Butcher Brothers Kings of the Road

Cole Butcher of Porter’s Lake, Nova Scotia led a contingent of young Atlantic Canadian stock car talent to the line Sunday to win the Maritime League of Legends Road Course Challenge at Atlantic Motorsports Park.

The 2012 Maritime League of Legends Tour champion wasted little time establishing a lead in the 15-lap feature after starting from the front row to take his first win at the storied 11-turn, 1.6 mile circuit. Butcher gapped the field by nearly six seconds in the caution free affair and also turned the quickest lap time of the day at a 1:17.35, which equates to an average speed of over 72 miles per hour.

The 16 year old was quick to thank his crew in victory lane after the race. “The car was really good today,” said Butcher after the feature. “Greg Baker did a great job on the setup today and the whole crew did a great job on the brakes. This is a fun event, look forward to it every year – and there’s an awesome trophy I get for winning it too!”

To get the trophy though, which was fabricated by Velocity Machining and Welding in Dartmouth, he had to cross the stripe first, ahead of his brother and Legends rookie Jarrett Butcher. The younger Butcher won the 10-lap heat race earlier in the morning by holding off his brother after a failed attempt on an outside pass into the Turn Nine heavy braking zone.

Exide Batteries Rookie of the Year on the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Dylan Blenkhorn of Truro came home in third in his second Maritime League of Legends Tour start of the year. Blenkhorn, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, is a former champion of the race and was looking for another checkered flag in the fourth edition of the event but had to take third after the brakes went away after battling with Jarrett Butcher for second.

“I really wanted to win that trophy today,” said Blenkhorn following his podium run. “The brakes were really fading on me at the end of the run but I was wheelin’ her and the car was real good all day, I’m really pleased.”

Fifteen cars, a series high for the venue, started the main feature on the afternoon. The event also featured two-time Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour champion and Dartmouth Dodge 200 winner Shawn Turple, who drove the #0 Atlantic Tiltload Legend to a fifth place run in the feature.

RACE RESULTS – ROAD COURSE CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY R&D PERFORMANCE – ROUND SIX OF SIX, MARITIME LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

CHAMPIONSHIP

Justin MacNeill of Bedford entered the race with a 39 point lead and was able to hold on to the advantage to secure the 2013 Maritime League of Legends Tour point championship with a fourth place finish.

“It wasn’t too bad of a finish. Car was working probably as good as I could get it on a run today. We started fading a bit at the end, I wasn’t gaining on the guys but they weren’t getting away at the end either. I’m definitely coming back here in 2014 to get a win, it’s one of the last tracks I want to win at in my Legends career.”

In the six race series, MacNeill had one win (Scotia Speedworld in May), two seconds, a third and two fourth place finishes. When it comes to the championship, it has been a few years in the making.

“This has been a couple years coming. I’ve been hoping for it the last few seasons, came close but it feels really good to put another championship under my belt. “

“Miss Rawdon Rocket” Emily Meehan came home in second place in the standings, putting up her best showing of her career with the runner-up spot in the standings. Meehan came home seventh in the heat and made some late passes in the feature in a tight four car battle to finish sixth in the Road Course Challenge presented by R&D Performancentre.

Jeff Cruickshank of Hantsport edged Scotia Speedworld August winner Danny Harvey of Lantz and road course rookie Paul Goulden of Shelburne for the top five in the standings.

Harry Breimer Jr. of Stewiacke added the Maritime League of Legends Tour Rookie of the Year trophy to his Strictly Hydraulics Scotia Speedworld Weekly Legends Rookie of the Year award Sunday by finishing off his season at nearby Atlantic Motorsports Park.

The Road Course Challenge presented by R&D Performancentre capped off the season for the Maritime League of Legends Tour.  Their year end hardware will be handed out on Saturday, November 2nd at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro in conjunction with the Scotia Speedworld Awards Banquet. More information on the banquet can be found at ScotiaSpeedworld.ca, or by contacting the Scotia Speedworld office at (902) 481-2531.

About R&D Performancentre:
Since our inception in 1982 we’ve provided Atlantic Canada with the best in performance products and services. As we continue our tradition in performance and excellent customer service we invite you to explore our website at www.rdperformance.ca, visit us at 12551 Highway #2 in Lower Onslow, or give us a call at (902) 893-3795 for all your performance and racing product and service needs!

About The Maritime League of Legends:
The Maritime League of Legends Association was formed in 2005 by a group of racer’s wanting to grow the Legends Cars division in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. In 2012, the Maritime League of Legends Tour will visit four venues throughout Nova Scotia and New Brunswick between May and October during its seven race season. For more information on the Maritime League of Legends, please visit www.maritimelegends.ca.