Jeff Taylor had finished second in the Oxford 250 on three separate occasions.
He had watched a number of cars win the prestigious race that were equipped with his company’s Distance Racing Products chassis.
Cole Butcher had won the previous two Oxford 250s with Distance Racing Products chassis from Taylor’s Fairfield-based business.
But Sunday night belonged to the 57-year-old Farmington native as he took the lead from D.J. Shaw with 25 laps remaining and never looked back en route to the victory in the 51st annual race at Oxford Plains Speedway.
And the veteran driver, who qualified for his first 250 in 1993, said that it will be his last 250.
“That’s it for me. It can never get any better than this,” said Taylor. “The opportunities (to win it) were getting fewer and farther between.”
The race featured a lengthy rain delay.
Rain, thunder and lightning stopped the race at lap 116 and it didn’t resume for nearly three hours.
“The rain delay helped a lot. It helped my car more than anybody else’s,” said Taylor. “It was better after the rain delay.”
Taylor started 20th and had moved up to 11th by the rain delay.
There was another brief delay for a rain-caused caution on lap 122.
He said the victory hasn’t sunk in yet.
“It doesn’t seem real. The race was a blur. The whole day was a blur,” said Taylor who added that the whole night with the rain delays was “pretty odd.”
He added that after having come close so many times, it was “pretty relieving” to finally win it.
Taylor won nine points championships at Oxford Plains Speedway but has cut way back on his own racing over the last dozen years, devoting more time to his business and racing only a few times each year including the 250.
Sunday’s race was his first of the season.
The first time he qualified for the Oxford 250 in 1993, he finished eighth after starting 30th.
He has 12 career top-10 finishes including four top-twos.
He was second to Johnny Clark in 2020, runner-up behind Joey Polewarczyk Jr. in 2012 and was second to Dave Whitlock in 1995.
He said there hasn’t been anything in his career that even comes close to matching the importance of his victory at the Oxford 250.
“It’s like winning the Daytona 500,” said Taylor.
Taylor was a late bloomer.
The 1985 graduate of Farmington’s Mt. Blue High School never raced until he finished high school.
He began his career racing street stocks before eventually moving up to Super Late Models.
Even though Taylor doesn’t plan to run any more 250s, his Distance Racing Products chassis are likely to continue to wind up in Victory Lane.
