Kids Day to Feature Family Fun Saturday at Speedway Miramichi
Final preparations are underway for the second motorsports event on the calendar for the 2019 season at Speedway Miramichi - with the first ever Kids Day at the Speedway being hosted on Saturday.
Family fun for everyone, Kids Day will feature an autograph session, kids rides, a candy dash, a frisbee toss, and more! Kids will also get to partake in a custom t-shirt contest, where kids make a custom t-shirt of their favorite driver prior to coming to the track, and then wear it on race day for a chance to win prizes! Speedway management has also increased the age of free admission from 7 years of age, to 13 years of age for one race only to make the family friendly excitement at Speedway Miramichi even more affordable!
While Kids Day is the theme of the day, there will be business to complete with a full card filled with all the popular stock car racing and demolition events fans have come to love at Speedway Miramichi.
The second Demolition of the year will headline the show, with a tight points battle shaping up after the first event. After making the final blow to win the Spring Smash, defending champion Joey Pitre has reclaimed the top spot in points thanks to a tie breaker. His closest competitor is long-time veteran Kevin Tucker, whose long-time bid for a championship has been much talked about. Close behind are Trenton Silliker and Shawn Mazerolle, with just a mere 3 points separating the top 4 - and many other hungry drivers eyeing an opportunity to break through to the top of the board.
Another solid field of cars is anticipated for Kids Day after 18 cars participated in the Spring Smash. Among the drivers who have indicated intentions to run include Jay Skerry, Jason Savoie, Alexander MacIntosh and Jean-Francois Basque. A number of drivers have indicated plans to run Kids themed cars as part of Kids Day, adding the intrigue of this event.
For Kids Day, track officials have added an additional preliminary race to the card with the return of the Bag Race - the race where drivers have a bag over their head, and a passenger directing them around the track. The Bag Race will join the Dash for Cash, Powder Puff, Back-Up and Figure 8 races as qualification races for the final demo, along with opportunities for drivers to pick up valuable points as they chase the year end championship.
On the stock car side, it will be the Mini Stock division having their turn to shine with a 50-lap feature as part of the Mini Stock Classic. The story on opening day turned out to be the defending winner of this race, Rob Poirier, who vaulted himself to the track championship after this win one year ago. A mechanical failure cut Poirier’s feature short, and left him trailing points leader JR Lawson by 14 points. Lawson meanwhile had a dominant performance, winning his heat and feature. The competition was fierce, with Chantel Ackles, Michael Savoie, Guy Basque, Michel-Andre Poirier, and Mathieu Mallett all having strong runs on opening day - but each will look to improve their results during Saturday’s extended feature. Shawn Benoit and the Conroy Racing entry are also expected to return. Hopes are high that a number of drivers will make their 2019 debuts during the big 50 lap feature, including Mitchell Poirier and Samantha Flieger. More entries are expected on race day.
The closest race on opening day was the Atlantic Modified Tour feature, where the top 4 cars crossed the line under a blanket, with Sportsman veterans Yves McCray and “The Racing Ranger” Kim Hallihan showing the way. Another former Sportsman veteran will join the field on Saturday, with the return of Zean Dutcher in the “Flyin’ 55.” Through 2 events, Brandon Skidmore and Braxton Stafford have each found their ways onto the podium at Petty Raceway, with Stafford also claiming a podium spot in Miramichi. Veteran drivers and fan favorites Joe Hoyt and Doug Matchett are looking to make gains as they return to Miramichi in search of their first podiums of the year, while Kevin Brideau and Travis Conroy have turned heads by showing speed early in the year - speed they hope to translate into trophies. After suffering a mechanical failure in practice opening day, everyone is excited to see Steven Curtis back on track. Also expected in a field of cars expected to be into the double digits will be a former winner at Speedway Miramichi in Kevin Bailey, who will make his 2019 debut during Saturday’s 35 lap feature.
The Street Stock feature on opening day was also a thrilling affair, with Brandon Carter holding off a hard charging Chris Wilson to pick up the win. Since that race, mechanical failures at his home track have plagued Carter - and the points leader has a big challenge ahead of him to defend his lead Saturday. Meanwhile, Chris Wilson and Brad MacLean each have scored podium finishes around the Maritimes since opening day, and both drivers are hungry to capture their first victory of the year. Rookie drivers JR Lawson and Jamie Jardine each ran well on opening day, and they may be joined by some more rookies this time around.
Darcy O’Neill had a big day opening day, scoring a heat and feature win on opening day as he starts his quest to take the 2019 championship. Robert Legere will be fighting hard to get back to victory lane, while an entry out of the MacLean Racing stable is expected with a driver to be determined. A handful of drivers have been busily working on their cars, and hopefully will be on track soon.
Pit gates for Kids Day open at 12:30pm, with grandstands opening at 2pm. Festivities for Kids Day start shortly after 3pm with an on-track autograph session followed by kids rides. The green flag will drop at approximately 4pm.
For one day only, youth admission is free for ages 13 and under, as opposed to the usual 7 and under. Youth ages 14 to 17 and seniors can be admitted to the grandstands for just $10, while admission for adults is just $15. Pit admission is $20, and is restricted to those aged 18 and over, with youth 8 to 17 years requiring a parental waiver form to enter the pits.
For more information, stay tuned to Speedway Miramichi’s social platforms, “Speedway Miramichi Inc.” on Facebook, “speedway.miramichi” on Instagram, and our website at speedwaymiramichi.com
About Speedway Miramichi
Speedway Miramichi is Eastern Canada’s Oldest Active Motorsports Venue, and Northern New Brunswick’s only paved oval track. Located in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick, and just 5 minutes away from all city amenities, Speedway Miramichi hosts stock car racing and demolition events throughout the summer. There is no other facility in the world where you can watch a stock car race, burnout competition, figure-8 race, and a demolition derby during the same event. Visit our website (speedwaymiramichi.com), check us out on Facebook (Speedway Miramichi Inc.), or find us on Instagram (speedway.miramichi) for more details!
