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Feature
By Terry Waterfield
As spring morphs into summer another auto racing season is upon us. What’s ahead for 2010? Auto Atlantic takes its annual look at what Atlantic Canada’s race tracks have to offer, and the prospects for an exciting season looks good. A combination of regular weekly racing programs at local tracks, special events, touring series, several anniversaries and even a new series or two at some tracks, sets 2010 up for a can’t miss season of racing with something for everyone.
CarQuest Pro Stock Tour
Atlantic Canada’s premier touring series opens its 10th season at Scotia Speedworld, June 5, and will run the usual 11 events, concluding the season back at Scotia Speedworld September 11.
The tour will run at Scotia Speedworld four times over the summer, three times at Riverside International Speedway, near Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and twice each at Oyster Bed Speedway on Prince Edward Island and Speedway 660, Geary, New Brunswick.
Six of the 2010 dates feature the usual 100-lap races, as well as four extended distance events, including the popular series within a series, “Triple Crown of Maritime Pro Stock Racing” - three, 250-lap races which will be run as part of the overall CARQUEST Tour schedule. Triple Crown races include the IWK 250, presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body at Riverside July 17th, the Atlantic CAT 250 at Scotia Speedworld, August 7 and the Peterbuilt 250 at Speedway 660, September 5.
The final extended distance race, the 200-lap Parts for Trucks 200, will close out the season September 11 at Scotia Speedworld.
Regular 100-lap features will be run as part of the series opener, the Lucas Oil 100, June 5 at Scotia Speedworld, which will also play host to the Lockhart Truck Centre 100 on July 3. Riverside Speedway will run the Ron MacGillvray 100 on June 19, the Parts For Trucks 100 on August 14 and the IWK 250, while Oyster Bed Speedway will present the Parts For Trucks 100 on June 26 and the Lucas Oil 100 on July 31.
The tour recently welcomed CARQUEST Auto Parts back as presenting sponsor for the 2010 racing season, marking the 10th consecutive season that the North American auto parts giant has lent its name to the tour. “It’s great to have CARQUEST Auto Parts continue to be the presenting sponsor, especially since it’s our 10th anniversary,” exclaims Tour General Manager, Ken Cunning. “They are the only presenting sponsor that we have ever had. CARQUEST is synonymous with the Maritime Pro Stock Tour and are great partners. We really appreciate and value their involvement.”
Also back for their 10th season as a tour sponsor, Parts For Trucks will sponsor four races, one at each of the four tracks the tour visits during the summer, including the season finale Parts For Trucks 200 at Scotia Speedworld, September 11.
In addition, Lucas Oil Products Canada is returning as a tour sponsor for the fourth consecutive year and will sponsor races at Scotia Speedway and Oyster Bed Speedway.
“We provide a great opportunity for sponsors to be able to promote their brand to Maritimers,” notes Cunning. “CARQUEST Auto Parts is the only presenting sponsor we have had in our 10 years of operation, and Parts For Trucks has been a multi-race sponsor from our first season. Lucas Oil joined us as a partner five years ago and continues to be a multi-race sponsor. Many of our contingency sponsors have been supporters for years as well.”
In the nine years of CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour competition, four different drivers have claimed points championships. John Flemming of Halifax, Nova
Scotia, claimed the title in 2002, 2003 and 2006, while Shawn Turple of Fredericton, New Brunswick, nabbed it 2004, 2007 and 2009, leaving both drivers leading the pack with three crowns each.
Right behind them, one of the area’s most successful pro stock racers, Wayne Smith of Timberlea, Nova Scotia, who won the inaugural championship in 2001 and added another in 2008, while Rollie MacDonald, the most experienced Maritime racer still in action, finished the 2005 season at the top of the points list.
Smith, Turple and Flemming have all indicated their intentions to compete again this year. MacDonald has retired, several times, but don’t be surprised if he makes still another comeback for at least a part of the 2010 season’s schedule.
