(June 29, 2015) The Parts for Trucks Maritime Pro Stock Tour is headed our way this weekend. The Cummins 100 will be one Speedway 660’s highlights of 2015. This Saturday night’s race will mark the halfway point of the Tour season, so let’s take a look at how things have gone through their first five races. 

 

 Come Take a Tour of the Geary Woods!

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour race is always one of our most anticipated events of the year. We only get to see the Tour once a year, which is a bit of a shame, but when they do come to the Geary Woods our fans know they are going to see an awesome show. We’ll also welcome lots of fans, who travel around the region to follow the 12 race Parts for Trucks Tour.

Pro Stock racing is in really good shape in the Maritimes. Here at Speedway 660 the Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock Division has more cars, better competition and the best racing we’ve seen in years. Tim Terry, the voice of the Parts for Trucks Tour, tells me they’ve had good car counts too, as well as strong competition and great crowds this season.Dylan Blenkhorn (holding the checkered flag) won the first two Parts for Trucks Pro Stock races of the year. Dylan Gosbee (left) and Shawn Turple (right) finished 2nd and 3rd in the Tour season opener at Scotia. 

The Tour season began on May 24^th at Scotia Speedworld with Dylan Blenkhorn winning the Lucas Oil 100. A week later, the young driver from Truro, won again, this time taking the checkers in the Irving Oil 100 at Petty International Raceway. George Koszkulics won the Ron MacGillivray 150 at Riverside International Speedway on June 13^th and Cole Butcher took the Nova Truck Centers 150 on the 20^th in Halifax. Last week Darren MacKinnon won the Linde 100 down at Petty.

As far as points are concerned, heading into action this weekend, Blenkhorn leads the way with a 13 point advantage over Donald Chisholm, from Antigonish. MacKinnon, who hails from Milton Station over on PEI, is third. Butcher, from Porter’s Lake, NS is fourth and Shawn Turple, from Enfield, NS is fifth.Shawn Turple (#0) took last year’s Tour race at 660. Shawn loves racing here and can’t wait to come back this weekend.

Turple, the 2012 and 2009 Tour champion, won last year’s race at Speedway 660. Other notables in the points chase include John Flemming, the five time champ, who sits 10^th; Craig Slaunwhite, a former Re/Max 250 winner, who is 11th and; Sarah McKay, who is well known in these parts, is 13th.

One driver is noticeably absent from the Maritime Tour this year. Shawn Tucker, a three-time Tour champ and three-time Re/Max 250 winner, has not raced this season.  Shawn has never officially retired from the sport, but he has yet to put on the helmet in 2015!Shawn Tucker knows how to win races, especially big races at Speedway 660. He hasn’t run any Tour events this year and won’t be in the line-up this weekend. Will we see him on SpeedWeekend? Only Mr. Tucker knows the answer to that Q.  

I also know the youth movement we’re seeing at Speedway 660 is also happening on the Maritime Pro Stock Tour. Dylan Blenkhorn is a force and Cole Butcher is not too shabby either! Come back to www.speedway660.com later this week for a Conversation with Dylan. He’s a nice young man and a great ambassador for our sport, just like his mentor John Flemming.

What can we expect at Speedway 660 this weekend? Well we’ll see a great race, that’s a given. Who will win? You can make predictions, but I’ve learned over the years just to wait and see. We’ll find out soon enough, come Saturday night.John Flemming is the defending Parts for Trucks champion. The five-time champ is always a contender to win races no matter where the Tour goes. 

For all of you history buffs, Shawn Tucker won Tour races here in 2006, 09, 11 and 12. Wayne Smith won in 07, Lonnie Sommerville took the checkers in 2010 and John Flemming won in 13. Last year Shawn Turple was the big winner, he also won at 660 back in 08. Those are some pretty big names in short-track racing here in the Maritimes!

I have one big question heading into the weekend. Will any of our Re/Max Pro Stock drivers come out to challenge the Tour regulars? I sure hope so. Some drivers I’ve talked to say the Tour runs a different shock package and that makes it difficult for our guys to run. It’s not just the expense of different shocks, it’s a challenge to set the car up for this weekend’s race and then try to return it the way it was for our next weekly event.Pro Stock racing has been incredible at Speedway 660 this year. Here’s hopin some of these guys come out to challenge the Tour drivers on Saturday night!

I’ve never been able to comprehend very much about the technical side of racing, but it would be nice if the rules were consistent across the Maritimes for each class of racing in our region. Here’s hoping some of our regular Pro Stockers do what they need to do to be able to come out for the Tour race. It sure would make things exciting!

I’m sure we’ll see a lot of campers in the Geary Woods this weekend. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour has a great following and our campground, which already has a lot of seasonal campers, will roll out the welcome mat for more folks this weekend.Camping out at Speedway 660 is a big part of the racing experience, especially on SpeedWeekend or when the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour comes our way!

I’ve been focused on the upcoming Tour race, but fans will also see some pretty good action on Saturday in the DMR Auto Sales & Service Street Stock and Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman divisions. It’s been a bounce back year for Sportsman with six rookies on the roster. And a couple of vets, who took last year off, are back in the ranks too.

How about Randy Moore and Richard Atkinson? Randy won the Sportsman feature last week and Richard came home second. Although they were hangin out at Speedway 660 last year, we sure missed seeing them race. And now both are back with renewed vigour. The old muskets (sorry guys) aren’t quite ready to let the young guns take over the Sportsman division just yet.Randy Moore won the Martin’s Home heating Sportsman feature last Saturday night. After taking last season off, Randy has found his groove in 2015. Moore and our other great Sportsman and Street Stock drivers will be part of the show this weekend.  

So spread the word. If you love short-track racing, share your passion with friends, co-workers, neighbours and family. Encourage everyone to come on down to Speedway 660 this weekend to see an awesome Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour race and some pretty good Street Stock and Sportsman racing too.

We’ll see you at the races!