Courtesy Gord Curran
September 21st, 2005, Fredericton, NB – The NFL has Super Bowl Sunday. New Brunswick International Speedway has Championship Sunday with three Championships up for grabs. NBIS will be wrap up the season long points races in the CARQUEST Pro Stocks, Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman, and Coast Tire Street Stocks on Sunday, September 25th with the Kwik Kopy Printing Presents Final Points Racing and Fan Appreciation Day. Aside from some outstanding racing on the track, the day will feature an on-track autograph session prior to the event and door prizes. Autograph session starts at 1pm, racing at 2pm.
CARQUEST PRO STOCKS:
In the CARQUEST Pro Stock division, Glen Rasmussen is vying for his third CARQUEST Pro Stock championship, having previously won in 2000 and 2003. Just before Labour Day, the New Denmark resident staked a ten point lead over defending champion Dave O’Blenis, the largest points margin that any pro stock leader has posted in over a month. For most of the season, the division leader has never held more than a 10-point lead on the second place driver including one week in mid-August where the top four drivers had no less than three points separating them.
As solid as the lead appears, Rasmussen knows that it can all change in a heartbeat. Two years ago, he went into the final event in third place, 10 points behind leader Brad Mann. In a remarkable performance he won his heat, dash, feature to take home the championship by one point. Rasmussen knows its not over until the final lap especially with a posse of drivers trying to track him down, including three drivers tied for fourth. Second place car O’Blenis and Hal O’Neal in third have the best chances at Rasmussen although Leon Christie, Paul Gahan, and Darren Sherwood who are tied for fourth all have an outside chance. Sherwood should be back after a spectacular flying wreck totalled his car during the Irving Oil 250.
SPORTSMAN:
In the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman division, Bradley Logan has held led since June 19th, holding off several challengers who rose to second only to fall back when their luck changed. In his quest for a third championship (sportsman 1997, 2000), Logan has been the model of consistency this season. In the nine points races this season, the Harvey Station resident has finished out of the top-5 only twice (6th place on August 20th and 10th place on August 7th).
Despite all the strong finishes, Logan is still looking for his shoulder as Michael Banks is nine points away out of first. The young Lake George driver finished third in the O’Leary Pontiac Excitement 150 on Labour Day Weekend and is working towards his first championship. Logan should also be wary of the third place driver, Brian Gillespie, as his good off-track friend and on-track rival is currently on a hot streak and 23 points out of first. The five-time champion (street stock 1994 & 1995, sportsman 1998, 2002, & 2003) and has won two of the last three sportsman events, including the O’Leary Pontiac Excitement 150 (Banks won the other race). Gillespie also has a history of final race heroics. In 2003 he went into the final event tied for fifth place 25 points out of first and regarded as a longshot contender at best. However, once the dust had cleared and points tabulated, the Nackawic wheelman had captured his fifth championship, surprising everyone including himself and crew. On the flip side, Logan as been here before and seems to enjoy the pressure.
STREET:
Saint John’s Rick Cashol almost has the Coast Tire Street Championship all wrapped up. Cashol has led the points since the beginning of the season, taking the lead after the first race and never looking back. He’s run very consistently since then and despite a strong effort by the second place driver, Joe Albert, over the last month, the Port City driver continues to lead the way with a 43 point lead.
The rookie race may be the most entertaining battle of the division as it’s a three car race featuring St.Stephen’s Shawn Hyslop, Geary’s Matt Matheson, and Oromocto’s John Feltmate who have been running neck and neck for most of the season. Hyslop has opened up a 19 point lead over Matheson while Feltmate remains in the distance, 42 points behind. Although the three drivers have performed well over the season, they have all suffered setbacks of one kind or another at various points, so this battle may get very interesting very quickly.
EVENTS:
Off the track, NBIS will host one of its more popular events of the season. The annual Fan Appreciation Day will feature an on-track, pre-race autograph session from 1pm to 1:50 where fans will get the chance to meet their favourite drivers and get their autograph. NBIS will also be giving away door prizes donated by local businesses all day long.
The points racing may be drawing to a close this weekend, but NBIS will be back for one final weekend of racing with a couple of fun events - their first ever Outlaw Race on Saturday, October 1st at 2pm and the final Enduro 200 event of the season on Sunday, October 2nd at 2pm. The Outlaw Race will consist of two races – a 100 lap race featuring sportsman and pro stocks together and a 50 lap Street Stock race. Outlaw Races feature minimal body and engine rules – basically competitors can run almost any competitive enhancements they want with a few exceptions. Safety rules remain in place. Details will be released soon. The Enduro 200 is a re-scheduled event from a May rainout.
Please contact Gord Curran at New Brunswick International Speedway (direct 506-455-3181, page 506-462-8116 or gord.curran@nbisonline.com ) if you have any other questions.
September 25th Event:
Kwik Kopy Printing Presents Final Points Racing & Fan Appreciation Day
Pit gates open at 9am
Grandstands open at noon
Pre-event Autograph Session starts at 1pm
Racing starts at 2pm
Points racing in the CARQUEST Pro Stocks (40 lap feature), Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman (30 lap feature), and Coast Tire Street Stock (20 lap feature) Divisions
Ticket Prices:
Adults (16 and over) $12
Youth (ages 9-15) $9
Children (ages 8 and under) FREE
Family Pass: Two adults, Two youth plus 4 pop and 4 fries for $35
New Brunswick International Speedway is Canada’s Fastest Short Track. The 1/3 of a mile high-banked paved oval features three classes of racing on a weekly basis: CARQUEST Pro Stocks, Martin’s Home Heating, and Coast Tire Street Stocks.
Over 60,000 people are expected to attend over 25 events during the 2005 season. NBIS is located off Highway 7 on Route 660 in Geary, NB, and is within minutes of Saint John and Fredericton. NBIS can be found online at www.nbisonline.com.
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