Parts For Trucks 200 Saturday, September 8 at 6 p.m. Scotia Speedworld Halifax, Nova Scotia

PST Event # 10 of 10, for 2007

Feature Race Distance: 200 laps

Year-To-Date Results & Point Standings: click here

Area Weather Forecast: The Weather Network - click here; Environment Canada - click here


Mike MacKenzie (center) celebrates the win with his wife Kelli and his crew.

MacKenzie Wins the Battle; ? Wins the War
Posted September 9/07

The final race of the 2007 CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour season was contested Saturday night at Scotia Speedworld, and now - a day later - we don't know who the series champion is. In fact, according to a statement read to fans in attendance at Saturday night's Parts for Trucks 200, we may not know for a while.

The title is in limbo awaiting a decision this Tuesday September 11 by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge, expected to make a ruling on an injunction requested by inaugural series champion Wayne Smith. If granted, the injunction could see the championship declaration further delayed until after a suit filed by Smith against the series is resolved. The suit seeks the reversal of a disqualification for Smith in a June 9 event sanctioned by the series. If Smith wins the suit he will also win his second series title.

In spite of all that, and without any type of points pressure, Mike MacKenzie won the Parts for Trucks 200, driving a race that some proclaimed was one of his career best.

Three-time series champion John Flemming was second and Smith finished third. Lonnie Sommerville and Shawn Tucker rounded out the top five.

"We didn't have a very good car in the first half," said MacKenzie, "but we worked on it at half-time and it came to us. We've only run four Tour races this year and we won two of them; it's the first time I've won two races in a season. I'm ecstatic."

MacKenzie started the race from the fifth spot and lurked in the top 10 during the first half; he set sail on the high side of the track after the lap 101 restart, moving to third by lap 113. The next several laps saw a three-way battle for the lead with second-place Flemming and the leader, young Craig Slaunwhite who was wheeling Frank Fraser's car for just the second time.

The trio raced in tight formation lap after lap before MacKenzie made it stick on the high side and slid past both Flemming and Slaunwhite, taking the point on lap 122 and holding on for the win.

The race saw 12 cautions - which consumed approximately 89 minutes of the two hours 29 minutes it took to run the race.

Donald Chisholm led from the point, being overtaken by Lonnie Sommerville on lap 1. Turple led laps four to 18 before fellow Fraser protege Craig Slaunwhite passed him for the lead. Slaunwhite held the point until MacKenzie passed him on lap 122.

Turple "won" the time trials; Chisholm won the Dash. Chris Hughes, Flemming and George Koszkulics won heat races. Darren MacKinnon won the B Feature.

Thirty-three cars entered the Parts for Trucks 200; two competitors - Dean MacInnis and Russell Smith - had problems in practice and did not attempt to qualify. 2005 series champion Rollie MacDonald spun in his heat race and never returned to the track.

Slaunwhite Steals the Show
Craig Slaunwhite served notice Saturday night he will be a force to be reckoned with in pro stock circles of the future. After winning the 35-lap sportsman feature on the card, he climbed into the pro stock No. 23 without missing a beat. Starting seventh on the grid he moved to third by lap eight, second on lap 13 and overtook Turple for the the lead on lap 19. He was pressured by series race winners and champions in the next 100 laps, but wasn't rattled. A pit stop on lap 164 saw a tire change on the 23 car; in the remaining laps Slaunwhite masterfully weaved his way through the field to an eighth-place finish. Post-race the crowd cheered Slaunwhite as enthusiastically as the winner.

Support Class Action
The Legends Tour and the track Sportsman division were also on hand. The Legends feature saw Justin MacNeill get the win, with Cy Harvey and Steve Pye second and third. Legends heat race wins went to MacNeill and Pye.

The 35-lap sportsman feature saw 22 cars start and nine finish. The wreck-ridden race took just under one hour to complete with Craig Slaunwhite starting last and finishing first. Dale Richardson was second and Ralph Probert third. Sportsman heat wins went to Steve Ross, Jason Brown and Troy Slaunwhite.

To Be - Or Not To Be (Champion)

With just 41 markers separating the top three in the series point standings entering the event, and even with the title in limbo, the top contenders knew they had to take out all the stops in their respective bids - on and off the track...

Shawn Turple led the points by 31 over Tucker, and Tucker was 10 ahead of Smith entering the event.

Having finished no worse than seventh all season long, Turple's position atop the standings was relatively safe - unless disaster struck. Unfortunately for Turple, it did; lap 50 saw the young racer running hard among the top five when he got in a hard wreck with Kent Vincent - who was fourth in the standings and running second in the race at the time. Turple was done for the night, finishing 24th in the 26-car field and losing a bid for his first series title. Turple declined interview requests after the incident.

Tucker, the series 04 champ, took advantage of a chance to score some extra points even before the green flag flew by accepting the Pole Challenge, relinquishing his second-place starting spot for the rear - a decision that automatically gained him 10 points - closing the gap between he and Turple to 21, or 11 positions on the track, still a stretch but more realistic. When Turple fell out of the race Tucker needed only to finish 13th or better; he finished fifth. Turple had declined the Pole Challenge before it was offered to Tucker...In an interview during the half-way break of the race, Tucker said he "didn't want to win it this way" and would rather have raced Turple for the points. If Smith's legal action is not successful, Tucker will win his second series championship.

With Tucker having gained 10 points on him before the race even started, Smith's chance to secure the title without his lost points just got tougher...But he wasn't giving up...On the very first lap he moved from his third-place starting spot to make it three-wide for the lead entering turn three - but spun and had to restart at the rear of the field. It took more than 100 laps for Smith to work his way through the tight pack on the even tighter track, but by lap 130 he made his way to the top five, and eventually finished third. "We did everything we could do," said Smith. "We'll have to wait and see what the judge says now."

