CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – For the first time in five years, former Oyster Bed Speedway late model champion Robbie MacEwen is victorious in regional competition. The Charlottetown driver led a race-high 78 laps in the BJ’s Truck Centre 150 and survived a race of carnage under the lights, in which he remained clean the entire night, en route to a popular second-career East Coast International Pro Stock Tour win, in front of a large crowd at his home track.
The race, featuring 20 cars, started strong with a 55-lap green flag run and a battle for the lead between P.E.I. drivers MacEwen, Tanton Wooldridge and Chris Hughes. Hughes led the first 24 laps, after starting on the pole, but quickly fell back once MacEwen took the lead. A competition caution and two incident cautions re-racked the field for over 40 more laps of intense green flag racing, with MacEwen leading the charge over points leader Jarrett Butcher and Nicholas Naugle, who started the race outside the top-ten.
Another competition caution packed everyone back together and was the point when the race’s tone began to change. Naugle nudged MacEwen up the track for the lead and pioneered the field until a caution on Lap 121 for an incident involving Hughes and Tyler Smith. On the restart, a check-up led to a massive pileup in turn one, collecting at least half of the field. The red flag was displayed and everyone climbed out of their cars unhurt.
From there, Cory Hall joined the battle for the win and moved Naugle to lead several laps. While Naugle and MacEwen fought for second, Darren MacKinnon was spun by Butcher in turn two, with 15 laps remaining, and collected Wooldridge; Butcher was sent to the back for the incident. On the restart, Naugle regained the lead with a bump-and-run on Hall, in turn three, and led several laps. Eventually, Hall caught back up and the two got together exiting turn two, spinning into the infield and forcing a late caution.
After one more incident, involving Austin MacDonald, Mike Rodgers and Mark LeClair, MacEwen held off rookie Gage Gilby in a four-lap shootout to claim a long-awaited win. Stephen Lively scored his first career podium in his 50th Maritime Pro Stock Tour start. Hughes and Jordan Veinotte rounded out the top-five. Multi-time Street Stock winner Mike Duskey finished ninth, despite not having a front end after the Lap 121 wreck.
The race took about one-and-a-half hours to complete. There were five lead changes, nine cautions and one red flag. Thirteen cars finished on the lead lap. Hughes, Butcher and Naugle won in Atlantic Tiltload heat race action.
Local Divisions
In the Moore Well Drilling Outlaw Super Series championship finale, Jordan LeClair scored his first feature win since the 2023 season finale, leading over 30 laps, while defending himself from brother Jessie LeClair and points leader Brandon Forsyth. Jordan LeClair started the race in fourth and battled Kendall Palmer for the lead in the opening laps.
Forsyth’s third-place finish clinched him the Super Series championship, as he had to finish seventh or better. Two cautions delayed the 40-lap feature, as Layton Delaney went up in smoke and Palmer went into the turn two trees. Heat race wins went to Delaney and Jordan LeClair.
Brandon Albert went back-to-back in Gauthier’s Auto Repair Street Stock competition, claiming his second consecutive feature win. Albert and polesitter Nick Chiasson battled door-to-door for nearly half of the 25-lap feature, with Albert eventually clearing the way and hanging on.
Randy Snow finished third and Clifford MacIsaac, substituting for points leader Randy Millar, claimed fourth in his first stock car race in several years. Andrew Thompson and Sarah Jay finished fifth and sixth. Chiasson claimed a win in heat race action after a post-race tech call.
Reigning Mini Stock champion Jeff Bridges also became a two-time feature winner in 2024, going from ninth to first within seven laps in the 20-lap Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock feature. Cash Bridges finished second after starting eighth.
Rookie Corbin MacAulay started the race on the pole, led six laps, before Bridges took the lead, and finished third. MacAulay made a big save in turn four, with 13 laps remaining, after contact from behind by fellow rookie Campbell Stewart, who left the feature early. Ricky Bedell and Randy MacTavish finished fourth and fifth. Jeff Bridges and Bedell won in heat race competition.
