MIKE STEVENS MEMORIAL WEEKEND OFFERS FULL PLATE OF MOTORSPORTS ACTION

Track Release/Photo by Tanya Everett

(RIVER GLADE, NB – September 17th, 2020) – The Seventh Annual Mike Stevens Memorial Weekend at Petty International Raceway is just around the corner. While the Super Late Model/Pro Stock 200 is the top bill on the two day event, a total of eight divisions will compete for their own checkered flag this weekend. The green flag goes in the air on Friday, September 18th at 7pm with the River Glade, New Brunswick oval back in action on Saturday, September 19th at 4pm.

Friday’s action will be anchored by a 100-lap Street Stock feature. The Street Stock division within the Province of New Brunswick has been ultra competitive since the green flag dropped on this COVID season in June. For the most part, Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois, NB) has had the most success at his home track after Riley Goodwin (McAdam, NB) captured the first checkered flag at Petty Raceway back in June. Cormier cruised to the win in the last extended distance Street Stock event at the track during the second Brycon Construction Bubble Buster in July over Brad MacLean (Black River, NB) and Goodwin.

On paper, Cormier might be the favorite but car counts strong and talent in these fields deep, the driver of the No. 68 will have to be on his game to defend his home turf. Brandon Albert (Summerside, PE) has shown strength at Petty International Raceway, most recently taking a second place trophy from August across the Confederation Bridge. Speedway Miramichi Street Stock feature winner James Matchett (Miramichi, NB) is always a contender when he unloads the No. 55 car. Patricia Taylor (Salisbury, NB), Scott Habkirk (Petitcodiac, NB), Drew Lewis (Salisbury, NB) and Caleb Layton are among the local favorites looking for some success on their biggest weekend of the 2020 season. Those names just scratch the surface of those that will look for the checkered flag first on Friday evening in the Street Stock division.

The Mister Transmission Mini Stock division has become the unofficial home for Mini Stock racing in the Maritimes. With Prince Edward Island virtually shut down for racing in 2020 and Nova Scotia getting a late start, several teams have made the long haul this season to compete at Petty International Raceway. Friday is expected to be no exception with an extended 50-lap feature in front of the four cylinder stars on Mike Stevens Memorial weekend.

In three races for the Mini Stocks at Petty International Raceway in 2020, the track has seen three different drivers hold the checkered flag. Former champions Rob Poirier (Irishtown, NB) and JR Lawson (Shubenacadie, NS) with Ryan McKnight (Sussex, NB) taking his first career feature win in the division in July. Lawson is the defending champion of this race after a close finish to capture the 2019 edition of the Mike Stevens Memorial Mini Stock 50. The class has seen the most participation in 2020 with over 40 drivers taking part in at least one of the three races, all culminating in the prestige of taking home a Mike Stevens Memorial trophy.

The Kings County Performance Women on Wheels have been added to the Friday evening card. The Women on Wheels, competing in automatic transmission powered four cylinder entries, always leave fans on the edge of their seats with close, fender to fender racing. Hannah Gallant and Ashley Campbell have each won features in 2020 and will look to keep from the field from adding a third name to the list of winners on Friday evening.

The Leisure Days RV Bandoleros will kick off the show on Friday evening. In the Beginner division, Chase Livingston (Springhill, NS) has written a majority of the headlines this season. It hasn’t been easy though as Sam MacDonald (Dartmouth, NS), Brett Pashkoski (Beaver Bank, NS) and Drew Murphy (Summerside, PE), among others, have each kept Livingston on his toes in recent races. In the more experienced Outlaw and Bandit division, three different overall winners have been crowned in as many races. Nathan Langille (Coldbrook, NS), Gage Gilby (Enfield, NS) and Teagan Dempsey (Fredericton, NB) have held checkered flags in the past three events. Dempsey has two victories to his resume in 2020 at Petty International Raceway as he also took home the Season Opener in June.

The Atlantic Modified Tour will join the Friday night card with the fifth round of their 2020 season – the Krown Rust Control 50. A full preview of their feature on Friday night can be found at the online home of the Atlantic Modified Tour, www.atlanticmodifieds.com.

