Race Wrap - Atlantic Championships at CFS, Oct. 11&12

Posted October 14, 2008; Source - CFS Communications

SHEDIAC, NEW BRUNSWICK – Wayne Smith of Timberlea, N.S. put an exclamation mark on his 2008 Pro Stock season while Laurie Cormier of Riverview, N.B. made an impressive comeback to Sportsman racing as they both captured wins on October 11th as part of the Atlantic Stock Car Championships at the Centre for Speed (CFS) in nearby Grand Barachois, New Brunswick.

A total of 177 drivers and teams took part in the two-day Atlantic Championships at CFS from throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Maine for a chance to share in the total purse of over $45,000.

The Pepsi Pro Stock 150 featured an epic battle between Wayne Smith (#44) and New Glasgow’s George Koszkulics (#89) who swapped paint and exchanged the lead for most of the race until a dramatic turn of events with two laps remaining. Smith, who came into the event as the newly crowned CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock Series (MPST) champion, took the green from the third starting position thanks to his earlier heat win. Kevin Moore (#88) of Fredericton, N.B. started on the pole with Scott Livingston (#24) of Charlottetown, PEI on the outside thanks to their individual heat wins ahead of the field of 26 starters.

Koszkulics quickly moved from his fourth starting position ahead of Smith and inherited the lead on lap #26 when Moore and Livingston tangled and spun bringing out the first yellow flag of the event. The battle between Koszkulics and Smith was on with Brian McNaughton (#18) of Lower Coverdale (N.B.), Kirk Thibeau (#28) of Fort Fairfield, Maine and Dave O’Blenis (#48) of Boundary Creek, N.B. close behind.

Throughout the remaining restarts, Koszkulics and Smith maintained their top two positions until a collision with only two laps remaining took out five racecars in turn #3, including Koszkulics who was unable to avoid the wreck and sustained damage to his left front tie-rod end and wheel that ended his evening. That set up a green-white-checkered finish with Smith holding on to his lead ahead of Thibeau and a strong third-place run for Kris Fournier (#37) of Charlottetown, PEI.

The Vance Hanes Autoparts Sportsman 100, also presented on Saturday, included a number of current and former track champions from the various racetracks in the Atlantic region in the 30-car starting lineup, including Laurie Cormier (#53) of Riverview, the former three-time champion at the Centre for Speed who started the event from the 10th starting position. The top-three starting positions for the 100-lap finale included Brain Gillespie (#69) of Nackawic, N.B., the 2008 Sportsman champion at Speedway 660 near Fredericton, on the pole along with Ken MacKenzie (#85) of Salisbury and Claude Gaudet (#22) of Grand Barachois, the 2008 CFS Sportsman champion.

Gillespie quickly took charge of the event and led the field through six caution flags. Meanwhile, Cormier and Leonard Boutilier (#45) of Dutch Settlement, N.S. were methodically making their way through the field setting the tone for their respective charges over the final quarter of the event. By lap #70, Cormier had made his way up to second behind Gillespie and five laps later, he saw an opening on the inside to move into the lead for good. Gillespie then had to worry about Boutilier who had made his way up to third. On lap #95, Boutilier also took advantage of an opening on the inside to vault into second. Cormier held on to the lead with Boutilier in second, Gillespie settling for third, Gaudet in fourth and Mike Power Jr. (#58) of Salisbury rounding out the top five.

“This win is simply amazing,” exclaimed a beaming Cormier in the winner’s circle as his thanked car-owner Freddy Prosser of Shenstown and his crew for the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of a competitive racecar. “It’s been exactly three years since I’ve had this feeling and it sure feels great.” Cormier was making a return to racing after a three-year absence and indicated that he had once again ‘caught the bug’ and would seriously consider a return to competitive racing in 2009.

On Sunday, October 12th, the CFS hosted Day 2 of the Pepsi Atlantic Stock Car Championships with racing in the Streetstock, TigerCat, Thundercat, Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) modified series and Legends.

In the Atlantic Streetstock Championship 75, thirty-one of the top Streetstock competitors from throughout Atlantic Canada competed in three qualifying heats for a spot on 26-car starting lineup. When all was said and done, Fred Broussard (#76) of Sydney stood triumphant in the winner’s circle thanks to a well-calculated late race maneuver leading to a photo finish.

