(Geary, NB – August 27th, 2018) – Four track champions were crowned on Saturday night at Speedway 660 as a part of the Night of Champions and Fan Appreciation Night festivities. While some became more of a nail biter than others, every driver laid it out on the line for a shot at calling themselves a champion in Speedway 660’s 25th Anniversary Season.
Steve Halpin (Saint John) used the 50-lap RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock feature as a tune up for the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 as he drove to victory lane on Saturday evening. Halpin raced to his first feature win of 2018 over Ashton Tucker (Lyttleton) and Greg Fahey (St. Stephen), who entered the evening with an outside shot at winning the championship. Tucker and Halpin took home qualifying heat race victories.
Dave O’Blenis (Boundary Creek) entered the evening with a one point advantage on Ryan Messer (Harvey). Between the heat and the feature, Messer was able to gain that one point, leaving the championship in the top class in a tie. The tiebreaker went to feature wins. O’Blenis, with three regular point paying wins (plus the Best of the Best 100 in late July), won the tiebreaker over Messer with his two feature victories.
For O’Blenis, it is his sixth RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Pro Stock division title.
Drew Greenlaw (Eastport, ME) scratched the second pre-season goal off his list on Saturday by winning the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman championship. After finishing second to John Rankin (St. Martin’s) in the closest of finishes one season ago, Greenlaw was able to hold off Curtis Collins (Saint John) in the feature to clinch the championship in 2018.
Alexandra O’Blenis (Boundary Creek) raced to her fourth feature victory of the season on Night of Champions while Greenlaw and Collins placed second and third, respectively, in the championship deciding feature. Rob Raynes (Saint John) and Collins won heat races.
Collins gained two points on Greenlaw in the heat race but Greenlaw was able to negate that advantage with their feature finishes bringing the final gap in the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman championship to six points. Destiny Enkel, “the Port City Princess,” raced her way to the Rookie of the Year Award in the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman division.
One of the most intriguing championship battles all season at Speedway 660 went to Shawn Hyslop (St. Stephen). Hyslop finished second in the final DMR Auto Street Stock feature of the year and won his heat race to take home the prestigious division championship. Justin Cole (Harvey) did what he had to do to win the title, but his feature win on Night of Champions would still leave him short of winning the season long war. For Cole, the feature win was his fifth on the year.
Joining Cole and Hyslop on the podium on Night of Champions was Bill Storey, who won his qualifying heat race earlier in the evening. Riley Goodwin (McAdam) crossed the line second during the 30-lap feature but failed post race technical inspection.
Kyle MacKinnon (Lincoln) was able to edge out the “Battle of the Kyles” in the DMR Auto Street Stock division to win the Rookie of the Year Award over Kyle Boudreau.
Bryan Suttie’s Night of Champions did not start out the way he wanted but it ended with a Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters track championship. Suttie, who saw his night end early in the feature, was in a three way battle for the championship with Scott “Bat Hubby” Kennie (Fredericton) and Brody Levesque (Fredericton). Kennie would originally cross the line first in the feature event with Levesque fourth, but both would fail post race technical inspection. The technical infractions would eliminate both Kennie and Levesque from not only the race but from the championship.
Malcolm Suley (Clarendon) brought home the official feature victory on Night of Champions in the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters division. The 2018 Rookie of the Year Randy Titus (French Lake) would score his best career finish with a second place run while BJ Gillespie (Nackawic) closed the point season with a podium finish.
Suley and Brendan Hall (Fredericton) would be credited with heat race victories in the Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooter division.
The 2018 track Champions and Rookie of the Year Award winners will officially receive their hardware at the annual Awards Banquet. The Awards Banquet takes place in January in Fredericton with an exact date to be announced following the racing season.
The focus now shifts to SpeedWeekend 2018 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, MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour and Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero Blast. Sunday, September 2nd will see the 18th Annual McLaughlin Roof Trusses Pro Stock 250, the Atlantic Modified Tour, DMR Auto Street Stocks and Fredericton Gun Shop Sharp Shooters in action. Complete information on SpeedWeekend 2018, including advance ticket, camping and schedule information, can be found at Speedway660.com.
For more information about Speedway 660, visit Speedway660.com, like @Speedway660 on Facebook or call the Speedway 660 Raceline at (506) 454-7223.
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.
Discussion about this post