(June 6, 2016) With three race dates in the books, it’s fairly easy to predict that 2016 is going to be a great season in the Geary Woods. Since opening day on May 22^nd, we’ve had some outstanding short-track racing. That trend continued last Saturday evening when MacLaughlin Roof Trusses presented the Best of the Best Pro Stock 150. 

Oh What a Night!

We had a great field of cars for the 150, including three Americans and one Nova Scotian. I must admit I was a little disappointed that only one Maritime Pro Stock driver showed up, but we did have 23 competitive cars in the field and they put on an amazing show.Nicholas Naugle (#08) from Dartmouth takes the green flag in the second qualifying heat for the MacLaughlin Roof Trusses Best of the Best Pro Stock 150. Nicholas won his heat race and finished 12th in the big race.

We also had lots of fans. When I arrived at the Speedway 660 parking lot I met a couple of folks from Cape Breton who drove up for the Best of the Best. We had lots of folks from Maine and Nova Scotia, some from the Island, a few from Quebec and of course our own loyal weekly fans.

From the moment the first green flag flew until Cassius Clark edged out Greg Fahey to win the 150, fans were treated to a great night of racing. A 30 or 40 minute rain delay didn’t even dampen their spirits.We saw tight racing all evening long and fans left Speedway 660 talking about what a great show it was from start to finish. 

The Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooter and the Martins Home Heating Sportsman divisions comprised the undercard on Saturday night, but someone forgot to tell that to the drivers! They let it all hang out and gave visiting fans an idea of what we get to see on a weekly basis. The sharp shooter and sportsman features were simply sensational and set the stage for a fantastic Best of the Best 150.

Big shows, like we saw of Saturday night, are always an important part of the 660 racing schedule. But our Weekly Championship Point racing events are not to be taken lightly. You’ll go a long way before you find a weekly show that measures up to what we see every week in the Geary Woods! The DMR Auto Street Stock Division had last weekend off, but they are a huge part of our Weekly Championship Point Racing events.  That’s former street stock champ Roger Slocum in the middle of a recent cloud of tire smoke in the Geary Woods.

We’ll have one of those weekly shows this weekend, before turning the sportsman cars loose on the 18^th of June for the Martins Home Heating 125. The Parts for Trucks Maritime Pro Stock Tour, on the Canada Day weekend, is another big show that is just around the corner.

I know it’s early in the season, but there are a couple of drivers who are turning some heads at 660. After winning the Sportsman Rookie of the Year Award in 2015, Ryan Messer has set the Geary Woods on fire early this season. The 15 year old racing sensation from Harvey has put his Dana’s Collision Center sportsman car on the podium in all three races this season. That kind of success has given him the point lead and if he keeps it up, everyone else will be chasing the orange flash all summer long.Ryan Messer won the Martins Home Heating Sportsman feature back on May 22nd. Ryan has been on the podium for all three of his feature races this season. 

Kevin Moore has a new car and that thing flies! Two podiums in the first two 50 lap Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock features and a strong run last weekend makes me believe that Big Kevin has got his sights set on the  championship this season. He’s always been in the thick of things and last year was second in the points behind Lonnie Sommerville. Kevin and his team are focused and their eyes are on the prize, so look for them to be in hot pursuit of the title all season long.Kevin Moore had a couple of podium finishes in the first two Re/Max Group Four Realty 50 lap pro stock features. Big Kevin brought the 88 home with a top five finish in the MacLaughlin Roof Trusses Best of the Best 150. 

I keep talking about Courtney O’Blenis in this space, but every week she just seems to do something amazing. Week one she had a wicked battle with Rick Cashol and followed that up with a hotly contested DMR Street Stock feature win over Rob Raynes in week two. Then last weekend she made her debut in a sportsman car and grabbed a top five feature finish. Her Dad Dave told me he was just lending her his sportsman car for last week, but I couldn’t help but noticing that Courtney had her name painted on the roof right above the driver’s door!Courtney O’Blenis (#48) ended up passing her sister Alexandra (#74) and several other cars on her way to a 5th place finish in her very first Martins Home Heating Sportsman feature! 

Matt Crocker and Kyle MacKinnon are taking the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooter Division by storm this year. Matt and Kyle both race hard and both have a ton of fun in these little cars. All racers are serious when they hit the track, but this is one division where anyone at any age can go racing and have a blast without breaking the bank!Kyle MacKinnon proves every week that you don’t have to drive a pro stock car to race hard and have fun.  The Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooter Division provides an affordable opportunity for lots of folks to go racin at 660. 

Well that’s it for another edition of the weekly. Thanks for checking it out and thanks for being fans of the Speedway 660 brand of racing. We’ve got a Weekly Championship Points racing show this Saturday evening, with all four divisions seeing action, and the first ENDURO 200 is on the schedule for Sunday afternoon.

We’ll see you at the races!