Photo by John Miller
(August 3rd, 2017) – The defending champion of the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 at Speedway 660 was quickest to the draw on Monday evening when the registration window opened for the 2017 edition of the event.
Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine was the first of 27 drivers to file an entry for the Sunday, September 3rd race within 24 hours of registration being opened. Drivers from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Maine are represented on the early registration list with still a month to go before the race itself.
Doiron took home $17,700 and the checkered flag in the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 in 2016 for the biggest payday of his racing career. He led an all Maine podium in the race, with Farmington’s Cassius Clark and Turner’s Ben Rowe placing second and third at the end of 250-laps. King Racing and OGC Racing, the teams the Clark and Rowe drive for, respectively, have both filed entries for the 2017 race.
Both Clark and Rowe raced their way into provisional starting positions in the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 by finishing first and second in last weekend’s Clark Chevrolet Best of the Best Pro Stock 150.
In addition to former champions of the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 in Doiron (2016) and Clark (2012 and 2015), Lonnie Sommerville (Barnesville, NB; 2006 and 2009), Craig Slaunwhite (Terence Bay, NS; 2008) and Dave O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB; 2002) have also filed their entries for the 2017 race.
Former Oxford 250 champion Glen Luce (Turner, ME) and John Flemming (Halifax, NS), who has two IWK 250 wins and an Atlantic Cat 250 title under his belt, have signaled their intentions to be in the Geary woods on the Labour Day weekend.
The Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock weekly point division at Speedway 660 is well represented in the early entry list for the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250. Point leader Brent Roy (Hanwell, NB), reigning Rookie of the Year Ashton Tucker (Lyttleton, NB), the most recent point race winner Dustin Tucker (Fredericton, NB) and reigning point champion Greg Fahey (St. Stephen, NB) are just a number of those that call Speedway 660 home and will look to keep the trophy on home turf on Speedweekend.
Matt Rodgers (Smithtown, NB) had the fastest fingers last year in registration for the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 and would be second in 2017, losing out on the top honor to Doiron by a mere nine seconds. Dorion and Rodgers will be joined by Brady Creamer (Miramichi, NB) and Sommerville as the first to select their tires on SpeedWeekend. Teams will be allowed in the tire selection area, four at a time, to select tires in the order in which they registered for the event.
Teams can still preregister for the event for $50 at any time by going to Speedway660.com. The registration fee climbs to $100 on the week leading up to McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250.
Pre-Registration List – McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 at Speedway 660
**As of Wednesday, August 2nd
Sorted by order their registration was received
| Car # | Name | Hometown | |
| 1 | 73 | Joey Doiron | Berwick, ME |
| 2 | 42 | Matt Rodgers | Smithtown, NB |
| 3 | 10 | Brady Creamer | Miramichi, NB |
| 4 | 2 | Lonnie Sommerville | Barnesville, NB |
| 5 | 08 | Nicholas Naugle | Dartmouth, NS |
| 6 | 1 | Ryan Messer | Harvey, NB |
| 7 | 7L | Glen Luce | Turner, ME |
| 8 | 10 | Devin Snell | Saint John, NB |
| 9 | 26 | Brent Roy | Hanwell, NB |
| 10 | 48 | Dave O’Blenis | Boundary Creek, NB |
| 11 | 32 | Ashton Tucker | Lyttleton, NB |
| 12 | 32S | Sarah McKay | Quispamsis, NB |
| 13 | 52 | Dustin Tucker | Fredericton, NB |
| 14 | 81 | Ian Rasmussen | New Denmark, NB |
| 15 | 99 | Craig Slaunwhite | Terence Bay, NS |
| 16 | 33 | Andrew McKay | Quispamsis, NB |
| 17 | 8 | Ben Rowe | Turner, ME |
| 18 | 91 | Dylan Gosbee | Cornwall, PE |
| 19 | 97D | Chris Duncan | Rothesay, NB |
| 20 | 29 | Greg Fahey | St. Stephen, NB |
| 21 | 42R | Kyle Reid | Fort McMurray, AB |
| 22 | 9 | Derek Christie | Fredericton, NB |
| 23 | 87 | Matt Harris | Fredericton Jct., NB |
| 24 | 29T | Robert Tomlinson | Arthurette, NB |
| 25 | 13 | Cassius Clark | Farmington, ME |
| 26 | 28 | Shawn Warren | Waasis, NB |
| 27 | 97F | John Flemming | Halifax, NS |
Plans are well underway for SpeedWeekend 2017 and the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 at Speedway 660. Fans are urged to book their camping sites and purchase their advance tickets for the weekend now. Camping sites not renewed from the previous year by August 4th, 2017 will be made available to the public.
Laps are also available to purchase for the 2017 McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250. Each lap is $50 and the funds go directly into the pocket of the leader of your sponsored lap. The Lap Leader Fund deposits $12,500 into the overall purse for the weekend, which tips the scales at over $110,000. The McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 is worth $15,000 to the winner of the event plus bonuses, making it the richest payday of any stock car race in Atlantic Canada.
Tickets, camping sites and laps can be purchased by contacting the Speedway 660 office by phone at (506) 454-7723 or by emailing [email protected].
Speedweekend 2017 gets underway on Friday, September 1st with the annual Corn Boil and Concert. The racing action begins for the weekend at 6:30pm on Saturday, September 2nd with Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman 150 and racing in the Maritime League of Legends and East Coast Mini Stock Tours. Qualifying for the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 will begin at 2pm on Sunday, September 3rd. The DMR Auto Sales and Service Street Stock and Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters will run in extended lap features prior to the main event. The Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero Blast will be run in two parts, with one feature on Saturday evening and one on Sunday afternoon.
Complete information on SpeedWeekend 2017, as released, can be found at Speedway660.com.
About Speedway 660:
Speedway 660 is one of Canada’s premier stock car racing facilities. Located in New Brunswick’s Fredericton region, it attracts race teams and fans from the Maritimes, New England and Quebec. The Speedway 660 racing season runs from mid May until Labour Day Weekend. SpeedWeekend 2016, one of the most prestigious short track events in eastern North America, wraps up Speedway 660’s racing season.
