Joey Polewarczyk Jr.: ACT @ Oxford Plains Preview

(From team release)

Joey Polewarczyk Jr. joins the ACT Late Model Tour for the second event of the season -- the WJAB 150 on Sunday, May 16, at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine. Three of the first five races on the ACT schedule have been rained out, including last week's event in Plattsburgh, N.Y. After a 12th-place finish in the season opener at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on May 2, Polewarczyk returns to Oxford Plains Speedway -- where he's won two ACT races in his career, including this very event last season. In his last six starts at Oxford, including two TD Bank Oxford 250s, Polewarczyk has two wins and five top-five finishes.

WHO: Joey Polewarczyk Jr., Hudson, N.H.
TEAM: Pole's Automotive/NH Precision No. 97 Ford
BEST CAREER OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (2 times; most recently: May 2009)
LAST RACE AT OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY: 2nd (October 2009)

WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour WJAB 150
WHERE: Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (.375-mile oval)
WHEN: 2 p.m., Sunday, May 16ACT Late Model Tour

LAST RACE: Sunday, May 2, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (12th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Friday, June 11, NH Governor's Cup 150, Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H.
POINTS POSITION: 10th

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JOEY, WITH ALL YOUR RECENT SUCCESS AT THE TRACK, IS IT FAIR TO SAY OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY IS YOUR FAVORITE TRACK ON THE TOUR?

I love it. I'd say Oxford's probably my favorite, absolutely. The thing I like most about it is if you have a car that's not handling 100 percent, you can make it work. The driver can do something about it. You can change your line, try anything to make it work. A lot of tracks that we go to, you just can't do that.

WHAT'S THE SECRET TO HAVING A GOOD RUN AT OXFORD?

Every time I've won there, it's been the outside lane that's done it for me -- the way outside lane. It's been changing, though. The last race we ran there at the end of last year, we were running way outside, but Eric (Williams) got his car working down low and won the race and we finished second.

The fast way around probably is the bottom, but you have to be able stay there. Your car really has to be working perfect all day for that to happen. If you're forcing it to stay on the bottom like that, it's easy to use the tires up and then have the car go away -- and that's when you can go and use the outside, too.

IT SHAPED UP TO BE A TOUGH 5-WEEK STRETCH FOR ACT TEAMS TO OPEN THE SEASON THIS YEAR, BUT WITH THE RAINOUTS THAT HASN'T HAPPENED. HOW HARD HAVE THE RAINOUTS BEEN ON THE TEAM?

We'll we're definitely ready, I can tell you that. We've been the same guys for four or five years now on this team, and everyone knows what's going on and what their job is at the race track.

It's just the waiting game. It's frustrating, definitely, but this week has been really good. Sure, it stinks that we didn't have a race at Airborne (Speedway) last week -- but you have to take the positives. There's no body work to do on the car this week, so we just worked on our setup for Oxford. We can't wait to go back there.