OXFORD – The business and entertainment of auto racing went on as scheduled Sunday afternoon at Oxford Plains Speedway, which presented one of its monthly “Motor Mayhem” race programs less than 24 hours after the crash that killed Auburn driver Dennis Dee.

Dee, 38, died of injuries sustained when his late model stock car hit the concrete retaining wall adjacent to the backstretch of the 3/8-mile asphalt oval.

Track rescue officials were on the scene within 30 seconds of the wreck, which occurred at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday. Oxford and Maine State police arrived shortly thereafter to conduct a reconstruction of the two-car crash.

Workers extricated Dee from the car and moved him to an ambulance. He was transported to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, then Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where a nursing supervisor confirmed the death Sunday afternoon.

Speedway owner Bill Ryan postponed the remaining races Saturday night after the wreck on the sixth lap of the second late model heat race. After a brief rain delay Sunday morning, however, a Father’s Day card that included a “smoky doughnut show” and school bus demolition derby unfolded as scheduled and without incident.

“This is our escape. It’s what we love to do and what Dennis loved to do,” said Joe Newbert, a garage area security guard.

Ryan, who purchased the speedway from Michael Liberty in November 1998, has built up the OPS schedule to incorporate mid-week stock car racing and go-kart competition in addition to the weekly Saturday competition from April to September.

Cars compete at the track on four days almost every week during the summer, yet there have been no other serious injuries during Ryan’s ownership.

“Dennis Dee was a great guy to have as a competitor at Oxford Plains Speedway, “Ryan said. “He loved to race and ran in three different divisions over the past few years.”

Ryan, who can be seen conversing with drivers and fans in the pit area at nearly every race program, said he spoke with Dee before the races Saturday night. “He was always a pleasure to be around,” Ryan said.

Dee began racing weekly in 1996. He won three feature races in strictly stock, one of Oxford’s entry-level divisions. He made the jump to the speedway’s top division two seasons later, winning numerous heat races and multiple second-and-third-place trophies before taking a step back to late model stock this spring.

John Thurlow of Durham owned Dee’s car. In addition to rebuilding that machine with friends Gard and Skip Tripp of Auburn, Dee still enjoyed putting together cars for friends who competed in low-budget divisions.

“He and I built five summer series cars in the last two weeks,” said Gard Tripp, an OPS pit steward who witnessed the accident from a security and scoring tower overlooking the scene.

As of Sunday, OPS hadn’t officially acknowledged its first driver fatality in 16 years to fans on the grandstand side of the track, but remembrances of Dee covered the grounds of the 3/8-mile oval.

American, Canadian and Maine flags were lowered to half-staff. Flowers were placed on the wall at the spot where Dee hit. Tire marks from the heavy contact remained.

Prior to the races, Rev. George Waterman of the Advent Christian Church in Oxford preceded his invocation by asking spectators to “pray for Dennis and his family.”

Driver Mike St. Germain of Auburn, who competed with Dee in strictly stock, covered the windshield of the car he drove in the smoky doughnut exhibition with block letters and numbers that read: “#2 and #88: Dennis.”

The last driver to perish in competition at OPS, Jim Kane of Oxford, died in July 1987 during a demolition derby. The death later was attributed to medical reasons.

Steve Stiles of Jackson, N.H., was the last Oxford competitor to sustain fatal injuries directly as a result of a racing accident. He died May 25, 1985, after crashing during a late model sportsman feature race. In that instance, also, OPS raced the following night.

“Dennis would want us here,” Gard Tripp said.

Dee is the second driver killed at a Maine raceway in the last nine months. Allen Fletcher of Hermon died of injuries sustained in a pro stock race at Unity last fall.

Kenny Wilkenson Jr. of Turner died at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough in 1990, and Bruce Kane of Ellsworth was killed at Wiscasset Raceway in 1992.

In 1951, OPS flagman Roger Elliott died of complications several weeks after he was struck by a car on the track.

Cars in the premier divisions at every Maine track are purpose-built. Roll cages, wrap-around safety seats and five-point harnesses are mandatory in each of the five weekly classes at OPS.

Every person entering the pit area signs a waiver of liability. Said Newbert: “Everyone knows the risks.”

That didn’t soften the blow for anyone Sunday, particularly Ryan. “All of us in the racing community feel terrible for his family and close friends,” said the owner.

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