ISSUE 240

Sizing Up Season 19 - Lucas Oil 150 Preview

Hear that? That’s the distant sound of race cars getting ever so louder as we get closer to Saturday afternoon and the opening of the 2019 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour season.

I’m as excited as anyone to get going this year. Like last season, we will get the green flag at a high banked bullring and get the checkered flag at a flat tricky to navigate oval. In between the first and last race, we’ll take to one of the region’s most iconic paved ovals as well as visit “the Island” a couple times too.

Our championship hunt begins this Saturday at Petty International Raceway in River Glade, New Brunswick. The big talk around the water coolers and race shops has been the championship over the last couple months. Since Cole Butcher announced he was not running full time on our Tour in 2019 and was looking at other opportunities down south to race, it has opened the door wide open for someone to step up and take a swing at becoming the champion. Butcher has won two of the last three championships on this series and missed that middle frame by a single point. Needless to say, Butcher has been the best model of consistency over the last three years.

So, who is the favorite for the title in 2019? On paper, you have to look at Shawn Turple as one of the favorites. Turple is a three time champion, winning his most recent title in 2017. He’s also the only active champion that is competing full time on the Tour with Butcher, John Flemming and Donald Chisholm racing part-time in 2019.

When you look at statistics though, you have to think Dylan Blenkhorn would be high on most lists when it comes to picking a champion. He has sixteen wins over the last five seasons with at least three wins each year. His biggest year in the win column came last year when he scored four Tour wins, including the season opener at Petty International Raceway and not including the Mike Stevens Memorial open race in September. He leads all active drivers in Tour sanctioned wins at Petty with five and not only is a threat to win the race on Saturday but should be a title contender come September at Scotia Speedworld.

Maybe the easiest gauge to find out who will be a title threat is to pluck Butcher out of last year’s title fight and see who was fighting for second. Wedged between Blenkhorn and Turple in last year’s standings was Craig Slaunwhite. By the sounds of it, the trio each have new race cars, with Slaunwhite’s new metal coming from Crooks Racing and Port City Racecars. Remember back to last year where Craig had three podium finishes in three races to kick off the year? If he can do that again and keep that momentum clear through the season, that championship trophy could have Slaunwhite’s name on it when we drop the checkered on Race 12.

You’ve got a host of others that will contend for the title that are not only due for a good run to the front but are clawing at the door to victory lane. Jonathan Hicken knocked down the door last year at the River Glade International and goes into Saturday as our most recent Tour winner in New Brunswick. He’s got a new car and did a ton of laps last Saturday at the open practice to get it up to speed. You know he’ll be good, so will Darren MacKinnon, Dylan Gosbee, Kent Vincent and Greg Proude.

Jarrett Butcher and Nicholas Naugle have matured over the past couple seasons and are destined to win a race sooner rather than later. Sarah McKay, Terry Dougay and Shawn Pierce continue to find speed every week as the season goes on as well. Harry Ross White is back after his battle with cancer and still has the drive to win with new crew chief Mitch Blanchard. Waylon Farrell is coming off an Exide Batteries Rookie of the Year run last year and Russell Smith Jr will look to take the award this year in his first full time season.

While the full time crowd will be hard to beat, the drivers racing part time with us will be incredibly strong this year.

Ryan Messer and Ashton Tucker will each look to make their Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour debut on Saturday. Yes, Ashton Tucker has made two attempts to race with us, but he failed to qualify at the IWK 250 and blew a motor at Riverside in the fall during the Lucas Oil 150. He and the Brad Silliker Motorsports team are back with the pre-season intentions of coming to the Petty and Riverside events. Messer, with marketing partner Dana’s Collision Centre - CSN, is looking at five races this Summer with all four Scotia Speedworld events to follow Saturday’s opener. Both drivers have won at every level on their way up through the ranks with Messer making headlines last year by winning the McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 at Speedway 660. While we might not expect them to win right out of the box, they’re cut from the same cloth as a Cole Butcher or Dylan Blenkhorn. Success will come if these two keep with the Series. Keep your eye on them!

