OXFORD – The chains clinked together and the fence creaked as track officials at Oxford Plains Speedway unlocked the pit gate Monday morning at 10 a.m. sharp. Like ants sensing the presence of fire, teams’ crews scattered across the puddle-pocked dirt and asphalt while avoiding small lakes and trying to sip from all-too-necessary cups of coffee.

Day 2 at the TD Banknorth 250 had begun, for just the third time in the race’s 35-year history.

By 10:30 a.m., nearly all of the Late Model teams had someone with a hand, arm or torso buried underneath their cars, assessing what, if anything, had changed overnight.

Most of the cars had been protected by hard-topped trailers (or in Travis Adams’ case, a bus), but none of the drivers wanted to take that for granted.

“We’re not tinkering; we’re just replacing broken pop-rivets,” Adams said. “We scaled it last night after the heat race last night, put it back on the scales and everything looks good.”

Some drivers, like pole-sitter Scott Robbins of Dixfield, had most of the day off Monday, having already qualified for the race on Sunday.

Still, Robbins was one of the first cars on the track for a unique second day of practice.

“I got a better night’s sleep last night than I got all weekend, I can tell you that,” Robbins said.

“It was weird, we were driving to the Oxford 250 and we don’t have to qualify. The main thing, pole or not, is that we’re already in, and the real bonus is actually getting another practice session. Usually, you don’t get to practice after you qualify.”

Other drivers, like 2006 champion Jeremie Whorff, had yet to run a green-flag lap. Heat 6, of which Whorff was a part, was the first race run on Monday.

“We’re all going to get our shot, whether it’s (Sunday) or (Monday),” Whorff said. “(Sunday), I was waiting outside the car; the whole crew was ready to go. We weren’t very fortunate yesterday.”

Whorff finished 10th in Heat 6 after he crashed into Ben Ashline on lap 9, and had to repair his car in time for the consolation races.

For the rest of the cars, tinkering way more than necessary. Fifty-two cars that raced through their heat race Sunday did not qualify for the big race, and faced a long day of racing.

Eleven more non-qualifiers joined that group after Heat 6 on Monday, leaving 63 drivers to battle it out for 15 remaining qualifying spots, handed out during three consolation races and three last-chance races.

During late-model practice, another set of fences swung open, these at the front gates. A small line of people gathered there took their turns being searched for bottles and other disallowed items and scattered among the grandstand to watch, for a second time, as cars and teams prepared for the 250.

Many of the earliest fans were still on the premises due to familial or team allegiance with one or more of the drivers hoping to qualify.

Still, despite the delay, early numbers were solid. When qualifying resumed at 2 p.m., several hundred people dotted the main grandstand.

By the time the feature race began at about 4:30 p.m., a healthy crowd covered the main grandstand, and the stands by the pit area were about 75 percent full, too.