Full race replays of the BJ’s Truck Centre 150 and the house class features are now available on the Oyster Bed Speedway YouTube channel.
Racing returns at Oyster Bed Speedway on Saturday, August 3 at 6 p.m. as the Easy-Kleen Super Late Model Series hosts its penultimate race and second on P.E.I. this season, and the Heart of a Champion Hot Rod Classics make their first and only appearance in 2024. Supporting the two regional touring series will be the Mini Stock Super Series and Outlaws. The rain date is Sunday, August 4 at 2 p.m.
Maritime Pro Stock Tour BJ’s Truck Centre 150 Results
1. #40 Robbie MacEwen
2. #25g Gage Gilby
3. #30 Stephen Lively
4. #32 Chris Hughes
5. #11v Jordan Veinotte
6. #51 Mark LeClair
7. #54 Jarrett Butcher
8. #08 Nicholas Naugle
9. #28 Mike Duskey
10. #13 Austin MacDonald
11. #41 Mike Rodgers
12. #24 Tanton Wooldridge
13. #25 Ryan VanOirschot
14. #83 Cory Hall -5
15. #18 Darren MacKinnon -5
16. #29 Greg Proude -29
17. #01 Troy Burke -29
18. #51s Tyler Smith -29
19. #22 Brodie Lewis -29
20. #36 Gary Elliott -36
Atlantic Tiltload Heat Race Winners – #32 Chris Hughes, #54 Jarrett Butcher, #08 Nicholas Naugle
BJ’s Truck Centre 150 Polesitter – #32 Chris Hughes
R&D Performancenter Most Laps Led – #40 Robbie MacEwen
Eastlink Fastest Lap Award – #83 Cory Hall
Swift Springs Hard Charger Award – #30 Stephen Lively
QA1 Free Pass Award – #25 Ryan VanOirschot
Wilwood Racing Future Winner Award – #25g Gage Gilby
Aero Wheels Last Car on Lead Lap Award – #25 Ryan VanOirschot
Five Star Hard Luck Award – #01 Troy Burke
Lucas Oil Rookie of the Race – #25g Gage Gilby
Moore Well Drilling Outlaw Super Series 40-Lap Feature Results
1. #47 Jordan LeClair
2. #46 Jessie LeClair
3. #3 Brandon Forsyth
4. #78 Jonathan Fitzpatrick
5. #49 Bradley Richard
6. #13 Harley Cornish
7. #33 Ethan Albert
DNF – #45 Kendall Palmer, #7 Layton Delaney, #04 Matthew Ford, #38 Tayler Albert
Heat Race Winners – #7 Layton Delaney, #47 Jordan LeClair
Gauthier’s Auto Repair Street Stock 25-Lap Feature Results
1. #37 Brandon Albert
2. #27 Nick Chiasson
3. #26 Randy Snow
4. #77 Clifford MacIsaac
5. #4 Andrew Thompson
6. #30 Sarah Jay
DNF – #001 Keaton Vessey
DNS – #24 Tyler Doucette
Heat Race Winner – #27 Nick Chiasson (after post-race tech call)
Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock 20-Lap Feature Results
1. #95 Jeff Bridges
2. #69 Cash Bridges
3. #17 Corbin MacAulay
4. #2 Ricky Bedell
5. #76 Randy MacTavish
6. #10 Austin Corrigan
7. #6 Blaze Roberts
8. #01 Adam Holland
9. #13 Rosie Kitson
DNF – #3 Campbell Stewart
Heat Race Winners – #95 Jeff Bridges, #2 Ricky Bedell
About Oyster Bed Speedway
Oyster Bed Speedway is Prince Edward Island’s premier auto racing facility and features fun and excitement with weekly stock car racing special events throughout the season. The 1/3 mile paved oval is located in Oyster Bed Bridge at the intersection of routes 6 and 7, halfway between Cavendish and Charlottetown on beautiful Prince Edward Island. More info can be found at: www.oysterbedspeedwaypei.ca
- From Oyster Bed Speedway
