Gunslinger 50 Sees Four Cylinders Take Centre Stage Sunday
(GEARY, NB – June 26th, 2019) – Speedway 660 will welcome the fastest domestic Four Cylinder race cars in the Maritimes to the Geary woods on Sunday afternoon. The Gunslinger 50 presented by Fredericton Gun Shop and Fairview Jeep Ram is one of the richest Four Cylinder division races in the region, boasting a total purse of over $3,500 with a guaranteed $750 to win. The special Sunday afternoon card will also feature point paying features for the RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock, Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman and DMR Auto Street Stock divisions. The Sunday, June 30th card has a special start time of 4pm.
The Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters continue to produce an action packed, unique brand of stock car racing on a weekly basis. While the racing product has been tight throughout the pack, the battle for the win every week has seen several different faces up front. In fact, through five events in 2019, only one driver has graced the Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane more than once during feature competition. BJ Gillespie (Harvey, NB) has been the only driver to take away two victories on the year, with Matt Martin (Haneytown, NB), Brody Levesque (Lincoln, NB) and Ryan Bernard (Harvey, NB) taking single feature wins to start the year.
When it comes to extended feature races, Levesque has been the one to beat. The No. 05 Greg Stewart Limited car has won the last two regular season 50-lap features for the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters dating back to June 2018 and was runner-up to Rob Poirier (Irishtown, NB) last September during SpeedWeekend. Levesque’s most recent extended distance race win came just three weeks ago when he bested Bernard and Ricky Arbeau (Fredericton) for the victory.
With 22 drivers competing in at least one race thus far in the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooter season, combined with an increased payout and more laps, the car count is expected to push over two dozen on Sunday afternoon. Several visiting cars are expected to make the trek to Speedway 660, including Oyster Bed Speedway champion Ricky Millar (Alberton, PE) and Scotia Speedworld regular Garth Bezanson (Oldham, NS). They’ll be in tough against the best Speedway 660 has to offer, including reigning track champion Bryan Suttie (Keswick, NB), Scott “Bat Hubby” Kennie (Fredericton, NB), Malcolm Suley (Clarendon, NB), sophomore Randy Titus (French Lake, NB) and over a dozen more.
With a second place feature finish and a heat win last week, Hanwell, New Brunswick’s Brent Roy was able to pad his lead in the point standings in the RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock standings. Dave O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB) is the only two-time feature winner in the class this season and finds himself second in the standings. Greg Fahey (St. Stephen, NB) fell off the leader’s pace after an eleventh place finish one week ago while Ian Rasmussen (New Denmark, NB) and the “Big Black Dodge” closed in on Fahey for that third spot in the standings with a strong podium finish last Saturday evening.
Following their first extended distance race of the year, the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman division returns to regular point racing on Saturday night. The top three in the standings are only separated by ten points with Curtis Collins (Barnesville, NB) leading Richard Atkinson (Geary, NB) and Martin’s Home Heating 100 winner Alexandra O’Blenis. In five feature contests this season, O’Blenis and Collins both have two victories while Atkinson will look to even the tally with his second win on Sunday afternoon.
After a scheduled off-week, the DMR Auto Street Stocks return to competition on Sunday afternoon. The 2013 division champion Roger Slocum (Chipman, NB) shows the way after four point races over Chris Hanley (St. Stephen, NB) and Courtney Barton (Minto, NB). Slocum is the only driver with multiple feature victories in the class this year while Peter Martin (Saint John, NB) is the most recent race winner in the class.
Returning for 2019, children aged 15 and under will be admitted to the grandstands for free to every stock car event at Speedway 660. The admission structure makes it easier for families to attend race events at the track and received positive feedback from fans when implemented mid-season in 2017.
Adult grandstand admission price for Sunday’s Gunslinger 50 presented by Fredericton Gun Shop and Fairview Jeep Ram is $15 (aged 16 and up). Pit admission is $18 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Tickets are available at the gate on race day. Pit gates for competitors will open at 11:30am, grandstand gates open for spectators at 3pm with racing getting underway at 4pm. A complete race day format will be available via Speedway660.com later in the week.
For more information about the Gunslinger 50 presented by Fredericton Gun Shop and Fairview Jeep Ram, or any event at Speedway 660, visit Speedway660.com, like @Speedway660 on Facebook or call the Speedway 660 Raceline at (506) 454-7223.
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, one of the most prestigious short track events in eastern North America, wraps up Speedway 660’s racing season.
