Atlantic Modified Tour Starting 20th Season Saturday at Petty Raceway May 19, 2022 Regional (MIRAMICHI, NB – May 19th, 2022) – The Atlantic Modified Tour will begin its 20th season on Saturday with a trip to Petty International Raceway. The Kamizo Transport LTD 35 is the first of 11-point events for the 2022 season and the first of a quartet of races at the high banked bullring this Summer. Racing action at the River Glade, New Brunswick oval begins at 4 pm on Saturday. The series ended in 2021 with a building storyline of youth versus experience. When the chips fell at Speedway Miramichi last October, “The Kid” Travis Conroy (Miramichi, NB) was able to topple the reign of then-champion Yves McCray (Neguac, NB) for his first driving championship. Conroy began his championship run last May with a win in the Season Opener and enters the Kamizo Transport LTD 35 as the defending race winner along with the defending Series champion. With that, the No. 7 should be near the top of the running order when the checkered flag is displayed on Saturday. McCray was hot and cold to start off 2021 but ended his season strong. McCray was runner-up to Conroy in this opening round last year and had three podium runs in the first five features of 2021. His ground in the season-long championship chase was made up late with three runner-up finishes in the final four races of the year. Should McCray come out of the box strong at the Kamizo Transport LTD 35 and the second round a week later at Speedway Miramichi, he may re-establish himself as a contender to win back the title he had in 2020. While McCray had a hot hand at the end of last year, no driver was rolling better than Braxton Stafford (Miramichi, NB). Luck was not on his side for most of the first half of the season but the No. 91 was able to reel off the final two race wins of 2021 at Petty Raceway and Speedway Miramichi. Stafford won a trio of feature events last year, as did Chris Wilson (South Esk, NB), who competed part-time in 2021. In addition to Stafford, Wilson, McCray and Conroy, Joe Hoyt (Waasis, NB), Doug Matchett (Miramichi, NB) and Zean Dutcher (Miramichi, NB) also raced to victories one year ago. Dutcher joined Conroy and Stafford as Tour winners at Petty Raceway in 2021. Brody Levesque (Lincoln, NB) bested Michael Savoie (Tracadie, NB) for top Rookie honors last season on the Atlantic Modified Tour. Both drivers are expected to return throughout the 2022 season. Several rookie drivers have registered to compete this season, including Matt Crocker (Fredericton, NB) and Tristin Harris (Harvey, NB), both of whom have several feature victories at Speedway 660. Among the drivers expected to make appearances throughout the season also include John Lyons (Fredericton, NB), Kevin Bailey (Minto, NB), Kim Hallihan (Renous, NB), Jamie Weston (St. Martin’s, NB) and Steven Curtis (South Esk, NB). Event registration is not required per race on the Atlantic Modified Tour. The entrants in the Kamizo Transport LTD 35 at Petty International Raceway are subject to change without notice. Grandstand admission prices for Saturday’s event are $20 for adults and $10 for youth aged eight to 18 with children aged seven and under admitted for free. Pit admission is $25 and is restricted to those 16 years of age and older. New in 2022, all those entering the pit gates must complete their insurance waiver online prior to heading to the track. This waiver for Petty International Raceway can be completed by going to PIRL.speedwaiver.com. Pit gates open at 10 am, grandstand gates open for spectators at 2 pm with qualifying getting underway at 4 pm. Camping is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information about the Atlantic Modified Tour, please visit AtlanticModifieds.com. About the Atlantic Modified Tour:The Atlantic Modified Tour is a New Brunswick based open wheel modified touring series. Founded in 2003 by Jim Duke, the Atlantic Modified Tour continues to thrill fans across the Province. You can keep up with the Atlantic Modified Tour by liking the Series on Facebook and following the Tour on Instagram (@AtlanticModifieds) or by visiting their website at AtlanticModifieds.com.
