Eastern Super Mini Cup
Watson Set To Defend Home Track as the ESMCS Heads to Oyster Bed Speedway
Series Release
Following a hard fought win last Saturday in Miramichi, Matt Watson is ready to take on the field of the Eastern Super Mini Cup Series Saturday night at Oyster Bed Speedway. Being his home track, Watson is hoping to pick up his 3rd career victory at the same track where he scored his first; which was in the series’ last trip to the Island. Watson won that race in dominating fashion, winning a grand slam in the final of 3 races at OBS in 2014. Eventual champion Amanda Wheatley captured the other 2 races.
Watson will have to work extra hard to win this week. Last week’s feature came down to the wire, as Watson held off Chris Wilson, at Wilson’s home track, to take the victory. This week, Wilson hopes that the tides will turn, and it will be him in victory lane at Watson’s home track. Wilson ran well last year at Oyster Bed Speedway, with a strong 2nd place finish in one of the feature events. His PSE teammate Steven Curtis also looks to be strong this weekend. OBS is one of Curtis’s best tracks, and it was the site of his first ever podium finish last August.
After finishing 4th and 5th respectively at Speedway Miramichi, Jared Tozer & Mark Ferguson are looking to move up onto the podium this weekend. It was Tozer’s first career top 5, and Ferguson’s 8th, and both of these sophomore drivers are hoping to capture their first podium finish, and maybe even checkered flag, at Oyster Bed Speedway this Saturday.
Of course, Watson won’t be the only driver the local fans will be cheering on. Summerside’s Don Gaudet will be racing on Saturday. Gaudet ran well at his home track in 2014, and is hoping that the home track advantage will help him score a strong run on Saturday.
After DNF’s during last week’s feature, Derek Goodwin and Kirk Sheasgreen look to rebound in a big way. Goodwin had feature finishes of 3rd and 2nd in 2 starts at OBS last year, and he also picked up a Heat win when the series visited the track back in 2013. This could be the weekend he cracks into victory lane. Sheasgreen has also found success, with a runner up finish for the #43 car at OBS in 2013. Both drivers are expected to be ready and competitive at Saturday’s race.
Unfortunately, the Chase the Racecar Fundraising #16 will not be making the trip to PEI. Co-drivers Mike Weagle and Patricia Taylor were forced to make the difficult decision of having to skip this race, as they are running for points in the 4 Cylinder class at Petty International Raceway. This comes following a 3rd place finish last weekend. We wish Mike and Patricia the best of luck Saturday at Petty, and look forward to seeing them at our next race. This means that Kyle Maher will be the only rookie competing on Saturday, and he looks to improve even more after his impressive run this past weekend at Miramichi. If Maher could run strong and get a podium, or maybe even a win, it would be extra special as he celebrates a birthday today.
With the #16 not running this weekend, it will cause a dramatic shakeup in points. The #16 is currently 2nd in points, so the rest of the field will likely move ahead of that car in points, barring any major complications. Of course, everyone is in hot pursuit of Matt Watson, who leads after Race 1.
Among the classes racing Saturday at Oyster Bed Speedway, is the Street Stock class. Defending ESMCS champ Amanda Wheatley has been running strong in the very competitive division, and she is expected to be among the drivers in this class Saturday.
Besides Street Stock, there will be Late Model, and Mini Stock in action, as well as a 25 lap Outlaw Feature. The green flag drops at 6pm, and the weather forecast is looking fantastic! Grandstand admission is just $15 for adults, and $5 for youth from the ages of 8-17, and kids under 8 are free! It should be a great night of racing!
Expected Entries
Chris Wilson #2
Don Gaudet #3
Steven Curtis #12
Jared Tozer #22
Derek Goodwin #24
Mark Ferguson #41
Kirk Sheasgreen #43
Kyle Maher #78
Matt Watson #88
