Mayhem On Tap for Mid-Summer Madness!

Saturday August 10th will see the fourth event of the 2019 season at Speedway Miramichi contested! A make-up race following multiple rainouts in July, the Mid-Summer Madness themed show will feature a full slate of demolition and stock car events!

Kevin Tucker (#87) continues to lead the way in the point standings, adding to his lead at The Day of 8’s. Tucker’s closest competitor, Joey Pitre (#20) will not be in attendance for this weekends event due to prior commitments, which will open up the door for Tucker to extend his massive lead even more!

But it will not be easy for Tucker, as 2 young rising stars have emerged looking to make a late-season charge for the championship. Jacob Smith (#29) has survived to win 2 consecutive main events, first taking the Kids Day Demo, and then The Day of 8’s Figure 8 Enduro & Demo. Smith sits 3rd in points after closing the gap last race. Not far behind Smith is youngster Alexander MacIntosh (#17), who is coming off at podium at the Day of 8’s!

Other challengers who look spoil the party Saturday will include Mathieu Brideau (#99) who looks to make his way into the top 5 in points, Norm Robichaud (#666) who will make the haul from Southern NB, and Marc-Andre Benoit (#81), who will make his 2019 debut after nearly winning the championship in 2018!

Preceding the Demolition Derby finale will be 5 popular preliminary Demo events! The Dash for Cash and Figure 8 Races will each be contested over 8 laps and will thrill fans, while Back-Up race, Powder Puff, and Kidney Shaped heat races will each be contested over 5 laps. Before the Demo events, fans will be treated to the third points paying event for all stock car divisions!

Yves McCray (#58) and Doug Matchett (#75) have split the 2 Atlantic Modified Tour features at Speedway Miramichi in 2019, and ironically enough, it was the rivalry between these 2 drivers which reached a climax at the June race in Miramichi. McCray and Matchett have since put the past behind them and turned their focus towards chasing wins and the points championship. McCray leads the way in the overall AMT standings, while the pair are chasing “The Racing Ranger” from Renous, Kim Hallihan (#97) in the Miramichi house points.

Brandon Skidmore (#84) enters as the most recent winner on the Modified Tour, capturing a win at Petty. Skidmore, the lone Nova Scotia driver on the tour, loves coming to Speedway Miramichi to spoil the party for the local drivers, and he enters 4th in Miramichi points. The most recent race at Petty also saw some other drivers show strength. Zean Dutcher (#55) earned two consecutive podiums at Petty, while Steven Curtis (#12) had his career best performance, leading a large portion of the feature, and he looks to carry momentum into his home track. Former Miramichi feature winner Kevin Bailey (#2) debuted his new car at the last race at Petty, and he brought it home just shy of a podium position with a 4th place finish.

Among the other competitors expected to be on track Saturday includes 2-time and defending AMT champion, Joe Hoyt (#17), rookie competitor Travis Conroy (#7), and sophomore driver Kevin Brideau (#14). The #91 car typically driven by Braxton Stafford will also be in attendance, but possibly without Stafford driving. As of press time, no substitute driver was officially confirmed.

When it was all said and done in June for the Street Stock division, it was Chris Wilson (#2W) being credited with his first official career feature win on Kids Day and grabbing the points. Due to circumstances, Wilson’s closest championship contender is now rookie JR Lawson (#81), who trails by 12 points. Lawson leads the way in a tight rookie of the year battle over Jamie Jardine (#10) who sits just 2 points behind Lawson. The rookie of the year battle will come right down to the final race of the year it seems, and both drivers will want to make ground this weekend.

A driver to watch Saturday will be “Hollywood” James Matchett (#55). After missing opening day, Matchett is outside of the championship battle, but will be a threat to win the feature on Saturday. A 2nd place finish on Kids Day was Matchett’s first podium of the year, and he has since gone on to score multiple podium finishes throughout the province. Also expected to make his 2019 Miramichi debut will be Jared Tozer (#51), after he shook down his car at other tracks throughout the province.

Pulling double duty with his Street Stock hasn’t seemed to slow him down, as JR Lawson (#81) has been dominant in Mini Stock racing in 2019, winning every race he has competed in across the Maritime’s except for 1 - including 2 in Miramichi. So far Lawson’s biggest challenger has been his own teammate, Chantel Ackles (#30). Ackles sits 8 points back of Lawson, and behind her it’s 6 more points back to Michael Savoie (#00). Guy Basque (#27), Mathieu Mallett (#80) and Michel-Andre Poirier (#16) all closely follow Savoie in the points standings.

The story fans will be talking about for this week’s Mini Stock race will be a Miramichi veteran getting behind the wheel. Zean Dutcher (#55), a current Modified and former Sportsman driver in Miramichi, has purchased the former Conroy Racing car for his son. But this weekend, it will be Dutcher on track shaking down the car!

The Dukes class saw a new face emerge during the non-points race held during the Day of 8’s. Jonathan Dickson (#3) debuted his “Intimidator” style car and entertained the fans with his driving style. Dickson is learning his car and will look to challenge the 2 competitors who have battled every race for the past 2 seasons, Robert Legere (#04) and Darcy O’Neill (#68). The battles between Legere and O’Neill, who have 6 track championships between them, have split the 2 points paying features in 2019, with Legere earning the non-points show feature victory.

Pit gates open at 1pm Saturday, with grandstands opening at 2pm. Pre-race Kids Rides are slated for 3:35pm. The green flag for the only night race of the year will be in the air at 4pm sharp.

Admission for adults is $15, while youth ages 8 to 17 and seniors can be admitted for just $10! All kids ages 7 and under are free, while the popular family pass can admit a family of 4 for just $35, plus $2 per additional child. Pit admission is $20, and is restricted to those aged 18 and over, and youth 8 to 17 years of age with the requirement of a signed parental waiver form being necessary 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