MARITIME RACERS NOMINATED FOR NATIONAL AWARDS

Local fans know that Maritime Pro Stock Tour Champion Shawn Tucker had an incredible 2010 season and with that comes national exposure as Inside Track Motorsport News announced their nominees for their annual Reader’s Choice Awards on Thursdayand to no surprise to their fans Tucker and Smith appear on the ballot!

Tucker won his third CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour title in 2010 by using consistency to rank up championship points. Tucker did not win a feature win on the eleven race Tour but used the strength of eight podium finishes to get to the top of the racing world in Atlantic Canada. To go along with his overall championship, he also topped his competitors in the Triple Crown of Pro Stock Racing standings, edging the nearest driver to him by a single point in the “big three” Pro Stock races of the season at Riverside International Speedway, Scotia Speedworld and Speedway 660. His third title in six seasons also ties him with John Flemming in the CARQUEST Tour era (2001-10) for the most championships and inches him closer to the likes of Greg Sewart and Wayne Smith for the most Maritime touring titles.

Russell Smith Jr. had a season some Weekly Racing Series competitors only dream about in 2010. Smith started in the Tirecraft Lightning division in May, racing his four cylinder Dodge Neon to two straight feature wins. In June, the team acquired a Sportsman car and worked towards Russell’s debut in that car while racking up the points in the Lightning class. On July 23rd at Scotia Speedworld, Russell started his first thirty-lap Sportsman feature and passed veteran Sheldon Pemberton for the lead – one that he would not relinquish en route to the win! He had no time to celebrate his first win in the eight cylinder class though as he hopped into his Neon immediately after the Sportsman feature and won his 20-lap main event in the Lightning class. He would sew up the Lightning title by starting the feature on finale night and would become the division’s only two time (2006 and 2010) champion. Smith would go on to finish 3rd in the Sportsman 100 at Scotia Speedworld in August and would record a big win at Riverside International Speedway in their 100-lap finale in only his second start at the track. He can also be seen on Saturday afternoons wrenching on his uncle Wayne’s pro stock car on the Tour.

To vote for these two Maritime drivers, head over to the voting booth for the Inside Track Reader’s Choice Awards. Be sure to select one nominee from each category to vote on and remember, in order for your vote to be counted you must fill out the entire ballot and register a choice on each category. You may vote once a day until the poll closes on December 31st, 2010. When finished, head over to their website at InsideTrackNews.com and check out the latest news in Canadian Motorsport or subscribe to the “Official Publication of Canadian Motorsport.” Inside Track is a proud partner at Scotia Speedworld and on the road with the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour.