JAMES RIVER, NS (August 16, 2017) – The NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) makes its only stop east of Quebec this Saturday at Riverside International Speedway for the Bumper to Bumper 300. It is the 11th edition of an event that has seen eight different winners – many of whom will be in the hunt for another “W” at what is one of the series favourite stops.
Two-time event winner DJ Kennington (St. Thomas, ON) leads the list, along with defending race winner Cayden Lapcevich (Grimsby, ON), inaugural winner Mark Dilley (Barrie, ON), the lone Quebec winner Andrew Ranger (Roxton Pond, QC), and the only Nova Scotia driver to ever win a NPS race in series history, Donald Chisholm (Antigonish).
Drivers looking to score their first win at Riverside include two who have three wins each on the series this year, Alex Labbe (St. Albert, QC), and Kevin Lacroix (Montreal, QC). A win for Lacroix would be especially meaningful as the primary sponsor for his race car is Bumper to Bumper, who will also sponsor the race at Riverside and as such have many employees and guests on site to cheer their driver on.
And well-known Alex Tagliani (Laval, QC) will be taking his second shot at Riverside, a track he has described as first-class and fun. Tagliani is Canadian racing royalty with 73 career starts in the IndyCar series and 55 in NASCAR’s three U.S. national series, including five wins on the XFINITY Series. Tagliani’s first visit to Riverside was last year for the Bumper to Bumper 300 and fans can bet he’s got a plan to better his ninth-place finish in that event.
As a result of so many drivers looking for the checkered flag Saturday, fans can expect 300 laps of side-by-side competition on the high-banked, very fast, 0.333-mile oval.
In the 11-year history of the NPS, only four tracks have hosted the series every season; Riverside is not just one of those tracks but has the longest running affiliation with NASCAR of any track in Canada.
The Bumper to Bumper 300 is round 10 of the 13 championship points events that comprise the 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s Series. And while winning a race at the popular Riverside International Speedway is a feather in the cap of any racer, historically, a victory could mean much more. In six of the 10 NPS race held at Riverside, the winner of the race has gone on to clinch the series championship title: Ranger – 2010, Kennington – 2010 & 2012, Scott Steckly – 2011 & 2015, and last year, Lapcevich.
The starting grid for the Bumper to Bumper 300 will be determined through time trials; Chisholm will look to defend the pole award he won in last year’s edition of the event.
The NASCAR Weekend at Riverside International Speedway gets underway Friday, August 18 with the R&D Performancenter 100 for the NAPA Sportsman Series and the debut of the MJS Holdings Ltd. East Coast Mini Stock Tour. On Saturday it’s the Bumper to Bumper 300 and the Farrell’s Excavating 50 for the Maritime League of Legends. Sunday, fans will enjoy the rush that is Riverside by participating in the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience.
Drivers from all over Atlantic Canada have filed entry forms for the Sportsman, Mini Stock, and Legends races. Expected entry lists can be found under the Entries tab on the event pages at the RIS website.
Tickets for the NASCAR Weekend are available as Single Day or Weekend Pass options. Reserved seats are available in advance only. Fans can order tickets online at www.RiversideSpeedway.ca until August 17. General admission tickets will be available at the gate starting at 4 p.m. on August 18 and at Noon on August 19. To sign up for the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience please visit www.racewithrusty.com.
Racing starts at 7 p.m. on August 18. Group qualifying to set the field for the Bumper to Bumper 300 is at 3 p.m. on August 19, followed by a NASCAR autograph session at 5:30 p.m., the Farrell’s Excavating 50 at 6:45 p.m., opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m., and the green flag for the Bumper to Bumper 300 at 8:00 p.m.
There is free RV parking for this event (no reservations and no services) along with free spectator parking. This and more event information can be found at www.RiversideSpeedway.ca.
ABOUT UNI-SELECT
Uni-Select is a leader in the distribution of automotive refinish and industrial paint and related products in North America, as well as a leader in the automotive aftermarket parts business in Canada. In Canada, Uni-Select supports over 16,000 automotive repair and collision repair shops through a growing national network of more than 1,100 independent customers and corporate stores, many of which operate under the Uni-Select BUMPER TO BUMPER, AUTO PARTS PLUS® AND FINISHMASTER® store banner programs. It also supports over 3,900 shops and stores through its automotive repair/installer shop banners, as well as through its automotive refinish banners. In the United States, Uni-Select, through its wholly-owned subsidiary FinishMaster, Inc., operates a national network of automotive refinish corporate stores under the FINISHMASTER banner which services a network of over 30,000 customers annually, of which it is the primary supplier to over 6,000 collision repair centre customers. Uni-Select is headquartered in Boucherville, Québec, Canada, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol UNS.
The BUMPER TO BUMPER store banner is a turnkey program for auto parts wholesalers looking for complete program support, a strong brand image and a very aggressive go-to-market approach. BUMPER TO BUMPER was introduced to the Canadian Automotive Aftermarket in 1977 and entered the Uni-Select fold in 2006. Today, over 100 auto parts stores operate in Canada under the BUMPER TO BUMPER banner.
Riverside International Speedway is recognized as a premiere stock racing facility in Canada. The 1/3-mile high-banked asphalt oval roars to action several times a year for special events. It is the home of the IWK 250 – widely known as the best stock-car race in Canada, and of the Bumper to Bumper 300 – eastern Canada’s only NASCAR event. Located in James River, between New Glasgow and Antigonish, the facility is easily accessible at exit 30 on Trans Canada Highway 104. For more information please visit www.riversidespeedway.ca or call 902-863-2410.
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