View 12 photos

OXFORD — Johnny Clark knows what it’s like to race in brutal heat. After all, he’s done it plenty in his decades-long career.

“My first Oxford 250 was in (1997) and I was 17,” said Clark, 47, a longtime Oxford Plains Speedway driver. “There were 109 cars here. I left with sun poisoning on my cheeks and nose. It was brutal. The 250 used to be run in July, from July 5-10. I think they moved it, in part, because it was too hot.”

Clark, of Farmingdale, tells his story Wednesday in front of a large fan, with a bucket hat covering his head, taking shade under a pop-up tent by his No. 54 car.

He and other drivers will battle tough temperatures on Thursday during Oxford’s latest tradition, the Celebration of America 300. The race, now in its third year, has a winner’s purse of $20,000.

The National Weather Service has issued heat warnings and watches for inland Maine on Thursday, with temperatures that can reach 97 degrees, and with a heat index that can make temperatures feel like 105. By the time the race begins (estimated start time of 6 p.m.), the temperature in Oxford will be around 93 degrees.

This does not take into account the surface temperature of the race track, which opened in 1950. According to AccuWeather, a race track can be in upward of 30 to 40 degrees hotter during a race, due to solar absorption on the asphalt track. This means on Thursday night, it may feel like 123 to 133 degrees for drivers in their race cars. That’s slightly cooler than the afternoon, but not by much.

“We’re all going to be practicing, dialing our cars in when it’s the hottest (earlier in the day),” said Clark, currently 12th in points (842) in the Pro All Star Series North Super Late Model Series. “We always seem to race better at night. Definitely, when the sun starts going down and the temperatures start cooling (it will help) … I think by (9:45 p.m.) we’ll be pulling into victory lane.”

D.J. Shaw, a veteran OPS driver from Center Conway, New Hampshire, leads the PASS North series with 1,087 points. For Shaw, preparation for a race in the heat starts early in the week.

“You’ve got to condition for the heat,” said Shaw, 36. “I’m in by no means good shape, but I feel like my race shape is good … I’m not a big water drinker, which is tough. I started drinking water four or five days ago, a lot more of it than normal. A little less beer and a lot more water has been the night-time routine. I’m drinking about five or six Poland Spring bottles a day.”

Shaw is also taking extra precaution by using a helmet blower, an electric pump mounted inside a race car that pulls fresh air from outside through a filter and into a driver’s helmet through an attached hose.

There’s more than personal health in the mind of a driver. A hot racing surface often leads to a slicker racing surface. In extreme heat, the asphalt can release oily hydrocarbons to the surface.

“The track changes as the sun goes down,” said Jimmy Renfrew, 23, of Candia, New Hampshire, who is fifth in the Pass North series (1,029 points). “You try not to overthink it during the day when it’s slick, so you don’t screw yourself later that night. There’s going to be plenty of pit stops during the race, so we’ll have a chance to work on it at night if it’s not perfect.”

The Celebration of America attracted drivers from across the country, including the late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who participated in the 2024 and 25 races. Busch died on May 21 at age 41 due to pneumonia that turned into sepsis.