July has arrived with Canada Day and the summer season. School is out and the vacation period is in full swing. Everybody loves to “come home” to the Maritimes during the summer and part of that homecoming includes a trip out to Speedway 660.

Every year around this time we see lots of folks return to the Geary Woods. Some are in the Canadian Forces and have been sent off to other bases across the country. And others have gone out west to find good paying jobs. Either way, we look forward to seeing them and welcome them home with open arms!

For race fans this is the beginning of a nice long stretch of great action at Speedway 660. Hopefully the rainy season is over and we can now settle into a routine of warm summer Saturday evenings with awesome racing down in the Geary Woods.

And we start things off with a bang this weekend when the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour heads our way. The Irving Lubricants and Packaging 100 takes center stage this Saturday night. The “Maritime Pro Stock Tour” is one of the best in Canada and when you throw a few of our RE/MAX Group Four Realty drivers into the mix, it makes for one of the best shows of the season.

 

Shawn Tucker knows his way around Speedway 660 and how to find the Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane. Tucker, who won the 2012 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour race here, is one of the favourites heading into the Irving Lubricants & Packaging 100 at 7PM this Saturday night.

 

Later this week, we will post a Conversation with Tim Terry, the Parts for Trucks Tour announcer. Tim will provide us with all kinds of insight into what’s happening on the tour this season and tell us about his passion for the sport and how he got into racing.

The Irving Lubricants and Packaging 100 will provide you with the kind of action that will either keep you right on the edge of your seat or on your feet all night long. It’s just the kind of night we deserve, considering the weather we have had to endure so far this season!

We will also roll out the DMR Auto Sales & Service Street Stock and Martins Home Heating Sportsman divisions on Saturday night. Some people might call these two divisions the undercard, but I am always amazed at how these drivers take their game to a higher level every time the tour comes to Speedway 660.

We are really seeing some great racing in street stock this year. The car count is up and when you mix in some rookies from the four cylinder and bando divisions with the veterans, it makes for a great show. This “old school” style of racing takes a lot of us older fans back to the glory years of the 1960’s when car and driver roughed each other up on the old bull-rings of that era!

 

 
Rookies are rejuvenating the DMR Auto Sales & Service Street Stock Division at Speedway 660. In a recent outing, Kenny MacKenzie Jr. (#85) who moved up from the Bandolero Division this year, mixes it up with TJ (Hollywood) Madore, a rookie out of the four cylinder division.

 

 When it comes to Sportsman, we have seen the car count dip a little bit in the last couple of years. But the cars we are seeing are the cream of the crop. They are extremely competitive and put on a great show every time out. I think we’ll see some drivers move up through the ranks in the years to come and believe the Sportsman car count will benefit from that.

This past weekend we hosted the first Enduro 200 of the racing season. Sunday was a fun afternoon of thrills and spills in the Geary Woods. We had a car on its roof and the last 50 laps was utter chaos. The 15 Enduro cars put on some show and I encourage anyone interested in getting out on the track to build an Enduro car before they come back on Saturday, July 20th for their next event.

Young Nathan Madore, from Minto, ran his very first Enduro last Sunday afternoon and came home third. He had a blast and can’t wait to come back for the next go-around. So perhaps you could follow Nathan’s lead and be the next Enduro star at Speedway 660. And I know there are a few Enduro drivers who missed the first race, so I encourage them to turn a wrench or two in the next couple of weeks and come see us on the 20th.

Some of the highlights still to come this season include: The Best of the Best Pro Stock 150 on July 27th; the Sportsman Firecracker 150 on August 10th; Fan Appreciation Night of Champions on August 24th and of course SpeedWeekend 2013 from August 31st until September 2nd.

But you know what, every Saturday is filled with highlights at Speedway 660. Our goal is to provide our fans with the best weekly short-track racing in Canada and I believe that’s exactly what you will see every time you come to visit us.

This Saturday, the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour brings the Irving Lubricants and Packaging 100 to Speedway 660 and I know it’ll be an awesome night. So make plans to come see us this weekend, time-trials will start right around 6:10 and qualifying heats go at 7PM.

We’ll see you at the races!