One thing is sure, while Smith, Turple and Flemming all have the credentials to add another title to their resume, there are a number of drivers on the tour who will
be itching to claim their first crown, adding all the elements needed for an exciting summer of wheel-to-wheel competition for the popular late model racing series.
“We have the drivers and crews that are able to compete with the best from North America and have done this successfully all over the eastern seaboard. Our top drivers are known names in the short track hotbeds, well respected by their fellow competitors and appreciated by the fans,” points out Cunning. “The fact that the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour is celebrating its 10th anniversary is a milestone worth celebrating. It is a testament to those who were involved in setting the vision for the tour and working to ensure that vision came to fruition.”
NAPA Sportsman Super Series
Most Maritime tracks field their own sportsman series. The NAPA Sportsman Super Series gives competitors the op-portunity to test their skills against the best drivers from other tracks in an eight race series. The crown representing Super Series Champion is a highly sought award that provides the best of sportsman competition. Eight races are run at four different Nova Scotia tracks.
Six 100-lap and two 50-lap events make up the 2010 schedule, with the first event, featuring a 50-lap main, scheduled for June 19 at Riverside Speedway near Antigonish. The Riverside opener is the first of four events at the James River facility, with 100-lap features set for July 16, August 14 and September 17. Filling out the eight race series are two events, each at Lake Doucette Motor Speedway, and two at Island Speedway near Sydney. Lake Doucette hosts the series on June 26 and August 21, while Island Speedway has scheduled races for July 31 and September 4.
Maritime League of LegendsLegends Car racing has been a mainstay at Scotia Speedworld since the mid-90s, and the Halifax track is still considered the
home track for the series, with no less than 15 of 19 races being held at the 3/10-mile oval opposite the Halifax International Airport. However, four races will take place at other Maritime tracks, with a pair of races set for Riverside Speedway on July 16 and September 17, plus a trip to Speedway 660 in New Brunswick September 5.
The series will close out its season with a one-off visit to Atlantic Canada’s only road circuit, the 2.5 kilometre, 11 turn course at Atlantic Motorsport Park near Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, October 11.
While the races at Scotia Speedworld will award points in Scotia Speedworld’s weekly series championship, the away races will be combined with several of the Scotia Speedworld events to determine the Legends Tour champion.
Atlantic Open Wheel Championship TourFormed in 2003, the Atlantic Open Wheel Tour, with a set of rules designed to provide close, competitive competition, is the only open wheel stock car series in Atlantic Canada.
For 2010, AOL has planned a 10-race championship that will feature eight races at two New Brunswick tracks, plus one in Nova Scotia and one in Maine, U.S.
Centre for Speed at Shediac, New Brunswick, will host the majority of the races, with six events, beginning June 6 and continuing July 4, 10, 31 and August 15 and 29.
The tour visits Speedway 660 near Fredericton, New Brunswick, August 7 and September 24, then travels to Nova Scotia for a July 24 feature at Lake Doucette Motor Speedway and will cross the international border to compete September 11 at Spud Speedway in Maine, located midway between the towns of Caribou and Limestone.
Scotia SpeedWorldThe 3/10-mile paved oval off the Bicentennial Highway, opposite the Halifax International Airport, begins its 2010 competition schedule May 23 with the opening of the weekly racing series featuring six different classes. Scotia Speedworld will hold 14 programs during the summer, featuring Sportsman, Truck, Legend, Thunder, Lightning and Bandolero divisions.
The majority of these programs will take place on Friday nights, beginning at 7:00 p.m., except the first two programs, which will run on May 23 and 30 at 2:00 p.m., and two Saturday Night Specials at 7:00 p.m., July 10 and August 29.
Scotia Speedworld will also host four CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour events, including a pair of 100-lap races, the series opening, Lucas Oil 100, beginning June 5 at 4:00 p.m., and the Lockhart Truck Centre 100, July 3 at 6:00 p.m., plus the 200-lap series, Parts For Trucks 200, on September 11 at 4:00 p.m.
