OXFORD — Getting disqualified once makes for a tough day. Having a second qualification effort disallowed at Sunday’s Oxford Plains 250 was just downright painful for Tyler King.

Twice King’s No. 11 car was ruled to be too low on the left side. The first time it wiped out his strong second-place effort in the second heat.

The second time was after he had won the 50-lap Last Chance race.

“It’s discouraging,” the Livermore Falls native and 2013 Spruce Mountain graduate said. “There aren’t many people that qualify twice.”

King races regularly at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. He said at Beech Ridge crew members are allowed to come into the tech inspection area.

“The problem is they don’t let one of my crew guys down there in tech and I had to stay in the car,” King said. “We jacked it up a lot after the first time. It just makes you wonder. We’re not a regular on the PASS tour.”

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The main beneficiary of King’s DQ was Dave Farrington Jr., who finished second in the Last Chance race. Farrington had been disqualified after his second-place finish in the third heat.

Then race promoter Tom Mayberry awarded provisional starting spots to Bryan Kruczek, Trevor Sanborn, Alan Wilson, Scott McDaniel, Richie Dearborn and Mark Lundblad Jr.

Also getting in without qualifying were: Steve Park (Sunoco sponsor spot), Chris Coolidge (Oxford Plains pro driver) and past champions Scott Robbins and Larry Gelinas.

The 10 provisional spots meant six heat races, three consolation races and the 50-lap Last Chance eliminated just 16 cars.

ANDY SANTERRE, who now lives in North Yarmouth, drove his first competitive race since 2007 when he got in Reid Lanpher’s backup Legends Car, the pint-sized version of a vintage car, and finished third in a support race. Santerre is a former four-time NASCAR K&N East (formerly Busch North) champ. He came to the track to practice the car for Lanpher’s father, Scott.

“I came with no intentions of racing, though I did have my suit,” Santerre said. “Then he told me you might as well race it.”

Santerre finished third.

“My left leg got tired because I was crammed in it so bad and the seat’s not really made for me,” said the 6-foot-1 Santerre. “I’m out of shape for sure.”


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