Massive Mike Stevens Memorial Event to Close ’16 Petty Raceway Season

Track Release/Feature Photo by Tanya Everett Photography/Story Photos by McCarthy Photographic

(River Glade, NB – September 22nd, 2016) – Petty International Raceway will see the curtain officially drop on the 2016 season this weekend but not before one of the most anticipated race events of the Maritime stock car season. The Third Annual Mike Stevens Memorial presented by R. Stevens Mechanical and Carnahan Property Management will bring teams from all three Maritime Provinces and the State of Maine to compete for the over $50,000 on the line over the two days and a prestigious Mike Stevens Memorial victory. The green flag will go in the air on Friday, September 23rd at 7pm with the weekend continuing with racing action on Saturday, September 24th at 4pm.

The highlight of the weekend is a 200-lap feature for Super Late Model (Pro Stock) competitors on Saturday presented by R. Stevens Mechanical and Carnahan Property Management. Approximately two dozen of the fastest teams in the Northeast are set to compete for the $5,500 top prize. The field features a Who’s Who of Super Late Model drivers including reigning Speedway 660 track champion Greg Fahey (St. Stephen, NB) and Rookie of the Year Ashton Tucker (Lyttleton, NB), five-time Maritime Pro Stock Tour titlist John Flemming (Halifax, NS) along with 2016 series feature winners Greg Proude (Springvale, PE), Cassius Clark (Farmington, ME) and Dylan Blenkhorn (Truro, NS).  Jonathan Hicken (Brudenell, PE) is the defending champion of the race and will once again drive a King Racing prepared entry in the race.

The Carnahan Property Management and King Freight Lines Big Winner Bonus has two teams chasing an extra $5,000 should they win the Mike Stevens Memorial 200 on Saturday. Berwick, Maine’s Joey Doiron and Porter’s Lake, Nova Scotia’s Jarrett Butcher are eligible for the bonus by virtue of their teams winning the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 at Speedway 660 and the Atlantic Cat 250 at Scotia Speedworld, respectively.

In addition to Doiron and Butcher, one lucky fan will be selected at random prior to Driver Introductions to select a third driver that will be eligible for the Big Winner Bonus. Should the driver the fan selects goes on to win the Mike Stevens Memorial 200, the driver and the fan will split the $5,000 bonus.

With an additional $25 a lap on the line for the leader of each lap in the Mike Stevens Memorial 200, along with a $100 bonus for the leader on the time sheet on each practice on Saturday, the winner could walk out with a payday north of $10,000 if he or she has a big day at Petty International Raceway.

Racing enthusiasts will be excited to hear of changes to the procedures for the Mike Stevens Memorial 200. Teams will be required to make at least one pit stop throughout the event and while there is no “halfway break,” there will be a caution after 40 laps of consecutive green (up to Lap 175 of the feature) to tighten up the field. The leader will also be able to choose his or her lane on all restarts of the event.

As an added bonus for fans that arrive early, the pre-race Drivers Meeting for the Super Late Model portion of the show, along with the draw to determine qualifying heat race lineups, will be held in front of the crowd on the front straight at 3:15pm on Saturday. This will give fans a further insight on race procedures for the day and give an interaction with the drivers during the draw for the heat races.

Also on the card for Saturday includes the final point races on the season for the Extreme Window and Entrance Systems Street Stocks and Leisure Days RV Bandolero divisions. “The Thrill Maker” Craig Ward (Riverview, NB) heads into the final race of the season with a slight edge on Mike Duskey (Albany, PE). The two drivers have been back and forth all season long and with only three points between them and a big field of Street Stock cars expected for the 75-lap finale, the two will have to be on their toes from start to finish. If something should happen to the top two in the standings on Saturday, watch for Nick Cudmore (Goshen, NB) to make it a three way battle for the season long championship. Cudmore enters 11 points behind Ward in the search of his first track championship at the high banked oval.

With his two wins on September 10th during Clear Choice Towing Night, Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois, NB) will enter the Twin 25-lap features at the Mike Stevens Memorial on Saturday with a comfortable 15 point advantage on his competition in the Leisure Days RV Bandolero division. Josh Langille (Coldbrook, NS) sits in second with five points between him and Sam Rogers (Lower Onslow, NS) in the standings. In between the two in the championship picture in third sits Nathan Blackburn (Timberlea, NS), who will look for his first feature win of the Petty Raceway season on Saturday.

In addition to the final championship points on the season, King Racing has stepped up to provide a purse for the Leisure Days RV Bandolero finale. The fund, worth a total of $1,500, will pay $500 to the top driver who has the best average finish between the two 25-lap features on Saturday.

