Season Opener for Petty International Raceway Set for Saturday May 19, 2016 Regional RIVER GLADE, NB – After a long winter, the cars and stars of Petty International Raceway will hit the track this Saturday afternoon for the first time in 2016. The running of the Quality Concrete 100 is the first of 10 race cards over the stock car season at the oval. The event will feature racing action in the Sportsman, Extreme Windows and Entrance Systems Street Stock, Mister Transmission Mini Stock and Leisure Days RV Centre Bandolero divisions. The Quality Concrete 100 for the Sportsman division has created a buzz amongst the racing community throughout the offseason. This race, along with all other Sportsman features at the track in 2016, will pay $2,000 to the winner. The increased winner’s purse has attracted the eyes of many teams looking to start the season off with a big victory. Those who have made intentions to be in River Glade on Saturday include 2012 Sportsman track champion Dave O’Blenis and his daughter, 2013 Street Stock champion Alexandra O’Blenis (Boundary Creek), Dawson McIntee (Moncton) and Phil Barkhouse Jr. (Hammonds Plains, NS). The 2015 season within the Sportsman division at Petty International Raceway saw two veterans create a majority of the headlines. Luc Bourgeois (Memramcook) was the winner of the point championship last year, finishing ahead of brothers Andrew and Matt Rodgers (Smithtown) in the standings. Meanwhile, after missing the first portion of the season, Laurie Cormier (Riverview) made up for lost time in the second half of the year, winning the last three races of 2015. Bourgeois, as last year’s Petty International Raceway season opener winner, is looking to repeat that performance Saturday. The Mister Transmission Mini Stock division sees two former champions returning in search of a second title at Petty International Raceway. Mike Weagle (Salisbury) is the defending champion of the Mister Transmission Mini Stock class and will be a favorite to repeat for the championship, as will 2014 titlist JR Lawson (Shubenacadie, NS). Lawson, who ran a part-time schedule at Petty International Raceway in 2015, is reported to be looking at another title run this upcoming summer. Patricia Taylor (Salisbury) and Logan Power (Moncton) will take aim at their first track championship while sophomore drivers Rob Poirier (Irishtown) and Rob Boutilier (Quispamsis) return for a second season of racing. Both the Extreme Window and Entrance System Street Stock and the Leisure Days RV Centre Bandolero divisions are guaranteed to see new champions as all former winners have moved on from their respective classes. Salisbury, New Brunswick drivers Nick Cudmore and Shawn Lewis are among those looking to improve on top five finishes in last season’s Extreme Window and Entrance Systems Street Stock standings. Seasoned veteran Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois) is looking for his first track championship in the Leisure Days RV Centre Bandolero division after a strong finish to 2015 but will have to fend off challenges from many Nova Scotia drivers making the haul to River Glade, including brothers Josh and Nathan Langille (Coldbrook, NS), Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS) and Nathan Blackburn (Timberlea, NS). Grandstand admission prices for Saturday’s events are $20 for adults and $10 for youth aged eight to 18, while children under eight years will be admitted free. Pit admission is $25 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Pit gates for competitors open at 11:30am, grandstand gates open for spectators at 2pm with racing getting underway at 4pm. About Petty International Raceway: Petty International Raceway is located on Highway 106, just 40 km west of Moncton, New Brunswick. To learn more about Petty International Raceway, its location, admission, policies, history, and more, please visit www.pettyinternationalraceway.com. To get current updates delivered to you directly please follow us on Twitter.
