tim's corner preview

The 28th Shriners Classic for Sportsman

This is the one event every Sportsman driver that races out of Scotia Speedworld has on their calendar.

The Shriners Classic may not pay any extra money. It may only be an extra 12 laps over and beyond our regular shows. Ask those in the field Friday and they will tell you it is the prestige, the list of drivers who have won it before them and the support of the Metro Shrine Club that keep them coming back to this event.

This one is tough to win. Ask veteran drivers like Phil Barkhouse Jr. and Pete Miller. It is a race that has slipped from their hands before and they want their name on the list. Up and coming drivers have the respect of those that are on the past winner’s list. It is a race that Brentley Pirri told us on the Tim’s Corner LIVE! show that he would trade any race win or championship for one win in the Classic.

Look at the past champions list and it is a stroll down memory lane. Jeff Dillman has won it four times, each of those wins coming in a six year span. Deven Smith is the most recent winner and he’s won the last three editions of it. East Coast International Pro Stock Tour drivers Russell Smith Jr and Craig Slaunwhite each have two, as does former Pro Stock Tour Rookie of the Year Harry Ross White. Gordie Ryan won the Inaugural race in 1995. He is joined on the list of Classic winners by Troy Slaunwhite, Ron Tibert, Mel Tibert, Tony Leonard, James Graves, Sheldon Pemberton, Colby Smith, Darren Wallage and Richard Salter – all with one each. That is a field within its own.

Then there’s Terry Roma.

Terry and his brother Lockie won three of these races, in 1997 and then back to back as a Sportsman race in 2004 and 2005. We lost the pair in 2012 and there isn’t a Friday night that goes by that we don’t see their legacy. Whether it is a 38-lap Sportsman feature, the number the two had on their car, or on nights like this where Terry and Lockie left their mark on such a prestigious race. The circle was completed in 2017 when Travis and Chris won their Shriners Classic. While Travis’s car is still in the shop, the team will be there helping out Brentley Pirri and the rest are sure to be in the grandstands heading into Turn One cheering on the drivers on track.

So, here are a couple of quick keys to watch for when the Sportsman hit the track.

• Will we see a new winner of this race? The last time we saw a first time Classic champion was Deven Smith when he won his first in 2019. Point leader Darren Hilchie is looking for his first win in the class while the three most recent Sportsman winners at Scotia Speedworld in Dylan Dowe, Jesse Deveau and MASS winner Pete Miller have never won the Classic. We have seen strong runs out of Pirri, Scott O’Neill and Joey Livingstone over the last few weeks, all of which are also looking for their first Late Model win at Scotia.
• Will we see a repeat winner? Both Deven Smith and Russell Smith Jr will look to add to their resumes as the brothers have won five of the last seven Classics. Harry Ross White is coming back to look to tie the Roma brothers and Deven at three Classics. Sheldon Pemberton is a past champion of this race and we may see a Tony Leonard or Salter join us. While the “first time winner” chances outcount the past champions, the former winners may have the edge based on who is on that list.
• We have never had an away driver win the Shriners Classic. All those names on that list either call Scotia Speedworld home or, in the case of Colby Smith, won it while competing full time at the track. While we don’t have a full expected entry list, the rumor is that we may see one or two drivers from the Yarmouth area make the haul up to try and add the Classic to their resume.
• This race has a tendency of getting crazy. We have see some editions of the Classic that have gone fairly green but we’ve also seen some caution plagued races, some late dashes to the end and some hearts broken at the finish.
• This race is a full point race for the first time in several years. So, the feature will be set by heat races which are lined up by handicap. Previous feature winners will start no greater than 50% of the field size and it will give us some action to see some of those high handicap cars come from behind.

Be sure when you get to the track to dig deep and buy some 50/50 tickets to support the Metro Shrine Club. This is their special night and we look forward to raising some awareness and funds for the Shriners!

Of the four divisions competing on Friday, we have only had one repeat winner this season. McKenna Little is a two-time winner on the CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series this year and Gage Gilby joined her as a repeat winner in the Strictly Hydraulics Legends division the last time we ran. Now, the Legends are off this week, so it leaves the Maritime Auto Glass Beginner Bandoleros, Maritime Auto Glass Bandoleros and Toursec Mini Stocks as the support to the Bay Equipment Rentals Late Model Sportsman.

If I was a betting man, I would say we see a fifth different winner in the Toursec Mini Stocks to join Ross Moore, Travis Keefe, Steven Matthews and Dave Matthews as winners. Five drivers have scored a single podium run this season but are still waiting on a win, including Chris McMullin, Colin Matthews, Darren Hodder, Kyle Sinton and Jamie Dillman. Four of those drivers have won Lightning features while Kyle Sinton has been close to knocking the door down. Chad Sinton has yet to take home a podium finish but does hold two top fives, is one of only four drivers to finish in the top ten in all four races and is second in points. While on paper, this has been Ross Moore’s season, there is plenty of competition ready to sway the momentum in their way, beginning with Friday night.

The Maritime Auto Glass Bandolero division has seen three winners in three races. The top two came in as championship favorites and I don’t think it surprises anyone to see Brett Pashkoski and Daniel Vandenburg with feature wins. Behind them, Landon Pierce leads a five pack that is separated by 15 points. Avery DeCoste, season opener winner Samantha MacDonald, Beginner Bandolero champion Hailey Bland and Ethan Hicken find themselves knocking on the door of the championship conversation early in the year. With the way the kids have been racing, we could easily see a fourth different winner on Friday night.

Bristol Matthews scored a popular first win the last time out at the Speedworld in the Maritime Auto Glass Beginner Bandoleros and finds herself four points behind two-time winner McKenna Little. Hudson Ruff also has one win this season. If we see a repeat winner, this may be the class we see it in, but it would not surprise me in the least to see Shelby Chisholm or Irelyn Rose make it a fourth different winner in five races. Emma MacMillan has also found her footing after a couple rough weeks to start the season after a hiatus from the class and could easily get back to victory lane on Friday night if the cards fall in her direction.

It will be a special night at the Speedworld on Friday. We hope you can join us before we head into our Mid Summer Break!