Eastern Mini Cup Series Starts 2018 Sunday at Oyster Bed Speedway May 17, 2018 Regional The Eastern Super Mini Cup Series (ESMCS) is ready to cap the Victoria Day Long Weekend with their first of seven events on the 2018 calendar. The Season Opener at Oyster Bed Speedway in Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island will go green at 2 pm on Monday and will start the seventh season of the ESMCS in the Maritime Provinces. Matt Watson (Miscouche, PE) drove to the 2017 championship with the ESMCS on the strength of three feature wins. With Watson making the move to the MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour in 2018, the championship is wide open for the taking. Saint John, New Brunswick’s Mark Ferguson has to be considered as one of the front-runners to take Watson’s place. Ferguson is the only champion of the Series registered for 2018 after winning the crown in a shortened 2016 season. Driver No. 41 won the most recent race on the Series at Shediac’s CENTRE For Speed this past October and was a winner at Oyster Bed Speedway last summer en route to a second-place finish in the standings. Racing can be serious when a driver straps in their car but Ferguson is quick to mention the camaraderie between everyone that is a part of the Series. “We have a great group of folks that are associated with the ESMCS,” said Ferguson going into Monday’s opener. “My goal this year is to have another strong season and contend for the championship but also to keep having fun. This is the best group I have raced with in a very long time. Win or lose, it makes our weekends at the track are enjoyable.” A number of familiar faces will return to compete with the ESMCS in 2018, including Kirk Sheasgreen (Miramichi, NB), Don Gaudet (Miscouche, PE), Mike Wood and Dave Griffin. Oyster Bed Speedway Fan Favorite “Old Man” Donnie McNeill and LDR Racing’s Chad Jackson (Montague, PE) bring their racing experiences to the Tour once again. The Rookie of the Year battle will open on Monday with Randy Wilson in the No. 4 car racing against Jacob Dunlop in the No. 78 entry. The 2018 Eastern Super Mini Cup Series will see four additional events at Oyster Bed Speedway following the Opener on June 16th, July 7th, July 21st and August 25th. The Series will also run races in New Brunswick at Shediac’s CENTRE For Speed on September 29th and at Speedway Miramichi on October 13th. Adult grandstand admission price for Monday’s Season Opener is $17 (aged 16 and up), youth admission (aged eight to 15) is $5 and children under eight are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $22 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Tickets are available at the gate on race day. Pit gates for competitors and grandstand gates will open at 10:30am with racing getting underway at 2pm. The event also includes racing in four Oyster Bed Speedway house divisions, Central Engine Services Street Stock, MacCallum Waste and Septic Services Pro Stock, Provincial Credit Union Mini Outlaw and Chris’s Bobcat Services Four Fun. The track’s annual Victoria Day Long Weekend Demolition Derby will end the afternoon. About Oyster Bed Speedway: Oyster bed Speedway is Prince Edward Island’s premier auto racing facility and features fun and excitement with weekly stock car racing special events throughout the season. The 1/3 mile paved oval is located in Oyster Bed Bridge at the intersection of routes 6 and 7, halfway between Cavendish and Charlottetown on beautiful Prince Edward Island. Phone: (902) 892-6684. Website: www.oysterbedspeedwaypei.com About the Eastern Super Mini Cup Series: The Eastern Super Mini Cup Series offers all the excitement of stock car racing in a small package! Formed for competition in the Maritimes in 2012, the Series will visit three ovals between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick over seven events in their 2018 season. To keep up with the Eastern Super Mini Cup Series, like them on Facebook at Facebook.com/EasternMiniCupCar or follow them on Twitter at @ESMCSeries. source – series communications
