(June 16, 2015) The Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock division is stacked with talent this year. The championship battle is heating up and fans are seeing some of the best Pro Stock racing in the history of Speedway 660. Wade Wilson recently talked with one of those championship contenders. 

 

A Conversation with Lonnie Sommerville

 Wade: ​It’s been a long time since you’ve run with us on a weekly basis. You’ve been off with the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, the Pro All Star Series and have run some of the biggest late model events in North America.

Lonnie: Yeah 2001 was my last full season as a weekly racer at Speedway 660 and it feels real good to be back. I have had some great opportunities the past 14 years and accomplished some goals that I never imagined possible. At times one door would close and another would open. I’ve made a ton of friends and connections along the way and still have some pretty neat opportunities in the near future.

Being on the road all summer on a racing tour takes too much time away from my family and business. My wife Laura and I are busy with our girls Madison, who is six, and four year old Katie. My racing shop is also real busy, so it was pretty hard being away and runnin the roads every summer. Another important point is that local racing supports my business, so everything considered, it was an easy decision to come back to race full-time at 660.Lonnie (#23) sets Brady Creamer up for the inside pass in the first Re/Max Pro Stock feature of the season. Sommerville is happy to be back in the Geary Woods full-time in 2015 and will be a championship contender.

Wade:​ You’ve always called Speedway 660 your home track. What is it about this place that you like so much?

Lonnie: The fans are so passionate about the sport and pretty vocal too! Oddly enough you get motivation from the fans whether they cheer or boo for you. Over the years I’ve had my fair share of both. 660 has always been a fun place to race, the on-track product is excellent and the owners and staff do a pretty good job too. Plus this is where it all really started for me.

Wade:​ You grew up in racing. Your Father is a legend in this sport and a Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee. What was it like growing up as Billy Sommerville’s kid?

Lonnie: It’s been pretty cool to say the least, he is one of my best friends and I am really proud to be Bill Sommerville’s kid. He always has a smile on his face and everyone likes him. He enjoys sharing stories with folks and likes a good laugh. I can’t say I listened to all of his advice about racing when I started out, because like every kid I thought I knew more than my parents. But over the years I realized he’s a lot smarter than I thought he was when I was a kid!“The apple doesn’t drop far from the tree.” Lonnie Sommerville is following in his Father’s footsteps. Billy, a member of the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame, is a legend in our sport and has won many big races and championships in his career including Speedway 660’s 1999 Pro Stock title.   

Wade: ​I remember back in your Sportsman days when you literally clashed with Gordon Chase a.k.a. Hokey Wolfe. Gordon was the hard-nosed, old-school veteran and you were the brash, young upstart. The fans loved it. What do you remember about those days?

Lonnie: I remember all of it like it was yesterday. There was no one I wanted to beat on the track more than Gordon. Looking back it was a compliment to him and his team because they were the best and I figured if beat him that would make me the best. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best and that’s how I felt about Gordon back in those days. That rivalry sure helped me become a better driver. You know, in today’s politically correct world, those kind of on-track rivalries are one of the things missing in our sport. And I think the fans miss those rivalries too.

Wade:​ You and Scott Fraser were best buds. What was it like hangin out with him and learning your craft as a driver and race car builder?

Lonnie: He was an awesome person, a lot of the things we did hanging out together I would rather not talk about here, LOL, but let’s just say we had a lot of fun! He taught me how to build, repair and set-up race cars. That’s why I am able to do this for a living today and it’s why I try to help guys like Devin Snell, John Rankin and Drew Greenlaw. Scott had the passion for racing and always put more into the sport than he took from it.Scott Fraser (center) won the 2003 PASS race in the Geary Woods beating Americans Ben Rowe and Johnny Clark. In March of 2004, the Maritime racing community was shocked and saddened to learn Scott had lost his life in a snowmobile accident.  

Wade: ​You’ve got two Re/Max 250 trophies. What’s it like winning our big SpeedWeekend race and what’s it going to take to win it again?

