Weekly Racing Series
Race Wrap & Full Results

July 3rd: Chickenburger Show & Shine Night

HYDRAULICS PLUS BANDOLERO BANDITS
After a rough start to the Bandolero Bandits feature, which included four attempts at an initial green flag, it would be the Langille brothers once again showing the way.

Older brother Josh bested his younger brother “Pumpkin Jack” Nathan (Coldbrook) to win his third consecutive main feature of the season. Colton Noble (Upper Nine Mile River) appeared on the podium for a third consecutive race, finishing a solid third place and was tracking down the leaders at the finish. Sam Rogers continued his impressive 2015 season with a fourth place run, while Dylan Dowe (Bedford) recorded his career best finish with a fifth place run.

Dowe would win his second heat race in as many meets by taking his eight lap qualifier while Josh Langille completed his sweep of the night by winning his heat race.

HYDRAULICS PLUS BANDOLERO OUTLAWS
It took two attempts to set up the winning pass on Dylan Sutherland (Beaverbank), but Braden Langille (Shubenacadie) once again found a way to get into victory lane in the Hydraulics Plus Bandolero division.

The defending champion passed Sutherland near the halfway point in the feature and had to once again hold off heat winner Wyatt McCulloch (Stewiacke) for the victory in the 15-lap feature. Sutherland had to settle for third, ahead of Luke Ettinger (Kennetcook), “the Flying Frenchman” Michael Cormier (Grand Barachois, NB) and Nathan Blackburn (Timberlea).

The Bandolero class is back in action on July 10th during $20 a Car Load Admission Night.

COORS LIGHT TRUCKS
While the season conversation to this point has been between three time Coors Light Truck champion Dan Smith (Lower Sackville) and Jason Fenton (Eastern Passage), the chatter was shifted to Kevin Clark Jr (Goodwood) Friday night as he was the one crossing under the checkered flag first.

Clark had to hold off Smith and Fenton on the podium to take the win in the main feature to score his first win of the season and second career Coors Light Truck feature. While Fenton crossed third, his #3 truck failed post race technical inspection, which promotes Cory Leonard (Goodwood) to his second podium finish in five races. Matt Vaughan (Lake Fletcher) finished in fourth place with Megan Parrott (Beaverbank) scoring her second consecutive top five of her Tim Hortons at the Airport rookie season.

Clark also won the heat race ahead of Adam Carter (Lantz) and Smith.

With Fenton’s technical disqualification, Smith’s point gap, now over Clark, is extended to 23 points heading into an off-week for the division.

STRICTLY HYDRAULICS LEGENDS
When it looked like Cory Hall (Jolicure, NB) was going to rebound from a faulty ignition box a week prior to win the Strictly Hydraulics Legends feature, a couple of late cautions and a speedy sophomore changed those plans.

Hall took the lead on Lap Two from Scott Cunning (Halifax) after a caution on Lap One slowed the 25-lap feature, and began stretching his legs under green. After a caution with nine laps remaining for the Meehan siblings (Adam and Emily; Rawdon Gold Mines) making contact in Turn Two, Hall would line up beside Nicholas Naugle (Dartmouth), who methodically made his way to the front, showing lots of patience through traffic.

Once the two teenagers got up to the front, they put on the show of the year.

Naugle would set up and pass Hall for the lead, with Hall getting back by him and vice versa. The hard nosed, but clean racing, would go on for a handful of laps at the end, including on a green-white-checkered finish to the race. The final pass would be Naugle on Hall, with Naugle and his #88 Brycon Construction car taking the feature win over Hall for his second of the year. Veteran Danny Harvey (Lantz) backed up his feature victory a week prior with a third place finish on Chickenburger Night, with Jarrett Butcher (Porter’s Lake) and Paul Goulden (Shelburne) continuing their solid seasons with top five runs.

Cunning and Hall were 10-lap heat race qualifier winners.