Steve Halpin showed a ton of speed last year, especially here at Petty International Raceway during the Lucas Oil 150. The aforementioned McLaughlin Roof Trusses 250 at Speedway 660 that Messer won? Halpin chased him to the line in that race in second. If you like to root for that somewhat of an underdog or a driver looking for their first Tour win, look no further than the former Exide Batteries Rookie of the Year winner on the Tour!
Robbie MacEwen is right there on the cusp of a win in this Series. He likes these high banked race tracks, he’s shown speed here before and had a bad fast car here last August en route to a third place run in the Cummins 200.

Chris Hughes led a pile of laps last year at the second Oyster Bed Speedway race. If Hughes can rekindle some of that home track magic and bring it across the Confederation Bridge with him, you best believe he will have something when the pay window begins to open on Saturday evening.

Nevin Scott, Andrew Rodgers and Craig Ward continue to plug away and gain experience. For “THE THRILLMAKER” Craig Ward, 2019 marks his 20th season in racing and I’m excited to see him on track this Saturday night. Some of Nevin’s best runs have come here at Petty International Raceway and we’ve talked about how much momentum can mean to a drive and a team. The same can be said for young Andrew Rodgers, who calls Smithtown home. A good run here by the No. 81 and/or the 42 cars would give them a great shot in the arm ahead of a long Summer.

I wanted to save one of the most intriguing entries for last in Cory Hall. Hall, who works with King Racing, has been tabbed to drive the No. 42 car for Reid Racing this weekend. While there were no transponders or electronic scoring at the open practice last Saturday at Petty Raceway, a number of those I spoke with in the pits had pointed towards the all black car and said that Hall had looked smooth and was quick on the stopwatch. Now, practice is completely different than the race. A bad draw could mean for a long night, but we saw Hall turn heads here last year in the opener for a good run and great pace, especially early in his debut. I said earlier that I liked Halpin and MacEwen in the “potential first time winner” category - but give me Cory Hall in there too. Then you’ve got Naugle and Jarrett Butcher and, you’ve got one helluva field shaping up Saturday night.

So, who do I like to win Saturday and then win the championship? I think you need to have Cole Butcher in the race win discussion. I think you need to have championship contenders like Turple and Blenkhorn in there.

If guys like Slaunwhite and Hicken can get their new cars figured out quickly, I like their chances too.

MacKinnon is long overdue and should have a rocket on Saturday. So should Gosbee, Vincent, Proude, etc. It is hard to pick just one. Heck, it is hard to pick a top ten for that matter.

I guess I’ll leave you with this thought. From the last time I spoke with him, Blenkhorn planned on bringing the piece to Petty that won the last three major Pro Stock/Pro Late Model type races here in the Maritimes, including our last two Tour shows. Even with a seven month winter in the way, it is still hard to deny that he holds one of the hottest hands heading into this race. He also won this Lucas Oil 150 last year. If I had to pick a winner, I’d go with the No. 67, but it will be far from easy for whoever ends up crossing the line first on Lap 150.

There will be lots to follow procedure wise on Saturday. Nothing earth shattering, but with a new race director in Scott Cunning and the leader getting lane choice on restarts, it could make for an interesting night. Bonus points have changed this year with every driver who leads a lap in a feature event getting a single point and the driver who leads the most laps will get two bonus points. Both of those bonuses were five points last year. It should also be noted that whoever wins this and every feature this season cannot start within the top ten for the rest of the year. We saw Cole Butcher come through the field at Oyster Bed Speedway last year, so while it is a cool concept and will give us a chance to see fast cars come through the field, it is possible that we will see some heroics from that new procedure.

Saturday will be fun, especially with it being the very first stock car event of the season. It is a full card with A.E. McKay Builders Late Model Sportsman, Street Stock and the Passione Flooring & Interiors East Coast Mini Stock Tour on the schedule along with the Lucas Oil 150. Racing starts at 4pm and with a full field of Pro Stocks expected, you will want to be with us for Atlantic Tiltload Qualifying on Saturday evening to see where everyone slots in for 150-laps of short track action.

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