Oxford Plains Speedway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Oxford Plains Speedway

Location	877 Route 26 Oxford, Maine
Owner	Tom Mayberry
Opened	1950
Major events	HP Hood Oxford 250
Oval
Surface	Asphalt
Length	0.375 mi

Oxford Plains Speedway is a famous racetrack in Oxford, Maine. It's a 3/8 mile (about 600 meters) oval track. The speedway first opened in 1950. It used to be a bit longer, at half a mile, before being made shorter.

This track is huge! It has 14,000 seats, which means it can hold more people than any other sports place in Maine. The biggest race held here is the HP Hood Oxford 250. This exciting race has changed its rules and types of cars over the years. It has even featured famous drivers from NASCAR's top series. Many NASCAR champions and Hall of Fame members have raced in the Oxford 250.

Racing at Oxford Plains Speedway

Oxford Plains Speedway has hosted some big races over the years.

NASCAR Cup Series Races

Between 1966 and 1968, the track hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races. These are some of the highest-level NASCAR events. Racing legends Bobby Allison won two of these races, and Richard Petty won one.

Weekly Racing and Special Events

The speedway is well-known for its regular racing schedule. It hosts several Pro All Star Series (PASS) races each season. These races feature powerful "Super Late Model" cars.

The track also has fun "motor mayhem" events. These shows include:

• Smokey doughnut shows (cars spinning to make smoke)
• Spectator drags (races where regular people can bring their cars)
• Jack and Jill races (teams of two, often a male and female, racing)
• Enduros (long races where cars try to last the whole time)

In the past, they even had a ramp jump, but that was stopped for safety.

Racing Divisions

Oxford Plains Speedway offers racing twice a week during its season.

• Wednesday nights feature the Oxford Acceleration Series. This includes five different racing groups: Outlaws, Rebels, Sport Trucks, Cruisers, and Ladies divisions.
• Saturday nights are for the Oxford Championship Series. The main event is the Super Late Models. Other groups include Street Stocks, Bandits, and Figure 8's. Regional groups like Legends and Vintage Racing cars also compete.

Music Concerts at the Speedway

Besides racing, Oxford Plains Speedway has also been a place for big music concerts.

Monsters of Rock Festival (1988)

On June 25, 1988, the speedway hosted the "Monsters of Rock" Festival. This huge concert featured famous rock bands like:

• Van Halen
• Scorpions
• Dokken
• Metallica
• Kingdom Come

A concert planned for the day before was cancelled.

Grateful Dead Concerts (1988)

The famous band Grateful Dead played two concerts at the racetrack. They performed on July 2 and 3, 1988. The band Little Feat opened for them.

Changes and New Directions

In late 2012, the owner Bill Ryan sold the speedway to Tom Mayberry. Since then, the track has changed its main focus. It now mainly features Tom Mayberry's PASS Super Late Models as its top weekly race. The PASS Super Late Model and Modified tours also visit Oxford Plains often during the racing season. The Oxford 250 race is now a PASS Super Late Model event. This allows drivers from many different Super Late Model series across North America to use their own cars.

In 2018, the American Canadian Tour (ACT) returned to Oxford Plains. Driver Eddie MacDonald won both ACT events that year. ACT will continue to race at Oxford Plains in 2019. They will be part of the season opener in May and the Saturday night race before the Oxford 250 in August. The race before the Oxford 250 will also include Modified stock car racing from the Tri Track Modified Series.

Super Late Model Track Champions

These drivers won the championship for the Super Late Model division at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Annual Oxford 250 Champions

This table shows the winners of the famous Oxford 250 race over the years.