Top 50 Drivers in Oxford 250 History: No. 35 - 31

Every year since 1974, Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine has hosted the Oxford 250. The event has seen many different forms, cars, drivers and sanctioning bodies over the years, but it has also seen plenty of star power during that time.

In celebration of the 50th Annual Oxford 250 taking place on August 25-27, 2023, Racing America has assembled a ranking of the top 50 drivers in the history of the event. We will unveil them in installments leading up to the big weekend in August, where you can watch the Oxford 250 here on Racing America if you are unable to attend the golden anniversary event in person.

This week's entry brings us into the list of drivers who have claimed victory in the Oxford 250.

Top 50 Drivers in Oxford 250 History: 50-46 | 45-41 | 40-36

35 – Ricky Craven

Before he was a veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series with two career wins at the sport’s top level, Ricky Craven was a young driver from Maine trying to show his mettle against some of the best racers in the Northeast and beyond. Perhaps no moment was bigger in that process than Craven’s 1991 Oxford 250 win.

In what was a combination event between the Busch North Series and Busch Grand National Series, Craven led 189 laps and held off Tommy Houston and Todd Bodine for the victory in 1991. He would later win another combination event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the fall of 1991, go full-time racing in what is now NASCAR’s Xfinity Series in 1992, and the rest is history.

34 – Don Biederman

Last year, Cole Butcher became the fifth Canadian winner of the Oxford 250, and the first since Dave Whitlock went to victory lane in 1995. Don Biederman was the first driver from north of the border to win the Oxford 250, doing so in 1977.

That year, Biederman led the final 38 laps of the Oxford 250 to take the win. He assumed the top spot from Bob Pressley on lap 212, after Pressley led more than 200 laps. Biederman made five more starts in the event between 1978 and 1984, but nothing would ever top the crowning achievement in 1977.

33 – Jeremie Whorff

In his first three attempts at the Oxford 250, Jeremie Whorff failed to qualify for the event. When he made the show in 2006, he immediately left his mark on the record books in storybook fashion.

Whorff won the Oxford 250 in 2006 at just 22 years of age. He took the lead from none other than Kyle Busch on lap 159, and finished ahead of his father Bill Whorff for the win.

Whorff is entered once again for this year’s Oxford 250, looking to become a two-time winner of the event. The next generation of the Whorff racing family is also on this year’s entry list, Brody Whorff.

32 – Derek Lynch

Ontario’s Derek Lynch, like Biederman, is on the short list of Canadians to claim victory in the Oxford 250. Interestingly enough, he was the “middle man” in a three-year run of Canadian success in the Oxford 250.

Junior Hanley had won the Oxford 250 in 1993, and Derek Lynch continued that trend with the win in 1994. The victory was Lynch’s third and final win on the ACT Pro Stock Tour, as he took the lead from Ralph Nason on lap 221.

31 – Cole Butcher

And to close out this week’s chapter, we come full circle and include the most recent race winner, Cole Butcher. Butcher only has five starts to date in the Oxford 250 in his young career, but he’ll forever be known as an Oxford 250 winner.

Before 2022’s event, Butcher last took part in the Oxford 250 in 2019, finishing sixth. Butcher returned in a big way in 2022, taking the victory after late-race contact with Johnny Clark and leading the final nine laps for the victory.