OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY - OXFORD ME
George Damon purchases 200 acres of flat land covered with light wooded growth. Six weeks later the land is transformed into Maine’s most modern racing facility. Harold Small, an engineer from Minot, ME was instrumental in building the facility. On May 27 1950, Oxford Plains is ready for racing. Established in 1950, the track was originally a half mile before being shortened to a 3/8 mile track. With 14,000 seats, the speedway has the largest seating capacity of any sporting venue in Maine. On July 4, 1951 the largest crowd assembled in Maine’s history, (12,000 spectators) attend an OPS event. In 1961, Damon sells the speedway to local businessmen Hayward Luck, Asa Packard and Thomas Ryan. Later in 1961, Oxford Plains Speedway is transformed from a 1/2 mile dirt track to a 1/3 mile asphalt oval.
Bob Bahre purchases Oxford Plains Speedway in 1964. He is also the owner of the one mile track of New Hampshire Speedway in Loudon NH. A facility that still host cup races as of 2023. 1954 saw the original wooden grandstands are torn down and replaced with a steel structure designed to seat nearly 15,000. The Cup Series had three races at the track, starting in 1966. The race was 300 laps around the tight little track; and saw Bobby Allison get the win over Tiny Lund with Richard Petty third. In 1967 Allison again claimed the top spot as Petty bettered his previous season finish, and finished second. Jim Paschal was third. The final Cup race was in 1968; and this time Petty was able to grab the checkered flag and visit victory lane. He held off a strong
running David Pearson who finished second. Buddy Baker was third, three laps down. In 1969, a NHRA Dragstrip is built adjacent to the Speedway and continues to operate today. 1974 saw Joey Kourafas of Sharon, MA wins the first annual Oxford 200. Kourafas came from 19th starting position to earn $4,500 of the $25,000 purse. The race would be expanded by 50 laps the following year to incorporate a pit stop. Since, the race has grown into the TD Bank Oxford 250, one of the premier short track events in the country. In 1979, Sallie Graves becomes the first woman to win a Weekly Racing Series event. It was her first of 10 wins. And in 1980 and 1981, Geoff Bodine won
back-to-back Oxford 250 races. Improvements came in 1987 as Michael Liberty purchased Oxford Plains Speedway. Corporate skyboxes and an electronic scoreboard are installed. In 1992, the track is paved prior to opening day. The widening of the backstretch changed the configuration to a 3/8 mile oval. In 2020, previous track owner Bob Bahre passed away and his funeral was held at the track. The one-hour service at the Route 26 facility included prominent speakers from the racing world, including Ricky Craven and Ken Squier. It concluded with the hearse carrying Bahre’s casket for one last lap around the third-mile oval as mourners waved small checkered flags. Currently, the main race held there is the HP Hood Oxford 250, which has run under various sanctions over the years;
Bob Bahre funeral 2020
and is now a Pro All Star Series Super Late Model race. The 250 green flag lap race has often featured stars from NASCAR's three national series. As of 2022 the track offers racing twice weekly during the season. The Wednesday night Oxford Acceleration Series offers five divisions including Outlaws, Rebels, Sport Trucks, Cruisers and Ladies divisions. Saturday night Oxford Championship Series divisions include the headlining Super Late Models with Street Stocks, Bandits, Figure 8's as well as regional divisions that include Legends, North East Classic Lites, the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association and the Pro All Star Series Modifieds.
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