The Martin’s Home Heating 100 turned out to be quite a race last weekend. By now you know that Andrew Rodgers came across the stripe first and pocketed a cool $3000 for the win. The action picks up again with double header action this Saturday and Sunday with a Sharp Shooter 30 and an ENDURO 200!
Congratulations to Andrew Rodgers for the big win last week. We had a strong field of cars for the Martin’s Home Heating 100 and they put on some show. Sportsman racing is always entertaining and always competitive and we sure got our money’s worth on Saturday night.
Now we turn our attention to the Sharp Shooters this coming Saturday night and the first ENDURO of the season on Sunday afternoon. The ENDURO is always a beast of a race and these drivers have been “chompin-at-the-bit” to get out on the track and get after it. It should be a wild Sunday afternoon. But before we get to Sunday, the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters are all fired up for a 30 lap feature of their own. These little “four-bangers” can get a little beasty as well!
Get outta my way Girl! Darren Beatty (#18) puts the bumper to Courtney Barton earlier this season. You’ll see more of this sort of thing when the Sharp Shooters run a 30 lap feature race this Saturday night.
I’ve been wanting to touch on a couple of things in this space for a few weeks. First, have you ever seen a sport where people bend over backwards to help their competitors? Stock car racing stands alone as far as I’m concerned. The drivers and race teams go full out to compete and do everything possible to get to victory lane. But unlike other sports, these guys and gals also go out of their way to help each other in the pits. And those good deeds sometimes lead to good things for the person who was helped.
Case in point – a few weeks ago Courtney O’Blenis blew up her Bando engine during practice. Done for the night, right? Wrong! MacKenzie Brewer just happened to have a spare engine and the next thing you know, Courtney’s engine gets changed and she’s able to race. But that’s not the end of the story, because Courtney won the Bando heat and feature. MacKenzie settled for third in the feature that night. I forgot to ask if Courtney wanted to keep that borrowed engine.
MacKenzie Brewer (#55) has an early lead, but Courtney O’Blenis (#48) takes the checkers. And she did it with his spare engine! Speedway 660 drivers compete hard on the track, but are there to help each other out in the pits.
Here’s another example. Earlier this year, Brent Roy had drive-train issues and looked like he would be done for the night. You might think that was good news for Matt and Andrew Rodgers who are likely going to be in the Sportsman championship chase along with Mr. Roy. But Team Rodgers had the parts Brent needed and helped their competitor get back on the track to earn some championship points. That’s unbelievable sportsmanship.
Even though it’s still early in the season, 2014 is turning into a pretty special year in the Geary Woods. We’ve seen Jensen Financial Hat Trick awards by Pro Stockers Dave O’Blenis and Steve Halpin along with Street Stockers Justin Cole and T.J. “Hollywood” Madore.
How about Team O’Blenis visiting the Riverview Ford Victory Lane six times in one night? And rookie Dawson MacIntee winning a Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman feature? And Johnny Clark winning his fourth straight PASS race in the Geary Woods? And Jeremy Doran ending up on his roof in a hotly contested Sharp Shooter race?
What’s your favourite moment so far in the 2014 season? I’ll bet this isn’t Jeremy Doran’s favourite, but I know it’s something he’ll remember for a long, long time!
And here it is just the third week of June. How many more memories will be made during 2014?
Speaking of memories, I mentioned “Smokin Joe” Albert in this space recently and how much we all miss him. Jack Lane also passed away in the off-season and it just isn’t the same without this pair of Street Stock legends hangin out at 660. I really enjoy doing the podium interviews each week and Joe and Jack were two of my favourites. You never knew what either of these guys would say and they usually had the crowd in stitches.
Jack Lane, who lived “a stones throw” away from Speedway 660 was one of our most popular drivers. “Gentleman Jack” loved signing autographs for the kids and entertaining fans of all ages. We all miss Jack and those of us who have been around for a few years will never forget what he meant to our sport.
It’s going to be a great weekend at Speedway 660 and I know a lot of folks are going to be camping on site. The Sharp Shooter goes Saturday night and the ENDURO runs on Sunday afternoon, so it’s a perfect opportunity to pack up the family and camp-out in the Geary Woods. Many of our “campers” have all the comforts of home including satellite television!
If you’d like to set-up camp for the weekend give Wanda a call on the Speedway 660 race line (506-454-7223). The campers are a friendly bunch, have lots of fun and love to meet new race fans, so why not check it out. You’ll likely have such a good time, you’ll end up having a few other Saturday night sleep-overs at Speedway 660.
ENDURO drivers “sign-up” for this kinda thing! Speedway 660’s version of “Rockem-Sockem Racin” takes to the track on Sunday afternoon.
Sharp Shooters and ENDUROS – it’s bound to be a weekend to remember at Speedway 660.
We’ll see you at the races!
