Only days before the Oxford 250, one of the biggest names on the entry list seemed likely to miss the 50th running of the Northeast’s most prestigious Super Late Model showdown.
But a last-minute arrangement will not only give him a shot at making the field, but perhaps his best shot in years at a victory.
Max Cookson Racing announced that they will field a second car in this weekend’s Spencer Group Paving Oxford 250 for 2018 event winner Bubba Pollard.
Cookson and his team shared the news on social media Thursday afternoon.
“With Bubba gearing up for a race in his No. 26 SLM this Thursday 1,500 miles away in Missouri, many wondered if the Oxford 250 might just be out of reach,” the team’s release read. “But champions find a way! Making a thrilling, last-minute pact, Bubba will be driving the second car from the Max Cookson Racing stables.”
The Senoia, Ga. racer, one of the modern faces of short track racing, made waves with his Oxford 250 entry five years ago. One of nearly seventy entries for the event, Pollard started 29th and led 33 laps to win the race in his first attempt.
Pollard has made the trip north for every Oxford 250 since then, though he has been unable to match the magic of 2018. Mechanical woes and a late crash last year have marred Pollard’s efforts, with a tenth-place result in 2021 his only other finish in five starts.
Undeterred by past misfortune, Pollard filed his entry this summer as usual. But social media rumors this week suggested that Pollard would be a scratch on Sunday, especially given a commitment to the SRL National Super Late Model Tour’s “Tribute to the 75” event at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Missouri Thursday evening.
Now, Bubba has a ride in waiting when he arrives in Maine.
Max Cookson has had a banner year, leading the PASS North standings as a rookie while seeking a second straight Oxford Plains Speedway track title as well. (STS/Jeff Brown)
And as last-minute deals go, serving as teammate to one of the region’s rising talents is hard to beat.
Cookson burst onto the New England touring scene in 2020, running six races in the Pro All Stars Series’ Modified division. The next year, the young racer from Palmyra, Me. won six times in 14 starts to clinch the PASS Modified crown. The family team upgraded to a Super Late Model in the offseason. As a rookie, Cookson delivered, winning the Oxford Plains Speedway track championship and picking up his first PASS North win in a limited touring schedule.
Cookson has found plenty of speed at brand-new tracks, finishing second at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his first visit in April. (STS/Jeff Brown)
Now full-time in the touring ranks, Cookson leads the PASS North standings with one win and four second-place finishes, and no finishes worse than seventh. Cookson also sits atop the PASS National Championship rankings and leads the Oxford weekly points with one race remaining. Cookson’s 2022 success earned him a place with the Kulwicki Driver Development Program, and his on-track performance has kept him in the running for the season-long honors.
In last year’s Oxford 250, Cookson led 48 laps en route to a fifth-place finish.
Cookson’s two cars are from the Distance Racing Products shop of Oxford veteran Jeff Taylor. Distance chassis are all but bred for Oxford, winning the 2017 and 2019 Oxford 250 and sweeping this year’s four PASS North shows at the track.
With the cerebral Cookson and proven Distance equipment at his disposal, this weekend’s Oxford 250 might be Pollard’s best chance to repeat his 2018 victory.
Cookson, who lacks experience but whose racecraft and awareness belie that, stands to gain from a weekend working with a driver who has won some of the nation’s biggest short track races.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed at the Oxford 250, with almost seventy cars entered and a blind draw seeding heat races that can negate hours of practice.
But Cookson and Pollard working hand-in-hand is a strong start.
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