Lonnie: It’s an incredible feeling to win that race and I wish I knew what the exact recipe was, but it takes preparation, skill and luck for sure. Winning the 250 is a pretty good pay day, but it’s more than that. It’s one of the best short-track races in Canada and you know you are going to have to beat some of the best drivers from here and the States to get your name on that trophy. When you win that race, it’s kinda like that rivalry we talked about earlier because you know that you have to beat the best to be the best on that night.In 2009 Lonnie became the first two-time winner of Speedway 660’s SpeedWeekend 250. Shawn Tucker currently is the only three-time winner of the race, a feat Sommerville hopes to match this year.

Wade: ​What are your impressions of our weekly pro stock division in 2015?

Lonnie: Well I think it’s getting back to be as good or maybe even better than it was in the late 90’s and early 2000’s when there were a number of guys who could win on any given night. Extending the pro stock feature to 50 laps is pretty cool too. I know the fans like it and so do the drivers.

Wade: ​There are a lot of great young kids coming up through the ranks at Speedway 660. Several of them are driving cars that you have built and serviced. What do you think about these kids and the future of our sport?

Lonnie: There sure are some awesome kids. The amazing thing is that they will have years of experience when they get to the age that my generation even started racin. There was a time you didn’t get in a race car until you were in your late teens if you were lucky. Today these kids are in go-karts and Bandos before they hit ten years of age and some are in Sportsman and Pro Stocks at 14 or 15! They really are the future of racing and I hope they respect the sport and realize there is a difference between driving a race car and wanting to be a race car driver.We’ve seen some awesome young talent at Speedway 660 in recent years. One of the brightest young stars in our Bando division this year is Braden Langille who recently grabbed the checkers in a feature. 

Wade: ​I know it’s really important to have a great car on race day, but what do you have to do as a driver, both mentally and physically, to get ready to race?

Lonnie: It is important to keep hydrated, not just the day of the race but starting a couple days before you even get to the track. But the mental aspect is probably the most important. To be fast you have to concentrate and stay focused on the task at hand. Lot of things can happen during a race to cause you to lose focus, so you’ve got to be prepared. For me, one of the challenges of racing at Speedway 660 is that I’ve got so many customers with their cars at the track. If any of them has a mechanical issue, I want to help them out in the pits, not just because they are customers, but because they are friends and I want to see them do well. Devin Snell (#10) is one of the young drivers Lonnie has taken under his wing. Devin and veteran George Jamieson had a nice battle in a recent Sportsman race at 660. 

Wade:​ You’ve got an incredible family, crew and loyal sponsors who support your racing efforts.

Lonnie:  I most definitely do. My whole family is involved in one way or another. I even met Laura at the racetrack 18 years ago! Marc Arsenault and my brother Larry have been with me since day one. My Dad has always been there for me too. Corey Collins and Bob Calhoun are also a big part of our race team. Pubs Bottle Exchange is our primary sponsor and Bob is a huge supporter of mine. He’s very hands on and a huge supporter of the sport. This is also the tenth year we have partnered with Irving Blending and Packaging. These two major sponsors have been the reason for my success in the last decade.

Wade:​ You’ve been at this a long time. Your day job is building and servicing race cars. It’s got to be challenging at times, but it must be great to work at something you love so much.

Lonnie: It is very tough to make a living from people’s hobbies. When times get tough, it’s the first thing you have to cut back on. But it’s the most rewarding job ever, especially when customers have success or you get to build a race car they are proud of. I always say a bad day at the track is better than a good day at a real job.Fans can expect Lonnie’s 23 to lay down some fast laps and be in the hunt for Pro Stock feature wins in 2015.

Wade:​ Thanks for doing this Lonnie and good luck the rest of the season. Have a good run in the Best of the Best and a great run in the Re/Max 250 on SpeedWeekend!

Lonnie: Thanks Wade, hopefully we can continue this Conversation in the Riverview Ford Victory Lane after one of those big races!