Oxford Plains Speedway is a racetrack located in Oxford, Maine. Known as "Maine’s Superspeedway," it hosts short-track racing tournaments and other events. The speedway is the largest spectator facility in the state of Maine, with seating for 14,000 people.
Track operations The speedway has the largest seating capacity of any sporting venue in Maine. The main race held there is the Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Oxford 250, which has run under various sanctions over the years; in the early 1990s, the race was a combination race between the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Busch North Series, but it later became an American Canadian Tour Late Model race, and now a Pro All Star Series Super Late Model race. The 250 green flag lap race has often featured stars from NASCAR's three national series, even when it was not an Xfinity championship race in the early 1990s, as it is currently held during the NASCAR late-summer off week. Among the NASCAR stars who have raced the annual Oxford 250 are 17 drivers who have won NASCAR Cup Series majors, with eleven of them Sprint Cup Series champions, and five of those are now NASCAR Hall of Fame members.
The track is well known for its wide-open turns. It hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races between 1966 and 1968, with three of them won by Bobby Allison and the other by Richard Petty.
The speedway is also known around Maine for yearly hosting several Pro All Star Series races during the season, and for its motor mayhem events that include smokey doughnut shows, spectator drags, jack and jill races, enduros, and formally had the ramp jump that has been discontinued for safety reasons. The track offers racing twice weekly during the season. The Wednesday night Oxford Acceleration Series offers five divisions including Outlaws, Rebels, Sport Trucks, Cruisers and Ladies divisions. Saturday night Oxford Championship Series divisions include the headlining Super Late Models with Street Stocks, Bandits, Figure 8s as well as regional divisions that include Legends, North East Classic Lites, the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association and the Pro All Star Series Modifieds.
History Construction of a new $35,000 racetrack in Oxford began on April 10, 1950 when bulldozers began demolition of foliage on the side of State Route 26 with Damon Brothers Lumber. The operator of the lumber company, George Damon, also served as President of the Pine State Stock Car Racing Association (PSSCRA). The sawmill in Norway, Maine would create the lumber necessary for the long grandstand, which would have capacity for 5,000 attendees, becoming the second-largest in the state. The track would be an oval of clay and gravel and have heavy banking for race car drivers. The new track would also have lights so night racing could be held. Damon was confident that the new track would be ready to open on May 30.
By May 26, the track was in place, along with the new grandstand and parking lot for 1,000 cars. Crews worked to finish the track for the opening race on May 27, 1950. Local time trials on May 21 found that the surface was dusty and an oil company was called in to help treat the surface to eliminate the dust. Officials from the PSSCRA, who sponsored the races that weekend, invited racers from several local groups to participate the races. The opening weekend would include four qualifying heat, a consolation race, two semi-final races and the main event.
The stadium held The Monsters of Rock Festival, featuring Van Halen, Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica and Kingdom Come on June 25, 1988. A show scheduled for the previous day was cancelled. The show brought in an estimated 40,000 people to the racetrack and caused traffic jams along Maine Route 26 to the Maine Turnpike.
The following week, the Grateful Dead performed, on two consecutive nights, at the racetrack on July 2–3, 1988, with Little Feat as their opening act, bringing in an estimated 140,000 people. Following traffic and crowd issues with the two concerts, the town of Oxford voted create a town ordinance to restrict crowd sizes at events in town to a maximum of 25,000 people.
In late 2012, the owner Bill Ryan sold the speedway to current owner Tom Mayberry. Since then there has been a change in the direction of the speedway, it no longer sanctions ACT-type Late Models as a weekly division, instead turning to Tom Mayberry's PASS (Pro All Star Series) Super Late Models which now serve as the weekly headliner. The Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model and Modified tours also make several stops at Oxford Plains during the racing season. The Oxford 250 is now a PASS Super Late Model race, with drivers across the continent who participate in Super Late Models under PASS, NASCAR, Champion Racing Association, Spears Southwest Tour, and other top Super Late Model series to use the same car they use in their home series, as most tracks with Super Late Models use a single set of rules for car specification.
