Finale Friday Four Cylinder Fifty Frenzy Forthcoming
Folks, we don’t call them “The BEST Four Cylinder Drivers in Atlantic Canada” for nothing!
If you don’t believe me, you can find out why they have earned that name this Friday night. The two four cylinder classes at the Speedworld will go fender-to-fender in twin fifty lap events in their “Finale Friday” races to crown two 2010 titlists. Yes, the Hydraulics Plus Bandoleros and the Trucks will be in attendance racing in their penultimate point race but this weekend the spotlight will be on the Thunder and Lightning classes presented by Tirecraft!
LIGHTNING PREVIEW – SMITH THE MAN TO BEAT
In the Tirecraft Lightning division the championship is all but wrapped up for Russell Smith Jr. With fifty points being the gap between him and Smith Brothers Racing teammate Nick Hurshman, all Russell Smith Jr. would have to do is start the Tirecraft 50 if the field is made up of twenty cars or less. Also of note, with this being Russell Smith Jr’s last race in the Lightning class, he will be gunning for his final race win in the division this weekend. Hurshman has a nice cushion on last week’s feature winner Jorden Smith with thirty-six markers being the deficit for Smith. In order to break up the Smith Brothers Racing 1-2-3 atop the championship standings, Dan Michaud Jr. and Cody Singer will need to bring their “A” game to the Speedworld on Friday. Michaud, who sits fourth in points is trailing Jorden Smith by twenty-eight points. The ’09 champ may also need to do some “mirror driving” point wise as Singer is a close five markers behind the #119 car. The two have had a great season long battle which will go down to the final race this Friday.
Richie Moore is mathematically out of contention to grab fifth in the standings but has a firm hold on sixth. Moore is scheduled to be back behind the wheel of his #157 Hillbilly Racing after a vacation in Prince Edward Island last weekend. The car was left in very capable hands though as father Ronnie Moore wheeled the car last Saturday. Richie has a thirty-five point advantage on “The Pit Lizard” Jamie Creamer. Creamer has been having a career season in the #100 Cavalier and has eighteen points more than eighth place Jamie Dillman, who was absent from the field following the birth of his son last week. Dillman has the heat poured on him now as BJ Nicholson and Craig Cordeau will be gunning hard to gain those extra points on the #158 in the final event of the season. Nicholson trails Dillman by seven while Cordeau is eighteen points behind BJ for ninth.
Names like Poan, Geldart, Breimer, Conrad, MacMillan, Hallahan, Turple, Lawson, Hopper and Grant among others will be vying for the Tirecraft 50 title. Of those, rookie Tyler Hallahan is anxious to get back behind the wheel this weekend. Hallahan had his appendix removed last week and while recovering at the track had Mike “The Outlaw” Umlah pinch hitting in his #180 Total Pest Control/Diesel and Auto Electric Pontiac. Hallahan also told me he would have candy for those kids who visit him during the Kiddie Rides portion of the show at 7pm!
THUNDER DIVISION TO HAVE FIRST TIME CHAMPION
When you look back at the former four cylinder champs from around the region you have a stellar list of names. Drivers like Brown, Zwicker, Arseneau, Webster, Leonard and MacCallum have all etched their name into history as a Speedworld Thunder champ and will be joined in 2010 by a first time titlist. With his third place finish one week ago, Shubenacadie’s Stevie Lively took a three point lead over Tylor Hawes (Porter’s Lake) with just one event to go. Ross Harvie is also very much in contention for the championship as he sits just eighteen points behind Lively and Hawes and will be there to pounce should the top two have bad luck.
With an eleventh place finish this past Saturday it was Andrew Warren locking up the top rookie award in the Tirecraft Thunder division. The White’s Lake driver has amassed a 140-point advantage on his nearest competitor Chris Hatcher in car #14. The bad news is that if Warren wants to become a “rookie champion” he’ll need some catastrophic failures from the top three as he sits thirty-nine points behind Stevie for the top spot.
The battles to watch would be between fifth and fourteenth in the standings. Ninety-six points is the difference between the two positions and though Scott O’Neill cannot mathematically take away fifth, he can still make up positions in the final race of 2010. Here’s a quick summary of those positions and projections given each of those start the race with an estimated field of twenty-four cars.
