OPS was originally…
A 1/2 mile track, 70 feet wide with a four ft. grade in the turns that cost $35,000 to build. It provided a 600 ft. long grandstand with bleacher style seating for 5,000 and parking for 1,000 cars, concession buildings and a pit area. It took all of six weeks to transform 200 acres of lightly wooded flat land into Maine’s most modern racing facility.
OPS is largest spectator facility in the state of Maine (seating for 14,000)
Home to the TD Banknorth Oxford 250. With a purse nearing $200,000 and a guaranteed $25,100 to the winner, the TD Banknorth Oxford 250 has been hailed as the richest one-day short track race in America.
Important Dates in OPS History
July 14, 1974
Joey Kourafas of Sharon, MA wins the first annual Oxford 200. Kourafas came from 19th starting position to earn $4,500 or the $25,000 purse. The race would be expanded by 50 laps the following year to incorporate a pit stop. Since, the race has grown into the Banknorth Oxford 250, one of the premier short track events in the country.
July, 1975
The track is paved for the second time a couple of weeks prior to the Oxford 250.
1980-81
Geoff Bodine wins back-to-back Oxford 250 races.
July 8, 1990
Richard Petty serves as Grand Marshall for the 1990 Oxford 250. Petty is awarded a plaque commemorating the date as Richard Petty Day at Oxford Plains Speedway.
July 5, 1998
Unity’s Ralph Nason begins his streak of three-straight Oxford 250 championships.
July, 2004
NASCAR champions Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch compete in the TD Banknorth 250, starting a new tradition of Sprint Cup drivers entering the crown jewel event. Kenseth finishes third.
July and August, 2005
It’s the summer of the elder statesmen. Mike Rowe, 54, ties a record with his third TD Banknorth 250 championship, tying a record, while 60-somethings Dave Dion and Al Hammond also make headlines. Dion wins the first NASCAR Busch North Series race at Oxford since 1992, while Hammond wins back-to-back Pro Stock features in July.
Winter, 2007
A record 156 drivers pre-register for the TD Banknorth 250. Ninety-seven will make a qualifying attempt in July.
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