Sterling Marlin will make the trip from his home State of Tennessee to the Geary Woods for SPEEDWEEKEND. He is the latest in an impressive string of big name celebrity drivers to participate in the Peterbilt 250. Marlin will drive the Auto Pride/Auto Value entry in the 250.

Sterling Marlin is best known as the third driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup history to win back-to-back Daytona 500 races. He did that in 94 and 95 joining “The King” Richard Petty (73 & 74) and Cale Yarborough (83 & 84) as winners of the Great American Race in consecutive years.

Marlin won a total of ten NASCAR point races as well as All-Star races in 89, 93 and 04. He had 11 poles, earned more than 4.5 million dollars and finished 3rd in Nascar points in 95 and 01.

Last Saturday night Steve Burns told me he wanted to make an announcement about the Peterbilt 250. But I had to wait until intermission, like the rest of our fans, to find out the news!

Sterling Marlin celebrates a “Kodak Moment” after winning back-to-back Daytona 500’s.

Sterling Marlin is the latest big name to come to Speedway 660 for the Peterbilt 250. Ron Hornaday, who is this year’s run away points leader in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, ran the 250 last year. We have also had the pleasure of hosting former Sprint Cup Champion Terry Labonte and Johnny Benson, the 2008 Camping World Truck Champ.

Speed Weekend is a little less than a month away but the excitement is already building. It’s the Crown Jewel of the Maritime Triple Crown events and I can’t wait for the big weekend.

But we still have lots of excitement to come in the next three weeks. This weekend we will see the Dent Daddy Street Stock 75, the biggest race of the year for our street stockers. And there will be important point races for the Irving Lubricant Pro Stocks and the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman drivers. The points are just too tight right now to predict who will end up with those championships.

There will be a driver change in the Sportsman point race this weekend. Bradley Logan, a former division Champion, will pinch hit for Glyn Nott. Brenda and Glyn are out in British Columbia celebrating Brenda’s parents 50th anniversary. We will keep an eye on Logan to see if he can help Nott win his first Sportsman title.

I have just a couple of notes on the Firecracker 150. There were several long stretches of enjoyable green flag racing, but there were multiple cautions at the end. Congrats to Glyn Nott, the winner and to Brent Roy and Matt Maillet for coming home 2nd and 3rd.

But the Sportsman point leader Michael Banks, who was right in the middle of a number of cautions didn’t make many friends on this night. Several cars were tore-up big time and like it or not, many drivers and fans left Speedway 660 discussing the tactics of one Mr. Banks!

I want to end this week’s column by congratulating a couple of former Peterbilt 250 winners. Lonnie Sommerville won the Atlantic Cat 250 at Scotia Speedway last weekend and Dave O’Blenis came home second. That’s a great showing by two New Brunswickers in the heart of Nova Scotia’s racing world!

Come visit us this weekend at Speedway 660 and cheer for your favourite Saturday night hero!