Dylan Blenkhorn crossed the finish line sideways Saturday night to win the Dartmouth Dodge 200 at Scotia Speedworld, the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour season finale that saw Donald Chisholm clinch his first ever series title by a narrow nine markers over Cole Butcher, who finished second in the race by less than a car length. It was really no surprise that sparks finally flew between Blenkhorn and Butcher, except that it took 200 laps for it to happen; the two talented young drivers on the series raced door handle to door handle for more than half of the race and swapped the lead an amazing 26 times. In the end they let it all hang out coming off turn four, leaning on each other to the line, with the two sideways crossing the finish line. It was more than the race on the line, literally, as both were tied for second in final point standings entering the race and with Chisholm running fifth, well, a slip on his part – even on the last lap – would have seen either Blenkhorn or Butcher crowned the champ. “I’ve never been more pround of a win in my life,” said Blenkhorn from Victory Lane. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had. Good, clean, hard racing with Cole – that was awesome.” Butcher, a little more subdued, agreed it was fun racing but was understandably disappointed to be the guy who finished second. “It was fun,” said Butcher. “We just came up a little short.” Darren MacKinnon finished third in the race with Greg Proude and Chisholm rounding out the top five. Blenkhorn finished third in the final standings, just three points behind Butcher. Donald Chisholm (middle) accepts the championship cheque (photo – Ken MacIsaac) Chisholm’s title hopes took a nearly disastrous turn early in the race when, after starting on the pole, he spun on lap 29 after contact with another car and had to start at the rear of the 20-car pack. By the mid-way point he was back to fourth and ran as high as third in the last half of the race. It was an emotional celebration for Chisholm as he remembered his father, the late John Chisholm, who passed away last July. “The one guy who should be here with me tonight, isn’t”, said Chisholm, “But he’s watching.” “My team gave me a great car all year long. I can’t believe this. We’ve been through everything and things went our way this year.” Chisholm’s championship comes on the strength of consistency and one feature win on the season; he is the sixth different champion in the 15 year history of the series. Dylan Gosbee won the Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials with a 14.355-second lap around the tight 3/10-mile oval. Chisholm won the King Freight Dash for Cash. Dartmouth Dodge Heat Race winners were John Flemming and Exide Batteries Rookie of the Year DJ Casey. Aaron Boutilier (photo – Ken MacIsaac) Aaron Boutilier won the 50-lap Dartmouth Dodge Sportsman feature with Matt Moore second and Travis Roma third. Pete Miller and Shane Coffin rounded out the top five. Chisholm will officially receive his championship accolades at the 2015 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Awards Banquet on November 14, in Dartmouth. About Dartmouth Dodge: Dartmouth Dodge is truly “WHERE NOVA SCOTIA COMES TO SAVE” on both new and pre-owned vehicles. Conveniently located in central Dartmouth, this modern facility features metro’s only drive-thru quick lube, full service collision center, 18 service bays and 5 detail/accessory bays. Recently named Atlantic Canada’s #1 fleet dealer, Dartmouth Dodge is ready to meet all of your automotive needs, personal or commercial. Visit www.ddodge.com or call 1 800 414 0213. About the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour: The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST) is considered the highest level of stock car racing in Canada. The Tour is recognized in the industry as one of the healthiest stock car racing series in North America. PST visits five tracks throughout the Maritimes during its May through September season. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is owned and operated by Maritime Pro Stock Tour Limited. For more information, call our administration office at 902.481.2531 or click www.maritimeprostocktour.com . You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/prostocktour and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prostocktour. About Scotia Speedworld: Scotia Speedworld (SSW) is a 3/10-mile asphalt oval racing facility. SSW is the only track in Nova Scotia to host a weekly racing series, which runs May through September and features six different classes of racecars. SSW also hosts special events, including Monster Jam and the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour. SSW is located at Exit 6 on Highway 102, across from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. For more information please click onwww.ScotiaSpeedworld.ca or call our Event Hotline at (902) 873-2277 or our office at (902) 481-2514. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sswracing and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/sswracing.