On Friday night, the Limited Late Models will take centre stage for a 75-lap main event. The Limited Late Model division is comprised of Sportsman race cars running on used Hoosier 1070 (Pro Stock) racing tires. Luc Bourgeois (Memramcook, NB), now a two-time Sportsman champion at Petty International Raceway, will lead the field into competition on Friday evening but will be tested by some fast competition. Drivers who have signaled their intentions early to compete in the event include Scotia Speedworld Sportsman runner-up Jordan Veinotte (Porter’s Lake, NS), Wayne Miller (Kennetcook, NS), Phil Barkhouse Jr. (Hammonds Plains, NS), Mike Alexander (Cole Harbour, NS), Russell Smith Jr (Lakeside, NS), Speedway 660’s Ryan Raynes (Saint John, NB) and Petty International Raceway’s Laurie Cormier (Riverview, NB), Matt Maillet (Burton, NB) and Neil Crawford.

The Mister Transmission Mini Stock division will run a 50-lap non point event on Friday night. The four cylinder class has provided some of the best racing action seen all season long at Petty International Raceway and with no points on the line, expect the Mini Stock stars to leave it all out on the track Friday evening. Tim Webster (Beaver Bank, NS) clinched the 2016 Mister Transmission Mini Stock track championship on September 10th over former champion JR Lawson (Shubenacadie, NS) and Rob Poirier (Irishtown, NB).

A 50-lap Legends race will be contested on Friday evening. Waylon Farrell of Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, fresh off clinching the Upper Clements Parks Maritime League of Legends Tour championship last weekend at Scotia Speedworld, will look to add a win at the high banked Petty International Raceway on Friday night.

The Atlantic Modified Tour will also compete in a 50-lap feature on Friday evening. Tom Betts (Doaktown, NB) is the most recent winner on the series at Speedway Miramichi during the Chi City Showdown last Saturday night and won the most recent round for the series at Petty Raceway during the Jones Auto Body River Glade International. As of press time, the Tour has not released point standings heading into a race listed as their final for the 2016 season.

A 60-minute Super Late Model practice session will follow the Friday night racing action. On Saturday, the Zack Lane Band will play on a post-race concert for fans in attendance at the grandstand entrance to the raceway. The Zack Lane Band won the local Battle of the Bands contest in Moncton and were scheduled to open for Selena Gomez on her Labour Day Weekend concert in the city before it was canceled as the superstar battles Lupus.

In all divisions with the exception of the Super Late Model class, each restart will be a “cone style restart.” For each restart in the main feature, a cone will be placed on the track one lap prior to the green flag. Each driver that passes will choose the high side or low side of the cone, choosing his or her lane for the restart. For example, if the top five choose the inside line and the sixth place car chooses the outside, the sixth place car in line will move up to the outside of the first row for the restart.

Pit gates for competitors participating in Friday’s opening night of the Mike Stevens Memorial Weekend presented by R. Stevens Mechanical and Carnahan Property Management open at 4pm. Grandstand gates for spectators open at 5pm with racing getting underway at 7pm. Adult admission to the grandstands is $20, youth admission (ages eight to 18) is $10 while children seven and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $30.

Saturday’s pit gates for competitors in the Mike Stevens Memorial Super Late Model 200 open at 12pm. Grandstand gates open for spectators at 2pm, with racing beginning at 4pm. Adult grandstand admission is $40 on Saturday, youth admission (ages eight to 18) is $10 while children seven and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $50. All tickets can be purchased at the gate on race day.

Two day weekend passes are available for the Mike Stevens Memorial for adult grandstand admission ($50) and pit admission ($70).

There will be an open practice for competitors on Thursday, September 21st from 5pm to 9pm. Pit admission for the open practice night is $10, with free admission to the grandstands for spectators.

Complete information on the Mike Stevens Memorial Weekend, or any Petty International Raceway events, can be found at PettyRaceway.com.

Expected Entry List – Mike Stevens Memorial 200 presented by R. Stevens Mechanical and Carnahan Property Management

*Entry List is based on pre-registrations and is subject to change without notice

2- John Rankin – St. Martin’s, NB

10- Brady Creamer – Miramichi, NB

12- Michael Kyle – Sussex, NB

13c- Cassius Clark – Farmington, ME

13h- Jonathan Hicken – Brudenell, PE

14- Terry Dougay – Albany, PE

19- Cory Hall – Jolicure, NB

28m- Kirk Thibeau – Fort Fairfield, ME

29- Greg Proude – Springvale, PE

29f- Greg Fahey – St. Stephen, NB

32t- Ashton Tucker – Lyttleton, NB

32s- Sarah McKay – Quispamsis, NB

33- Andrew McKay – Quispamsis, NB

40- Robbie McEwen – Sherwood, PE

52- Dustin Tucker – Fredericton, NB

*53- Jarrett Butcher – Porter’s Lake, NS

67- Dylan Blenkhorn – Truro, NS

*73- Joey Doiron – Berwick, ME

88- Kevin Moore – Fredericton, NB

91- Dylan Gosbee – Cornwall, PE

97- John Flemming – Halifax, NS

97d- Chris Duncan – Rothesay, NB

98- Jerome Kehoe – Sydney, NS

*Indicates driver eligible for $5,000 CPM/King Freight Big Winner Bonus

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.pettyraceway.com. To get current updates delivered to you directly please follow us on Twitter.