OXFORD – The sun finally peeked through the clouds just before 3 p.m., and a cacophony of car horns drowned out the gentle tapping of rain drops on hoods, windshields and roofs.

Drizzle continued to fall through the sunlight and when the clouds eventually won out again. But TD Banknorth 250 fans are a hearty lot, and there was no weather delay so long that could make them start for home, especially when there good friends and cold beverages available to help pass the time.

Terry Stockford of Rockland lounged next to Route 26 under the protection of his RV’s awning and chatted with his sister as some of his fellow campers began to file into the grandstands.

“It’s part of the game when you go racing. You never know,” he said. “It doesn’t look very good all around us, but I wasn’t sure we were going to get (Saturday) night’s race in, but they did get that in after a couple of small delays.”

“It’s a good race. I come here every year,” he added.

Rick and Chris Melquist of Waterboro arrived at 2 p.m., around the time qualifying was supposed to start, and waited out the rain in their minivan so as to keep Rick’s oxygen tank dry.

“We got here and saw there were, like, three people in the stands and everybody else was out here and said, ‘This is the way to go,'” Chris said.

“It’s the first time that we’ve been out in the past year-and-a-half,” she added.

The Melquists regularly attended what were then Winston Cup races in Phoenix while living in Seattle several years ago. But while NASCAR star Kevin Harvick was a big draw for some fans, they were just as eager to see some short-track veterans on the oval, even if it meant going against doctor’s orders.

“The local guys that are going into the heats are going to provide more entertainment than the big names,” Chris said.

“I’m not supposed to be breathing funny air, but you know, if it smells like burnt rubber or fuel, I’m all for it,” Rick added.

While only a handful of poncho-wearing fans braved the elements in the stands, other fans milled about the souvenir stands or the pit area to wait out the delay, which started shortly after 10 a.m. Mark Richards of Putney, Vt., walked from camper to camper, looking for someone with access to radar and any kind of weather updates he could get.

“You hear one thing from one person and something else from another,” Richards said as tire-dragging trucks started drying the track. “I’m waiting for a good stretch of no rain, then I’ll start getting excited that they’ll get going.”

“It will be worth the wait,” he added.