Issue 248

Point Battle Tightens Heading into the Island

For one last time this year, the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is heading to Prince Edward Island. Like the temperatures in the region, the action is heating up and with only ten points between two of the best in the Maritimes, this one is going to be a doozie.

Jonathan Hicken trails by ten points heading into his home track, a race in which he battled with Dylan Gosbee for the win a month ago. Dylan Blenkhorn, who has an Island win on his resume, leads the points after a solid start and a consistent middle portion of 2019. The two have to be considered title favorites with five races to go - and here’s why.

Ten points is almost negligible with five events to go. Statistically, Hicken is better at Oyster Bed and rightfully so - it is his home track. While Hicken is good in Halifax, Blenkhorn has the edge at Scotia Speedworld after winning every Tour race there dating back to last year’s Cat 250. Hicken and Blenkhorn are both good at Petty, though Hicken might have a slight uptick in River Glade if at all. Blenkhorn has wins at Riverside Speedway and was in the top five at the IWK 250 while Hicken was second.

It’s easy to say that if one beats the other and they both run up front, there’s your champion. If this stays the way it is with the title hunt being close, we are in for one helluva dogfight going down the stretch. Every point is critical and every position (and lap led) Saturday in Prince Edward Island will certainly be huge.

Let me make a bold prediction now, Dylan Gosbee wins the Lucas Oil 150 at Oyster Bed Speedway.

After the way the No. 91 car has run this season, combined with the latest performance on the Island, if that Hynes Racing team shows up again, you best believe that Gosbee will wheel that car to victory lane. Sitting fifth in points, he is on the cusp of being outside the championship discussion with a 99 point gap, but we’ve seen some big comebacks and gaps closed before. The momentum swing has to start this weekend though and I firmly believe the No. 91 team can be the ones to do it.

The two drivers in the middle, with only one point separating them, are Craig Slaunwhite and Jarrett Butcher. Slaunwhite had a slower start than he wanted to in 2019 but has since seen the fire grow, culminating with a third at our last event in the IWK 250. Butcher has kind of seen the other side to the season with the strong start we saw from the No. 54 team cool off a bit. Slaunwhite is 70 points off the mark set by Blenkhorn, so the pair in third and fourth are technically closer to fifth than first, but with decent tracks for both in the second half still left in the schedule, a good run at Oyster Bed (one where Slaunwhite was on the podium back in July) could turn the tables.

I think three drivers to watch Saturday will be Robbie MacEwen, Darren MacKinnon and Shawn Turple. All three had decent runs going but ultimately different paths to where they finished. Turple hung out around the top five all day long during the Canada Day 150 and kind of quietly slid into seventh at the end of the night. MacKinnon and Blenkhorn went to the rear with about 30 laps to go on a no fault caution and MacKinnon ended up coming back to sixth at the end. MacEwen and the No. 40 team made multiple pit stops to work on their race car early in the Canada Day 150 and ultimately grinded out the second half of that race to fourth. Let’s see how their races play out on Saturday and how they make their mark on the Lucas Oil 150.

Two drivers are slated to make their Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour debut on Saturday. Phil Fowler comes to us originally from Forteau, Labrador and now calls Newfoundland and Eastbound Park home. Fowler competes in the Sportsman class at Eastbound on a regular basis and will make his Pro Stock debut on Saturday evening. Jamie Stewart is a home track favorite, working his way up the ranks in the weekly series at the PEI oval and we look forward to having the Stewart Racing team along for the ride with us on Saturday.

It is a great card of racing shaping up for Saturday. Not only are the Bandolero and Street Stocks playing support, the Maritime League of Legends Tour will race in the Tim’s Corner Motorsports 50. Braden Langille and Craig MacDonald have been the class of the field so far this year and will look to take home an Island win.

It is shaping up to be a great evening on Prince Edward Island and the weather looks pristine as well. Be sure to stop in and take in some great Pro Stock Tour racing for the final time this season on the Island.

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