PORTLAND – Kevin Lepage said he was thrilled when Todd Graffam and Archie St. Hilaire contacted him about running in Sunday night’s TD Banknorth Oxford 250.

The 45-year-old Lepage, who drives the No. 37 NASCAR Nextel Cup car for Front Row Motorsports, will be racing in his fifth Oxford 250 but it will be his first since 1993.

His best finish was 11th in 1985.

St. Hilaire, the CEO of B.B.I. Waste Industries in Old Orchard Beach, owns the car Lepage will drive and Lyman’s Graffam will be the crew chief.

Lepage said he has fond memories of the race.

“I really do,” said the native of Shelburne, Vt. “[It’s nice] any time you come home, like even when we were here a couple weeks ago in New Hampshire [New Hampshire International Speedway]. You get to see a lot of old faces and friends that we’ve developed over the years… you know, [such as] the Bahre family, when they owned it [Oxford Plains Speedway], and all of the people who will be here this weekend.

“It’s just going to be a good time, regardless of how we do,” said Lepage before a Wednesday luncheon and press conference at the Holiday Inn Portland West.

It’s an off weekend for the Nextel Cup series and Lepage, who has 201 Nextel Cup starts, said he was going to be in the area anyway.

“It works out great. I was going to be here on vacation. I have a lot of friends and family up this way. Hopefully, the weather will be nice,” said Lepage.

For the first time, the 34th annual TD Banknorth Oxford 250 will be a Late Model race instead of a Pro Stock event. The Late Model cars have eight-inch tires compared to the Pro Stocks’ 10-inch tires and the Late Model cars don’t have as much horsepower.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” said Lepage. “Before we left to go south [in 1994], I ran a lot of Late Model races and then I raced on the ACT [American-Canadian Tour].

“I’m a race car driver and they’re a race car. We’ll just see how it all works out,” said Lepage.

It has been a difficult year on the Nextel Cup circuit for Lepage. He has qualified for only two of the 19 races so far.

The top 35 teams in owner points are guaranteed a starting spot in each Nextel Cup race but Lepage’s single-car team hasn’t been able to crack the top 35 so he has had to qualify on time.

“If it was the top 43 [instead of 35], we would have been in three-quarters of the races. But with just seven or eight spots available, depending upon if a past champion [earns a provisional], it has been very difficult,” said Lepage. “We’ve missed it by one spot in eight races.”

Adams is among favorites

Several drivers were asked to pick the favorite for Sunday’s race and the top choices were Turner’s Mike Rowe, a three-time Oxford 250 winner, ACT points leader Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, Vt., and OPS Late Model points leader Travis Adams of Canton. Two-time winner Ben Rowe of Turner was another choice.

The 29-year-old Adams, the defending Late Model points champ, has won five races this season including three in a row.

He said having three consecutive wins enables him to enter the race “with a lot of confidence.

“We have a very fast race car. It’s been very consistent. We know what we need to do to adjust on it,” said Adams. “I know the car is very, very capable in the second [outside] groove. A lot of guys just struggle and they fight for the bottom. Well, that opens up the second groove and hopefully I can start passing cars and get into that top three [in the heat race to earn a spot in the 250].”

He feels his familiarity with the track will be an advantage “but there will be so many cars, at some point it probably won’t matter.”

There are 178 entries.

Pit crew trophy to be awarded

Dunkin’ Donuts and Oxford Plains Speedway will combine to hand out the first-ever Dunkin’ Donuts Turbo-charged Pit Crew trophy to the pit crew of the winning driver Sunday.

Each member of the pit crew will also earn a $25 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card.