RACE PREVIEW: Towne Mazda Friday Kick-Off

Towne Mazda Friday Kick Off – Day One of The Very Best Fall Shootout presented by Towne Auto Group

When? Friday September 30th at 7:30pm

Where? Speedway Miramichi – 85 McKinnon Road, Miramichi

Important Times: Pit Gates Open at 5:00pm, Grandstands Open at 6:00pm

Event: Mini Stock 50 (non-points), Bomber 30 (final points race), Street Stock Happy Hour

Tickets: Special Pricing – Grandstand General Admission $10 for all ages! 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 night one of The Very Best Fall Shootout presented by Towne Auto Group! On Friday September 30th, we kick off this 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!

Bomber Championship Storylines

• Over a dozen competitors are expected to partake in the 30-lap championship feature.

• Tyson Donovan (#63) enters with an 18-point lead over his competition. Donovan will be looking to secure his first career points championship.

• Timmy Blakely (#69) and Billy Pelletier (#18) find themselves tied for second in points. Both drivers have a shot to beat Donovan should problems arise.

• Youngsters Axten MacLean (#13), Riley Connell (#43), Alex Duguay (#11) sit fourth, fifth, and sixth in points. MacLean is six points behind Blakely and Pelletier, with Connell five points behind MacLean.

• There have been five winners in six features so far in 2022. Points leader Tyson Donovan is the only two-time feature winner, with Adam Plourde (#28), Timmy Blakely (#69), Axten MacLean (#13), and most recently Johnathan Dickson (#3) all claiming feature wins.

• Ten lap heat races will help set the field with points on the line during these races, making them sure to be intense!

Mini Stock Exhibition 50 Storylines

• In preparation for Saturday, Mini Stock drivers will get a non-points race to kick-off the weekend with the first of two 50-lap features on tap.

• With no points being on the line, some of the perennial championship contenders may choose to sit this race out, opening the door for possibly a new winner!

• Chantel Ackles (#30) earned his first career (and only to date) feature win in this event one year ago.

• Drivers like Mathieu Mallet (#80), Nathan Richard (#35), Jamie Turner (#26), Kevin Kinney (#17), and Tom Ackles (#130) will look to capture their first career wins.

• Guy Basque (#27) will step away from the driver’s seat after this weekend. Basque has finished top 3 in points many times and earned many podiums in a successful career, but on his final weekend he’d love to check off one thing he has yet to do – win a feature.

• Local team Nickel and Dime Racing will field two entries, with Tyler Lannan-McLeod (#24) making his first starts of 2022 alongside teammate and Father Calvin McLeod (#00).

• The big weekend often attracts big names from around the Maritimes to compete. Expect some heavy hitters to enter this weekend to try and spoil the Miramichi party.

Street Stock Happy Hour

A one-hour test and tune will be held for Street Stock competitors Friday night under the lights. It’s an opportunity for drivers to shake down their cars and make adjustments in advance of the biggest show of the year on Saturday. Fans can stick around and check out practice while awaiting the pit-side bonfire.

Pit Bonfire and Social

Night one of The Very Best Fall Shootout presented by Towne Auto Group caps off in true Speedway Miramichi style – with a pit side bonfire. It will be a casual and laid-back atmosphere to have a few drinks (BYOB), talk racing, and stay warm! It will be a relaxing evening - all part of the hospitality Speedway Miramichi strives for.

While the Towne Mazda Friday Kick-Off gets the weekend fired up, Saturday is the biggest day of the year at Speedway Miramichi. The Very Best Fall Shootout presented by Towne Auto Group will be co-headlined by the 6th Annual Towne Ford Street Stock 100 (with an 8-foot trophy and thousands of dollars on the line), and the Towne Chrysler Demolition Blowout! Throw in a 50-lap Mini Stock feature, 35-lap Atlantic Modified Tour feature, and the Powder Puff championship, six champions will be crowned with hundreds of laps of intense action being contested. Stay tuned for a preview of Saturday’s event!