Silliker Wins Demo, Falls Short to Pitre In Title Fight; Skidmore Back On Top In Modified 50!
Trenton Silliker laid it all on the line at the Back to School Smash Saturday night at Speedway Miramichi. Despite missing the past 2 events due to work, Silliker entered the night 3rd in points thanks to his dominance at the May event. At the end of the night, Silliker managed to win the Back to School Smash, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as he ended up coming just a few points short to Joey Pitre.
Pitre, who entered the night with a 7-point lead, scored 4 points through the first few demo races, before his car shut down and would not re-fire. Pitre anxiously sat through the rest of the night, knowing his destiny was out of his hands. Luckily, his consistent season earned him enough points to hang on to the championship.
A large Miramichi crowd was on hand to watch as Silliker won the final demo over Demo rookie Alexander MacIntosh, and Brennan MacDonald. Riley Harris won the Figure 8 race, while Amber Sickles (Powder Puff), Marc-Andre Benoit (Back-up), and Michael Allain (Dash 4 Cash) also picked up victories on the day. 33 Demo cars filled the pits, the highest car count dating back to what is believed to be October 2015. Over 20 cars made the call to start the final demo.
Springhill, Nova Scotia’s Brandon Skidmore made his return to Speedway Miramichi a memorable one. Skidmore grabbed the lead early in the 50 Lap Modified feature, and never looked back en route to the victory. Yves McCray finished 2nd, while Doug Matchett rallied from a earlier crash to beat John Lyons for the final podium spot. A dozen Modifieds were in the pits for the race, with Skidmore and McCray winning heat races.
The race was halted by 2 cautions, one of which was for a very serious wreck. Speedway 660 Sharp Shooter driver Brody Levesque, making his Modified debut, crashed hard head-on into the turn 3 wall. Levesque was thankfully able to climb from the car on his own power with minor injuries. We wish Brody the best, and hope he has a speedy recovery.
The Modified make-up feature went for 35 laps, and featured a duel between Kevin Bailey and Yves McCray for much of the race. Bailey ended up coming on top, which was his 2nd consecutive Modified Tour feature win and 4th overall at Speedway Miramichi. Yves McCray was scored second and Braxton Stafford third.
The points situation for the Modifieds is as close as it gets with 1 race remaining. Joe Hoyt now holds just a single point lead over Doug Matchett, with Braxton Stafford 4 points back, John Lyons 6 points back, and Kevin Bailey 7 points back. The October race will be intense for the Modified drivers as they fight to crown their first ever Speedway Miramichi track champion.
It was a big day for 15 year old Travis Conroy! The sophomore Mini Stock driver got up on the wheel, and outdueled top Mini Stock competitor Rob Poirier to win the 25 lap make-up feature. The pair battled side by side for much of the feature, before Conroy was able to clear Poirier for the lead late. Guy Basque was scored 3rd in the feature.
Conroy followed up the feature win by winning the 10 lap heat race for the September feature. Mathieu Mallett won the other heat race. But it was JR Lawson winning the 30 lap feature over Rob Poirier and Michael Savoie. A dozen Mini Stock cars were in the pits to take part in the days races.
Rob Poirier has now opened up a 10 point lead in the standings, and as long as he starts both his heat and feature in October, he will clinch the 2018 Mini Stock Championship.
Brad MacLean officially clinched the 2018 Street Stock Championship Saturday. Brad won his Heat and Feature to open up a massive lead in points. Chris Wilson originally crossed the line 2nd after make a late charge to challenge MacLean, with visiting driver Brandon Carter finishing 3rd. After tech, Carter ended up 2nd with Deryk Murphy scoring his first podium finishing 3rd.
Robert Legere held off Darcy O’Neill to win the Dukes feature. Joel Clancy finished 3rd in the 20 lap race. O’Neill scored the Heat race win. The Dukes points situation sees Legere holding a 4 point lead on O’Neill with just 1 race to go.
Speedway Miramichi has just 1 race remaining in the 2018 season, and it’s a big one! The Very Best Fall Shootout will be held on October 13th, featuring a 100 lap Street Stock race, a 50 lap Mini Stock race, the final Demolition of 2018, and more! Points champions will be crowned across all racing divisions! You won’t want to miss this race!
Modified 50 Results
DNS – James Matchett #54
Modified 35 Lap Make-up Feature Results
Mini Stock 30 Lap Feature Results
Mini Stock 25 Lap Make-up Feature Results
Street Stock 25 Lap Feature Results
Dukes 20 Lap Feature Results
Back to School Smash Demo
Figure 8 Race – Riley Harris #2
Back-Up Race – Marc-Andre Benoit #81
Powder Puff – Amber Sickles #03
Dash for Cash – Michael Allain #85
All photos credit to John O'Shea / Miramichi Racing Radio