In 1991, a young driver from Newburgh crossed the finish line first to win the Oxford 250. His name is Ricky Craven and he is now racing on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit.

Craven is just one of several Winston Cup drivers who gained valuable experience at the Oxford 250. The others include Bobby and Terry Labonte, Todd and Geoff Bodine, Dale Jarrett, Ernie Irvan, Jeff and Ward Burton, Darrell Waltrip, Rick Mast, Rusty Wallace, Robert Pressley and Morgan Shepherd.

Besides Craven, Geoff Bodine is the only one of the aforementioned group to have won the event [1980 and ’81], which will be held for the 24th time on Sunday beginning at 7 p.m. The heat races for the True Value 250 will begin at 2.

Names like [Larry] Gelinas, [Dave] Whitlock and [Derek] Lynch have been scribbled on the winner’s trophy.

Unity’s Ralph Nason has come close, including a second in 1976.

But the state’s hottest driver, who has six consecutive Northeast Pro Stock Association wins to his credit, can tell you why winning the Oxford 250 is one of racing’s most gruelling challenges.

“You’ve got to be prepared and you’ve got to have a lot of luck,” said the 57-year-old Nason. “The track is a third of a mile but it’s very flat. There’s not a lot of bank on it. It’s physically demanding on a driver because there’s a lot of sideways G-force all the time.”

“We’re used to racing 35- to 100-lap races and this is two and a half times the distance,” said Farmington’s Jeff Taylor, who has five wins on the pro stock circuit at Oxford Plains Speedway this season. “It’s more mentally demanding than physically demanding because you have to stay focused for such a long time.”

Taylor finished second at the 250 two years ago.

“You can’t have any breakdowns. Mechanically, everything has to be right,” said Unity’s Stan Meserve, who has two wins in the pro stock division at Oxford Plains this season and a 100-lap win at Wiscasset Raceway. “You need to stay around the front somewhere so you’re in contention for a win at the end.”

Meserve finished fifth at last year’s Oxford 250 which represents his best ever finish.

Gelinas is the defending champ but the Scarborough native said he doesn’t feel much additional pressure this time around.

“There’s a little bit but not as much [as there could be] because a lot of people won’t pick me as a favorite,” said Gelinas. “We’ll do our best and hopefully finish in the top 10.”

Gelinas, who has spent the season among the top five in points on the NEPSA tour, said he will be using the same motor in his Chevy Monte Carlo that he ran a year ago.

Gelinas said his motor was running hot in last week’s NEPSA event at Speedway 95 in Hermon so he pulled it off to save it for the Oxford 250.

Meserve, Nason and Taylor are pleased with the way their cars are running. Nason has a Ford Thunderbird while the other two have Monte Carlos.

“We know that our team is as good as there is and our car is as good as anyone’s,” said Nason. “We are prepared but you’ve got to have luck to win. Someone can sideswipe you and take you out.”

“I wouldn’t have been so positive about my car two hours ago but we practiced with it today [Friday] and we’ve got a great setup. It’s in real good shape,” said Meserve.