OXFORD — Tracy Gordon’s fire suit was older than some of the drivers surrounding him in the garage area Saturday at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Faded colors, old-school patches and the name of a primary sponsor from a bygone era gave it away.

“I couldn’t believe it still fit,” Gordon said. “It must have been awful loose the first time I wore it.”

Gordon, 45, is in better physical shape than most men half his age. Cutting logs in the Maine woods day-in, day-out ensures that the Franklin County driver won’t need a gym membership anytime soon.

But a good hobby wouldn’t hurt.

The sport that was so good to Gordon for so long hasn’t occupied much of his life for the last decade.

First, the landscape of his longtime racing series changed. Busch North evolved into K&N Pro Series East, essentially becoming a development series for NASCAR Sprint Cup. Most of the local drivers who were its lifeblood from the beginning found themselves priced out.

Then his secondary playground — OPS, Gordon’s home track — did away with Pro Stock cars at the end of the 2006 season. The TD Bank 250 became a Late Model showcase.

Gordon joined fellow Oxford greats Jeff Taylor, Mike Rowe, Ben Rowe and Gary Drew on the roster of drivers who felt disenfranchised.

“I’ve had more people say, ‘I’ll go again if they start getting real race cars over there instead of those things.’ I miss it every day,” Gordon said.

Semi-retirement ended Saturday. Gordon, of Strong, climbed into a car at a major event for the first time in two years, joining the Pro All Stars Series and the super late model cars for their long-awaited return to OPS in the Brackett Mechanical/RB Competition 150.

Dave Frahm, owner of SNF Crane — one of Gordon’s former sponsors — lured him back into the fray. Until now, Gordon’s only recent racing consisted of a few cameo appearances at Unity Raceway.

“Last year I didn’t do one. The year before that I ran kind of one race. The year before did the same thing,” Gordon said. “I haven’t had any good cars.”

Until now, that is.

Gordon was a teammate of Matt Frahm for the PASS race.

They tested both rides at Beech Ridge and Oxford to prepare for the weekend, using them interchangeably. It proved that Gordon hasn’t lost his touch. Every time he jumped into the slower car, it became the faster car.

Frahm also brought former Gordon crew members Kevin McDaniel of Livermore and Brian Burgess of Leeds on board.

“Those two guys had the car two weeks and totally ripped it all apart. They put it back together the way they wanted, “ Gordon said. “I told (Matt) last night, ‘I ain’t swapping. Can’t trade now.’ ”

Fans who grew up watching Gordon drive off with the 1991 OPS championship and win races on the old ACT Pro Stock tour all surveyed that scene with the same question in mind.

Any chance of a full-fledged Gordon comeback?

“No, that ain’t happening,” Gordon said. “My sister would kill me. She does my books.”

After a thoughtful pause, he added: “I had more money when I raced, though, so I might just as well race.”

Gordon tentatively plans to compete in the September PASS race at Beech Ridge and the October tour finale.

Beyond that, he clings to hope that the weekend’s main event — the TD Bank 250 — might someday become a super late model race once again.

Twice, he finished second in Oxford’s crown jewel.

“If it was a Pro Stock race,” he said, “I probably would have found a car before now.”

Practice session(s)

Another familiar face from Oxford’s Pro Stock days took a few brief spins Saturday behind the wheel of a Late Model.

Sam Sessions of South Paris, who finished third to the son-and-father tandem of Jeremie and Bill Whorff in the 2006 TD Bank 250, tested the car that Connecticut’s Keith Rocco will drive Sunday.

Rocco is scheduled to make his first qualifying attempt at the 250. He is the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American National Series champion.

COUNTING CARS

As of 4 p.m. Saturday, 73 Late Model cars were on the speedway grounds for Sunday’s 250.

The number should crest above 80 Sunday morning, assuming several cars and drivers from New Hampshire and Massachusetts escape Saturday night action at their home tracks unscathed.

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