Maine’s biggest auto race takes place Sunday, as drivers and fans fill Oxford Plains Speedway for the 52nd Oxford 250.

There are plenty of storylines for the event, which has 56 entrants. The group is filled with former champions, veteran racers and young drivers seeking their first Oxford 250 title.

Here are five of things to look for entering the race:

Jeff Taylor is interviewed by announcer Michael Stidesburg after winning the Oxford 250 on Aug. 25, 2024. Taylor retired after the race. Brewster Burns photo

A new champion will be crowned

After winning a rain-soaked 250 last year, Farmington driver Jeff Taylor announced his retirement from racing in front of the OPS crowd. A year later, Taylor has held to his vow. He will not be competing Sunday, though he said he plans to attend the event.

“I try to explain to people, for myself, we raced there so much and that was the one thing that we couldn’t do,” Taylor said. “It’s no different than anything sport-related: If you’re shooting the ball with your friends, how do you want to stop? Do you want to stop continuing to go to the races and fade away? Or would you rather go out winning the biggest race in our area, and stop there? I’m going to stop now.”

Canadian driver Cole Butcher, who won the 250 in 2022 and 2023, will not be competing either, as he is celebrating the first birthday of his son, Brody. Butcher posted on his Facebook page on Aug. 15 that he would not be in the race and his absence was confirmed Wednesday by OPS vice president Mike Mayberry.

Butcher was banned from potentially winning his third straight 250 last year, due to aggressive driving. Mayberry said Butcher is welcome to race again at OPS in the future.

“We’ll probably see him for some races in the future, certainly,” Mayberry said.

It should be noted that, as of Aug. 20, Butcher was still listed as an entrant.

Joey Doiron celebrates after winning the Celebration of America 300 on July 3, 2024 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

Can Doiron continue hot year?

Berwick driver Joey Doiron is having a successful year at OPS. He won the inaugural Memorial Day Clash 200 in May, and was the runner-up to Scarborough’s Garrett Hall at the Celebration of America 300 in July. Doiron won the first COA last year.

Doiron also has victories outside of OPS this year, winning the PASS Super Late Model 150 at Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire in May. He also won the St. Patrick’s Day 150 on March 14 at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

Can Doiron stay hot with his first Oxford 250 win?

“I’m excited,” Doiron said. “Hopefully we have a car that’s good enough to win. A lot of things can go wrong during a race. I feel like the last three or four years our pit stop racing program has gotten a lot better, as far as what we need to do for adjustments.”

Happy Anniversary

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mike Rowe’s last Oxford 250 victory, the third of his career. The Turner driver is one of four to win the 250 three times, along with Ralph Nason, Dave Dion and Travis Benjamin. Nason is the only driver in its history to win three straight, from 1998-2000.

Mike Rowe of Turner watches his son, Ben, in his qualifying heat for the Oxford 250 last year. (Brewster Burns photo)

Rowe, who turned 75 on Aug. 19, is still at it on the track, and is still motivated to become the race’s only four-time champion.

“We just have to have a good day and draw a good number (in the field) and start up front,” Rowe said. “That’s the key. Starting on the pole (position) is a lot easier than drawing dead last. The cars are so close together that, if you start out back, with the heat up front, you’re going to get lapped in a hurry.”

PASS season points in play

The Oxford 250 is a race part of the Pro All Star Series (PASS), and entering Sunday’s race, the PASS North points standings are tight. DJ Shaw, the reigning PASS North and National champion, is atop the list with 1,498 points. The 35-year old racer from Center Conway, New Hampshire has four third-place finishes at the 250 — including 2023 and 2024 — but has never won.

Right behind Shaw in the standings is Hallowell’s Johnny Clark, who has 1,476 points. Clark won the 250 in 2020, and nearly won again in 2022 before he was bumped from behind by Butcher, the eventual winner.

Johnny Clark of Hallowell won the Oxford 250 in 2020 and was in contention in 2022. He is currently second in the PASS North standings. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

“I feel like we do a good job of giving ourselves that opportunity (to win),” Clark said. “We had a run of top fives (in the 250), like five or six in a row until last year (when he finished 39th). I feel like we’re really, really close. This would be a great one to break back out and get back into victory lane.”

Cornish driver Trevor Sanborn is in third place in the standings, with 1,452 points.

How’s the weather?

The current forecast for weather on Sunday night in Oxford is for temperatures in the mid-60s. There’s a 22 percent chance of rain.

There’s also a possibility of a stray shower or thunderstorm, which is not a welcome forecast for fans or drivers. Rain has plagued the 250 each of the last two years, with an hour delay in 2023, and multiple rain delays last year that made for a long evening.