Scotia Speedworld will highlight their summer schedule with the two-day Atlantic CAT 250, August 6 and 7, with qualifying races for the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, and supporting Sportsman series taking place on Friday night, August 6, and a Sportsman 100-lap feature going on Saturday at 5:00 p.m., followed by the Pro Stock Atlantic CAT 250. The track also plans a Monster Jam event for June 12-13.
Speedway 660Located in Geary, New Brunswick, Speedway 600 has added two new divisions for the 2010 season Bandolero and 4-cylinder. The 4-cylinder division saw a couple of appearances last summer with small car turnouts, but the interest was enough for the track to add the entry-level division, which welcomes racers as young as 14 years old to its 2010 line-up by scheduling six races.
The Bandolero is an all new division for the track, featuring purpose-build race cars for drivers in the eight to 15 years-old range.
Speedway 660 opens their season Saturday, May 29 and will run Saturday night programs, mainly with local classes, but with a number of special events sprinkled throughout the summer.
The oval’s final weekend will include the Peterbuilt 250, September 5, as well
as, the final race of the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tours’ “Triple Crown of Maritime Pro Stock Racing”, a 250-lap event. Speedway 660 will also host an additional CARQUEST Tour race on July 24th, the Parts For Trucks 100 and will welcome the New England based PRO All Stars series for a 200-lap feature on June 12.
Riverside International SpeedwayOnce again Riverside Speedway in James River, Nova Scotia, will run a summer schedule of special events, including the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Riverside Sportsman and Maritime Legends Tour divisions.
The CARQUEST Tour will make three appearances, opening the season June 19 with the Ron MacGillivray GMC 100 and Parts For Trucks 100, August 14, with the Riverside Sportsman division as the undercard.
In addition, the CARQUEST Tour will be the major player in the three-day, IWK 250 Weekend, July 16-18. Beginning with a pre-race party Friday night, the gala weekend will also feature races by the Riverside Sportsman and Maritime Legends on Saturday and conclude with the 250-lap CARQUEST Pro Stock feature on Sunday. Riverside will close out their 2010 season with the Komatsu 300, September 17-18, featuring the Riverside Sportsman and Maritime Legends on the 17th and the NACAR Canadian Tire Series on the 18th.
Oyster Bed SpeedwayFormerly Raceway Park, Oyster Bed Speedway is located in Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island.
Oyster Bed’s 2010 season opens on May 24, and will run until September 18, with a schedule of 16 events.
Oyster Bed Speedway will run four local classes, with Mini Stock, Mini Outlaw, Modified and Street Stock Divisions. In addition to the regular classes, which will race mainly on Saturday nights, the speedway will host two rounds of the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, June 26 and July 31, and Maritime Open Racing for all classes on their final date September 18.
Centre for SpeedSituated in Grand Barachois, overlooking the Northumberland Strait, CENTRE for Speed celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2010.
CENTRE For Speed traditionally runs the longest schedule of all Atlantic Canadian tracks, and their 15th anniversary is no exception, beginning May 15 and running until October 18.
Throughout the summer CFS will present a mixture of local class racing and special events. The track runs regular racing for Four Fun, Mini Stock, Street Stock and Sportsman divisions.
In addition, there will be a number of invitational and special extended distance races throughout the summer. The CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour will visit the track twice, June 26 and July 31.
Once again, CENTRE For Speed will hold their popular Speed Weekend StoCar Championships, which draws competitors from all parts of the Maritimes, with racing in all classes, including Super Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions.
The track has also announced a new division for their 2011 season American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model. The introduction of the ACT Late Model division as a premiere weekly division has already generated enthusiasm among many of the top tier CENTRE racers.
