RACE PREVIEW: THE VERY BEST FALL SHOOTOUT
The Very Best Fall Shootout presented by Towne Auto Group – Day Two co-headlined by the 6th Annual Towne Ford Street Stock 100 and the Towne Chrysler Demolition Blowout
When? Saturday October 1st at 2pm
Where? Speedway Miramichi – 85 McKinnon Road, Miramichi
Important Times: Pit Gates Open at 9:30am for stock car teams, 11:00am for Demolition teams. Grandstands Open at 11:00am
Event: 6th Annual Towne Ford Street Stock 100, Towne Chrysler Demolition Blowout, Mini Stock 50, Atlantic Modified Tour 35
Tickets: Grandstand General Admission $20, Seniors (65+) $10, Youth (8-17) $10, Kids 7 & under are free!
Pit Admission: $25, restricted to those over the age of 8. Youth between 8 to 17 years of age must have signed parental waiver forms.
It’s the biggest day of the year at Speedway Miramichi! Historically featuring the biggest prizes, fields of cars, and trophies, The Very Best Fall Shootout has earned a level of prestige amongst regional races. A premiere grassroots racing event, the very best smashing and crashing in Demolition action along with stock car racing will be contested to the delight of Miramichi fans! With it serving as the championship crowning event, there is plenty of action on tap.
6th Annual Towne Ford Street Stock 100 Storylines
The 6th Annual Towne Ford Street Stock 100 is expected to put nearly two dozen of the region’s top competitors on track at the historic 1/3-mile oval to battle for an 8-foot-tall trophy and the lions share of the over $7000 purse!
Logan Power (#58) enters as the two-time defending champion of the event. Power captured the win in 2020 and backed it up one year ago. He will seek a historic three-peat on Saturday.
For the first time in event history, all past champions are entered to compete. In addition to Power, 2017 winner Brad MacLean (#13), 2018 winner Luc McLaughlin (#11), and 2019 winner Justin Cole (#38) have all filed entries into the event.
Michael Cormier (#68) enters leading the Maritime Street Stock Series points and he was the runner-up finisher at the September Shakedown 50. Drew Lewis (#61) sits second in Maritime Street Stock Series points.
Kenny MacKenzie Jr (#85) won a Maritime Street Stock Series race at Speedway 660, and also a feature in Miramichi in June which earned him a top 6 starting spot in the main event.
Tom Nicholls (#28) enters as the Speedway Miramichi points leader in a race that will see the crowning of a track champion. Just five points behind Nicholls, in a similar position to when he won his 2020 title, is Janeville driver Bryar Ellis (#95).
Former Speedway 660 track champions will be in attendance – 2018 champion Shawn Hyslop (#99) and 2021 champion Riley Goodwin (#77) are both also former podium finishers in this race, but they want the first place trophy!
It will be the Street Stock debut of former Atlantic Modified Tour champion and Miramichi native Travis Conroy (#7) as he has a new ride he will debut!
Mitchell Arsenault (#51) is slated to be the lone out of province entry – but he won’t be the only out of province driver, as Mike Duskey (#16) will get behind the wheel of Matt Pelletier’s ride.
The complete entry list can be seen below, with 22 drivers registered as of press time for the biggest event of the year!
6th Annual Towne Ford Street Stock 100 Entry List
#00 – Karl Schaefer #04 – Alex Michaud #2W – Chris Wilson #7 – Travis Conroy #11 – Luc McLaughlin #13 – Brad MacLean #15 – Martin Landry #16 – Mike Duskey #22 – Craig Ward #28 – Tom Nicholls #38 – Justin Cole #46 – Evan Lane #51 – Mitchell Arsenault #52 – Ron Enkel #58 – Logan Power #61 – Drew Lewis #68 – Michael Cormier #77 – Riley Goodwin #85 – Kenny MacKenzie Jr #95 – Bryar Ellis #97x – Shawn Furlong #99 – Shawn Hyslop
Past Towne Ford Street Stock 100 Winners
2017 – Brad MacLean #13 2018 – Luc McLaughlin #11 2019 – Justin Cole #38 2020 – Logan Power #58 2021 – Logan Power #58
Towne Chrysler Demolition Blowout Storylines
The year end Demolition Blowout, sponsored by Towne Chrysler, will see the crowning of a Demolition champion in what is sure to be a wild finale!
Former champions Jean-Francois Basque (#21) and Mitch Brideau (#22) show the way in points, with Basque having a 12-point lead over Brideau. Barring any wild and crazy turn of events (which is quite possible), the championship will likely be decided between these two past champions.
