Issue 13

Preview: Forbes Chevrolet 100

WEATHER TAKES ANOTHER ONE

Mama Nature is playing games with us this season.

For the second straight event on the CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock Tour Saturday following a threat of rain. Dampness is the last thing you want to have on a race track, especially a race track the likes of Speedway 660, a very tight, fast 1/3 mile oval. As I said last week, it is a tough decision to cancel events on a weekend, especially when you have cars, crews, drivers, fans and officials lined up, set up and ready to enter the track to get the days proceedings underway with. I would not want to have the job of the Speedway 660 or CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock Tour officials as they decide the fate of a race when the local and national weather stations threatens us with statements like "70+% chance of rain" or "no window of opportunity from 5pm on." Stay tuned to this website for more info on the fate of those two events.

FLEMMING FIGHTS UNIQUE PROBLEM DURING FRIDAY NIGHT PRACTICE

While we were waiting at the entrance gate at Speedway 660 on Saturday afternoon, I had the opportunity to chat with multi-time Tour champ John Flemming. The driver of The Roofing Connection Dodge had mentioned he was practicing on Friday night, dialing in the third place point car in advance of the Parts for Trucks 100. Though the session progressed well and the crew was making progress on the setup, the session ended around the nine o'clock hour, not because of weather or darkness though.

"When I pulled the car in for the final time, I got out and told the guys to load it up because of the mosquitoes," said Flemming on Saturday. Bring that time of the summer when the little critters make their way out, combined with the location of the Geary track, it is a prime spot for the creatures to pounce. Flemming was the top finishing Canadian at the PASS North stop at the track in June.

FORBES PRESENTING NOT ONLY UPCOMING EVENT . . .

For the past years, Forbes Chevrolet on Portland Street in Dartmouth has supplied the Maritime Pro Stock Tour and Scotia Speedworld with their official pace car. Not only did I get the chance to ride in the 2009 Chevrolet Impala with driver Scott Williams Friday night during the Hobby Stock feature on Kiddie Night at Scotia Speedworld, I got the opportunity to ride up in the car to the Geary woods on Saturday. I had been told before the trip up to New Brunswick that the car had "guts" and was a smooth handling vehicle and I agree fully with those two statements. When you are down in the Halifax Regional Municipality this week visiting Forbes Chevrolet in advance of the 100-lap feature at Scotia Speedworld, I strongly suggest browsing their vast inventory and even taking one of their vehicles for a test drive. For more info on the dealership, visit ForbesChev.com!

SMITH GRABS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON

While we waited in Geary for a decision to be made, some of us took part in the Kiddie Night at Scotia Speedworld on Friday. While a lot of excitement took place on the track, some of the biggest excitement of the night took place during the 4-cylinder Lightning car feature. While the diehard fans are familiar of the names including Starks, Robar, Michaud, Sutherland and Parrott (just to name a few), the name Smith is as symbolic to the division as it is the Maritime Pro Stock Tour. In fact, part-time pro stocker Russell Smith's sons are full timers in the division. Russell Jr. is a former champ in the division while Jorden is a rookie in 2009. Both drivers have been up front all season long with Russell Jr. taking the first two main features in 2009. They had some stiff competition though in the way of their nephew - Trevor Smith.

Trevor battled through the field last Friday during Kiddie Night, finishing second after charging back from contact with another car in the heat which put him near the front at the start of the main. Trevor battled with Sackville's Kevin Robar early in the event as the two swapped the lead and paint through the first half of the event before Robar fell off the pace. From the rear, Dan Michaud and Russell Jr. were storming to the front but they ran out of time to catch Trevor for the victory. Trevor pulled into victory lane with the checkered flag and one of the biggest smile on his face that I've seen in quite a while doing interviews at the track. "I never thought that I'd be here in my second race," said the newest Smith to visit victory lane at Scotia Speedworld.

This Friday night, Scotia Speedworld will host the Lightning cars and four other divisions during Report Card night, apart of their Weekly Racing Series starting at 7pm. Trevor will try to win his second main feature victory of the season as his father will try to win his first of the season in the Forbes 100 - after all his dad is five time Maritime titlist, Wayne Smith!

FORBES 100 WIDE OPEN FOR TAKING

The last four CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock Tour races at Scotia Speedworld have produced four different winners - Shawn Turple, Wayne Smith, Craig Slaunwhite and Greg Proude. All four have won on other tracks and for three of the four, the 3/10-mile oval is classified as their home track. So, who would be the odds on favorite to win this Saturday night? That category will be left wide open until the checkered flag falls on the 26-car field on Saturday evening.

This event will also serve as the final Pro Stock tune-up to Triple Crown event #2, the Atlantic CAT 250 at Scotia Speedworld. Since PASS North dropped the event off their schedule, the CMPST has picked it up and is expecting a big car count for the event as drivers will be gunning for thousands of dollars in prize money and one lucky driver may be aiming for the second jewel in his $50,000 crown. Unsure of who will be racing from stateside, we do know that the only Canadian titlist of that event will be wanting to keep that statistic that way as John Flemming will attempt to put his #97 in Victory Lane.

It'll all kick off Saturday beginning at 5:10pm for Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials followed by the Dartmouth Dodge Dash for Cash, qualifying and feature racing for the CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock Tour and the Maritime Legends Tour at 6pm! It is scheduled to be a barn burner, so don't miss it!

Until Saturday afternoon, keep the hammer down and we'll see you at the track!

Tim Terry
TimTerryOnline.com