OXFORD – Traffic detours will be in force Sunday during the annual Show, Shine & Drag event at Oxford Plains Speedway.

The bypass routes around the Route 26 speedway and drag strip will lengthen travel times for motorists by requiring them to use side roads through Oxford Village and East Oxford.

The detours are necessary, say Oxford police. Without them, the thousands of people who attend the event would cause major traffic backups on the highway, which is the region’s major north-south artery.

Northbound Route 26 traffic will turn right onto Station Road, across from Maine-Ly Action Sports, then go to East Oxford Road. From there, drivers may return to Route 26 by turning left on Oxford Street or by going to the end of East Oxford Road near Market Square.

Those coming from the Lewiston-Auburn area via Route 121 will turn right on Schoolhouse Road just before the intersection with Route 26. From there, those headed to the speedway will turn again to enter the race track parking area from the Number Six Road.

Drivers headed south on Route 26 will be routed around the speedway, turning right on Skeetfield Road, then left on King Street. From King Street, they will return to the highway’s southbound lane at the Station Road intersection.

If the Skeetfield Road-King Street route becomes backed up, a longer backup bypass route will be used for southbound traffic, using Pottle Road, Coldwater Brook Road, Allen Hill Road, then Pleasant and King streets.

The speedway’s gates open at 7:30 a.m., with show car judging from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and drag time trials from 9 a.m. to noon.

Drag elimination trials start at 12:30 p.m., and the show’s award ceremony runs from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Admission for the event is $2, and all proceeds will be donated to the town of Oxford.