Issue 42

The Notebook

Lucas Oil 100 - Oyster Bed Speedway

Wayne Smith was on top of his game on Saturday night on Prince Edward Island.

The Oval Outlaw led eighty-six of the feature laps after setting the pace in the Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials earlier in the afternoon en route to his first victory of the season. With the win, Smith was also able to close the gap significantly in the point standings between him and point leader Shawn Turple. The difference between the two former Pro Stock Tour titlists is just seven points which equates to a swing of just four feature positions!

Islanders nearly defended their home turf for the second time in 2010 but couldn’t beat the Timberlea, Nova Scotia driver to the line on the money lap. Jonathan Hicken almost swept both Oyster Bed Speedway races this season but had to settle for second on the evening. The driver from Brudenell is fifth in the standings, just one point out of his nearest competitor with five races to go. Hicken will hand the wheel of his #5 Chapman Brothers Construction/Castle Building Centers Impala over to Farmington, Maine’s Cassius Clark for the Atlantic CAT 250 as Hicken will be standing in at a wedding this weekend.

The night started off fantastic for Crapaud driver Kent Vincent. Vincent took the advantage in the Dartmouth Dodge Dash for Cash which would place him on the pole position for the Lucas Oil 100. His father (and Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee) Alan Vincent got us going before the feature by asking Kent and his fellow pro stock drivers to start their engines and that Kent did! Vincent ran up front all night long, even taking the point away from Smith for twelve laps. In the end he battled Jonathan Hicken for second with Vincent coming home in third. With the lap led though, he sits one point ahead of Hicken in the standings as the Tour heads for the CAT 250.

Donald Chisholm ran a great race on Saturday night as well. The #89 Keltic Ford Fusion driver from Antigonish, Nova Scotia was in the thick of the top five battle all night long. The sixth place point man will be one of the favorites heading into this weekend's festivities at Scotia Speedworld as he has run strong there in the past and posted a great run the last time the Tour was at the Speedworld for an extra distance affair last September.

It was a great night for the Pride of Cape Breton. Leading EIT Race Radio Rookie of the Year contender Jerome Kehoe picked up his first Pro Stock Tour checkered flag in his Dartmouth Dodge Heat Race Saturday night and ran in the top ten for many laps in the Lucas Oil 100. His ninth place finish puts him tenth place in the point standings after six events on the Tour – twenty points ahead of his nearest rookie competitor Leonard Boutilier. With five events to go in the season, this battle will go down to lap 200 in the Parts for Trucks 200 in September!

Mike Stevens once again had a strong piece on Saturday night. Stevens and his #26 G Bourque/R. Stevens Mechanical Ford Fusion was running a solid second place on lap forty-three when the Salisbury, New Brunswick driver went around in the second corner. Stevens would finish fourteenth on the night, far from indicative of how the team ran during the day. The team returns to Scotia Speedworld this weekend – a place where Stevens had a second place run last season in the 200-lap event presented by Parts for Trucks.

It was a tough break for Brad Mann on Saturday. The team from Glen Livet, New Brunswick had motor problems in the afternoon’s second practice session which forced the team to pack up early. Brad told me before the events of the day got underway that his car is For Sale for any one who would like to go Pro Stock racing or for someone who would like to be an owner of a team. If you are someone who wants to get involved in CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour racing, see Brad at the track.

Finally, a huge pat on the back has to be given to the First Responders, track staff and crew who were on scene following a violent practice crash involving the #24 of Scott Livingston. The veteran Pro Stock driver from Charlottetown lost control of his Wendell Taylor’s Garage Toyota Camry during Saturday’s second practice and after hitting the turn three wall the car went airborne. The car came to rest a top the wall after bouncing off the retaining fence in the corner. The First Responders rushed to the scene to help Scott out of his race car and got him safely to the ambulance and on his way to the hospital while the team at the track diligently went to work on the fence to make sure that it was safe for the cars to return to the track. Scott Livingston remains in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown where doctors scheduled various diagnostic tests for Monday and the outcome of those tests will determine if further action is required. Our best wishes go out to Scott, get well soon!

Later in the week, we will take a look at the Halifax Regional Municipalities biggest stock car event of the season – the Atlantic CAT 250 at Scotia Speedworld!

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