Sharp Shooters to Highlight Saturday Show at Speedway 660

The Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters will take the spotlight Saturday evening at Speedway 660 as they hit the track for the second annual Gunslinger 50 presented by Fairview Jeep Ram and Fredericton Gun Shop. Supporting the four cylinder drivers on the full card at the Geary, New Brunswick oval include the RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock, Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman and DMR Auto Street Stock divisions. The green flag flies on Saturday, August 22nd at 6:30pm.

The Gunslinger 50 presented by Fairview Jeep Ram and Fredericton Gun Shop has grown quickly into one of the “must race” domestic four cylinder races in Eastern Canada. The overall purse for the event tips the scales at over $3,500, making it one of the richest races for the division in the region. In 2019, Mike Weagle (Salisbury, NB) held off BJ Gillespie (Harvey, NB) and Tony Urquhart (Fredericton, NB) in a fight to the finish in the inaugural edition of the event.

One year later, one thing has not changed. Gillespie is still one of the sharpest shooter in the division. In four races for the class at Speedway 660 in 2020, Gillespie has won three. The race Gillespie did not triumph in, he finished second to Kyle Boudreau (Saint John, NB). On paper, the 69 Racing driver has to be one of the odds on favorites to take home the checkered flag after 50-laps on Saturday.

With car counts pushing the 20 car mark leading up to Saturday’s event, several top Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooter stars will have Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane in their crosshairs.

In the most recent race for the division on August 9th, Ryan Bernard (Harvey, NB) was quickly closing in on Gillespie before the checkered flag flew. Bernard, driving the No. 9 car for Evan Gallon and a car formerly campaigned by Gillespie, would run out of laps two weeks ago but with extra laps on the table Saturday could get the job done if the combination shows up at the track.

Randy Titus (French Lake, NB) has been consistently knocking on the door of a feature victory in the shortened 2020 season. Titus owns three podium finishes and his worst finish is a sixth place run on August 8th. While consistency is nice, there is no point champions being crowned in 2020 and Titus would like nothing more than to add the Gunslinger 50 title to his resume when the checkered flag falls on Saturday evening.

Malcolm Suley (Clarendon, NB) will also be one to watch. Suley, a veteran of the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters division, landed on the podium during the Riverview Ford Lincoln Season Opener in July and followed it up with two more top five finishes. Randy Storey (Royal Road, NB) and Darren Wilcox (Fredericton, NB) also have podium finishes to speak of in the first four races of the season at Speedway 660 and will look to guide their Sharp Shooters to the front on Saturday evening.

One thing is for sure. The Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters division is steeped with talent and whomever comes out on top after 50 grueling laps will have certainly earned the celebration in Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane.

With the August 22nd card being the final chance for drivers to get laps prior to SpeedWeekend 2020, several teams are aiming to fine tune their setups this weekend in advance of the big dance in two weeks time.

Among those looking to get some laps prior to the Pro Stock 250 include Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS). MacDonald hasn’t raced the King Racing Late Model since early March during the CARS Solid Rock Carriers Tour Season Opener at Southern National Motorsports Park (NC) but is eyeing Saturday’s race to get back behind the wheel of the car. He, along with several others, will look to add their names to the list of RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock winners at 660 this season that include Ashton Tucker (Lyttleton, NB) and Ryan Messer (Harvey, NB).

Coming off the Urquhart Construction Street Stock 75 two weeks ago, it is the reigning champion who enters Saturday evening as the most recent winner in the division. Chris Hanley (St. Stephen, NB) raced to the victory in the extended distance event, joining Riley Goodwin (MacAdam, NB) and Rick Cashol (Saint John, NB) as winners in the DMR Auto Street Stock division in 2020.

If Hanley, Goodwin or Cashol want to become the first two-time DMR Auto Street Stock winner at 660 in 2020, they will have to get by some stiff competition. That stiff competition has been turned up a notch with six-time Maritime Late Model touring champion Wayne Smith coming out of retirement to race on Saturday evening. Smith is scheduled to drive the No. 68 car usually driven by Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois, NB). It is Smith’s first start at Speedway 660 since SpeedWeekend 2015 when he drove a Sportsman car for Craig McFetridge, finishing second in the 150-lap feature that September.

Much like the DMR Auto Street Stock division, the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman division has seen three different feature winners in as many races in 2020. Brady Creamer (Miramichi, NB) began 2020 with a victory, followed up by Matt Rodgers (Smithtown, NB) in the Fog City Auto Spa 125. Reigning champion Curtis Collins (Barnesville, NB) was the winner two weeks ago during the Best of the Best weekend. While those three have seen checkered flags, it has left the likes of Luc McLaughlin (Geary, NB), Richard Atkinson (Haneytown, NB) and Clark Moore (Saint John, NB) knocking on the door of Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane.

For the fourth straight season, children aged 15 and under will be admitted to the grandstands for free to every stock car event at Speedway 660. The admission structure makes it easier for families to attend race events at the track and received positive feedback from fans when implemented mid-season in 2017.

Adult grandstand admission price for Saturday’s Gunslinger 50 presented by Fredericton Gun Shop and Fairview Jeep Ram is $15 (aged 16 and up). Pit admission is $20 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Tickets are available at the gate on race day. Pit gates for competitors will open at 1pm on Sunday, grandstand gates open for spectators at 5pm with racing getting underway at 6:30pm. A complete race day format will be available via the track’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Speedway660, later in the week.

Please note, due to COVID-19 regulations in the Province of New Brunswick, Speedway 660 is required to collect contact information from every individual that attends this event.

For more information about the Saturday’s racing card, or any event at Speedway 660, visit Speedway660.com, like @Speedway660 on Facebook or call the Speedway 660 Raceline at (506) 454-7223.

About Speedway 660:
Speedway 660 is one of Canada’s premier stock car racing facilities. Located in New Brunswick’s Fredericton region, it attracts race teams and fans from the Maritimes, New England and Quebec. The Speedway 660 racing season runs from mid May until Labour Day Weekend. SpeedWeekend, one of the most prestigious short track events in eastern North America, wraps up Speedway 660’s racing season.

source – track communications