Demolition stars Randy Girouard (#8), Norm Robichaud (#666) and Ricky Boudreau (#764) round out the top 5. Each has a mathematical chance to win and will smash and crash their way to try and earn as many points as possible.
Jonathan Poirier (#183) is the most recent Demolition winner after capturing the Back to School Smash. The 2022 season has seen 5 different winners in the 5 Demolition Derbies held.
Fan favorites like Dylan Storey (#85), Gary Caissie (#28), Mathieu Brideau (#99), Dylan Doucet (#02), Arthur Richard (#44), Jonathan Leclair (#10), Shawn Sisk (#94), and many more are sure to entertain as they battle for the win.
Towne Chrysler – the sponsor of the Demolition Blowout – has filed an entry of their own! Chris Savage (#2) will take to the track and give the Towne Auto Group family something to cheer for as part of the Towne Chrysler Demolition Blowout!
Big car counts means big money at Speedway Miramichi – the past three Demolition have exceeded 40 cars and paid over $2000 to the winner, and the Demolition Blowout should be no different.
Five preliminary races will be contested – the Dash for Cash, Powder Puff, Back-Up, Kidney, and Figure 8 races. Each race counts for points towards the overall championship, and drivers must compete in at least three of five races to be eligible for the grand prize.
Mini Stock 50 Storylines
The championship event for the Mini Stock division could be a historic one!
JR Lawson (#81) enters as the points leader. If he seals the deal, it would be a fourth consecutive championship for Lawson (a record – no one else has ever won more than 2 in a row), and a record tying fifth career track championship.
Lawson has also won four consecutive 50-lap features as part of The Very Best Fall Shootout.
In behind, it’s a heated points battle for second. Mitchell Poirier (#28) and Chantel Lawson (#30) are tied for second and will look to settle this battle at the finale.
Guy Basque (#27) will look to solidify his fourth place position as he steps away from racing, while Nathan Richard (#35) is set to cap off a rookie year looking to secure a top 5 finish in points.
A great field of Mini Stocks are expected, which should make for an exciting race. It’s a race everyone wants to win.
Atlantic Modified Tour 35 Storylines
An exciting 35-lap Atlantic Modified Tour feature will be held, with one of the biggest fields of the summer anticipated to partake in the ninth of eleven races on their 2022 campaign.
Plenty of attention will be focused on the Speedway Miramichi Modified points battle. Yves McCray (#58) is on top of the points with a chance to earn a third career Speedway Miramichi championship. McCray previously won Sportsman championships in 1999 and 2003, in addition to other championships he has on his resume.
McCray has a five-point lead over 2018 champion Doug Matchett (#75), and AMT points leader Braxton Stafford (#91). Joe Hoyt (#17) came from behind to win a track championship in 2019, and he finds himself seven points out of the lead with on race to go.
Defending Miramichi Modified champion Chris Wilson (#2W), McCray, and Matchett are feature winners at Speedway Miramichi in 2022.
Among the other competitors who are anticipated to take to the track are rookie leader Tristin Harris (#7H), the “Racing Ranger from Renous” Kim Hallihan (#97), the “flyin’ 55” of Zean Dutcher (#55), Michael Savoie (#00), and Kevin Bailey (#4)
Mini Stock competitor Conrad Murphy (#89) has recently purchased a new Modified and will be making his debut when the green flag flies on Saturday.
Powder Puff Championship Race
The fastest girls in town crown their 2022 track champion as part of the Towne Chrysler Demolition Blowout.
Georgia Estey holds a narrow lead over Ericka Lesage and 2021 champion Tania Jean. Four points separate these three drivers, with only a 10-lap feature remaining.
Monique Benoit, Nadine Savoie, and Hayley Waugh have all had strong seasons and mathematically remain eligible for the title.
The biggest weekend of the year is sure to bring out some heavy hitters and make this Powder Puff race one not to miss!
While Saturday is the biggest day of the year, night one of The Very Best Fall Shootout presented by Towne Auto Group on Friday September 30th will kick off the championship weekend in a big way! As part of the Towne Mazda Kick-Off – the cars and stars of the Bomber division will open the weekend by crowning their 2022 division points champion in a special under the lights race! Mini Stock drivers will contest a 50-lap exhibition race – a test and tune per se in advance of another 50-lap feature on Saturday. Competitors in the 6th Annual Street Stock 100 will also have a one-hour practice session to prepare for the big race, with a free pit-side bonfire and social event wrapping up the night!
