Chaotic Crash for Cash Saturday in Miramichi!
Canada’s Demolition Capital roars to life on Saturday August 20th for a night of epic chaos and destruction. The annual running of the Crash for Cash Demolition pits the wild and crazy drivers of the Demolition division against each other for one of the biggest trophies of the summer! Upwards of 40 Demolition entries are expected to battle, meaning the action is sure to be insane! With close points battles in both the Demolition and stock car classes – and with points racing being contested Saturday in the Bomber, Mini Stock, and Atlantic Modified Tour divisions - it promises to be a show you won’t want to miss!
Randy Girouard (#8) leads the Demo points through the first half of the 2022 season on the strength of a Kidney Race victory, a Trailer Race podium finish, and several preliminary podiums. Girouard is seeking an elusive first championship, but in his mirror are two former champions – 2020 champion Mitch Brideau (#22), and 2014 and 2017 champion Jean-Francois “Titi” Basque (#21). Brideau won the Figure 8 Trailer Race and sits second as he looks for his second career title, while Basque, the “one-handed bandit”, won The Day of 8’s Demo and has been perfect in Dash for Cash competition this summer.
While the top 3 have broken away, anything can happen and drivers such as Norm Robichaud (#666), Dylan Doucet (#02), Ricky Boudreau (#764) and Billy Pelletier (#333) are within striking distance should they be able to score some big points on Saturday. Sitting tied for ninth in points ironically is rivals Jeremy Faulds (#11) and Mathieu Brideau (#99). Faulds and Brideau had an intense battle at The Day of 8’s which boiled into a huge Tracadie versus Bathurst war for Firecracker Night. These drivers look to put that in their rearview mirrors going forward, as a championship is still possible for these drivers.
Speaking of Mathieu Brideau, he will go from one rivalry to another. Brideau will enter a Grudge Match during the show against long-time rival Kevin Tucker. These two drivers were known to not like each other during the peak of their rivalry, with the climax of their battles occurring the 2019 season – the year Tucker would go on to win his long-awaited track championship. While the pair has put the past behind them in recent years, they are ready to settle the score once and for all – to the delight of fans in attendance!
Also among the upwards of 40 Demolition entries are podium finisher from Firecracker Night Alexander MacIntosh (#55) and his brother Ryley, who won the inaugural Crash for Cash in 2020. Their teammates Zachary L’Hullier (#16) and Terrence Whitney (#08) will also enter. Dylan Storey (#85) enters with lots of attention – his orange cone car barely missed the podium during Firecracker Night, but it was also at this race one year ago where he was involved in his infamous Bag Race rollover. Kevin Kinney (#17), Danny Chiasson (#70), Gary Caissie (#28), Shawn Sisk (#94), Stirling Anthony (#09) and more are all expected to compete.
The Bag Race returns for the Crash for Cash, as drivers will have a passenger and put and have to drive with a paper bag over their head. The passenger can only guide the driver with words – this race is always a crowd pleaser! The popular Dash for Cash, Back-Up, and Figure 8 races will also be contested. All in all, the Demolition action is sure to live up to the hype in Canada’s Demolition Capital!
Fresh off the 2nd Annual T&L Abatement Firecracker 50, the hometown heroes of the Bomber division return for their fifth of seven points races in 2022. That day, it was Tyson Donovan (#63) earning a monumental victory in the biggest race of the summer, and becoming the fourth different winner through four races, joining Adam Plourde (#28), Timmy Blakely (#69), and Axten MacLean (#13) as feature winners this season.
The question going into Saturday is will we see a fifth different winner in five races? Many drivers are knocking on the door of victory lane. Alex Duguay (#11) perhaps had the car to beat at the Firecracker 50 before running out of gas. Could Duguay earn his first win, become the fifth winner in five races, and break Axten MacLean’s record as the youngest feature winner in track history!? Johnathan Dickson (#3) is fresh off a Firecracker 50 podium and is itching to return to victory lane, while Billy Pelletier (#18) has two podiums to his name this year and would love to improve his third place in points with a win. Riley Connell (#43), Samantha Blakely (#96), Dan Dionne (#55) and Kevin Tucker (#87) all have shown speed this year and would love to earn their first Bomber feature wins.
Dylan Doucet (#02) picked up a heat win earlier this year, and the former feature winner will be one to watch this weekend. Dylan Phillips (#32) looks to continue his rookie campaign, while Brittany Cote (#56) will make her racing debut in Saturday’s 30-lap feature. Daniel Atyeo is slated to finally make his long-anticipated Bomber debut and is sure to be a driver to watch given his experience racing in the Speedway 660 Sharp Shooter class. After debuting a new-to-him car for the Firecracker 50, Riley Harris looks to improve upon his performance with his second run of the season.
