REGAN SMITH WINS THE IWK 250
AT RIVERSIDE SPEEDWAY
JAMES RIVER, NS (JULY 19, 2008) - Regan Smith, a NASCAR visitor from North Carolina, won the IWK 250 on Saturday night at Riverside Speedway, near Antigonish, NS on Saturday night. The IWK 250 has been billed as the richest event ever held in the Maritimes, with a posted purse of over $103,000. Regan Smith took home the $10,000 first place prize, by leading the final seventeen laps of the event. He becomes the fifth different driver to take the Halcraft Print checkered flag in six events on the 2008 season.
Shawn Turple of Enfield, NS and Mike MacKenzie of Dartmouth, NS finished second and third in the event.
Bob White of Kennetcook, NS and John Flemming of Halifax, NS rounded out the top five.
Several storyline were seen throughout the night. Johnny Clark of Hallowell, Maine led the most laps, before a flat tire took him out of contention. Greg Proude of Charlottetown, PE led late in the race and had a tire go flat on his Dodge with two laps remaining. Over 10,000 fans saw 11 different leaders throughout the night.
There were ten stoppages in the race, including a halfway break, which took almost three hours to complete.
Forty cars attempted to qualify for the event. Clark had the fastest time on the 1/3 mile oval, with an average speed over 100 miles per hour.
Hometown hero Donald Chisholm earned the pole for the event after winning the Dash for the Pole, featuring the top ten cars in time trials.
Heat winners included Travis Benjamin of Belfast, Maine, Flemming and Chris Hughes of Brackley, PE.
Semi winners were Rollie MacDonald of Pictou, NS and Robbie MacLean of Winsloe, PE.
The "B" Feature was won by defending CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour Champion Shawn Tucker of Fredericton, NB. The win earned him the final qualifying position in the event. The King of the Road Roger Miller of North Noel Road, NS and Dale Holmes of West Covehead, PE finished second and third. Eight additional cars were added to the show, creating a thirty one car starting field for the prestigious event.
The CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour returns to action next Saturday, July 26th at Speedway 660, in Geary, NB. New Brunswick drivers Dave O'Blenis and Lonnie Sommerville have both come close to winning on the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour this season and hope that their home track will bring them their first career wins.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS - THE IWK 250 - July 19, 2008 at Riverside Int'l Speedway
| Pos | No. | Name | Laps | Sponsor | Hometown |
| 1 | 08 | Regan Smith | 250 | Komatsu | Mooresville NC |
| 2 | 0 | Shawn Turple | 250 | Dexter Construction | Enfield NS |
| 3 | 02 | Mike MacKenzie | 250 | Forbes Chevrolet | Dartmouth NS |
| 4 | 81 | Bob White | 250 | Stuart Pontiac | Kennetcook NS |
| 5 | 97 | John Flemming | 250 | Certainteed | Halifax NS |
| 6 | 23 | Lonnie Sommerville | 250 | AE MacKay Builders | Saint John NB |
| 7 | 98 | Aric Almirola | 250 | Pioneer Coal | Tampa FL |
| 8 | 44 | Wayne Smith | 250 | ICI Paints | Timberlea NS |
| 9 | 29 | Greg Proude | 250 | Challenger Farm Equip. | Charlottetown PE |
| 10 | 01 | Robbie MacLean | 249 | Robbies Truck and Trailer | Charlottetown PE |
| 11 | 54 | Johnny Clark | 249 | Clarks Car Crushing | Hallowell ME |
| 12 | 48 | Dave O'Blenis | 246 | Burger King | Boundary Creek NB |
| 13 | 18 | Darren MacKinnon | 243 | Shaws Towing | Winsloe PE |
| 14 | 35 | Brad Mann | 233 | Subway Restaurants | Glen Livet NB |
| 15 | 32 | Chris Hughes | 213 | Pauley Equipement | Brackley Beach PE |
| 16 | 88 | George Koszculics | 189 | Wear Well Garmet Co. | New Glasgow NS |
| 17 | 66 | Daryl Mahar | 167 | Inglis Jewelers | Five Island Lake NS |
| 18 | 17b | Travis Benjamin | 131 | Belfast Variety | Morrell ME |
| 19 | 19v | Darren Vanderaa | 250 | Chappell Construction | Milton PE |
| 20 | 4 | Dale Holmes | 130 | Castle Building Centres | West Covehead PE |
| 21 | 88m | Kevin Moore | 113 | Santucci Tiles | Fredericton NB |
| 22 | 20 | Greg Fahey | 110 | Rexall | St Stephen NB |
| 23 | 89 | Donald Chisholm | 250 | Nova Construction | Antigonish NS |
| 24 | 8 | Kent Vincent | 64 | Atlantic Turbines | Crapaud PE |
| 25 | 13 | Rollie MacDonald | 64 | King Freight Lines | Pictou NS |
| 26 | 17 | Brent Wiggins | 64 | Sign Factory | Fredericton NB |
| 27 | 52 | Shawn Tucker | 32 | Rockico Truck & Trailer | Fredericton NB |
| 28 | 26 | Mike Stevens | 28 | R. Stevens Mechanical | Salisbury NB |
| 29 | 66x | Paul Gahan | 27 | Gahan and Son Trucking | Fredericton NB |
| 30 | 23s | Craig Slaunwhite | 8 | Atlantic CAT | Terence Bay NS |
| 31 | 5 | Jonathan Hicken | 3 | Reynolds Well Drilling | Montague PE |
Race Stats
Cautions: 10
Lead Changes: Lonnie Sommerville: 1-4; Donald Chisholm: 5-29; Johnny Clark: 30-82; Daryl Mahar: 83-115; Johnny Clark: 116-132;
Sommerville: 133-150; Clark: 151-168; Greg Proude: 169-223; Regan Smith: 224; Greg Proude: 225-232; REgan Smith: 233-250
Heat Winners: Chris Hughes, Travis Benjamin, John Flemming
Dash Winner: Donald Chisholm
Semi Winners: Rollie MacDonald, Robbie MacLean
Time Trials Winner (Fast Time): Johnny Clark (14.398 seconds)
Last Chance Top Three: Shawn Tucker, Roger Miller, Dale Holmes
About CARQUEST Auto Parts
With nearly 4000 locations in North America, CARQUEST Auto Parts supplies the professional automotive service repair industry as well as do-it-yourselfers with replacement parts, tools and equipment.
About the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour
The CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour is owned and operated by Maritime Pro Stock Tour Limited and features an annual series at five venues in the three Maritime Provinces of Canada. Former champions include John Flemming (2002, 2003, 2006), Shawn Tucker (2004, 2007), Wayne Smith (2001) and Rollie MacDonald (2005). For more information, call 902.481.2531 or click www.maritimeprostocktour.com.
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