Heartbreaks of Oxford 250 weekend for Gabe Brown and DJ Shaw

Each year, with any crown jewel race event, there are drivers and stories that develop throughout the race weekend. Those stories can give you another driver to root for, a story about that specific year’s event, or just another story to that driver’s long career.

This weekend at the Oxford 250, multiple stories could be followed throughout the pit area.

In the final practice for PASS on Saturday, Gabe Brown and Bobby Webber Racing discovered issues with their engine. The team had an engine guy look over the motor and believe the issue was related to the radiator, but that wouldn’t be the issue.

“Sunday morning we went out and when the motor got to rpm it just pushed water and didnt stop till it was out of water, so we believe it has a blown head gasket or cracked head,” Brown said “Fortunately a great friend, Joe Pastore said, ‘lets go get my motor out of my car or you just race my car, you can’t leave this one.’ All of our guys went to the back pit and had the motors out of both cars and were ready to go back in our car in less than an hour. Just incredibly thankful to have a team like that, and a friend like Joe to do what he did for us, not only did he let us take his motor, but he helped us.” 

With a motor change, Brown would make it in time for his qualifying race, starting sixth, and would finish second. Brown would start seventh on the grid for the 250. Brown worked his way into the top five, making his way to the lead on Lap 70. Brown would lead the next 56 laps, until the rain came. 

When the track was drier, and racing was getting ready to resume, pit road opened, and Brown went down pit-road, and caught onlookers by surprise. The team had jackstands out and were going to work on the rear end, where the top link bolt had broken. Brown would go down two laps, and struggle to recover. Brown would go home with a disappointing 24th place finish.

“Everyone knows whose Oxford 250 that was, things just don’t work out sometimes,” a disappointed Brown said. “Shit luck with a nut stripping and falling off, it’s my own fault, shouldn’t have been a half nut there and there was. We drove away from guys on tires. Unfortunately after it broke we got stuck two laps down and just cant overcome that. Onto the Star Classic.”

Another driver, DJ Shaw, was a dominant car all day long, but left Oxford wondering what could have been. Shaw was the winner of the second qualifying race, setting him up to start second in the Oxford 250.

Shaw jumped out to the lead from the drop of the green flag, leading the first 69 laps, then followed in second until the first caution would fly at Lap 96, where Shaw and most of the field pitted for two tires. Shaw was back into the Top-3 by the time the rain arrived on Lap 126. 

After the rain, Shaw took over second place after Gabe Brown pitted from the lead. Shaw would then fall in line behind current leader and eventual 250 winner, Brandon Barker. Shaw would take the lead with 65 laps to go, leading an additional 18 laps until a caution would fly, Shaw would pit for four tires, be the first car off pit road, restarting 10th with 46 laps to go.

The veteran Shaw began to work his way through the Top-10, but then with 40 laps to, Joey Doiron would get into Shaw, spinning Shaw around and bringing the caution out once again.

Shaw would restart 24th with 40 laps remaining, with a nearly impossible task given to try and make it back to the front. Shaw would recover many of the spots lost, but the result would only be a seventh place finish. 

At the end of the day, Shaw knew how strong his car was, and was proud of who came out on top.

“I was proud of the car we brought, I felt like we had one of the three best cars all night, the best car at certain points of the race but that doesn’t matter if the whole day doesn’t go your way,” Shaw explained. “It’s a hard race to win and I keep finding ways to remind myself of that. But happy for Brandon Barker and that team, bittersweet to not be able to fight for it with such a good car, but he was the best man in my wedding so it was cool to see. I’m proud of him and what he’s accomplished.”

The Pro All-Star Series heads next to Star Speedway, as part of the Star Classic Weekend on Saturday, September 12th.