PST Event # 6 of 11, for 2008

Feature Race Distance: 250 laps

2007 Race Winner: Mike Rowe (07 IWK 250 sanctioned by PASS)

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

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


IWK 250 podium finishers and trophy presenters (left to right): Mike MacKenzie (third place), Regan Smith (winner), Steve Lewis (Steve Lewis Auto Body), Shawn Turple (second place), and Brian Edwards (DuPont Refinish Canada).


Regan Smith not only made good on his promise in 2007 to return for the 2008 CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour IWK 250 - but his promise to win the race. Smith delighted over 10,000 fans at Riverside International Speedway Saturday night with a NASCAR-style celebration after taking the checkered flag. Fellow DEI driver Aric Almirola finished 7th in the race.

Unofficial Results

Following are the unofficial results from Saturday's IWK 250. Lots more coverage and pictures coming later today...

Showing finishing position, driver name and laps completed...

1. Regan Smith 250
2. Shawn Turple 250
3. Mike MacKenzie 250
4. Bob White 250
5. John Flemming 250
6. Lonnie Sommerville 250
7. Aric Almirola 250
8. Wayne Smith 250
9. Greg Proude 250
10. Robbie MacLean 249
11. Johnny Clark 249
12. Dave O'Blenis 246
13. Darren MacKinnon 243
14. Brad Mann 233
15. Chris Hughes 213
16. George Koszkulics 189
17. Daryl Mahar 167
18. Travis Benjamin 131
19. Darren Vanderaa 131
20. Dale Holmes 130
21. Kevin Moore 113
22. Greg Fahey 110
23. Donald Chisholm 81
24. Kent Vincent 64
25. Rollie MacDonald 64
26. Brent Wiggins 64
27. Shawn Tucker 32
28. Mike Stevens 28
29. Paul Gahan 27
30. Craig Slaunwhite 8
31. Jonathan Hicken 3

Race Statistics

• Cautions: 15
• Lead Changes: Lonnie Sommerville: 1-4; Donald Chisholm: 5-29; Johnny Clark: 30-82; Daryl Mahar: 83-115; Johnny Clark: 116-132; Sommerville: 133-150; Clark: 151-168; Greg Proude: 169-223; Regan Smith: 224; Greg Proude: 225-232; REgan Smith: 233-250
• Heat Winners: Chris Hughes, Travis Benjamin, John Flemming
• Dash Winner: Donald Chisholm
• Semi Winners: Rollie MacDonald, Robbie MacLean
• Time Trials Winner (Fast Time): Johnny Clark (14.398 seconds)
• Last Chance Top Three: Shawn Tucker, Roger Miller, Dale Holmes

Photo Gallery - No. 1 - more to follow
Watch for Ken MacIsaac's IWK 250 action photo gallery this week - exclusively on CheckersToWreckers.com...


The day started off with heavy mist - and fans braving that mist more than two hours before the box office opened to ensure they got great seats...


NASCAR's Aric Almirola spent some time working on his tires for the race...


And NASCAR's Regan Smith was hands-on during practice, too...


Antigonish' s Donald Chisholm was a popular pole-sitter for the race - shown here during the autograph session...


A young fan gets his picture taken with Almirola...


Regan Smith had a long line of fans waiting for his autograph and photos, too...


John Flemming's daughter Taylor was helping dad during the autograph session...


Mike Stevens racecar carried a special IWK tribute on behalf of his three-year-old cousin Olivia...


Craig Slaunwhite signs the Official 2008 IWK 250 Souvenir Program for a young fan...


The autograph session...


Donald Chisholm and Lonnie Sommerville lead the pack to the green flag...

Lots more photos in Ken MacIsaac's IWK 250 Gallery - click here

Report From The Track

Friday July 18

• The main Campground is now full. Campers are being parked in lot three located past the main grandstand parking lot...
• The track ticket office in the Antigonish Mall will close at Noon today; tickets can be purchased at the track starting at 3 p.m. Friday and Noon Saturday...
• The Thursday night practice session saw Rollie MacDonald set fast time followed by Regan Smith, Donald Chisholm, Johnny Clark, and Aric Almirola...

Event Preview

Excitement Building For Saturday's IWK 250

A sneak preview of the Official 2008 IWK 250 Souvenir Program. The 48-page full colour magazine style publication is jammed with valuable event info and pictures - including profiles for IWK 250 expected entries as well as probable entry lists (by car no.) for each of the four divisions competing at Riverside this weekend.

JAMES RIVER, NS (July 16, 2008) - The 2008 edition of the IWK 250 presented by DuPont Refinish and Steve Lewis Auto Body is this weekend at Riverside International Speedway - and the stage is set for an event maritime motorsports aficionados will not want to miss.

Some of those fans have already set up camp at the renowned facility, with RV's arriving as early as last Friday to assure parking spots at what is expected to be a sellout event on Saturday.

Advance ticket sales are going at a record pace, so much so the track box office has had to extend their hours this week in order to keep up with the demand for tickets.

More than 40 of the best short track racers in the Maritimes will go fender-to-fender with top New England drivers and two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racers, Regan Smith and Aric Almirola, both employed by the fabled Dale Earnhardt Inc.

All tolled, the local "offering" sees a stout lineup with 12 maritime touring series championships combined between Rollie MacDonald, Wayne Smith, Shawn Tucker and John Flemming.

