Issue 34

Parts for Trucks 100 Preview

Have you made your Saturday plans yet to be on the Island? If you haven’t, I suggest you look into spending Saturday in Oyster Bed Bridge with the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour. After all, Saturday’s Ron MacGillivray Chevrolet Buick GMC 100 provided what Pro Stock Tour fans have become accustomed to in the previous nine years with excitement, action and a fantastic finish that left many wanting more. That “more” comes this Saturday as the Parts for Trucks 100 goes green on Prince Edward Island.

When looking at the numbers from the past four seasons at Oyster Bed Speedway we see that we have five different winners in seven races. Of those five, three of those clocked top five finishes in our season opener and the numbers would indicate that they will be in that area on Saturday night at lap 100. Then again, as we saw last season in the 200-lap affair this track can be unpredictable and reach out to bite the unsuspecting in an instant. With that said, here are the “Fast Five” for the round one of the Parts for Trucks Challenge.

#5 – Jonathan Hicken – Brudenell, PEI
Chapman Brothers Construction/CASTLE Building Centres Chevrolet Impala
The Skinny – 5 Starts, 5 Top Tens, 1 Heat Win
The 2006 PEI Modified champ has scratched the surface of a top five Pro Stock finish at his home track but has yet to do so. In turn, his worst finish at the track in Oyster Bed Bridge has been tenth in his five Tour starts. Could Saturday see Hicken drive his #5 to victory lane for his first win on the Tour?

#8 – Kent Vincent – Crapaud, PEI
Vector Aerospace Dodge Charger
The Skinny – 7 Starts, 1 Win, 4 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens, 2 Time Trial Wins, 2 Heat Wins
Vincent flexed some late race muscle at Riverside on Saturday en route to a top five finish on the high banks. The #8 Dodge now heads into the Parts for Trucks 100 at Oyster Bed, a track in which he owns the last June 100-lap race win in 2008.

#29 – Greg Proude – Springvale, PEI
APM/PEI International Motor Festival Dodge Charger
The Skinny – 7 Starts, 2 Wins, 3 Top Fives, 4 Top Tens
Proude won the 200-lap event sponsored by Lucas Oil and Parts for Trucks last season at his home track. With the momentum built from last weeks win at Riverside International Speedway, expect the Springvale driver to be up front when it counts on Saturday.

#32 – Chris Hughes – Brackley Beach, PEI
Pauley Equipment/Pauley Paving Toyota Camry
The Skinny – 7 Starts, 4 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens, 1 Time Trial Wins, 3 Dash Wins
Hughes knows his way around Oyster Bed Speedway and will look to score that elusive victory this Saturday. He, along with Wayne Smith and Kent Vincent are the only drivers to score four or more top fives in the past seven races at the facility.

#44 – Wayne Smith – Timberlea, NS
Jetco Contracting/ICI Paints, Color Your World Bayers Lake Chevrolet Impala
The Skinny – 7 Starts, 2 Wins, 5 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens, 1 Time Trial Win, 1 Heat Race Win
If the event at Oyster Bed Speedway was 100-laps last season, Wayne Smith would have won the event. The Oval Outlaw was strong throughout the extended lap event last August, even when he blew a tire aboard his #44 Chevrolet he got up on the wheel and drove it back up to a third place run. After coming home in second last week in an event which he led the second most laps could we see win number one on the 2010 campaign for the multi-time champ from Timberlea?

Note – the other two drivers to have visited victory lane in the last four years include Bobby White (Kennetcook, NS) and Brad Mann (Glen Livet, NB). Mann is expected to make his first start on the Island since 2008.

Add in drivers the likes of Turple, Tucker, Slaunwhite and nearly twenty others expected to run to the checkers you have a full field of competitive pro stockers getting ready for 100-laps of green flag action. You will not want to miss it on Saturday night!

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