Before the Super Late Models hit the track for the Mike Stevens Memorial 200, the AE McKay Builders Late Model Sportsman, Legend and Heart of a Champion Hot Rod Classics powered by NTN will warm up the track on Saturday afternoon.

The AE McKay Builders Late Model Sportsman 100 is expected to be one of the most anticipated races of the weekend. One only needs to look at the last race for the division at the 56th Jones Auto Body River Glade International to see the sparks that flew between some of the top drivers in the class. For the likes of Neal Crawford (Salisbury, NB), Justin Beers (Moncton, NB), Brady Creamer (Miramichi, NB), Laurie Cormier (Riverview, NB) and Marcel LeBlanc (Bouctouche, NB), among others, they hope last month’s 100-lap feature is behind them as they prepare for Saturday’s extended distance feature.

While Cormier is the defending Mike Stevens Memorial event champion for the Late Model Sportsman division, Jordan Veinotte (Porters Lake, NS) has virtually been unbeatable since returning to the high banked oval. Veinotte has won the last two Sportsman races at the track where he won the 2019 Sportsman division championship, including the prestigious 56th Jones Auto Body River Glade International. Alexandra O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB) and Creamer also have feature victories to their credit in 2020 at Petty International Raceway. Coming off the momentum of a SpeedWeekend win, Courtney O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB) will look to ride the wave into Petty International Raceway after a big Martin’s Home Heating 125 win at Speedway 660 on Labour Day Weekend.

Big Late Model Sportsman races typically draw big car counts to the River Glade oval, with 27 cars competing in this event in 2019 and 22 drivers taking the green flag in the River Glade International in August. With no formal pre-registration process, there is no official pre-entry list for the event but early indications have the event seeing over 20 entries on Saturday afternoon.

Braden Langille (Shubenacadie, NS) has virtually won every Legend division race he has entered in 2020, including a sweep of every race for the class thus far at Petty International Raceway. Langille will no doubt be the favorite heading into Saturday’s Mike Stevens Memorial, a race he won in 2019 over Wyatt McCulloch (Stewiacke, NS) and Michael Cormier. The last time out at Petty Raceway saw Langille having to dig deep to best Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS), a battle that continued at Speedway 660 during SpeedWeekend.

After two third place finishes in his last two races, Colton Noble (Upper Nine Mile River, NS) will have lots of eyes on him on Saturday evening. Noble, the reigning Bandolero Outlaw champion at Petty Raceway, is the latest to make the jump from the Bandolero to a Legend car and has seen quick success across the Maritimes. Noble was fourth in August at Petty Raceway, behind Nathan Blackburn (Timberlea, NS). Sixteen cars answered the call to the green flag at the 56th Jones Auto Body River Glade International.

A complete Pro Stock preview can be found in the previous news release. A preview for the Heart of a Champion Hot Rod Classics powered by NTN can be found at www.heartofachampion.ca.

Fans and teams are reminded to practice social distancing throughout the Mike Stevens Memorial weekend and a complete list of updated COVID-19 restrictions in regards to Petty Raceway can be viewed online at www.PettyRaceway.com. Additional grandstands have been added to the property since the River Glade International. Please note, due to COVID-19 regulations in the Province of New Brunswick, Petty International Raceway is required to collect contact information from every individual that attends this event.

Grandstand admission prices Saturday’s Mike Stevens Memorial 200 at Petty International Raceway 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. Grandstand admission prices for Friday’s Night One of the Mike Stevens Memorial are $20 for adults and $10 for youth. Pit admission on Friday evening is $30. An Adult Weekend Pass, which includes admission to Friday and Saturday night’s racing action, is $70 for the pits and $50 for the grandstands. A full race day format for gate and practice timings can be found at www.pettyraceway.com.

Tim’s Corner Motorsports and their TCMtv crew will be at Petty International Raceway to produce a video on-demand episode of the Mike Stevens Memorial 200 racing card on Saturday. Their coverage will be available on Sunday morning with a Video On Demand pass to the event or a TCM Fast Pass VOD Subscription at www.timscorner.tv. Passes are on sale now with a portion of each sale going back to support Petty International Raceway.

For complete, up-to-date information on Petty International Raceway, please visit PettyRaceway.com, follow us on Twitter (@PettyRaceway_NB) and like us on Facebook (@PettyInternationalRaceway).

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.