FIFTH PLACE – DAVE MATTHEWS – KENNETCOOK – 779 POINTS
#99 WOODEN DOOR BISTRO HONDA CIVIC
Matthews has been running solid all season in his #99 Honda Civic. Three feature wins and six podium finishes have rewarded Matthews with fifth in points but with Matthew Warren hot on his heels he will have to pull out another solid finish to remain in the top five following the Tirecraft 50.
SIXTH PLACE – MATTHEW WARREN – WHITE’S LAKE – 773 POINTS
#31 MARKLAND ASSOCIATES HONDA CIVIC
The hottest driver in the Tirecraft Thunder division is Matthew Warren. Two consecutive wins have vaulted Warren to sixth, just six points out of fifth place. Warren would like nothing more than to capture the hat-trick to close off 2010 by taking the Tirecraft 50 on Friday.
SEVENTH PLACE – JORDAN PIRRI – WEST CHEZZETCOOK – 764 POINTS
#20 H&H LANDSCAPING HONDA CIVIC
Jordan Pirri has been racking up heat wins like they’ve been going out of style. Pirri has four wins, the most of any Thunder driver this season in qualifying events – which pocket the West Chezzetcook driver ten points per victory! A good run Friday could vault the sophomore to fifth in the standings.
EIGHTH PLACE – BRENTLY PIRRI – THREE FATHOM HARBOUR – 744 POINTS
#37 REVMA ELECTRIC HONDA CIVIC
Though not impossible, the road to a top five point finish for two-wheel ace Brently Pirri will be tough. The #37 scored his sixth top ten finish of the season last week and would love to finish 2010 off with his first victory!
NINTH PLACE – DREW MACEACHERN – DARTMOUTH – 742 POINTS
#13 MARITIME FLEET SERVICES HONDA CIVIC
MacEachern is a veteran of this division and has been in a situation like this before. The Darkside Racing driver finished 11th in the standings last season and once again is in a nail biting battle for a top ten spot. Watch for the #13 to make a move on Friday to gain some points on his competitors to better his ninth place point position heading into the Tirecraft 50!
TENTH PLACE – STEPHEN MORRELL – ENFIELD – 737 POINTS
#50 SCOTIA AUTO SALVAGE HONDA CIVIC
Morrell lost some points on his competition last week as he finished deep in the Thunder car field with mechanical problems. With just seven markers between himself and eighth place, the #50 could be on the move come the end of fifty laps on Friday night!
ELEVENTH PLACE - JOEY LAWSON – PORTER’S LAKE – 729 POINTS
#27 VEINOTTE MOTORSPORTS HONDA CIVIC
Like Morrell, Lawson could leapfrog himself to eighth place in the point standings before the night is over on Friday. With fifteen points being the gap between being outside the top ten and eighth place, expect the Toad’s Cycle Limited Civic to do some hopping up before the fifty is completed!
TWELVTH PLACE – KYLE MACMILLAN – HAMMONDS PLAINS – 719 POINTS
#5 JAYCAN ULTRAMAR PIPELINE HONDA CIVIC
MacMillan has been pouring on the heat in the late stages of 2010. After a fuel leak put the #5 back in the standings, the #5 Cobb Co Sign Design/Little Jo’s Pizza Civic has stepped up to the plate and delivered two second place feature runs. You could say the “Performance Edge” has been with MacMillan in August!
THIRTEENTH PLACE – CHRIS HATCHER – BEAVERBANK – 709 POINTS
#14 MULTI-TECH AUTOMOTIVE HONDA CIVIC
Hatcher has had a very respectable rookie season in 2010 as he battles with divisions vets Lawson, MacMillan and O’Neill in the point chase. With a bit of luck, the #14 could move up a few positions in the standings but will need to bring his “A” game to the plate on Friday.
FOURTEENTH PLACE – SCOTT O’NEILL – ENFIELD – 683 POINTS
#74 HONDA CIVIC
The biggest gap between a single position from fifth to fourteenth in the standings belongs to O’Neill. Scott is a veteran in this division though and you can bet the #74 will be looking for every position he can get on Friday night to close the twenty-six point margin between himself and Chris Hatcher.
Names like Williams, Matinet, Watts, Bonin, Morash and others will be looking to kick the door to victory lane square off its hinges on Friday night in order to take their first feature win of the season. You do not want to miss it!
Until Friday night, keep the hammer down and we’ll see you at the track!
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