Mike Stevens (2012, photo by Ken MacIsaac)Fifth Annual Mike Stevens Memorial Set for Friday & Saturday at Petty September 20, 2018 Regional RIVER GLADE, NB – Management at Petty International Raceway are making the final touches to what is expected to be its season-end event this weekend. The fifth annual Mike Stevens Memorial presented by R. Stevens Mechanical, Carnahan Property Management, Roadway Systems Limited, and NAPA Auto Parts Salisbury and Petitcodiac will be highlighted by the Mike Stevens Memorial Super Late Model 200 on Saturday. The race will serve as the final race in the Bumper to Bumper $5K Petty Pro Stock Challenge (PPSC), where the top three in the final standings will share in cash and prizes from Bumper to Bumper and Lonnie Sommerville Racing. The weekend gets kicked off with racing at 7 pm on Friday evening and on Saturday at 4 pm. The Mike Stevens Memorial Super Late Model 200 features some of the biggest Pro Stock names from the region on the pre-registration list. Jonathan Hicken (Brudenell, PE) enters as the most recent winner of the event after going to victory lane in the event in 2016 and 2015 and as the most recent Pro Stock winner at the track after racing to the victory in the Cummins 200 in August. Cole Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) has his eyes set on the Bumper to Bumper PPSC title to go along with the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour championship he wrapped up one week ago. Dylan Blenkhorn (Truro, NS) won the season-opening Lucas Oil 150 at Petty International Raceway in May and won the final two rounds of the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour in 2018. Ryan Messer (Harvey) will hit the track for the first time since his big McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 victory in the province earlier this month. Prince Edward Island will be well represented as well with Chris Hughes (Brackley Beach, PE), Troy Burke (Harrington, PE), Robbie MacEwen (Sherwood, PE) and Darren MacKinnon (Charlottetown, PE). Top to bottom, the field assembling for Saturday evening’s 200-lap event is deep with talent. Lonnie Sommerville (Barnesville) is a multi-time 250 champion and will join former Speedway 660 track champions Chris Duncan (Hampton) and Greg Fahey (St. Stephen) in the field. The 2001 McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 champion Kirk Thibeau (Fort Fairfield, ME), previous Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Rookie of the Year winners Jarrett Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) and Sarah McKay (Quispamsis, NB) are among those with major accomplishments in a Pro Stock car. Former NAPA Sportsman Series champions Kyle and Chris Reid (Fort McMurray, AB), 2017 INEX Asphalt Nationals Semi-Pro winner Nicholas Naugle (Dartmouth, NS), Super Late Model freshman Cory Hall (Jolicure, NB), 2016 Petty International Raceway Street Stock champion “The THRILLMAKER” Craig Ward (Riverview) and Pro Stock veteran Michael Kyle (Sussex) will look to make a breakthrough with a big win on Saturday evening. In addition to the $5,000 up for grabs to the winner in the Bumper to Bumper $5k PPSC, there is some big money up for grabs during the Mike Stevens Memorial Super Late Model 200. The purse tips the scale for the race at over $50,000, with $7,500 going to the winner and $50 per lap going to each lap leader. If you add in a $500 bonus for the Most Laps Led courtesy of EIT Race Radios and $500 to the leader at halfway from Silver Fox Special Care Home, the winner’s cheque could be as much as $18,500 if he or she has a perfect night. While there is no pre-registration list for the Limited Late Model (Sportsman) 75 on Saturday, the field is shaping up as one of the most diverse with teams from across Atlantic Canada taking aim at a Mike Stevens Memorial crown. Newly minted track champion Brady Creamer (Miramichi), former River Glade International champion Laurie Cormier (Riverview), Scotia Speedworld track champion Jordan Veinotte (Porter’s Lake, NS) and two-time and defending Mike Stevens Memorial winner Kenny MacKenzie Jr (Salisbury) are among the full time drivers in the A.E. McKay Builders Late Model Sportsman division that will look to defend their home turf on Saturday. Justin Beers (Moncton) has broken-through for two feature wins this season and will look to back up his Caleb Dunn Memorial win in August with a season capping Mike Stevens Memorial win. Fans can expect local favorites like Neal Crawford and Marcel LeBlanc to search for their first Mike Stevens Memorial Limited Late Model title along with a number of visiting teams including Ryan Raynes (Saint John), Matt Maillet (Burton), Joey Livingstone (Pictou Landing, NS), 2017 Scotia Speedworld Sportsman champion Matt Vaughan (Bedford, NS), Sportsman sophomore Curtis Collins (Saint John), Eastbound Park’s Shane Coffen (Chance Cove, NL), Scotia Speedworld Rookie of the Year Deven Smith (Lakeside, NS) and a returning Ian Mollins (Berry Mills). Also expected to enter this race for a rare start is a local racing hero Frank Fraser (Shubenacadie, NS), a multi-time winner of the River Glade