HISTORIC JONES AUTO BODY RIVER GLADE INTERNATIONAL ON TAP AT PETTY RACEWAY

Track Release/Photo by Tanya Everett

(RIVER GLADE, NB – July 20th, 2023) – It is one of the most historic races in Canada. The 59th Jones Auto Body River Glade International takes place this weekend at Petty International Raceway. Two days of racing action will see drivers attempt to add a River Glade International title to their resume with eight different divisions fighting for their respective crowns. Racing action gets underway on Friday, July 21st at 7pm with the Trent Blakney Towing 100 for the AJW Mechanical Sportsman as the headliner. The East Coast International Pro Stock Tour anchors the Saturday, July 22nd portion of the show with the Fleetrite 150. Saturday’s show at the River Glade, New Brunswick oval goes green at 5pm.

The River Glade International started as a Late Model race at River Glade Speedway before eventually transferring over to Petty International Raceway when the track re-opened in 2011. The names of Junior Hanley, Don Biederman, Jim Hallahan, Earl Ross, John Shirtliff, Adelard Cormier, Frank Fraser, Greg Sewart and more adorn the trophy with dozens more looking to add their name to that extensive list this weekend at Petty.

Car counts in the AJW Mechanical Sportsman division continue to rise and with the Trent Blakney Towing 100 carrying the chance of etching the winner’s name on the River Glade International trophy, you can believe the Province’s best will be racing to Petty on Friday. Drew Greenlaw (Eastport, ME) and Courtney O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB) each took home a Sportsman victory from the July double header weekend. Combined with their heat finishes, Greenlaw holds a four point lead over O’Blenis and a five point lead on Koven Lewis (Salisbury, NB). Lewis was consistent in the first two AJW Mechanical Sportsman races of the year, placing third in both feature contests. Alexandra O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB), Laurie Cormier (Riverview, NB) and Jordan Veinotte (Porter’s Lake, NS) are the last three winners of the Trent Blakney Towing 100.

The Street Stocks will compete in their third 50-lap, $1000-to-win event of the season presented by Stuff Your Stuff Commercial Storage, Old Fashion Meat Market and Arsenault Racing Engines. This division has been owned by previous track champion Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois, NB) this season, winning the first two events and first two $1,000 cheques of the season. Logan Power (Riverview, NB), another former track champion, has been knocking on the door but has not been able to get ahead of Cormier’s Famous Blue Dodge at the checkered flag. Power is second in the standings, four points behind the No. 68. Veteran driver Rob Raynes (Saint John, NB) sits third after two events.

Similar to Cormier’s story in Street Stock, Donnie Pratt (Riverview, NB) has been almost flawless in the Mister Transmission Mini Stock division. Pratt has won both feature events so far for the class this season and has the edge on former champion Rob Poirier (Irishtown, NB) by four points. They cannot rest though as former East Coast Mini Stock Tour champion Dave Matthews (Kennetcook, NS), reigning Petty Raceway champion Ryan McKnight (Sussex, NB) and multi-time feature winner Patricia Weagle (Steeves Mountain, NB) round out a star studded Mini Stock top five after two events.

Kicking off Friday’s racing action is the Kings County Performance Women on Wheels division. Makayla Weagle won the most recent race in the class and moved to within three points of reigning track champion Gail Thebeau. Thebeau was the winner in the season opener. Could this division see a third different winner in as many races as they look for their Jones Auto Body River Glade International champion?!

Saturday’s racing action will see the Leisure Days RV Bandolero divisions kick off the second day of action at the 59th Jones Auto Body River Glade International. The Beginner Bandoleros see Hudson Ruff (Long Reach, NB) pace the field with two victories in three feature events. His lead is only four points over Bristol Matthews (Kennetcook, NS). Tylar Dempsey (Fredericton, NB) is third as the Leisure Days RV Beginner Bandoleros contest their fourth race of 2023 on Saturday.

The Leisure Days RV Bandoleros have been swept so far by Daniel Vandenburg (Lower Onslow, NS). Landon Pierce (Bridgewater, NS), who leads championship points at three different race tracks in the region, runs second at Petty International Raceway with rookie Lily Whynot (Dartmouth, NS) in third after three events.

Three different Maritime based touring series will be in town on Saturday as the Cross Roads Maritime League of Legends Tour, Heart of a Champion Hot Rod Classics powered by Conrad Bros and the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour each make their first trips to Petty International Raceway for the 2023 season. The Legends will compete in the R&D Performancenter 50, the Hot Rods in the Subaru of Moncton Classic and the Pro Stocks in the Fleetrite 150. Event previews for those respective Series are available from their respective websites.

Grandstand admission prices for Friday’s events 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 $25 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. An eWaiver is required to enter the pit area. This electronic form can be found at pirl.speedwaiver.com. Pit gates for competitors open at 3:30pm, grandstand gates open for spectators at 5pm with racing getting underway at 7pm.

Grandstand admission prices for Saturday’s events are $30 for adults and $15 for youth aged 11 to 18, while children ten years of age and under will be admitted free. Pit admission is $40 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. An eWaiver is required to enter the pit area. This electronic form can be found at pirl.speedwaiver.com. Pit gates for competitors open at 12pm, grandstand gates open for spectators at 3pm with racing getting underway at 5pm.

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