PORTLAND – They think about this race from the time they unload their trailers in the spring. All over New England and eastern Canada, Late Model stock car drivers are gearing up for one of the nation’s biggest short track events, the 35th annual TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

For nearly all of these drivers, the 250 is the premier race in which they will run. Every July for over three decades, drivers and fans from throughout the short track community have converged on the 3/8-mile paved oval to crown a new king. With the big dance now less than a week away, excitement is starting to build.

Speedway officials hosted their annual pre-race media day gathering Monday, where serious conversations ranged from predicting a race winner to tire and pit strategy. On hand to discuss this year’s 250 were track owner Bill Ryan and seven drivers from three different states.

Four of the seven are regulars of Oxford’s Saturday night battles, including Shawn Martin, Dale Verrill, Kurt Hewins and Ricky Rolfe. Also in attendance was defending race winner Roger Brown of Lancaster, N.H., Eddie MacDonald, of Rowley, Mass., and Travis Stearns.

Adding to the excitement of this year’s 250 is an appearance by NASCAR star Kevin Harvick, winner of the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick has built his own car for the race and made the decision to come up on his own. Back in the early 1980s, Harvick’s father-in-law attempted to qualify for the 250 but had some tough luck. With that in mind, and many of his fellow Cup series drivers having competed in the 250 previously, he decided it was the ideal way to spend his off weekend from NASCAR.

As has been customary for many years now, Ryan kicked off the post-lunch discussion by asking the drivers who would win the 250 if they couldn’t seal the victory themselves. Most chose Rolfe, who has won five of the last six Late Model features at Oxford. There was also a vote for MacDonald, who is known as a modern-day outlaw that doesn’t chase points but goes for the region’s biggest races. He and New Gloucester-based crew chief Rollie Lachance recently stunned the NASCAR world by winning a Camping World East Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway against some well-financed, Sprint Cup affiliated organizations.

“With the transition from the old cars to Late Models behind us, I think we can focus our attention to the wide area this race is drawing from,” said Ryan. “When you look at the history of this race, it was the fact it always had drivers from all over competing that appealed to fans. With the number of Late Models spread across the northeast and even Quebec, we’re seeing that element return to the 250. It’s exciting for more fans because they all have somebody from their area to pull for.”

Despite all the attention focused on him, Rolfe was his usual humble self and quietly explained what winning the 250 would mean. Drivers and insiders have chosen his No. 51 machine as the odds-on favorite, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to him.

“Every spring, I start thinking about the goal of just qualifying for the Banknorth 250,” said Rolfe. “I would trade all those Saturday night wins for a victory in the 250, it’s just the biggest race we ever run and everybody has so much respect for it. It is a tough race to conquer, and I know Jeff Taylor is also a car builder like me but could never win the 250. I’d love to break that streak this Sunday night. Don’t take my recent success as any sort of guarantee in the 250.”

Brown said winning the 250 last year was a dream come true. In the past, this event was out of his reach because of the money it took to be competitive in Pro Stock racing. When the race changed formats last year, he lit up with excitement and realized what it meant to him and many others.

“Having this race as a Late Model show has opened it up to tons of teams like mine that would never have had a chance to go after the big prize. We played our pit strategy right last year and had a fast car when it counted. These cars are so even, you can’t outspend the next guy and expect to win. It’s all about driver and team skills, and smart thinking as the race unfolds. That’s what makes the 250 so special, and I’d love nothing more than to win it again this year.”

Qualifying races for the TD Banknorth 250 begin Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the speedway office.