Race crews push their cars through inspection Tuesday at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford. Drivers were at the track Tuesday for practice laps prior to the start of Wednesday’s Celebration of America 300. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

OXFORD — Auto racing fans in Maine and New England welcome another big race to the calendar this week with the first running of the  Celebration of America 300 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

The 300-lap race is sponsored by All That’s Metal and put on by Pro All Star Series, which is under the same ownership as Oxford Plains Speedway. The feature race is part of Wednesday’s slate, and Tuesday’s action included qualifiers and a 75-lap Limiteds race and a Mad Bomber feature.

The race is 50 laps longer than the renowned Oxford 250, and Wednesday’s prize of $40,000 is $15,000 more than the annual late-August race.

The race has attracted NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and winner of the 2011 Oxford 250, and Daniel Hemric, who is ranked 30th in the Cup standings. Bubba Pollard, one of the nation’s top short-track driver who has raced in every 250 since winning in 2018, is also back in Maine this week.

Max Cookson, a New Hampshire native who has earned the past two Super Late Model championships at Oxford Plains, said the Celebration of America 300 will be a different challenge than the Oxford 250.

“It’s very similar to the 250, you’ve got a lot of tires to deal with,” Cookson said. “So all that extra preparation, this is the pit-stop race. … This race, it’ll be its own animal. The heat race (and) the race situation will be a lot different, and have a different feel to it. I feel like the 250, you have strategy in that race, but it’s pretty cut and dry.”

Cookson added that the length of Wednesday’s race allows drivers and their pit teams to be more creative in their strategy regarding when to pit, when to push and pass and when to hang back and rely on endurance. He also said that trying to start fast and remain in the front is not always a winning strategy, because a car’s tires need to last for the duration of the race.

The qualifying process also will be different. Instead of 20 lap with 15 cars at a time, the qualifiers will be 75 laps and feature 25 cars.

“It’s going to squish them all together there, so that’ll be a different feel,” Cookson said. “So, who knows how that’ll work, because there’s so many cars in the heat. You could have one heat race that’s absolutely loaded with all the good cars.”

Race car driver Max Cookson, center, talks with a member of his pit crew Tuesday at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford. Cookson will compete in Wednesday’s Celebration of America 300. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

The top 15 from each of Tuesday’s top two qualifiers advance to Wednesday’s feature.

DJ Shaw has finished in the top five in several races this season, including five second-place showings. But he still chasing his first win.

“We’re racing for a championship here, but we’re racing for race wins,” Shaw said. “So you’re never fully satisfied with second. It’s never a bad day, but it’s not what we come here for. Obviously, if we can make it that one top step further, then that would be the ultimate goal.”

Strategy-wise, Shaw said the 300 shares characteristics with the Oxford 250, it’s just longer. The prize money added to the competition and incentive to win.

“I mean, it’s never a bad thing to race for this kind of money,” Shaw said. “Definitely should be a good event for everybody, and hopefully the fans turn out well for it and the drivers put on a show for them.”

Tom Mayberry and his son, Mike Mayberry, own Pro All Stars Series, Oxford Plains Speedway, the Oxford 250 and this week’s 300 race.

Mike Mayberry said the Celebration of America race was launched this week in an attempt to try “something a little bit unique for this year,” and give the regular Oxford 250 racers another event to compete in.

“I mean, the 250, that’s a one-of-a-kind special event that in the last 50 years has built its prominence as the biggest one-day short track race in America, and really the biggest short track race in America,” Mike Mayberry said. “So, to try to build this race over the next couple of years is definitely a goal, but, I mean, building something to compete with the 250, I don’t know if that’s really logical because of the history and everything with that event.”

Another driver familiar with Oxford Plains Speedway is Johnny Clark. Despite knowing the track, Clark said, with a laugh, “we’re good everywhere else, but Oxford — we’re terrible.” He won the 2020 Oxford 250 race, but said he’s struggled to compete at the track since then.

Clark said Tuesday afternoon was a bit slower, quieter and “almost awkward” compared to the hype surrounding the 250. He said that’s likely due to the date being close to the Fourth of July, as well as the race being in the middle of the week.

Johnny Clark spends time in the pits Tuesday at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford. Clark will compete during Wednesday’s Celebration of America 300. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“The Oxford 250’s in a league of its own, always will be; and it doesn’t matter about the money differences, it’s just the prestige,” Clark said. You go back, I mean, we’ve had Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, all those guys have run the Oxford 250. Obviously, Kyle Busch has been here before and won the race, but it’s really cool that the Mayberrys have done this and put this money on the line and taken the chance.

“I’m just hoping that the people come out tomorrow night. It’ll be the night before the Fourth (of July), so hopefully people will come out and we’ll have a good crowd.”

Derek Griffith, another Oxford Plains veteran, said he’s been racing often this season, but not in any 300 races. He said the hard work Wednesday will be the pit crew “managing the chaos out there,” as the lanes might be three or four cars wide when drivers stop to change tires.

Griffith said it’s cool to race against some NASCAR greats this week, especially for the local racers because of the experience it provides.

“I think it only helps local racers, because these guys show up and they’re in really good stuff and they’re really good race car drivers,” Griffith said. “But there’s also some weekly guy that pulls his car out of a shed and goes and runs with them and races with them. It just goes to show how tough the locals are up here. This is a really, really hard racetrack to be good at.”