New SLMS Series Set for Debut at Speedway 660 this Saturday

The Maritime stock car racing season fires up this Saturday with the debut race for Atlantic Canada’s new “Super Late Model Series” to be contested as part of the Riverview Ford Season Opener at Speedway 660 in what will be its 30th anniversary season opener.

A stout field of 29 Super Late Model competitors is ready to usher in a new era of racing and fight to chase history as the first winner in Super Late Model Series history. Up for grabs will be a grand prize of $4000, awarded to the winner of the monumental 150-lap main event. The Riverview Ford Season Opener will mark Round One of Six on the 2023 Super Late Model Series schedule.

Fast Facts

Date: Saturday May 13^th, 2023 | Start Time: 4:00pm

Pit Gates Open:9:00am | Grandstands Open:3:00pm

Event: Riverview Ford Season Opener /Super Late Model Series Round One

Track: Speedway 660 | Location: 588 Branch Road, Geary, New Brunswick, Canada

Track Size: 1/3 Mile | Race Distance: 150 Laps

Support Classes: Sportsman, Shur-Fit Auto Bumper to Bumper Street Stocks, Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters, and the Atlantic Modified Tour

Pre-Sale Tickets: Available online via ShowPass, LINK HERE:https://www.showpass.com/s660race1/

Race Day Tickets: Purchased at the Speedway 660 ticket booth at the track, cash or debit accepted.

Entry List: click here

SUPER SIX Super Late Model SeriesStorylines

Ashton Tucker Looks to Continue Speedway 660 Success

In recent years, Speedway 660 has been Ashton Tucker’s (#2) playground. The winner of three of the last four 250s, Ashton has won in seven of his last ten starts and podiumed in nine of his last eleven starts. His dominance makes him and the Brad Silliker Motorsports team strong candidates to find victory lane – but will off-season injury impact performance? Ashton will look to “break a leg” in a different context during the Riverview Ford Season Opener.

Cory Hall Seeks Redemption in the Geary Woods

The 2021 Pro Stock 250 champion seemed set to earn back-to-back trophies last summer – but that victory dried up with Cory Hall’s (#83) gas tank. Redemption will be fresh in his mind, and Cory has an advantage over much of the field of having already raced in 2023 – he posted an impressive performance in the Pro All Star Series Northeast Classic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in April.

New Brunswick Veterans Return to Full-Time Competition

So much excitement has come from the Super Late Model Series debut, that some star veteran drivers have set their sights on a full-time campaign in hopes to add to their impressive resumes.

Six-time Speedway 660 Pro Stock champion Dave O’Blenis (#48) ran a bit of a scaled-back effort in 2022, but in 2023 he will do battle with the SLMS. Dave is the defending winner of the Riverview Ford Season Opener, which was a weekend that saw him earn his 100^th career feature victory.

Greg Fahey (#20) is a seven-time champion at Speedway 660 – including four Pro Stock titles – but for the past handful of years has run only a few one-off races. With his first-ever Pro Stock 250 podium finish last September, Fahey will make a career resurgence in 2023 bringing plenty of excitement.

Lonnie Sommerville (#23) is another respected veteran driver in New Brunswick, with a Speedway 660 championship and multiple Pro Stock 250 wins to his credit. Lonnie is no stranger to racing but is determined to make the most of 2023 in car #23, and it will all start at the Riverview Ford Season Opener.

Prince Edward Island Drivers Seek to Spoil New Brunswick Party

Prince Edward Island competitors may not have as much experience in the Geary Woods – but don’t count them out this weekend. The last time a PEI driver went to victory lane in late model action, it was Dylan Gosbee (#16) taking the win in a 50-lap weekly feature. Greg Proude (#29) enters as the only other out-of-province winner at Speedway 660, winning a 100-lap feature in 2016. Others have found success – Robbie MacEwen (#40) is fresh off a runner-up finish in the Pro Stock 250 in 2022, while Darren MacKinnon (#18) is a former podium finisher. These drivers will be part of a mighty island contingent racing into the season opener on Saturday. Allison MacKinnon (#07) and Troy Burke (#01) are accomplished PEI drivers too, but Saturday will see this duo making their Speedway 660 debuts.

Defending Track Champion Hopes to be “Maine Man”

Wyatt Alexander (#96) made history as the first American driver to win the Pro Stock division championship at Speedway 660 in 2022. Now, he will start 2023 looking to not only be the first American driver to win on the Super Late Model Series but also win the first race in series history! Being the only driver from outside of Canada on the opening day entry list, Alexander will look to set the stage for more future American entries, all while taking the trophy south of the border. In 2021, Alexander won the final race in the history of Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, it would be fitting if he also scored the victory in the first race in Super Late Model Series history.

Intense Rookie of the Year Battles Commences

With a stout 25-car field pre-registered for full-time competition, there will be a stellar battle within the battle as six rookie competitors are set to battle for Rookie of the Year honours. The diverse and heavy-hitting six-pack includes former River Glade International champions Kenny MacKenzie Jr (#85) and Laurie Cormier (#53), New Brunswick Sportsman standouts Hudson Weston (#43) and Ryan Raynes (#94), and Prince Edward Island rookies including Street Stock veteran Kenny Snow (#7) and a relatively new name in Brodie Lewis (#22). This will be a storyline to watch all season.

Additionally, a pair of Super Late Model rookies will make their first starts in a part-time campaign. Both moving up from the Sportsman ranks, former champion Curtis Collins (#27) and Clark Moore (#54) will seek to make the field this weekend.

Honourable Mentions

Speedway 660’s 30^th Anniversary Season Kicks Off With Super Late Model Series Debut

It will be a season opener for the ages. As Speedway 660 marks its 30th year of action in 2023, it will all get fired off with the debut of the new Super Late Model Series – a double whammy of historic milestones wrapped up into one day. Fittingly, Speedway 660 was the first track in the Maritimes to host a weekly Pro Stock division, which they have done since opening day back in 1994. With the magnitude of this event, the largest opening day crowd in recent memory is expected to be in attendance at Speedway 660.

Support Classes Add to Opening Day Excitement

A quartet of support classes are on the card for the Riverview Ford Season Opener at Speedway 660 – all of which will be contesting their first points race of the season. Catch the Sportsman division, Shur-Fit Auto Parts, Bumper to Bumper Street Stock division, the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooter division, plus the Atlantic Modified Tour all on opening day. After seven grueling months, race fans are sure to get their fix on opening day.

Stay Up To Date!

As race day nears, fans are encouraged to stay tuned to social media for breaking news as it happens! Super Late Model Series can be found on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @SLMSeries. Also, be sure to check out our official website at SLMS.ca.

For the Riverview Ford Season Opener, check out Speedway 660 on Facebook, and online at speedway660.com