OXFORD – For guy who’s won multiple championships in supporting racing classes at Oxford Plains Speedway and is contending for the title in the track’s top division, Alan Wilson wears the underdog label nicely.

In this loudest of sporting endeavors, Wilson’s a quiet guy. He drives an unpretentious, sky-blue Chevrolet with yellow numerals, a paint scheme that hasn’t changed much in his quarter-century of competition.

The hood and panels aren’t crowded with the logos of deep-pocketed sponsors, either. T&K Concrete, Wheeler’s Market and Lloyd’s Land will cover most of Wilson’s projected $2,200 tire bill at this weekend’s Banknorth 250.

So how could Wilson, 42, outduel NASCAR Nextel Cup stars Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch and more than 70 others at the region’s most historic short track race? Maybe it’s that measured, mild-mannered approach.

“I’m one of those guys who takes five or six laps to get going and let things sort out,” said Wilson, who has been hauling a car to OPS from his home in Hebron almost every Saturday night since he was a teenager. “These longer races work to your advantage if you’re patient.”

Wilson isn’t a longshot in the tradition of former winners Don Biederman, Tom Rosati and Derek Lynch. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if he captures the winner’s share of more than $25,000 in the Sunday twilight.

Still third in weekly Pro Stock points after missing last Saturday’s race due to a family emergency, Wilson hopes to become the first driver to win the OPS Pro Stock championship after capturing the title in two supporting classes.

He was Charger and Street Stock champ before launching a relatively low-budget Pro Stock operation in the early 1990s. Wilson’s feature win last month was his 50th in all classes at OPS, putting him in an elite group that includes Mike Rowe and Jeff Taylor.

Experience and improved equipment have served Wilson well in recent years.

“Being a working guy, you can’t just go buy all this stuff. You have to do it over time,” Wilson said. “Most of my (pit crew) guys have been with me six years, and I told them at the beginning we had to be patient and do it little by little.”

Two years ago, Wilson won the last-chance race before the 250. That entitled him to start last in the field after three grueling qualifying races.

Wilson finished fourth, his best performance to date.

“I saw myself closing on Ryan Moore for third, so I gritted my teeth and said, Let’s go get him.’ That lasted five laps. I was so tired I could barely turn my head,” said Wilson.

What keeps a local racer going on a summer Sunday night when he’s exhausted and probably outnumbered by his opponents’ budget and human resources?

Definitely not the money.

“It’s the history. It’s who’s won, who hasn’t won,” said Wilson. “Don’t get me wrong, the money is nice. The money for winning this race will keep you going for a year or two.”

This year, the windfall would be an ideal push to Wilson’s title aspirations.

Even if the season goes south in August and September, however, Wilson knows a victory lane celebration in the summer classic would drown any future sorrows.

“It means I’d die happy,” he said. “I have no interest really in advancing and doing anything else in racing. This race is everything. The rest of your year, the rest of your career really, you don’t have to do anything if you win this race.”