OXFORD — Family ties can be troublesome enough on the racetrack for brothers, cousins, or fathers and their offspring.

But there’s likely no combination more complex — or volatile — than husbands and wives chasing the same checkered flag.

John and Dottie Patria of Turner have raced against each other at Oxford Plains Speedway only once, so far. That was enough to demonstrate the maelstrom of mixed feelings that may result when you’re battling your better half.

Dottie drew the better starting position and had the dual satisfaction of open real estate through her windshield and her husband’s car bouncing around as a blur in her rear-view mirror.

The smile lasted all of the 19 seconds it takes to complete one lap around the 3/8-mile oval.

“I was going into the fourth turn, and when I looked up in my mirror all I could see were his door numbers,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘That’s not good.’ That was hard. I wanted to know what happened back there. Then I saw him come back up through, and he ended up winning that race.”

Such is a typical Wednesday night for the Patrias, who keep three cars running near the front in two different classes in Oxford’s Acceleration Series.

Dottie ranks third in the Ladies division — in which she was champion two years ago — while also stepping up to run in the male-dominated Outlaw class with John for the first time this season.

Double duty hasn’t slowed her a bit. Dottie was third in Wednesday’s Ladies race and second in the Outlaw ‘C’ feature. One of only two female drivers in the Outlaw division, she has bounced back from a crash and an engine failure in back-to-back weeks to run No. 2 in the rookie standings and in the top 20 overall.

“I’ve gotten used to it,” John said. “I was in her shadow of glory for a couple of years. I wasn’t John. I was just ‘Dottie’s husband.’ But I’ve done it for a long time. I’m proud of what she’s accomplished.”

John is not merely a caddy or crew chief. He’s tied for fifth in Outlaw points.

Since John returned to racing after a 13-year layoff in 2004 and Dottie caught the fever the following year, they have arguably been the first couple of Oxford’s midweek circuit.

“It’s the one thing we get to do together,” said John, a mechanic by trade.

He raced briefly in the late 1980s.

The OPS ladies division was a once-a-month entity at the time. Wives, girlfriends and acquaintances borrowed Charger and Street Stock cars for exhibition races that showcased varying driver ability levels.

“I always wanted to race, and he was racing when we met,” Dottie said. “But he never offered me the chance.”

Whether it was Oxford’s addition of a weekly Ladies division in 1999 or the shifting balance of power in their relationship is open for debate, but Dottie would get the final say.

When family friend Daryl Varney offered John the opportunity to drive his backup car in Oxford’s developmental series, it didn’t take him long to get hooked again.

He ended up with his own car, a Chevy Monte Carlo. Which led to a second, a Pontiac Firebird, and the stipulation that Dottie also would drive.

“After the first race, I didn’t care if I did it again or not,” she said. “Your first time out there, you feel like there’s too much going on. You have to look at the lights. You have to look out for all the other cars. The second time, I said, ‘I like this!’ “

Dottie needed two full seasons to pick up her first win — an open competition race at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough.

The next year, she won twice. The following season, six times.

Friends and sponsors provide enormous help at the track. At home, John maintains the three-car operation.

“If we wreck one, it’s just another three or four hours of work,” he said. “I work on cars all day long. This is just another car. I just don’t get paid to work on it.”

The couple races every Wednesday and on alternate Saturdays throughout the summer.

Dottie leaves her second car at home for the weekend races.

“That way we can relax, watch some racing, and I can see him race without a problem,” she said.

Both say that having their own ride is an outlet for calming the nerves that flow naturally while watching a loved one race.

“I don’t worry about her getting hurt as much as worry about her not doing well,” John said, “because I know she can do well.”

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