CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series
Race Wrap & Full Results

July 5th: Shriners' Classic Night

25th Annual Shriners Classic - Sportsman
The Silver Anniversary of the Shriners Classic went to a sophomore Sportsman driver.
Deven Smith (Lakeside) led a “big three” podium to the biggest win of his Late Model career. Smith joins a Who’s Who of champions in the Shriners Classic, including his brother Russell Jr., who is a two-time winner of the event.

Smith capitalized on a Lap 12 caution which saw Harry Ross White (Noel Road) and Pete Miller (Kennetcook) come together while battling for the lead. Smith started alongside Matt Vaughan (Bedford) on the restart, which would ultimately be the final restart of the event as the race went caution free from there to the checkered flag on Lap 50.

Jordan Veinotte (Porter’s Lake), who had to start last due to his multiple feature wins on the season, was able to get by Vaughan late in the race but ran out of time to reel in Smith. For the fourth straight week, the same three drivers ended up on the podium with Smith, Veinotte and Vaughan taking the top three spots. Smith and Veinotte have been trading wins back and forth in the first four features of the year.

A returning Aaron Boutilier (Porter’s Lake) was a strong fourth after starting at the back of the field. Travis Roma (West Chezzetcook) finished fifth in the 17 car field.

Roma and Smith took home heat race victories. Roma won his heat race after a last lap pass of Joey Livingstone (Pictou Landing).

Veinotte still leads the points but Smith was able to dash all but one point in his lead heading into Friday’s racing action.

STRICTLY HYDRAULICS LEGENDS
Strike one up for the 1250s.

After he suffered motor problems in prior weeks, Nathan Blackburn (Timberlea) was not only able to break the parade of FZ09s going to victory lane at Scotia Speedworld in the Strictly Hydraulics Legends division, he was able to capture his first victory in the class at his home track. Blackburn, who cut his teeth racing Bandoleros at the Speedworld, was able to survive several late race restarts and challenges from Wyatt McCulloch (Stewiacke) to take the big victory. The win was his second in a Legend car in the Maritimes after winning a Maritime League of Legends Tour race at Speedway 660 last August.

The battle up front between Blackburn, McCulloch and Josh Langille (Coldbrook) was intense but the trio showed a ton of respect in the hard battle for the win. If you include fourth place driver Waylon Farrell (Conception Bay South, NL), the front four at the completion of the 25-lap race were all Bandolero graduates. Add in Tylor Hawes (Porter’s Lake) in fifth and you have the first time this season that the old motor package swept the top five spots at Scotia Speedworld after FZ09s had won the first four events plus the Maritime League of Legends event held in June.

Blackburn and Tim Hortons at the Airport Rookie Contender Devin Wadden (Hammonds Plains) took home heat race wins. With a 12th place finish by point leader Emily Meehan (Rawdon) in the feature, the top five now only have 19 points separating each other heading into Friday night.

TOURSEC LIGHTNING
We can confirm, Friday night was “Miller time” at Scotia Speedworld.

With help from Maritime Motorsports Hall of Famer Stan Miller, Steve Matthews (Bedford) drove to his first official win of the 2019 season. Matthews started on the outside pole after his heat race victory and never looked back. As was the case in a majority of Friday’s features, a late race restart with three laps remaining after a blown motor from Scott Thibodeau’s car set up a dash between Matthews and sophomore driver Paige Drake (Halifax). Drake was able to get into line into Turn One, but got sideways enough to allow Matt Barkhouse (Dartmouth) and her husband “Rational” Richard Drake (Halifax) to get by for the final two podium spots behind Matthews and the No. 198 Universal Environmental Services Neon.

Paige Drake was able to lock down fourth for her second straight top five finish, with Travis Keefe (Timberlea) racing to fifth in the No. 145 car.

Nineteen cars checked in for the Toursec Lightning feature on Friday night. Heat races were taken away by Thibodeau and Matthews, the last two champions of the Lightning division. Barkhouse will take a single point lead over Richard Drake in the division after six races.

HYDRAULICS PLUS BANDOLERO
OUTLAW
Owen Mahar (Hubley) was able to wrestle the lead away from Danny Chisholm (Canning) on the final restart of the Hydraulics Plus Bandolero Outlaw feature to take home his second feature victory of the 2019 season.

Chisholm started on the inside as the control car on the restart just prior to halfway in the 15-lap feature but Mahar took the advantage from the outside. The No. 66 Maritime Fuels Bandolero pulled away in the waning laps to take home the win, while Colton Noble (Upper Nine Mile River) was able to grab second ahead of Chisholm in the closing circuits. Dylan Dowe (Bedford) and Dylan MacMillan (Noel) completed the top five in the feature.
Chisholm took home the heat race for the Outlaws.

BANDITS
When it looked like Brooke Dowe (Bedford) was going to pick up her first feature win of the season, Gage Gilby (Enfield) was able to race to his fifth win of the year.

Three restarts within the final six laps, with the last one with four to go in the 15-lap feature, set a tone in the second half of the race. The final restart saw Dowe start on the outside of Gilby and was able to race by the No. 25 to the lead. Gilby was patient and waited for Dowe to slip up to take back the lead and ultimately the victory.

Dowe brought home a second place finish with Chase MacKay (Bear Cove) returning to the podium with a third place run. Morgan Mosher (Mahone Bay) placed fourth on the night with Ayden Christensen (Windsor Junction).

Gilby would continue to extend his point lead on the year by also picking up the heat victory.

BEGINNER
Emily Chisholm (Antigonish) swept the night in the Hydraulics Plus Beginner Bandolero division for her second feature victory of her career. Chisholm made the winning move in the feature around Caden Tufts (Timberlea), who would have to wait at least one more week before breaking down the door to victory lane. As Chisholm pulled away with some consistent times and smooth laps, Tufts had to pass Campbell Delaney on the final restart with six to go to nail down the runner-up finish.

Delaney finished third, followed by Miles MacKenzie (Porter’s Lake) and leading Tim Hortons at the Airport Rookie contender Brett Pashkoski.

With her clean sweep on the night, Chisholm moves into the point lead by two points over MacKenzie with Tufts only nine points off the lead. With three drivers now having two feature wins each, the Beginner battle will be one to watch when it resumes on CTV Night on July 26th.