford, he now once another big race at Oxford.

“I’d like to win the July 4th one,” Barker said. “That race is pretty cool. The 250 is the biggest race in the Northeast, I think, but that 300 laps there in July is a really cool deal. It’d be cool to try to get all the big ones at Oxford eventually. They’re all tough. You have to have a lot of things your way. And fortunately, this past weekend we got lucky and things went our way. I just try to win all the big ones, I guess, that are up here.”

Barker appreciates all those backing and supporting his success.

“Landshark Performance, Sam Snow Construction, GoFas Racing with Archie, Maietta Towing, DLM Excavation, NLM Custom Homes, and just everybody that supports us. RPM racing engines  and Rick Paya who drove three and a half/four hours from Vermont and came down and took the engine apart. That’s huge of them and it’s just cool, it shows us that they really care. Just thanks to everyone.”

Brandon Barker and the Snow family owned 88 will head back to Oxford Plains Speedway this Monday afternoon for a special super late model 100-Lap race, where he will try to chase down a track championship.