Austin Teras Fends Off Challengers for 52nd Annual Oxford 250 Victory

At just 22 years old, Austin Teras is now among the immortals in short track racing.

Teras earned that distinction by winning the 52nd Annual All That's Metal Oxford 250 on Sunday at Oxford Plains Speedway, holding off some of the best racers from the Northeast and beyond for the victory.

The Gray, Maine driver who cut his teeth at Oxford Plains and claimed three track championships in the Legends division went toe-to-toe with two-time Oxford 250 winner Eddie MacDonald and eight-time Pro All Stars Series champion D.J. Shaw.

In spite of constant pressure from two of the top drivers on the circuit and three cautions in the final 20 laps, Teras held strong and took the checkered flag.

Teras' victory in his eighth Oxford 250 attempt also provides the culmination of a decades-long pursuit of the Oxford 250 for his family. His father, Jay Cushman, has been chasing the Oxford 250 for decades as a driver and a car owner.

"I don't even know if I believe it, to be honest, man," said Teras in victory lane. "This is something you work your whole life for. My dad has been trying since, I think, 1982, and he hadn't gotten one yet. It'll never be higher than this, really.

"It's all we could ever ask for," Cushman added. "I'm just glad we finally got it done."

While Teras stood in victory lane, he was quick to credit everyone who played a part in the victory, from the engine and chassis builders to his pit crew.

"Brad Watson builds a bad-to-the-bone built motor," said Teras. "This is the only Ford in the field. We take pride in that, we're born blue. Brannon Earnest builds the best shocks in the country. There's so many people. Jeff Taylor built the best chassis there ever was build, back-to-back victory lanes in the 250."

Teras flexed his muscle and put the field on notice during the middle stages of the race. While the overwhelming majority of the field pitted at a lap 107 caution for two fresh tires out of their allotment, Teras stayed on track to maintain his lead.

Even on the older tires, Teras held the top spot until lap 124, when 2018 Oxford 250 winner Bubba Pollard took the lead. Cole Robie moved to the lead on lap 166, and led the way when a caution flew on lap 184 and brought the field back down pit road.

"Holding on, just trying not to lose all the track position," said Teras. "Just waiting for the opportunity to put tires on and go race some guys heads up. I knew when we could hang on and race with Bubba and race Cole and race some guys when we had old tires and they had two tires, I knew we were good to race them at the end. I think that showed at the end."

Once back on track, Teras quickly stormed to the lead, taking the top spot from Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. on lap 192. In all, Teras unofficially led 125 of the race's 250 laps, taking home $37,500 in prize money when accompanying for lap leader money.

MacDonald finished second, searching for a third Oxford 250 victory after winning the event in 2009 and 2010. Doing so would have placed him in a tie for most wins in the event with Travis Benjamin, Dave Dion, Ralph Nason and Mike Rowe.

Instead, the Rowley, Massachusetts native settled for second. Still, he was able to celebrate his first top-10 finish in the event since 2022.

"We really wanted to be able to try and go for the win there, but Austin was just too fast," MacDonald said. "I couldn't keep up with him. He had great restarts and just could run away. We got a little too tight on that last run, but just still really excited. This is the best we've run in a long time here."

Another driver searching for a long-awaited Oxford 250 victory for both himself and his family was D.J. Shaw. One of the most successful drivers in the history of the Pro All Stars Series, Shaw sought his first 250 crown in his 14th attempt at the race.

Shaw finished third after sweeping a Super Late Model doubleheader weekend at Oxford Plains earlier in August, but still carried plenty of excitement from the weekend.

"That's three thirds in a row in the 250, and four top-threes in a row here at Oxford, so we're on the right track," said Shaw. "You can't ask for any more than that. This thing was a hot rod today. It wasn't the 29 car, the best car won the race.

"Man, this thing was impressive all weekend long, and carried right over from a couple of weeks ago. I'm just really proud of the car and the team and everybody that worked hard this weekend."

Pollard finished fourth, with Brandon Barker rounding out the top five.

-Photo credit: Connor Sullivan