Lake Doucette Motor Speedway
Lake Doucette Motor Speedway, which came close to closing last season when ownership cancelled the season due to low car counts, appears to have risen from the ashes after the track’s racers banded together, formed the “Southwestern Stockcar Association,” rented the facility and ran their own races.
The future now looks promising for a continuation of stock car racing at the paved oval at Lake Doucette, Nova Scotia. While a complete schedule for the regions class has not been finalized, the track has announced three events for 2010, with the NAPA Sportsman Super Series making two stops at the track, June 26 and August 21, while the Atlantic Open Wheel series will race there on July 24.
Atlantic Motorsport ParkAtlantic Canada’s only road racing track, AMP boasts a 2.5 kilometre, 11-turn paved road circuit on a 377 acre site located near Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, 40-50 minutes north of Halifax.
The car racing season is now underway at AMP with the season opener on May 29. Each season, AMP is host to the TRAC (The Road-Racers of Atlantic Canada) Road-Racing Series, as well as, SoloSprint time-trial events, non-competition lapping, high performance driving schools and AutoSlalom.
TRAC is the regional road racing series organized by Atlantic Regional Motor Sport Club (ARMS) at AMP. It features cars in various sedan, open wheel and Legends classes. Each race weekend consists of four sedan races (each part of a different championship) and three open wheel races with cars in the Formula Ford and Formula Libre classes. The 2010 schedule begins May 30 with race #1, race #2 June 26, race #3 June 27, race #4 August 22 , race #5 September 26 and finishing October 11 with the Jack Canfield Memorial Three-Hour Endurance Race.
ARMS Regional SoloSprint Championship events are conducted on paved closed courses, typically purpose-built racetracks or test facilities, where the speeds reached can approach the maximum potential of the car. In these time trials competitors complete several laps of the circuit in street cars and race cars and compete for the fastest lap times.
The 2010 schedule starts in late July with Regional SoloSprint #1 taking place July 24 and 25, Regional SoloSprint #2 on August 14 and 15, and Regional SoloSprint #3 and #4 running September 3 - 5 - Regional SoloSprint #3 and 4
Lapping and driving schools are a great way for people to get some time in their cars on the track. It is also an event you can do in your street car with very little extra equipment, making it very affordable to get into. ARMS also offers a variety of driving schools to encourage driving skills development in a variety of disciplines.
For lapping, you will require an ARMS club membership, SNELL approved helmet (M2000 or better), a safe vehicle (subject to technical inspection), completion of a driving school, and a lapping card.
2010 Remaining Schedule:
| July 1 |
Lapping School and Lapping Day |
| August 2 |
Lapping School and Lapping Day |
| August 21 |
TRAC Series Lapping Day |
| September 6 |
Lapping School and Lapping Day |
| September 25 |
TRAC Series Lapping Day |
Targa Newfoundland
’s premier motor sport event, the Targa Newfoundland, is ready for its ninth running in 2010, from September 11-18. In planning for this year’s event, Targa Newfoundland has announced a number of changes, including the addition of several new stages to the route.
Organizers have announced a new stage in Carbonear, one of Newfoundland’s oldest and most historic communities, founded 400 years ago. The seven kilometre Targa stage will run through the heart of the town as one of the final stages of the rally. It has also been announced that three of the most popular competitive stages in past events, located in Marystown headquarters for the Burin Peninsula leg of the rally, have been retained for the next four years.
Targa Newfoundland annually attracts competitors from all parts of North America, and is one of the more popular events on the North America rally schedule.
Avondale SpeedwayNewfoundland’s paved oval, located in Avondale, 30 minutes West of St. John’s on the Trans Canada Highway, had not posted a 2010 schedule at deadline, but their website cites “Stock Car racing every Sunday from May to October” and is currently inviting driver registration.
Speedy Dundee Dirt TrackIf you enjoy dirt track racing, the 1/4 mile oval at Speedy Dundee’s is the place for you. No schedule has been posted on their website as of yet, but in past years the track races every second Sunday during the summer, beginning late May and running into September.
