BEDFORD, NS – (August 21st, 2018) – The Maritime League of Legends Tour continue a busy month of August by visiting Petty International Raceway in River Glade, New Brunswick for a second time in 2018 on Saturday. The 50-lap race is the eighth of ten rounds on the Maritime League of Legends Tour for the year and is a part of the prestigious 54th Jones Auto Body River Glade International weekend. Racing on August 25th begins at 6pm.
The Celtic Air Services 50 at Riverside International Speedway last Sunday shook the foundation of the championship battle with three races remaining on the schedule. Shelby Baker (Fall River, NS) saw two thirds of his point lead evaporate after a crash in the Celtic Air Services 50, which resulted in a 13th place finish. Craig MacDonald (Waverley, NS), who entered the event third in the standings, retired from the event after a scrape with the backstraight wall early in the 50-lap feature last Sunday. Both drivers ran up front early in the race before finding themselves on pit road before the finish of the race.
Baker still leads the standings but his point lead is down to eight points over Emily Meehan (Rawdon, NS), who finished fourth in the Celtic Air Services 50. Meehan won the 50-lap feature on the first visit to Petty International Raceway this Summer for her first Maritime League of Legends Tour win and will look to sweep the season at the high banked bullring on Saturday.
Sam Rogers (Lower Onslow, NS) and the Farrell’s Racing team also closed the gap on Baker with a third place run at Riverside International Speedway. The third place finish was the best career finish for Rogers in just his sixth Legend start. The Farrell’s Racing No. 12 car is third in the Tour standings, just 15 points off Baker with three races to go. Farrell’s Racing won the last two Maritime League of Legends Tour championships with their No. 48 car and Waylon Farrell (Conception Bay South, NL).
While his hand may hover over the proverbial panic button on his championship hopes, MacDonald is far from mathematically eliminated when it comes to the title hunt. The three time winner on the season is 39 points back from Baker with three races to go and is sure to be a threat at the next three tracks on the schedule to close out 2018.
After an early retirement from last weekend’s Celtic Air Services 50, Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois, NB) enters his home track race with fifth in the overall standings and still a firm hold on the Fleet Brake Atlantic Rookie of the Year lead. Cormier, who leads the Westwood Estates Street Stock points at Petty International Raceway, will do double duty this weekend with the Legend car on Saturday and his Street Stock on Friday evening. Josh Langille (Coldbrook, NS), who has been known to hop between a Bandolero and a Legend car on any given weekend, is 20 points out of Cormier for fifth in the Maritime League of Legends Tour standings.
In the Fleet Brake Atlantic Rookie of the Year standings, Cormier leads Rogers, Nathan Blackburn (Timberlea, NS), Nicole Richard (Belnan, NS), Devin Gallant (Charlottetown, PE) and Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS). MacDonald took home the Fleet Brake Atlantic Rookie of the Race Award at Riverside Speedway with a second place finish to Cory Hall (Jolicure, NB) in the Celtic Air Services 50.
The 50-lap feature on Saturday is a home Province race for Darren Sherwood (Cambridge Narrows, NB). With the Series racing in New Brunswick the next two weeks, look for Sherwood to be battling for the checkered flag at both Petty International Raceway and Speedway 660 over the next two Saturday nights.
Expect to see many familiar faces in the field on Saturday, including the likes of Kevin MacDonald (Antigonish, NS), Kyle Shipley (Spryfield, NS), Jeff Cruickshank (Hantspot, NS) and Gary Dunning (Charlottetown, PE). Cruickshank, Dunning and MacDonald were able to crack the top ten here in July while Cruickshank finished top of the quartet at Riverside with an eighth place finish. Kody Quinn (Sydney, NS) will return to the seat of a Legend in the Maritimes after almost a year. Quinn last competed on the Maritime League of Legends Tour in 2017 as a rookie.
Grandstand admission prices for Saturday’s events at Petty International Raceway, including the Maritime League of Legends Tour 50, are $35 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 $40 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. Tickets are available at the gate on race day.
For complete information on the Maritime League of Legends Tour, please visit MaritimeLegends.ca.
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 2018, the Maritime League of Legends Tour will visit five venues throughout Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island between May and September during its ten race season. For more information on the Maritime League of Legends, please visit www.maritimelegends.ca.
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.pettyinternationalraceway.com. To get current updates delivered to you directly please follow us on Twitter.
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