In 2018, the American Canadian Tour made its return to Oxford Plains after an absence in 2017 with Eddie MacDonald sweeping both the events. ACT returned in 2019 with the Pro All Star Series and Oxford Plains season opener in May along with the Saturday night race before Oxford 250 Sunday in August. The Oxford 250 night before event will also feature Modified stock car racing from the Tri Track Modified Series.
Super Late Model Track Championship YearNameNumberPoints2013T.J. Brackett616372014T.J. Brackett617302015Tim Brackett608222016Tim Brackett608982017Alan Tardiff9T8302018Gabe Brown477742019Curtis Gerry7G8352020David Farrington Jr.235072021David Farrington Jr.239392022Max Cookson398462023Max Cookson396842024Trevor Sanborn4416462025Scott McDaniel1414742026Mike Rowe241851
Annual Oxford 250 Champions
YearNameHometownWinnings1974Joey KourafasSharon, Massachusetts$4,5001975Dave DionHudson, New Hampshire$4,5001976Butch LindleyGreenville, South Carolina$6,3751977Don BiedermanOakville, Ontario$6,0001978Bob PressleyAsheville, North Carolina$7,0501979Tom RosatiAgawam, Massachusetts$10,0001980Geoff BodineChemung, New York$11,2001981Geoff Bodine (2)Chemung, New York$21,4001982Mike BarryBolton, Vermont$16,0001983Tommy EllisRichmond, Virginia$21,1501984Mike RoweTurner, Maine$26,4751985Dave Dion (2)Hudson, New Hampshire$26,6001986Chuck BownPortland, Oregon$28,9501987Jamie AubeNorth Ferrisburg, Vermont$31,1001988Dick McCabeKennebunkport, Maine$34,1001989Jamie Aube (2)North Ferrisburg, Vermont$35,0751990Chuck Bown (2) NXSPortland, Oregon$51,8721991Ricky Craven NXSNewburgh, Maine$50,0251992Dave Dion (3)Hudson, New Hampshire$37,1501993Junior HanleyCampbellville, Ontario$40,4751994Derek LynchNorwood, Ontario$33,9751995Dave WhitlockPetrolia, Ontario$52,1501996Larry Gelinas Scarborough, Maine$50,0001997Mike Rowe (2)Turner, Maine$39,8001998Ralph Nason Unity, Maine$46,4001999Ralph Nason (2) Unity, Maine$42,7002000Ralph Nason (3) Unity, Maine$31,9002001Gary Drew Windham, Maine$35,4002002Scott RobinsDixfield, Maine$36,9002003Ben RoweTurner, Maine$34,7002004Ben Rowe(2) Turner, Maine$29,7002005Mike Rowe (3) Turner, Maine$26,0002006Jeremie WhorffBath, Maine$36,6002007Roger Brown Lancaster, New Hampshire$35,8002008Kevin HarvickBakersfield, California$37,3002009Eddie MacDonaldRowley, Massachusetts$35,3002010Eddie MacDonald (2)Rowley, Massachusetts$29,8002011Kyle BuschLas Vegas, Nevada$31,8002012Joey Polewarczyk Jr.Hudson, New Hampshire$45,5002013Travis BenjaminMorrill, Maine$33,5002014Travis Benjamin (2)Morrill, Maine$27,3002015Glen Luce Turner, Maine$30,1002016Wayne Helliwell Jr.Dover, New Hampshire$29,5002017Curtis GerryWaterboro, Maine$35,2002018Andrew (Bubba) PollardSenoia, Georgia$28,0002019Travis Benjamin (3)Morrill, Maine$29,1002020Johnny ClarkFarmingdale, Maine$32,6762021Cassius ClarkFarmington, Maine$31,8002022Cole ButcherPorter's Lake, Nova Scotia$25,9002023Cole Butcher (2)Porter's Lake, Nova Scotia$27,7002024Jeff TaylorFarmington, Maine$26,7002025Austin TerasGray, Maine$37,5002026Brandon BarkerWindham, Maine
References
External links Official Web Site Oxford Plains Speedway archive at Racing-Reference