RIVER GLADE, NB – Petty International Raceway is expanding its 2012 schedule with a “run what you brung” outlaw race on July 14. The Oval Outlaw Triple 44’s presented by O’Blenis & Sons Roofing and Siding will offer racers and race fans alike a no-holds-barred event unlike anything seen in recent racing history in the Maritimes.
Teams from three different divisions will be eligible to compete in the same race so the winner will not only take home hardware and other accolades – but bragging rights. The race is open to sportsman, street stock and Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) competitors with few building rules governing the event so the teams will be able to modify their cars to suit their wildest dreams.
The Oval Outlaw Triple 44’s will be run in three 44-lap segments with the overall winner being the driver who crosses the finish line first at the end of the third segment on lap 132. The two breaks will see the potential for cars to be inverted on the restart and there will also be bonus monies paid to the leader at the end of the first two segments – both incentives to keep action fierce at the front of the pack – and to keep “sandbaggers” from holding back in favour of a last segment effort to become the overall winner.
The race is named for six-time pro stock touring series champion Wayne Smith, aka the “Oval Outlaw”, who raced his way into Maritime stock car racing history books over the past 20 years driving number 44. Smith, along with co-owners Brett Benoit and Craig McFetridge, are the driving force behind the “new” Petty International Raceway. Smith will hang-up his full-time racing helmet in 2012 to spend more time promoting his new venture at Petty where his primary function is overseeing rules and other competitor issues.
As such his role the day of the Outlaw race will be limited.
“The only thing we plan to enforce right now is safety,” said Smith. “The guys will know what we mean and they’ve all got that stuff anyway. They’ll pretty much be limited only to their imagination after that.”
The addition of the Oval Outlaw Triple 44’s presented by O’Blenis & Sons Roofing and Siding will bring Petty’s schedule to 11 events planned for the 2012 season; four of those will be double-header weekends with two big back-to-back nights of racing on each occasion.
Outlaw “rules” and more event details will be posted online at www.pettyraceway.com as the event draws closer. In the meantime, competitor inquiries can be directed to Wayne Smith at this Saturday’s final pre-season drivers meeting at the nearby Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame or by email to wayne@pettyraceway.com.
Petty International Raceway is located on Highway 106, just 40 km west of Moncton, New Brunswick. To learn more about Petty International Raceway, its event schedule, location, admission, policies, history, and more, please visit www.pettyraceway.com. To receive current updates please follow us on Twitter (@pettyraceway_nb).
From Joan Roue
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