Issue 226

Biggest Pro Stock Tour Field at Petty International Raceway Taking Shape for Race One

A lot of teams have kept their cards close to their chest this Winter, but as the temperature warms up and the snow melts we are starting to see the shop doors open.

From all indications, we will see the biggest field of Pro Stocks on record for a Parts for Trucks Maritime Pro Stock Tour at Petty International Raceway since the track re-opened.

That can likely be attributed to it being the first race of the year, the geographical location of the race and the fact that entering the first race helps set up allotment of tires for the season for both part and full time teams. In comparison, the first of three races at Petty International Raceway in 2017 drew 26 cars.

While there is no official entry list, which is typically drawn from tire orders for the race, we could potentially see over 30 cars attempt the Lucas Oil 150. It would mark the biggest car count for Pro Stocks at Petty International Raceway and would mark the first time in Series history that a B Main would have to be run at the high banked bullring.

Now, it is difficult to include everyone that might be racing at this point because we might forget someone, but for those who are asking who are running, let’s paint a picture. At this point, expect to see all your full time teams from last year to participate at the Lucas Oil 150. Robbie MacEwen will be scaling back to part time at this point and I know Dylan Blenkhorn is juggling his new business (AutoRite Service Centre in Truro) and a Sportsman ride among other things but we know what winning can do for chasing a championship. We’ll focus more on these guys next week in the lead up.

Sarah McKay and Jonathan Hicken are returning full time to the Tour in 2018. Hicken ran three quarters of the races in each of the last few seasons and will be a threat right out of the box at Petty Raceway. It’s great to have McKay and her team back on the Series after a year off. McKay and Hicken are both fan favorites and we look forward to seeing them on May 19th.

I spoke with George Jamieson at Radical Speedsport and he mentioned to me that Greg Fahey and the McLaughlin Roof Trusses team will join us to open their season at Petty International Raceway. The team will also be running Speedway 660 this year and Jamieson will even get some track time. Fahey was the winner of the Cummins 150 last year at Speedway 660 when we rolled into town and has a couple of top ten runs at the IWK 250 presented by Steve Lewis, so do not be surprised to see the 29F fighting for the win by the end of 150-laps at Petty Raceway.

I want to focus on four young men that will be the future and while all will not run for the Rookie of the Year Award on the Series, they will all be at Petty International Raceway to kick start their season.

We’ll start with the answer to the biggest annual pre-season question. After speaking briefly with Rollie MacDonald at Radical Speedsport, he mentioned they will start the 2018 season with Cory Hall at the wheel of their car. Rollie indicated to me it would be a race to race basis but if Hall did good in the first two races of the year, they would run him in the third race and so on for the subsequent races. So while it is not officially a full time ride, it could turn into one depending on how the early season plays out. To answer the second question fans have, Rollie also told me that Cassius Clark would compete in the big races here, including the IWK and Toromont Cat 250s. The team has campaigned two cars in the past and could be an option if Hall shows promise. Clark’s first pair of races with us, according to his social media, are the Ron MacGillivray Chevrolet Buick GMC 150 on June 16th and the next week, the Nova Truck Centres Make A Wish 150 on June 23rd.

Let’s rewind for a second back to Cory Hall. Hall has seen a quick rise through the stock car ranks in the region, winning at almost every track in the Maritimes in a Bandolero and having an impressive track record in Legend cars. Hall came within a whisker of winning the International Semi Pro Legend title last year and is an event champion of the Battle at the Big Top in Fort Worth, Texas and a two-time winner of INEX Winter Nationals at Citrus County Speedway. His record speaks for himself, he has been a winner in everything he has sat in and with the previous progression of drivers who have taken the same path, a Pro Stock should be no problem once he gets seat time under his belt. While working in the King Racing shop this winter, he has also been mentoring Rollie’s grandson Austin MacDonald in Legend car competition. Keep that name on your radar too.

While Hall has one Pro Stock start in the Mike Stevens Memorial, this be will Hall’s Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour debut, one of three who are slated to make their first Maritime Pro Stock Tour start on May 19th.

Braden Langille announced his intentions to compete full time on the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour earlier this winter. Like Hall, Langille is a graduate of the US Legend Cars International feeder system and has countless Bandolero and Legend wins. Langille has won INEX Eastern Canadian championships in Bandoleros and owns a track championship at Scotia Speedworld. Langille started this year with feature wins in Florida and Texas in a Legend car. Langille will be driving a Pro Stock car that will serve as a satellite operation of Nova Racing.

Now, I’m sure they don’t want me to mention it, but I will quickly address the elephant in the room. In the past year or so, the rivalry in Legend cars between Hall and Langille has escalated. Both downplay it when you ask, saying that there are no hard feelings. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen two young hotshoes clash on the Maritime Pro Stock Tour and likely, if the Hall and Langille rivalry sparks up, won’t be the last. However it plays out, it will mean some hard racing that I’m sure will leave our fans at the edge of their seats.

The third piece to this puzzle is Waylon Farrell. Farrell, who unveiled his sharp white, yellow and black scheme on social media last week, is a two time Maritime League of Legends Tour champion and has INEX championships to his credit in Newfoundland. Farrell is another driver who is a successful graduate of the US Legend Cars International program and has honed his skills on Maritime race tracks over recent years. Waylon is a quiet individual on the microphone but he lets his driving on track do the talking, which typically results in a podium finish when it comes to recent years. A Pro Stock is a completely different animal but expect the CBS, NL driver to quickly adapt to this car.

So, there are potentially three freshmen running for the Exide Batteries Rookie of the Year Award. All three have the same path to the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour through Legends and Bandoleros. Langille has Pro Stock experience last year, Hall has one open Pro Stock show under his belt and Farrell has ran a number of Sportsman races over the years plus a NASCAR Pinty’s Series race. Either way, it’s going to be really difficult to handicap this battle, which means we could potentially see another classic battle for one of the most prestigious awards on the Series.

Oh, and while we’re at it, I want to shed the light on the Rodgers brothers.

While their plan is to split the car and only run a handful of races, should something happen and they end up running the full season, they would qualify (upon approval from officials) to compete for the Exide Batteries Rookie of the Year Award. Let’s not talk about that right now though and talk about the driver who is slated to start at the Lucas Oil 150.

Andrew Rodgers is one of the most energetic young individuals you’ll find in the pit area any given weekend. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and he speaks his mind with the first thing that come to it. The sport needs more Andrew Rodgers type drivers. Oh - and did I mention he can wheel a race car as good as anyone?

Rodgers will make his Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour debut, or is scheduled to, in the Lucas Oil 150 on May 19th. We know his older brother Matt, who has ran less than a handful of races with us in the past. Both drivers started in Four Cylinder cars before moving to Sportsman and now they split their Pro Stock ride. Their family has a rich history of stock car racing in the Maritimes and I’m looking forward to seeing the Rodgers clan in less than two weeks!

If you are in the area, the Pro Stocks will have track time at Petty International Raceway on May 12th from 2pm to 6pm. I’ll be there with updates throughout the day via my Tim’s Corner Motorsports social media channels at @timscornerca!

Next week, we get a clearer picture of the full entry list for the Lucas Oil 150 and start handicapping the field a bit to see where the favorites lie on paper for the event.

Until then, keep the hammer down and we’ll see you at the track!