Tim's Corner - July 22nd, 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY NIGHT
SPORTSMAN, LEGEND CLASSES RETURN ON FRIDAY
After a week off from the Scotia Speedworld Weekly Racing Series, the cars and stars of the Sportsman and Legend divisions will take to the track on Friday night. With us at the halfway mark of the season for both divisions, this will be the time we start to see moves made, rivalries flourish and paint swapped as the drivers try to rack up wins and points for the 2010 championship.
In the Sportsman class it is Steve Ross (Waverley) holding the advantage atop the heap. Ross is one of the drivers in the class that would not like to think of the points picture, rather the #24 Speedy Auto Center Tacoma Driver Chevrolet is gunning for wins. So far, that strategy has paid off in 2010. Second in points behind Ross is Kyle Butler. The Lake Egmont driver notched his first Sportsman win the last time the division was on the track and will look to take a bite into the nineteen point advantage that Ross has built up this season.
In fact, second on back in the division is a free-for-all point wise with second through seventh only being separated by twenty-nine markers. Rookie Mike Alexander of Cole Harbour is only five points out of Butler with a mix of veterans nipping at his heels. Last seasons champ Jeff Dillman (Middle Musquodoboit), Colby Smith (Cape Sable Island), Darren Wallage (Oakfield) and Harry Ross White (Noel Road) are in the mix and very well in contention for the title in ’10!
The Legends are led into action by Lantz’s Steve Pye. Pye, along with fellow Legend driver Cy Harvey went down to the Legends Million at Charlotte Motor Speedway this past weekend to run against the best Legend drivers in the world! The #6 has been solid all season but will have veterans and sophomores the likes of Matt Moore (Falmouth), Paul Blenkhorn (Truro), Justin MacNeill (Bedford), Greg Muir (Westville), Bruce Johnson (Truro), Harvey (Elmsdale), Jeff Atkinson (Port LaTour) and Jerry Austin (Westville). The top nine in the division are separated by forty points – meaning one small slip up from any of those drivers could spell disaster in the championship hunt.
With the top two divisions at Scotia Speedworld back in action this week it will make for a can’t miss evening of action! Be there Friday night as the drivers take the green during AMP Energy Night!
SMITH AND HURSHMAN HAVE ROLE REVERSAL DURING TWIN NIGHT 50
Just under twenty-four hours after nearly becoming a three-time consecutive Tirecraft Lightning 50 winner, third place driver Russell Smith Jr was at Riverside Speedway turning wrenches on Wayne Smith’s #44 Pro Stock ride. I approached the driver of car #144 just before drivers introductions for the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body to get the scoop on what happened the night before.
“It just shut off,” said Russell of his #144 car. “The dash lit up and it died. I was flicking switches and trying everything to get the thing back going again and that’s when I got into Jamie (Dillman). I felt bad and went over and apologized after the race. There were a few guys in the pits that thought I messed up and took the white flag for the checkered but the thing had no power when I took the white.”
“The funny thing about it all has to be the finish. Last year I came from third to pass Nick and win the race. This year it’s the opposite – Nick passed me from third to take the win.” Russell said of the race. “This week we plan on having both cars (the Neon and the Sportsman car) out to the track. We’ve received clearance to run both on the same night so if something goes wrong with the Neon, we can focus on the Sportsman car or vice versa. It’s all about getting laps in the Sportsman but we want the Lightning championship too.”
Russell has a healthy thirty-three point advantage over Nick Hurshman with Russell’s brother Jorden Smith completing the Smith Brothers Racing top three in the standings in third. Dan Michaud Jr and Cody Singer have been fierce rivals over the season so far and they round out the top five in points with one point between the two.
THUNDER PICTURE CHANGES AFTER THUNDER 50
Dave Matthews recorded his second win of the season in the fifty lap main feature last week for the Tirecraft Thunder division. With Matthews and his #99 Wooden Door Bistro Honda Civic deep in the point standings (127 points behind the lead), the question will be how many feature wins will Matthews have before the end of the season?
Tylor Hawes still has the point lead and in fact, that lead is just a bit bigger. Hawes now leads second place driver Andrew Warren of White’s Lake by seventeen points. Warren, the leading rookie in the class is creeping up on his first feature win which could come at any time! Three points back from Warren is Stevie Lively of Shubenacadie. Lively made a spirited run from the rear of the pack late in last week's event only to fall short of the top five after running in the lead early in the race. Also in the hunt at this stage of the season is Thunder veteran Ross Harvie of Kennetcook, who sits just six points out of Warren for second place.
With some misfortunes plaguing Kyle MacMillan (Hammonds Plains) in the fifty lap main feature, it moves Brently Pirri up to fifth in points. The Three Fathom Harbour driver is in his third full time Tirecraft Thunder season and trails Harvie by sixty points. Drew MacEachern (Dartmouth) is sixth in points followed by MacMillan, Joe Lawson (Porter’s Lake) and Stephen Morrell (Enfield) in the top nine. The gap from leader Hawes to ninth place Morrell is 110-points.
Many drivers are hungry to get back on track and score their first or, in some cases, another feature win. AMP Energy Night this Friday is that chance to see “The BEST Four Cylinder Drivers in Atlantic Canada” duke it out for the top spot at Scotia Speedworld!
OH, AND THE BANDOS WILL BE THERE TOO
The Hydraulics Plus Bandoleros will also be in action this coming Friday night at the Speedworld. Cole Butcher (Porter’s Lake) has laid claim to three feature wins this season but it is “Miss Rawdon Rocket” with the point lead by a single point over Butcher. Emily Meehan and DJ Casey (Prospect Road) own the other two feature victories on the year with Casey slated to be back behind the wheel of car #8 after taking a week off to do some Legend racing at Riverside.
We also had some visitors from away last week with Alicia Mowatt (Minto, NB), Ryan Messer (Harvey, NB) and Dawson McIntee (Moncton, NB) making their first starts at the Speedworld in 2010. Will we see any of the Speedway 660 invaders back at the Speedworld this weekend or will one of our regulars top the field? Only way to find out is to be at the track for AMP Energy Night starting tomorrow at 7pm.
Until then, keep the hammer down and we’ll see you at the track!
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