issue 247

Halfway Home in 2019 - IWK 250 Preview at Riverside

When Jonathan Hicken crossed the line to win the Irving Oil 150, we crossed the halfway point in the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour season.

Hicken was one of, if not the, strongest car all day long. The Hicken/White Racing team has hit their stride early in the year. They took the momentum from winning at their home track and rolled down the road to Petty International Raceway to take home the victory last Saturday night.

I think back to 2014 where that team went on a roll late in the year, winning the second Island Pro Stock Tour race, the International at Petty Raceway, the Pro Stock Tour Season Finale at Scotia Speedworld and open races at Speedway Miramichi and the CENTRE For Speed. Hicken came up short in the Pro Stock Tour standings that year by 15 points to John Flemming. The consistency in the No. 5 Chapman Brothers team and the strength of two wins has Hicken second in points, 17 points out of the lead after six races. If he continues on this roll, one that is looking similar to 2014, he will be difficult to beat.

Dylan Blenkhorn heads into the second half of the season on consistency. After starting the season hot, taking two wins at Scotia Speedworld, he continues to hold a hot hand. His worst finish is fifth at Oyster Bed Speedway and has five podium finishes in six races. That kind of box score wins championships, which is the only thing really missing off Dylan’s resume on the Tour. He’s won at all four active tracks we run at, he’s won the two major events on the schedule, he just has that championship box unchecked.

Now, Dylan and Jonathan have each won two races along with reigning Tour champion Cole Butcher, who has stuck to his word and became a part time driver in 2019 after missing the last two races. But, I’m a firm believer that, for the most part, what is done in one half of a season can be undone in the second half and no words are spoken more true heading into a race with 35 entries. But, before we grab a gear into looking at Saturday, I want to remind you that while it looks like a two horse race up front, we have several drivers that could upset the apple cart in the second half of 2019.

I got a text from Jarrett Butcher this week telling me to not count him out, and I agree. Jarrett has shown so much potential this season, especially at Scotia Speedworld and Petty International Raceway, even if last weekend didn’t go the exact way the No. 54 team had planned. I still think he will win a race in the second half of this season and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him pull the feat next month at the Toromont Cat 250. Heck, he had a pretty good run going at Oyster Bed Speedway. A good finish this weekend will go a long way in setting him up for the second half grind to the end of the year.

Craig Slaunwhite has had a quiet season so far but sits fourth in the standings after six races. The Slaunwhite Motorsports team is working with a new Port City Racecars and Crooks Racing ride in 2019 and in some of these races, even the best prepared race car cannot catch the luck that is needed to put together the full package. Craig is one of those drivers that we typically see heat up in the second half of the year, has run well in this race before and could be a contender this weekend to not only score his first win of the season but become the first driver to officially complete the Triple Crown.

I think the true wildcard in this top five in points is the driver placed fifth heading into the second half of 2019. Dylan Gosbee has led the most laps of any driver that has not won a race this season, leading in the last two races for a total of 119 laps. The Hynes Racing team finished third at Riverside in the Ceilidh Honda Triple 50s in June and was second at the Canada Day 150 at Oyster Bed Speedway. Gosbee led the most laps last week at Petty Raceway and was poised for a top five run at Scotia Speedworld at the Nova Truck Centres 150 before the car shut off prior to a restart. It’s been a long six years since his first win on the Series and, like I said about Jarrett Butcher earlier, I think he will win one of, or more than one of, the next six races. This team is running too good not to win one of these races.

So, lets talk 250.

The IWK 250 is the biggest single race in Eastern Canada. Yes, there are a lot of big races, but this one is the big show. From the Tailgate Party on Thursday to the race itself on Saturday, the IWK 250 has grown into an event and not just a race. Regardless if you are in the grandstands as a fan, working on a car in the pits or in the seat, the atmosphere of this event is like no other. If you do not have this race on your plans for the weekend, you’re crazy!

