(BEDFORD, NS – August 29th, 2018) – Big stakes are on the line this Saturday night for the Maritime League of Legends Tour as the Series runs its penultimate round of 2018 at Speedway 660.
The King Freight Lines 50 will not only serve as Round Nine of Ten on the touring series but will also be the final INEX National Qualifier in Atlantic Canada for Legend competitors in 2018. The King Freight Lines 50 INEX National Qualifier, along with the Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero Blast, is a part of SpeedWeekend 2018 at Speedway 660. Racing action begins on Saturday, September 1st at 6pm.
The King Freight Lines 50 is the second of two regional qualifiers for INEX Asphalt Nationals on the Maritime League of Legends Tour schedule in 2018 and last of its kind in Atlantic Canada for the year. The top finishing Pro, Master, Semi-Pro and Young Lion driver in the field at Oyster Bed Speedway on Saturday will become eligible for a provisional starting spot in Asphalt Nationals.
This year, the oval finale for Legend cars will be held at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, October 27th. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia’s Nicholas Naugle is the reigning champion of the Asphalt Nationals Semi-Pro event after taking the big win at The Bullring in October 2017.
Shelby Baker (Fall River, NS) has seen his lead shrink to five points over Emily Meehan (Rawdon Gold Mines, NS) with just two races to go. Baker has yet to win a Maritime League of Legends Tour feature this season but is riding the strength of six top five finishes in eight races. Meehan was the winner during the Series first stop at Petty International Raceway in July and will hope to bookend the Legend season in New Brunswick with one more win to inch herself closer to her first championship.
Craig MacDonald (Waverley, NS) comes off his fourth Maritime League of Legends Tour win of the season, leading a Cory Hall Racing sweep of the top three spots at Petty International Raceway last Saturday. Fleet Brake Atlantic Rookie of the Year leader Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois, NB) was able to sneak by Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS) for the runner-up spot on the last restart to take top rookie honors in the race. “The Bossman” at Cory Hall Racing has had Speedway 660’s number in recent years, so don’t count out defending race winner Cory Hall (Jolicure, NB) should he answer the call to the green flag on Saturday evening.
Sam Rogers (Lower Onslow, NS) will lead the Farrell’s Racing charge into Speedway 660 for the King Freight Lines 50. Rogers has had an incredible Fleet Brake Atlantic Rookie season on the Tour and will look to race to his first Legend win where he is a two-time and reigning champion in the TCM Bandolero Blast. Brothers Waylon and Will Farrell (Conception Bay South, NL) are heading to the Geary woods looking to nail down their first Series win in 2018. Waylon, the two-time Maritime League of Legends Tour champion, is leading the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour rookie chase and comes off winning the pole position for last weekend’s Cummins 200 at Petty International Raceway.
With the Tour racing on one of the biggest weekends on the Atlantic Canadian stock car racing schedule, it is expected a number of drivers will come locked and loaded with the checkered flag in the King Freight Lines 50 as their goal. Darren Sherwood (Cambridge Narrows, NB) will aim to defend his home turf from the likes of Kyle Shipley (Spryfield, NS), Gary Dunning (Charlottetown, PE), Kody Quinn (Sydney, NS), Ray Cox Jr (Porter’s Lake, NS) and Fleet Brake Atlantic Rookie Koven Lewis (Salisbury, NB).
Opening both nights of racing on SpeedWeekend 2018 is the Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero Blast. The TCM Bandolero Blast is the only chance for Bandolero drivers to compete on the quick 1/3-mile Speedway 660 and the annual event is expected to draw a dozen of the quickest youngsters in the region. Rogers is a two-time and the defending champion of the event but will have to fend off the likes of brothers Josh and Nathan Langille (Coldbrook, NS), brothers Colton and Dawson Noble (Upper Nine Mile River, NS), Owen Mahar (Hubley, NS), Nyk Pothier (Halifax, NS), Ayden Christensen (Fall River, NS), Chase MacKay (Bear Cove, NS), Kelsea Lewis (Salisbury, NB), Evan Lane (Salisbury, NB), Brooke and Dylan Dowe (Bedford, NS), Matthew and Jordan Rushton (Dartmouth, NS) and more if he wants to win a third straight.
The Saturday evening feature for the TCM Bandolero Blast will serve as an INEX National Qualifier with Sunday’s feature crowning an overall event champion. The driver with the best combined finish will take home the event trophy.
SpeedWeekend 2018 at Speedway 660 takes place from August 31st to September 2nd. A pre-event corn boil, bonfire and Walking Contradictions concert will take place on Friday, August 31st. Saturday, September 1st will see the $7,500-to-win Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman 125 with support action from the Maritime League of Legends Tour King Freight Lines 50 INEX National Qualifier, MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour Pub’s Drive Thru Bottle Exchange 50 and Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero Blast INEX National Qualifier.
Sunday, September 2nd will see racing in the 18th Annual McLaughlin Roof Trusses Pro Stock 250, the Atlantic Modified Tour, DMR Auto Street Stocks, Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters and Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero Blast Finale. Complete information on SpeedWeekend 2018, including advance ticket, camping and schedule information, can be found at Speedway660.com.
For complete information on the Maritime League of Legends Tour, please visit MaritimeLegends.ca.
About King Freight Lines:
In 1975 President, Mr. Roland (Rollie) MacDonald formed MacDonald’s Excavating as primarily an excavating company. Growth into the transportation side of the business was progressive and in 1986 the name of the company was changed to King Freight Lines Limited to better reflect the now dominant transportation side of the business. King Freight Lines, based out of Pictou NS, now operates throughout Canada and the United States with a fleet of modern equipment. For more information please visit www.kingfreight.com or call toll free 902.485.8077
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 Speedway 660:
Speedway 660 is one of Canada’s premier stock car racing facilities. Located in New Brunswick’s Fredericton region, it attracts race teams and fans from the Maritimes, New England and Quebec. The Speedway 660 racing season runs from mid May until Labour Day Weekend. SpeedWeekend, one of the most prestigious short track events in eastern North America, wraps up Speedway 660’s racing season.
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