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Oh what a week it was. The weather was hot, but the action on the track was much hotter. Saturday night at Scotia Speedworld, the Pro Stock Tour ran the Forbes Chevrolet 150, the first of four extended distance races on their schedule.
It was exciting from start to finish with lots of side by side action and plenty of passing and action throughout the field. For several years, the one complaint people had about the Tour was that they "freight-trained" too much. That has not been the case this year as all five races have been very exciting.
The next race on the Pro Stock schedule could and should be the highlight of the 2008 season. The Tour invades Riverside Speedway for the second time this year, only this time it is the IWK 250, the longest race on the schedule. The field will be bolstered by several of the PASS tour drivers from the States as well as two NASCAR drivers, Eric Amirola and Reagan Smith.
For Amirola, it is his first time down east, but the Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver, who shares the duties in the 8 car with Mark Martin, is very talented and will make his presence felt very quickly. Smith, on the other hand, was a participant in the first IWK 250 last year, and came home a very impressive third. Smith is often quoted as saying "I have some unfinished business at Riverside" and looks to be a very strong contender.
Local driver Sandy Livingston Jr is among those vying for a position in this one. Just to be entered in this race is great, but a position in the "Big One" would be a feather in his cap, to be sure."
The weekend kicks off on Thursday when several of the drivers, along with one of the cars, will be visiting the children at the IWK in Halifax. There surely will be some wide eyed children when this occurs. I think it is great that these racers take the time to brighten the day of the kids.
The action begins on Friday night July 18th, with the Riverside Sportsman Super Series going along with the Atlantic Open Wheel competitors running their first competition of 2008. Saturday July 19th the Legend cars will tackle the high banks in what is always a thrilling battle as an undercard to the IWK 250 itself. All in all, the two days will provide excitment from start to finish and memories that will last a long time.
Speaking of the Riverside Sportsman Super Series, a local driver is running in that one as well. Corey Collins, who normally plies his wares at Centre for Speed, is entered in this one and if the last race at Riverside is any indication, he should be ready to break through into the top tier of these cars. All the skills seem to be in place and the car is good, leaving experience as the thing Collins might be a little short on.
This coming weekend also has plenty of thrills and chills to satisfy any race fan. Saturday night, The Pro Stocks hit the Geary oval for the second of two races in the "Best of the Best" series. All the local drivers will be there as well as several of the Tour drivers and possibly a couple of the Americans as well. New England's Kirk Thibeau won the first race, and is always a threat at Speedway 660.
Sunday, River Glade, holds the "Atlantic Burnouts" an exciting event that also raises money for the MonctonHospital. A full card of Points Championship racing will accompany tthe "Burnouts" and usually draws a huge crowd.
The Maritime Super Series at Center for Speed also goes this Saturday night and should be excellent as well. Last week, the first Super Series race was run and it was excellent. Calvin Rankin will be looking to add another victory in this one while defending champion, Wayne Wormell, will be out for revenge after failing to capture the first one. Local driver, Corey Collins will be running in this one as well.
All in all, this weekend and next are going to be "barn burners". Don't miss it.
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