So, who wins?! Like any Tour race, I don’t think you can pick a winner now. Even after practice on Thursday, I would still believe you’ll be hard pressed to pick a winner.

Coming into this race, I think your favorites have to be the three Tour winners so far this season. I’d put Hicken, Butcher and Blenkhorn at almost even money if you were going to the betting window. Right close behind, I would put Gosbee, Cassius Clark (who is looking to lock down the Maritime Triple Crown) and former IWK 250 champions Donald Chisholm and Kenny Wallace if not in this group, right in behind.
This entry list is deep and honestly, in the right situation, any one of the 35 drivers could win this. I’ll give you two names that have been quietly building a decent run over the last two weeks - Nicholas Naugle and Darren MacKinnon.

Naugle has two fourth place finishes in the last two races he has run with us at Petty Raceway and Scotia Speedworld. The race before, he led 50 laps in the Ceilidh Honda Triple 50s before finishing sixth on a race track that was hard to pass on. Is the Brycon Racing team on the same level as Hicken/White Racing and Blenkhorn Racing when it comes to performance this year? They definitely have speed and I think are just a simple adjustment or two away from being right with those two. The same can be said for several teams, but I think Naugle’s time to shine is right around the corner. Not to mention, the team was fifth in this race last year.

Darren MacKinnon, a former champion of this race, has put together runs of fifth, sixth and sixth dating back to the last three races at Petty Raceway, Oyster Bed Speedway and Scotia Speedworld. The team opted not to compete at the first Tour stop at Riverside this year after a rough opening two races to the season, so we don’t really have that measuring stick to go off. This team is clicking right now and we’ve seen before that they can be hard to beat when they are on a roll.

Then you’ve got a group that, I think with the right cards being dealt, they could win the race. Sure, that could be the whole field. Remember Kent Vincent’s second IWK 250 win where he, DJ Casey and Robbie MacEwen ended up on the podium? I don’t think any of us called that top three, but it happened.

Looking down the official entry list from Riverside, I think Josh Collins has a lot of potential. He showed some speed here a few seasons ago but didn’t get to show his strength last year with a motor issue halting his qualifying efforts. Obviously Slaunwhite is going to be good. Ashton Tucker has had speed every time they unload that Brad Silliker Motorsports car, though they’ve had some tough luck too (a broken spindle put them out of the Irving Oil 150). Robbie MacEwen, as mentioned, has been on the podium before and is coming off a fourth place finish at Oyster Bed two weeks ago. Vincent will be racing a new-to-him car purchased this week from the Hynes Racing shop. Lonnie Sommerville is always a contender wherever he goes.

The Reid brothers will have speed, so will the Butcher brothers. Waylon Farrell continues to gain on his VanDoorn car. Marty Prevost’s new car was a rocketship at Scotia Speedworld back in June and could be a contender when the chips are down. John Flemming will be looking for a rebound on Saturday evening. Greg Proude led 50 laps here in June and was good here last year prior to the rain hitting in the evening. Shawn Turple could easily turn Saturday night into his first 250 win, same could be said for Chris Hughes if the stars align. Remember the top five run Shawn Pierce had going at Riverside in June?

I’ll leave you with this as well. Shawn Tucker makes his return to the Tour on Saturday. Tucker has been shaking the rust off over the past few weeks at Speedway 660 and hasn’t missed a beat in the few years he has been off. I know the word semi-retired has been thrown around, I know Shawn doesn’t like that word. I think with some laps on our rules package and time to get back up to speed at Riverside, the No. 52 team could be back up front pretty quickly on Saturday.

With the 35 cars expected on Saturday (the 33 cars on the Riverside Official entry list, plus Terry Dougay and Cy Harvey who have ordered tires from the Tour), this event is one you do not want to miss. Sure, the 250 will be good, but so will the Atlantic Tiltload B Main, which will ultimately decide who goes on and who goes home prior to the race.

We are in for a great weekend on the high banks - and I can’t wait to get to it!

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