PORTLAND — It is one of the nation’s premiere short track events, and drivers from across the northeast are gearing up in a big way as race day draws closer.

Sunday’s 39th annual TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway offers a big payday for one lucky driver, and more prestige than just about any other race in New England.

Speedway officials held their annual pre-race media day function Wednesday, with a number of local and regional drivers on hand to discuss their chances.

Ready to talk about the 2012 mid-summer classic were two-time Oxford champion Timmy Brackett; his daughter and Late Model rookie Vanna Brackett; sophomore Late Model driver and Oxford veteran Chris Coolidge; American-Canadian Tour (ACT) star Austin Theriault of Fort Kent; Ben Ashline, of Pittston, and two-time 250 winner Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass.

Speedway owner Bill Ryan kicked off the commentary with his feelings and expectations for the biggest weekend of the year at the historic western Maine oval.

“First off, I’m extremely happy with the weather forecast for the entire weekend,” Ryan said. “It really helps with both driver comfort and spectator turnout. Having bright sunshine with lower humidity levels just makes it easier on everybody.”

Oxford has enjoyed a competitive season of weekly racing, and Ryan expects that to carry over into 250 weekend.

“We’ve had some really strong car counts about every week, and given all the other Late Models that are out there, I expect a lot of cars and a very exciting race this year. With guys like Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne in the race, along with experienced short trackers like Eddie MacDonald and Brian Hoar, I think we’re in for a treat. It’s part of a whole weekend of excitement that starts Friday night and builds to what I think will be a big climax when the 250 winner is crowned Sunday evening.”

Ashline has been on a roll this season, with two wins at Oxford to his credit. The 21-year-old, who works for Jeff Taylor (nine-time Oxford champion) at Distance Racing, claimed the season-opening ACT 150 in mid May, then backed that up with an impressive run up from 28th to win a 40-lap feature on July 7. While he may be fast and consistent right now, he’s quick to approach the 250 with caution.

“It’s nice to hear that I am one of the favorites as far as local drivers go, but they don’t give out any trophies for being a favorite,” Ashline said. “It takes hard work to win this thing, and we’ve been putting that in all season. There are dozens of talented teams coming this weekend, and all share the same goal. They want to win the 250.

“These cars are so close, on Saturday you’ll have 50 or 60 cars practicing that are separated by a few tenths of a second. It is impossible to say what will happen. I just know we’re going into it with everything we’ve got. It would be huge to win it. I don’t know how I’d react.”

MacDonald has been focusing his efforts on NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series East this summer. As a two-time winner of the 250, he knows what it takes to succeed. Yet with very little seat time in the Late Model, he might have a difficult challenge securing his third victory.

“Unfortunately both this year and last, we haven’t had much time to work with the Late Model,” MacDonald said. “That is a little frustrating for both Rollie (Lachance, his crew chief) and me, since we both enjoy running that car a lot.

“So that kind of puts us behind as far as preparing for this race, and we have to be in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday night for another NASCAR event. My dad will pick us up at the airport, and we’ll hustle up here to get the most out of Sunday morning’s practice session. It will be tough, but Rollie and I communicate very well. We’ll get the car dialed in and do the best we can to win it again.”

Coolidge is realistic about his chances on Sunday. While his No. 72 entry has been fast nearly every week this season, he knows the 250 will be a whole different situation.

“If we qualify for the race, complete all the laps and finish with the car intact, it will be like a win for us,” Coolidge said. “The biggest thing I’m concerned with is the length of the event. Two-hundred-and-fifty laps is a long run, but if we can get the car comfortable and setup so it won’t fall off in lap times, we should be in good shape. I’m really excited for Sunday. I hope fans will come out to witness what I think is going to be the most competitive 250 we’ve seen in quite some time.”

Qualifying races for the 39th annual TD Bank 250 get under way at 2 p.m. Sunday, with the race itself set to go green at approximately 6:30 p.m.

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