CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – One of Prince Edward Island’s rising stock car racing stars has revealed a bombshell of an addition to his 2024 racing calendar.
Cross Roads Maritime League of Legends Tour driver Tanton Wooldridge has partnered with 01 Motorsports to run the No. 24 car at multiple Pro Stock events across the Maritimes. The deal came together within the last week and will be 01 Motorsports’ second entry, alongside the No. 01 of Troy Burke.
Currently, Wooldridge plans to run at three Oyster Bed Speedway events in Oyster Bed Bridge, PE; the Universal Truck and Trailer 150 (June 15) and the Chapman Bros. 150 presented by Hynes Paving (August 3) with the Easy-Kleen Super Late Model Series, and the BJ’s Truck Centre 150 with the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour (July 27). He hopes to add more races and tracks to his schedule, pending further sponsorships, as the season progresses.
The Summerside native is excited about what lies ahead.
“We are hoping to run the three big Oyster Bed Speedway Pro Stock races, with the opportunity to add more events later in the season,” said Wooldridge. “We would love to make it out to Speedway 660, as it is my strongest track and we feel we want to work towards a Yard Gear 250 run in the upcoming years. But it will all start with an SLMS race to get some time there.”
Wooldridge works for Livingston Steel, owned and operated by 01 Motorsports co-owner Scott Livingston. One day, he showed up to work with several crew members waiting for him. They asked if he was interested in the partnership.
“We’ve been in the shop every night since,” said Wooldridge. “The car will be number 24, which is Livingston’s old number; because Livingston is one of the main people to make this deal happen, we want to honour him.”
01 Motorsports currently fields the No. 01 car of multi-time Oyster Bed Speedway Pro Stock champion Troy Burke. Burke has run the No. 01 entry for over half a decade across the Maritimes, mainly on Prince Edward Island and in New Brunswick.
The team’s second entry, which Wooldridge will drive, is an older-style Fury chassis that hasn’t raced in a few years but has recently been refurbished. It was once driven by former East Coast International Pro Stock Tour driver and multi-time Mike Stevens Memorial 254 winner Jonathan Hicken. The car will be prepared and maintained by Wooldridge and his father, David, in a shop owned by his grandfather, Donald.
“We take pride in doing all our own Legend car work and we are hoping to do the same with the Pro Stock,” said Wooldridge. “We will be getting some help from the No. 01 crew to help get us rolling and on our feet to start.”
Currently, Wooldridge has the support of a crew featuring Cory Rayner, Jason MacAusland, David Wooldridge, Donald Wooldridge, and Will Murphy, and partners such as Livingston Steel, Kris Fournier RE/MAX, J.S. Plumbing and Heating, SGK Atlantic, East Prince Roofing, GSD Utility Services, and Rayner’s Automotive.
He is seeking more sponsors to help extend his schedule.
“We have had a lot of support over the past week to help us make the first three races possible,” said Wooldridge. “If all goes well, we are hoping to continue this effort and eventually travel to the mainland. With the support of more sponsors, we can build towards this goal and try to make it possible. Myself and the entire No. 24 crew are extremely grateful for Scott Livingston and the 01 Motorsports team for making this possible.”
To get in contact with Wooldridge and 01 Motorsports about partnership opportunities, contact Wooldridge at 902-439-6359 or stop by his Pro Stock shop at 1031 Brackley Point Rd. in Harrington, PE between the hours of 6 p.m. and 12 a.m.
“We are always working to make race cars go faster!” said Wooldridge.
Wooldridge began racing when he was seven-years-old and has racked up over 30 career feature wins, three Bandolero championships, and an Eastern Super Mini Cup Series championship. He drove his first Super Late Model at 15-years-old in an East Coast International Pro Stock Tour race at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, NS, where he finished seventh. Later in 2022, he claimed a third-place finish at the Shediac Atlantic Championships at Shediac Centre for Speed in Shediac, NB.
In 2023, Wooldridge competed full-time in the Cross Roads Maritime League of Legends Tour, where he finished fifth in points, collecting five top-5 finishes, six top-10 finishes, and multiple heat race wins. He also competed part-time in the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour and the Easy-Kleen Super Late Model Series, where his most notable finish came in the IWK 250 presented by Steve Lewis at Riverside, finishing ninth.
Wooldridge will continue his Legend efforts whilst running for 01 Motorsports.
- By Reegan MacAulay
