|
Saturday’s Atlantic Cat 250 at Scotia Speedworld is considered by many to have been the race of the year!!! A huge crowd of over 5000 people witnessed the event as Lonnie Sommerville captured the second jewel of the Triple Crown series. Wayne Smith, who had earlier won the first jewel in the crown at Riverside, failed keep hopes alive for a Triple Crown winner, finishing fourth.
Even more amazing than the quality of the race was the fact that less than a week after the four hour marathon in Prince Edward Island, this one completed in one hour and fifty-two minutes, and this one was fifty laps longer.
The undercard for this race was no slouch either. The C&R Auto Supply 100 for the Sportsman class had been pegged with a ninety minute time limit due to some horrific outings earlier this year. The race was a good one and the end was extended by about ten minutes to allow them to race to conclusion. Darren Wallage has a passion for big races it seems as he charged to victory. Wallage had also won the 100 lapper at Riverside in July.
A bit of confusion surrounds the Lucas Oil 100, the next race on the Pro Stock Tour, scheduled for this coming weekend. Originally scheduled to be run at Centre for Speed near Shediac, the race was abruptly moved to Scotia Speedworld. The announcement was made after the conclusion of the Atlantic Cat Saturday night and later confirmed in the post race press release. As of this writing on Monday afternoon, both the Centre for Speed and Carquest Pro Stock Tour websites still list the race as being at Shediac, but a conversation with Tour manager Ron Clarke this morning confirmed the change of venue. As for a reason, Mr Wile stated that he had no idea why this had happened while Mr Clarke stated that it was an internal matter.
Whatever the reason or reasons, this is an unfortunate turn of events. Many fans from the Cumberland, Westmoreland area have been waiting patiently for this race at Shediac and they will surely be disappointed.
Be that as it may, the race has been moved and will take place at Scotia Speedworld on Saturday evening and if last week’s race is any indication, it should be a good one.
While the Atlantic Cat was taking place at Scotia Speedworld, another barnburner of an event took place at Speedway 660, near Fredericton. Glyn Nott, another of the “Mr. October” guys, added the “Firecracker 150” to his very impressive list of extended Sportsman race victories. It seems like big races bring out the best in guys like Nott and Wallage. A large crowd was on hand at this one as well.
Last Sunday, Centre for Speed was the scene of the “Little Guys 100”, a 100 lap race for the four cylinder guys. A large car count made this a very entertaining race to watch with action and excitement all over the track. Amherst drivers John Baker and Rod Pettigrew were both entered and although neither fared very well due to mechanical problems, it was good to see some of the original “Amherst Connection” back on track again.
Since the Carquest Pro Stock race at Shediac has been moved, Centre for Speed has quickly come up with an alternate program for this coming weekend. They will be hosting an extended 75 lap Sportsman Invitational and the Atlantic Open wheel Tour will be making their only stop of the season at Centre for Speed as well. If the car count is good, this one could be very entertaining. The race is still scheduled for Saturday evening as scheduled originally, instead of the usual Sunday afternoon time slot.
For those of you who are interested in the goings on around racing, check out the Ron Clarke interview on the Racing Spectator website. The address for this website is www.racingspectator.ca. You’ll also find a great number of excellent photos from the Atlantic Cat.
Well, that’s it for this week, but another series of fast paced excitement is only five days away.
|