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS - THE PARTS FOR TRUCKS 200
Pos - Name - Laps Completed
1. Mike MacKenzie 200
2. John Flemming 200
3. Wayne Smith 200
4. Lonnie Sommerville 200
5. Shawn Tucker 200
6. Daryl Mahar 200
7. Chris Hughes 199
8. Frank Fraser 199
9. Donald Chisholm 199
10. Stacey Clements 199
11. Kris Fournier 199
12. Dale Holmes 198
13. Bob White 198
14. Darren MacKinnon 196
15. Sandy Livingstone 195
16. Darren Vanderaa 195
17. Mike Stevens 189
18. Roger Crane 184
19. Marty Prevost 184
20. Brad Mann 137
21. Kent Vincent 127
22. Greg Proude 100
23. Tim Rodgers 99
24. Shawn Turple 49
25. Gary Bursey 46
26. George Koszkulics 11

Watch for Andy Campbell's "View From the Tower" later this week...

Fast Wrap
Posted September 8/07 at 11:56 p.m.

UNOFFICIAL TOP FIVE FINISHERS
1. Mike Mackenzie
2. John Flemming
3. Wayne Smith
4. Lonnie Sommerville
5. Shawn Tucker

Lots more coming Sunday morning

Preview: The Parts For Trucks 200
Posted September 6, 2007; Source: CARQUEST Tour

Halifax, NS – The Parts For Trucks 200, the final race on the 10 race CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour, is scheduled for Scotia Speedworld on Saturday, September 8th. It is also the last leg of the Parts For Trucks challenge, a four race mini series for the Parts For Trucks sponsored races.

Shawn Turple of Enfield, NS holds down the top spot in the championship standings with 1,587 points, 33 points ahead of Shawn Tucker of Fredericton, NB. Although Turple has held the top spot for much of the summer, Tucker is within striking range and ready to pounce should Turple encounter a problem. Wayne Smith of Timberlea, NS sits in third place, with a pair of Islander’s rounding out the top five. Kent Vincent of Crapaud is in fourth place and Chris Hughes of Winsloe is in fifth place.

Turple also has the top spot in the Parts For Truck Challenge, enjoying a seven-point lead over Smith. Vincent is in third place with Dale Holmes of West Covehead, PE in fourth and Tucker in fifth. Others in the top ten are Bobby White, Kennetcook, NS, Rollie MacDonald, Pictou, NS, Hughes, Frank Fraser, Shubenacadie, NS and Lonnie Sommerville of Saint John, NB in sixth to tenth place respectively.

Sommerville holds a commanding lead in the EIT Race Radios Rookie of the Year race. Darren MacKinnon of Winsloe, PE holds down second spot, while Gary Bursey of Moncton, NB is in third place. Bursey has more points credited to him, but Dana Duncan, who is not a rookie driver, earned some of those points.

The Parts For Trucks 200, being the last race of the season for the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour, is the last opportunity for teams to move up the point’s ladder for 2007. They will be looking to maximize their point haul for the day to secure the best finish possible in the 2007 points championship. All this means that race fans are in for an exciting and action packed race.

Champion Crowning Saturday Not Likely
Posted September 6, 2007

While the Parts for Trucks 200 is the season finale for the 2007 CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour, and while the results will determine the final running order for the season, it is not likely a champion will be crowned at the track Saturday - as has become tradition since the Tour's inception.

According to a report in a Halifax newspaper Wednesday legal counsel for Maritime Pro Stock Tour Ltd. and for Wayne Smith met in Nova Scotia Supreme Court last Thursday as a result of action filed against the series by Smith in a dispute over his disqualification for a June 9 event sanctioned by the series.

On Wednesday we asked Ken Cunning, general manager for the series, if they would be naming the series champion Saturday. He replied: "No. we are unable to declare a champion until the Judge renders her decision."

According to the newspaper report the judge's decision is not expected until next Tuesday.

Smith is asking the penalty be overturned and the points and purse he lost reinstated; because the 108 points he lost could be enough to determine the title, Smith's counsel further asked for an injunction that would not see the 2007 champion declared until the legal issues are resolved.

Smith sits third in the series standings, just 10 markers behind second-place Shawn Tucker and 41 behind point leader Shawn Turple.

Race Day Format
12:30 p.m. Pit Gates Open
2:00 p.m. Legends/Sportsman Practice
2:30 p.m. Pro Stock Practice
3:10 p.m. Legends Practice
3:20 p.m. Sportsman Practice
3:30 p.m. Pro Stock Practice
4:00 p.m. Legends Practice
4:10 p.m. Sportsman Practice
4:20 p.m. Pro Stock Practice
4:35 p.m. Track Closes
4:40 p.m. Pro Stock Drivers meeting (Tour Trailer), followed by Time Trial lineup
4:55 p.m. Track Drivers Meeting (Lineup board)

5:10 p.m. Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials

6:00 p.m. Racing

Pro Stock Dash

Legend Heats

Pro Stock Heats

Sportsman Heats

Legends Feature

Pro Stock “B” Feature

Sportsman Feature

Infield Pit set-up 15 minutes (no motorized vehicles to remain in infield)

Parts For Trucks 200 Feature

Format Subject to Change without Notice

Track Info
Scotia Speedworld is a 3/10-mile asphalt oval stock car racing track featuring weekly racing for six divisions and several special events during the race season, which runs from May to September. Scotia Speedworld is located at Exit 6, Hwy. 102, across from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. For more information on Scotia Speedworld events please call their Event Hotline at (902) 873-2277 or visit their website at www.scotiaspeedworld.ca.

Photo Gallery
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IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. To confirm, please check with venue.