Johnny Clark, with two New England touring series championships, leads the charge among his fellow Maine-based expected entries which also includes Travis Benjamin and Kirk Thibeau.

NASCAR's Smith and Almirola have the same agenda - to win - but come to the race from different avenues. Smith has made good on his promise to return to Riverside after finishing third in the '07 edition of the IWK 250 - in which he had no prior late model racing experience. Almirola on the other hand, won races and championships racing Florida short tracks while driving late models before moving to the NASCAR ranks.

Smith has vowed to apply a "checkers or wreckers" strategy in his bid to better his '07 finish by two spots; Almirola is expected to take a more laid back approach until he gets a feel for the track and the competition.

The 2008 IWK 250 offers a total purse exceeding $103,000 including the potential for the winner to take home more than $23,500 - including a guaranteed $10,000 for first place plus the opportunity to win as much as $13,750 in sponsored competition bonuses.

The event is sanctioned by the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour, being billed as a "supershow" - with special rules - one of which includes a flat 200 championship points being awarded all drivers that attempt to qualify.

Thirty cars will make up the starting gird for the IWK 250 with four "elimination-style" rounds of qualifying action: time trials, heat races, semis and a last chance race - for which the winner will have the option of going with $1,200 or starting the IWK 250.

Besides pro stock action, fans in attendance at Riverside International Speedway on Saturday will see the Kenworth Maritime Legends Challenge. Pit gates will open at 8 a.m.; practice starts at 10:50 a.m. the box office and grandstand gates open at Noon; time trials for both divisions start at 4 p.m. and racing action starts at 5:30 p.m.

Riverside's Superweekend kicks off Friday with the NAPA 100 for the Highland Home Hardware Sportsman Series, which will be joined by the APM Atlantic Open Wheel Series. Time Trials start Friday at 6 p.m.; racing starts at 7 p.m.

All seats at the facility are being offered as reserved seating for both Friday and Saturday. Advance tickets are available at the Riverside Int'l Speedway box office in the Antigonish Mall through Thursday at 8 P.M.and then at the track's box office in James River starting at 3 p.m. Friday and Noon Saturday.

Event Format click here

Expected Entry List click here

Ticket Information click here

Related Stories

Unfinished Business - NASCAR’s Regan Smith keeps his promise to return to Riverside race
by Monty Mosher - The Halifax Herald click here

Qualifying Procedure & Purse

A 30-car field is scheduled to start the IWK 250 with the grid being determined through four rounds of elimination-style qualifying, as follows...

Time Trials - the fastest 10 transfer to the 250

Dash Race - for the Time Trial Top 10 - to determine starting order

(3) Heat Races - the top two in each race transfer to the 250

(2) Semis - the top three in each race transfer to the 250

B Feature - The winner transfers or takes home $1,200

PLUS as many as seven provisional starting spots

* Promoter reserves the right to add additional cars to the field.

PURSE - IWK 250 - $76,450
1. $10,000; 2. $7,000; 3. $4,000; 4. $3,000; 5. $2,900; 6. $2,800; 7. $2,700; 8. $2,600; 9. $2,500; 10. $2,400; 11. $2,300; 12. $2,200; 13. $2,100; 13. $2,100; 14. $2,050; 15. $2,000; 16. $1,950; 17. $1,900; 18. $1,850; 19. $1,800; 20. $1,750; 21. $1,700; 22. $1,650; 23. $1,600; 24. $1,550; 25. $1,500; 26. $1,450; 27. $1,350; 28. $1,300; 29. $1,250; 30. $1,200.

COMPETITOR BONUS AWARDS - IWK 250 - $14,500 to-date

• Lap Leader Bonus: $12,500 paid at $50 per lap led - see page 15 for lap sponsor list
• Top Finishing Ford: $250 from Keltic Ford
• Top Finishing Chevrolet: $250 from Ron MacGillivray Chevrolet
• Top Finishing Dodge: $250 from MacDonald Chrysler
• Top Finishing Toyota: $250 from Trimac Toyota
• Fastest Qualifier (Time Trials): $500 / $250 from manufacturer sponsor PLUS $250 from Atlantic Tiltload
• Halfway Leader: $500 from Wilson Equipment

PURSE - "B" FEATURE - $12,500
1. $1,200 OR transfer to IWK 250; 2. $1,000; 3. $950; 4. $900; 5. $875; 6. $850; 7. $825; 8. $800; 9. $700; 10. $700; 11. $700; 12. $600; 13. $600; 14. $600; 15. $600; 16. $600.

PURSE - NON QUALIFIERS
Any car that has pre-registered for the event and is unable to make either feature for mechanical or a crash in heats or semi will receive $300.00.

Track Info

Riverside International Speedway, a 1/3-mile high-banked asphalt oval, is located in James River between New Glasgow and Antigonish at exit 30 off Trans Canada Highway 104. Opened in 1969, the facility was totally rebuilt in 2006 to become a premiere motorsports site, compared to the best short tracks in Canada and the U.S. The 2008 schedule includes two CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour events on June 7 and August 16; the IWK 250 event on July 18-19, also sanctioned by the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour; and the Atlantic Dodge Dealers 300 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event on September 20. For more information about Riverside Speedway, please visit www.riversidespeedway.ca or call 902.863.2410.



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