With three races remaining, all eyes will be on the battle for the championship. Timmy Blakely maintains the lead, albeit his lead has shrunk greatly after suffering a flat tire last race. Blakely now holds an 8-point lead over rising star Axten MacLean, with Billy Pelletier and Tyson Donovan staying within striking distance. It’s sure to come right down to the wire, making Saturday’s 30-lap feature pressure packed and intense!
JR Lawson (#81) returned to his winning ways in the Mini Stock division last event, enabling him to reopen a bit of a points lead. However, Lawson’s lead is not too comfortable, with Mitchell Poirier (#28) and Chantel Lawson (#30) still hot on his heels. Poirier earned the win on July 2nd, while Lawson has taken a podium finish in each race this year. Rob Poirier (#0) has also found the podium on several occasions this year, and while he is always a threat to win, he is outside of the championship battle this year. These drivers have been the classes of the field through the first four races.
Each race, several other drivers have been knocking on the door of breakthrough. Guy Basque (#27) has been one of them, and as he looks at winding down his racing career, he would love to go out on top with a big victory. Mathieu Mallet (#80) has for so long been close to victories and could steal a win. Rookie Nathan Richard (#35) had a slight mishap last round, and he will look to prove his podium from earlier in the season was no fluke! Conrad Murphy (#89) has been struggling after a promising ending to the 2021 season and looks to bounce back. Jamie Turner (#26) and Kevin Kinney (#17) enter representing the Western side of the province, while Tom Ackles (#130) aims to join his teammates in representing the province of Nova Scotia on the podium.
The Mini Stock feature will go for thirty laps on Saturday, and will be the fifth of seven points races slated to be contested. JR Lawson holds a seven-point lead over Mitchell Poirier, with Chantel Lawson one point back of Poirier. Barring any unexpected developments, these three drivers appear poised to settle the championship amongst themselves.
The Atlantic Modified Tour thunders back into Speedway Miramichi for round six of their 2022 season – and round three at Speedway Miramichi. Yves McCray (#58) was the winner on July 2nd in the Allstar Auto Center Triple 20’s, earning a record twenty-fourth career Speedway Miramichi victory. The two-time Speedway Miramichi Sportsman Champion finds himself leading the way in Miramichi Modified points and is chasing a third track championship.
This weekends race will be a pivotal one in the four-race points crown for the Modifieds. McCray holds only a narrow lead with Braxton Stafford (#91) sitting in second after finishing runner-up in the last feature. Stafford also leads the overall Atlantic Modified Tour points. Former Miramichi Modified champions Joe Hoyt (#17) and Doug Matchett (#75) sit third and fourth respectively in standings with one podium finish each in Miramichi, and “The Racing Ranger” Kim Hallihan (#97) rounds out the top 5.
Defending Miramichi Modified champion Chris Wilson (#2W) may be out of the championship hunt, but he will be a favorite to take the victory this weekend. Wilson won the May feature in Miramichi and had crossed the line first in the Triple 20’s before a disqualification cost him the win and points. Redemption will be forefront for the South Esk driver when the Modifieds roll back into Miramichi for a 35-lap feature. Kevin Bailey (#4) looks to break a long winless streak, while rookie Tristin Harris (#7H) looks to breakthrough and pick up his first Modified trophy.
The fastest girls in town will battle in the Powder Puff race for 10-laps, with the closest of all points battles unfolding for these ladies. Georgia Estey has a one-point lead over Ericka Lesage and defending champion Tania Jean. Estey and Lesage won the last 2 races and these youngsters have been challenging veterans like Jean and fourth place Monique Benoit all season. Nadine Savoie and Hayley Waugh have been gaining every race and find themselves in striking distance of the points lead too.
Pit gates open at 12:00pm on Saturday for stock car drivers and teams, while the pits will open at 1:00pm for Demolition drivers and teams. Grandstands open to spectators at 2:00pm. Racing begins at 4pm with stock car action followed by the Demolition portion of the show. Grandstand admission is $20 for adults, $10 for youth ages 8 to 17 years old and seniors over the age of 65, while kids 7 and under are free. Pit passes are $25 and pit access is restricted to those over the age of 18, and those aged 8 to 17 with proper parental waiver forms. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid long lines.
For more information, stay tuned to Speedway Miramichi’s social platforms, “Speedway Miramichi Inc.” on Facebook, “speedway.miramichi” on Instagram and Tik Tok, and our website at speedwaymiramichi.com.