Additional track InformationSeveral other tracks - Island Speedway in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Blue Mountain Speedway in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Miramichi City Speedway and River Glade near Moncton, had not published schedules by deadline.
Miramichi and River Glade are both reported to be up for sale, so the racing plans for these tracks were up in the air at deadline time. For more information and to keep updated on events please visit the track’s websites, as well as several key sources of Maritime racing news.
Drag RacingDrag racing is alive and well in Atlantic Canada with four drag strips ready to host events in 2010 - Greenfield Dragway, Raceway Park, Cape Breton Dragway and Miramichi Dragway Park.
Greenfield Dragway, located on Nova Scotia Route 210 at Brooklyn, near Liverpool, operated by the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association, has scheduled events for May 29th-30th, June 19th-20th, July 10th-11th, August 21st-22nd and September 25th-26th.
Raceway Park, in Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island, will host points races in several classes on May 22- 23, June 12-13, July 3-4, August 7-8, and 28-29, September 4-5 and October 9-10.
Miramichi Dragway Park is located in Bellefond, New Brunswick beside the Miramichi Airport, and runs events May 21–23, June 4-6, and 25-27, July 10-11, August 13-15, and 20-22, September 3-5, and 10-12, October 1-3 and 16-17.
Cape Breton Dragway 2010 schedule starts June 26-27, and continues July 16-18, and 31(motorcycle), August 27- 29 and September 18-19.
AutoSlalom Provides an Affordable and Accessible Way to Get Involved in Motorsport Have you ever wanted to get involved in motorsport competition, but thought you could never have the necessary equipment, or that it’s too expensive? AutoSlalom provides an affordable alternative to road-racing, and has many events throughout Atlantic Canada each year. In organized AutoSlalom competitions, drivers compete individually against the clock on specially designed temporary courses marked with pylons.
The courses are laid out with different challenging designs that test the driver’s knowledge of personal skill, capabilities of the car, design of the facility, and of course, the clock.
Drivers must complete the course without going outside the intended route marked by the pylons. They must also try to avoid knocking over pylons as each one represents a time penalty.
Event Locations:Scotia Speed World (SSW), Halifax, NS Digby Municipal Airport (DMA), Digby, NS Atlantic Motorsport Park, Shubenacadie, NS Magic Mountain (MM), Moncton, NB Slemon Park (SP), Summerside, PEI. NOTE: past races are not on the list.
Regional Autoslalom Championship
| July 3, 4 |
Regional AutoSlaloms - DMA |
| July 30 - Aug 1 |
Regional AutoSlaloms |
| October 3 October 10 |
Regional AutoSlalom - MM Regional AutoSlalom - AMP |
| Sept. 19 October 3 October 17 |
Club Autoslalom - MM Regional/Club Autoslalom - MM Club Autoslalom – MM |
Atlantic Sports Car 2010 Schedule
| June 15 |
Club AutoSlalom - SSW |
| June 20 |
Club AutoSlalom - DMA |
| July 3, 4 |
ASCC Regional AutoSlaloms |
| August 29 |
Club AutoSlalom - SSW |
| Sept. 19 |
Club AutoSlalom - DMA |
| Oct. 10 |
ASCC Regional AutoSlalom |
Moncton Sport Club 2010 schedule
| July30-Aug1 |
Slalom@Slemon-SP |
| Sept. 15 |
Club Autoslalom - MM |
Sept. 19
|
Club Autoslalom - MM |
| October 3 |
Regional/Club Autoslalom - MM |
| October 17 |
Club Autoslalom – MM |
Editor’s Note: For some of you, racing may be already under way by the time you read this, plus some schedules for tracks were incomplete at deadline and others may change as the season nears, so we have provided the websites for the various series and tracks mentioned in this article at autoatlantic.com to enable you to keep track of the season as it progresses.
(All photos by Terry Waterfield).
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