Big Mid-Season Double Header Weekend Taking Shape at Petty International Raceway
(River Glade, NB - July 18th, 2018) - Petty International Raceway is gearing up for a big double header weekend of stock car racing action. The Friday, July 20th and Saturday, July 21st weekend will see over 450 laps of feature racing excitement across seven unique stock car classes, big payouts for two Friday night winners, a food drive for the Salisbury Helping Hands Food Bank and a visit by the Maritime’s top two touring divisions.
Racing on Friday night will get kicked off at 7:30pm and features action in the Westwood Estates Street Stock, Mister Transmission Mini Stock and Kings County Performance Beginner Four Cylinder class. The Street Stocks will take centre stage in the Maritime Car Wash 100 benefitting the Salisbury Helping Hands Food Bank. The extended distance, 100-lap feature will pay $750 to win and pay tow money to visiting race cars which is expected to boost the car count on Friday evening.
The event is a point race for the Westwood Estates Street Stock division and Nick Cudmore (Petitcodiac) sits atop the standings. Cudmore has a pair of wins on the 2018 season thus far, including the most recent Street Stock 100 at the track. While Cudmore may be one of the early favorites, Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois) sits only four points out of the lead as the division crosses the halfway point in the championship chase. Brandon Carter (Moncton), the most recent class winner Logan Power (Riverview) and the No. 55 car, expected to be driven by Alexandra O’Blenis (Boundary Creek) on Friday night, completes the top five in the standings.
Like their Street Stock counterparts, the Mister Transmission Mini Stock division will race for a big winner’s cheque on Friday. The four cylinder class will race for $500 over two 40-lap features with the winner of the bonus money being determined by the best combined finish over the two races. The races will each carry a separate set of points for the Mister Transmission Mini Stock division with an inversion draw setting the starting lineup for the second 40-lap race.
“Girl Power” has taken over the Mister Transmission Mini Stock division this year. Three of the four features have been won by female drivers with Patricia Taylor (Salisbury) owning two and Chantel Ackles (Shubenacadie, NS) picking up her first career feature victory on July 7th. The pair lead the standings after four events with Taylor having a 14-point edge. Mike Weagle (Salisbury) is a single point out of the runner-up spot with Rob Poirier (Irishtown), the only other winner outside of Taylor and Ackles, fourth in the standings. Chris Garnett (Havelock) is having a career season and sits fifth in the standings as the class races to the halfway mark in 2018.
Paula Evans leads Ashley Campbell in the Kings County Performance Beginner Four Cylinder division after two of the five races for the class in 2018. The gap between the pair is only five points and both are looking for their first feature win of the year. Ellen Smith scored a popular win the last time the class raced in June while Casie Skidmore drove to the win in her first, and so far only, stock car start of her career on May 18th.
Fans are encouraged to bring non perishable food items or cash donation for the Salisbury Helping Hands Food Bank as a part of the food drive taking place Friday evening at Petty International Raceway. For adults that bring food donations to the front gate, they will receive a reduced admission rate of $10. This promotion is only valid on the front gate.
Otherwise, grandstand admission prices for Friday’s Maritime Car Wash Street Stock 100 are $20 for adults and $10 for youth aged eight to 18, while children seven years of age and under will be admitted free. Pit admission is $25 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Pit gates for competitors open at 4:30pm, grandstand gates open for spectators at 5:30pm with racing getting underway at 7:30pm.
Saturday will see four divisions take to the race track including the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour in the Irving Oil Blending & Packaging 150. The race is the seventh of 12 on the touring series and is the third of five races in the Bumper to Bumper Petty $5K Pro Stock Challenge. Cole Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) leads both the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour and Bumper to Bumper Pro Stock Challenge standings as the Pro Stock prepare for 150 grueling laps on Saturday evening.
The A.E. McKay Builders Late Model Sportsman division sees Brady Creamer of Miramichi leading the point standings after four of seven races. Creamer was one of many teams that competed in the NAPA Sportsman Series race at Riverside International Speedway last Friday night, in which Creamer experienced motor issues. The team hopes to find a motor prior to the Saturday night 50-lap feature at Petty International Raceway to defend their point lead.
Laurie Cormier (Riverview) is second in the point standings, six points behind Creamer for the top spot. Jordan Veinotte (Porter’s Lake, NS), winner of the last two A.E. McKay Builders Late Model Sportsman events at Petty International Raceway, is six points out of second and four points ahead of Luc Bourgeois (Memramcook). Kenny MacKenzie Jr (Salisbury) continues to claw his way out of an early season hole and runs fifth in the standings heading into Saturday’s 50-lap affair.
Leisure Days RV Bandolero point leader Sam Rogers (Lower Onslow, NS) will have a busy Saturday afternoon as he will participate in both the 20-lap Bandolero and 50-lap Maritime League of Legends Tour events. Rogers has a firm 14 point grip on the Bandolero point battle over Colton Noble (Upper Nine Mile River, NS) with Danny Chisholm (Canning, NS), Owen Mahar (Hubley, NS) and Evan Lane (Salisbury, NB) completing the top five in the standings.
Pre-race advances and previews for the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour’s Irving Oil Blending & Packaging 150 and the 50-lap Maritime League of Legends Tour features will be distributed by the respective series.
Grandstand admission prices for Saturday’s events at Petty International Raceway are $30 for adults and $10 for youth aged eight to 18, while children seven years of age and under will be admitted free. Pit admission is $35 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Grandstand gates open for spectators at 4pm with racing getting underway at 6pm. A complete race day format can be found later in the week at PettyInternationalRaceway.com.
For complete, up-to-date information on Petty International Raceway, please visit PettyInternationalRaceway.com, follow us on Twitter (@PettyRaceway_NB) and like us on Facebook (@PettyInternationalRaceway).
About Petty International Raceway:
Petty International Raceway is located on Highway 106, just 40 km west of Moncton, New Brunswick. To learn more about Petty International Raceway, its location, admission, policies, history, and more, please visit
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