International. This only scratches the surface of the drivers that will line up to take the green flag on Saturday for the 75-lap feature. Grandstand admission prices for Saturday’s Mike Stevens Memorial presented by R. Stevens Mechanical, Carnahan Property Management, Roadway Systems Limited, and NAPA Auto Parts Salisbury and Petitcodiac are $40 for adults and $10 for youth aged eight to 18, while children seven years of age and under will be admitted free. Pit admission is $50 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Pit gates for competitors open at 12 pm, grandstand gates open for spectators at 2 pm with racing getting underway at 4 pm. Ivan Daigle and the Dirt County Confederates will play a pre-race concert during the Autograph Session on Saturday night. Daigle’s high energy is sure to pump up the crowd and the competitors before they settle in for 200-laps of Super Late Model Pro Stock action. Friday night’s racing action is highlighted by the final round of the 2018 Westwood Estates Street Stock Triple Crown. One of Luc McLaughlin’s pre-season goals was to take home the three-race Series and now the Geary driver can see the trophy in sight. A lot can happen over 75-laps though and he only has a three-point cushion on 2017 track champion Logan Power (Riverview, NB), four points on Mike Duskey (Albany, PE) and seven points on Nick Cudmore (Petitcodiac, NB). Dan Smith (Lower Sackville, NS), a former six-time Scotia Speedworld Truck champion, sits fifth in the standings for the Triple Crown while newly crowned track champion Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois) finds himself sixth with one race to go. The Mister Transmission Mini Stock division has produced some excellent four-cylinder racing all season long and Friday night should not disappoint fans as they race for a Mike Stevens Memorial trophy. Rob Poirier (Irishtown) enters fresh off winning his first Petty International Raceway track championship but will have company in the traffic jam to the front of the field. Former champions Mike Weagle (Salisbury) and JR Lawson (Shubenacadie, NS) are sure to be on their game, along with Chantel Ackles (Shubenacadie, NS) and 2018 championship runner-up Patricia Taylor (Salisbury). Chris Garnett (Havelock) will not only look to race to the front but hold off teammate and returning veteran Brad Daley. With Petty International Raceway being the only asphalt oval in the Maritimes in competition this weekend, a number of four-cylinder stars from all three Provinces are expected to make a run at the high banked oval on Friday. The Bandolero division will compete in the final INEX National Qualifier of the season in Atlantic Canada. INEX members accumulate points at INEX sanctioned feature events throughout the season. A Bandolero driver’s best nineteen finishes plus their best qualifier counts towards their International Point standing. Sam Rogers (Lower Onslow, NS) is the reigning Petty International Raceway track champion in the Leisure Days RV Bandolero division and has won National Qualifiers for Bandolero Outlaws at both Speedway 660 and Scotia Speedworld this season. Rogers is third globally in INEX National points for the Outlaw division while 2018 Scotia Speedworld Outlaw champion Colton Noble (Upper Nine Mile River, NS) and Danny Chisholm (Canning, NS) find themselves within the top 15 in the world as of press time. Owen Mahar (Hubley, NS) is ninth in the INEX National Bandolero Bandit standings. The Atlantic Modified Tour will visit Petty International Raceway on Friday evening to not only inch closer to crowning a touring champion but to also crown a track champion for 2018. Joe Hoyt (Waasis, NB) leads Braxton Stafford (Miramichi, NB) by a slim two points in the track title chase with one event to go. Hoyt also leads the Atlantic Modified Tour standings with just this event and the season finale at Speedway Miramichi on October 13th between him and the championship on the Tour. Kevin Bailey (Oromocto, NB) and Brandon Skidmore (Springhill, NS) are the two most recent winners on the Tour after driving to victory lane last Saturday at Speedway Miramichi. The Mike Stevens Memorial weekend is held in honour of Mike Stevens, a racer from nearby Riverview who lost his life August 4, 2013, at just 30 years of age following a tragic accident in a race held in Prince Edward Island. Grandstand admission prices for Friday’s opening night of the Mike Stevens Memorial presented by R. Stevens Mechanical, Carnahan Property Management, Roadway Systems Limited and NAPA Auto Parts Salisbury and Petitcodiac are $20 for adults and $10 for youth aged eight to 18, while children seven years of age and under will be admitted free. Pit admission is $30 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Pit gates for competitors open at 4 pm, grandstand gates open for spectators at 5 pm with racing getting underway at 7 pm. A weekend pass for both days of racing is available for $50 on the front gate or $70 for the back gate. Both are a savings of $10 on single-day admissions. 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. source – track communications (edited)