With late race mishaps from Emily Meehan and Tim Hortons at the Airport Rookie Cole Tanner (Shubenacadie), it has shaken up the points once again. Naugle, Hall and Goulden are now tied atop the point standings, with only 34 points being the gap amongst the top ten drivers after four races.

DARTMOUTH DODGE SPORTSMAN
For the second consecutive week, it is a late race caution with five laps to go after a long green flag run that changed the outcome of the Dartmouth Dodge Sportsman feature.

Six-time Maritime touring champion Wayne Smith (Timberlea) made his debut at the wheel of the Craig McFetridge owned #41 Dulux Paints Bayers Lake Chevrolet and appeared to be well on his way to his first feature victory in a number of years. The all-time win leader on the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour won his heat race and took the lead on the first lap of the feature from Brentley Pirri (Three Fathom Harbour). Smith extended his lead over a 34 lap green flag run to well over a full straightaway over Travis Roma (West Chezzetcook) and a returning JP Arsenault (Church Point) when the caution fell for the second time in the race on Lap 35.

Smith and Roma would line up side-by-side on two restarts with both restarts seeing Smith getting the advantage into Turn One and Roma falling in right behind the #41. On both restarts, Roma, who was gaining on Smith in the late laps of the green flag run, was able to get back to the throttle quicker than the “Oval Outlaw.” Both restarts resulted in light contact between the both, with Smith going for a spin on the second restart.

“It is definitely one second of my life I would like to have back,” Roma said post race of the contact. “I did not mean to get into him.”

With the no fault caution rule, both cars went to the rear for the ensuing restart. It put Phil Barkhouse Jr. (Hammonds Plains) on the front row with Arsenault. Russell Smith Jr. (Lakeside), who started sixteenth on the field after his second feature win of the season the week prior, was on the second row with Pirri. Barkhouse, after spending many hours on his car after a wreck the week prior, would get ahead of Arsenault and held off Smith Jr for his first win of the season.

“I was hoping the checkered flag was coming soon, because I knew Russy was coming quick,” Barkhouse said in victory lane.

Smith Jr. was second in the feature ahead of Arsenault, the 2011 Coors Light Truck champion. Pirri and Fred Schofield (Windsor) completed the top five in the 16 car field.

Wayne Smith and Pete Miller (Kennetcook) each won their 10-lap qualifiers.

Russell Smith Jr extends his point lead with his second place finish heading into their next 38-lap feature on July 10th.

CHICKENBURGER LIGHTNING
After struggling with motors early in the season, it was finally “Rational” Richard Patrick’s (Halifax) week to shine in victory lane.

Patrick lined up beside Devon Stewart (Stewiacke) on the front row of the 25-lap Chickenburger Lightning feature and took the lead by the completion of the first lap. The first caution of the night would happen when Stewart lost a right front tire, which hit point contender Scott Thibodeau (Williamswood), which would ultimately sideline the #169 for the night.

Patrick would line up beside Darrell Sullivan (Harrietsfield) with 11 laps to go and would do the same on another restart with five laps to go after contact with Deven Smith (Lakeside) would result in damaging Steve Matthews’s (Bedford) #198 car. On both restarts, Patrick would be spot on, holding off Sullivan and Smith’s repeated challenges en route to his first win of the 2015 season.

Smith would hold on to second while Marc MacMillan (Glenholme) would slide by Sullivan on a last lap “caution/checkered” track condition. Sullivan would be scored in fourth, while “Big Daddy” Kenny Hopper (Enfield) would post a strong fifth place finish, tying his best of the season.

Thibodeau and Patrick each won their respective 10-lap qualifying heat races.

With Thibodeau’s early exit from the feature, it lets Smith open a 24 point lead over Thibodeau and Sullivan after four races as all three search for their first Chickenburger Lightning car championship. They continue their season next week during $20 Carload Admission Night, and will be joined by the returning Chickenburger Thunder cars.