Heat winners included Rick Cashol (#54) of Saint John, N.B., Broussard, and 2008 CFS points champion Gérard Doiron (#15) of Haute Aboujagane. Cashol and Broussard therefore started on the front row while Doiron and Doug McEwen (#40) of Charlottetown, PEI held the third and fourth starting slots for the 75-lap feature. Cashol set the pace throughout the event beating back numerous challenges from Broussard who was literally parked on his back bumper. As the two front-runners battled, there were numerous other battles for positions throughout the field. On lap #17, McEwen saw his day come to an abrupt end as he spun in turn #3 before being hit hard from behind.

By lap #67, former CFS champion Rémi Gaudet (#75) of Grand Barachois had methodically made his way back from the tail end of the field into fourth position after an earlier spin and looked poised to challenge for the lead. The turning point of the race came as leader Cashol and Broussard battled through lap traffic with only five laps remaining. As they approached turn #4, Cashol decided to take the high line around a lap car while Broussard dipped down low and emerged as the new leader down the front straightaway. A final caution flew with only three laps remaining setting up a green-white-checkered shootout to the finish.

Broussard and Cashol raced side-by-side for the remainder of the event crossing the finish line at almost the same time. Upon review, it was determined that Broussard had edged out the veteran driver from Saint John for the win.

As he celebrated in victory lane with a significant contingent of family and friends from Cape Breton, Broussard was almost speechless. “This is absolutely awesome,” he kept repeating. “Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be standing here with this trophy in my hands,” indicated Broussard who resumed his racing career in 2006 after raising his family. Ironically, Broussard also edged out Cashol in an on-line fan vote for the 2008 Driver of the Year in Atlantic Canada, held annually by the racing website ‘The Racing Spectator’ at www.racingspectator.ca

In four-cylinder action, another Cape Bretoner visited victory lane in the under 100-horspower Thundercat 35-lap feature. Chris Drover (#48) also of Sydney, N.S. took advantage of a few openings early on to capture the Atlantic Thundercat title ahead of James Doucettte (#58) of Miscouche, PEI and last year’s Atlantic champion, Derrick MacCallum (#16) of Lower Sackville, N.S. Heat winners included Drover, MacCallum, and Matthew Palmer (#5) of Miscouche, PEI.

In the over 100-hosepower TigerCat 35-lap feature, Jean-Guy Chiasson (#35) of Allardville, N.B. ended his racing career on a high note by claiming his third consecutive Atlantic TigerCat championship after wins in 2006 & 2007. Chiasson showed early that he was still the one to beat with a win in the second heat, which gave him the second starting slot for the 35-lap finale. Pole sitter Rob Hallihan (#15) of Miramichi, N.B. and Bob Prosser (#5x) of Turtle Creek, N.B. also claimed heat wins. Chiasson took first spot away from Halihan early in the 35-lap main event and never looked back crossing the finish line ahead of Martin Landry (#00), the 17-year old driver from Grand Barachois, N.B. and Gaetan Boudreau (#71x) from Shediac.

In the Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) modified division, Mark Price (#9) of Rothesay, N.B. successfully defended his 2007 title in style by claiming the win in the 35-lap feature ahead of Joy Hoyt (#17) of Wassis, N.B. and Mike Raeburn (#98) of Hampton, N.B. Price, Ken Deveau (#3) and Steve Halpin (#18) both of Saint John along with Jamie Weston (#81) of St. Martin’s, N.B. each claimed wins in their respective 10-lap heats and semi-finals.

Finally, the 30-lap Legends feature was captured by Geoff DeCoffe (#3) of Bedford, N.S. who outdistanced Bruce Johnson (#61) of Truro, N.S. and veteran Cy Harvey (#37) of Elmsdale, N.S. at the finish line. DeCoffe had earlier claimed a win in the heat while Ray Cox Jr. (#55) of Porters Lake, N.S. took the checkered in the semi-final.

The Atlantic Demolition Championship will be the final event of the 2008 season at CFS on Saturday, October 18 at 1:00 p.m. Up to $10,000 will be on the line during this final ‘Day of Destruction’ event which will include novelty races such as the Full Contact Race, a Soap Box Derby and a Blindfold Race, capped off by a giant demolition derby. Prospective participants are urged to check out the building rules on the CFS website or contact the speedway for further information.

For further information, visit www.centreforspeed.com Smith, Cormier Win At CFS; More Racing Sunday

Posted October 12, 2008; Source - CFS Communications

Following is the finishing order for the Pepsi Pro Stock 150 and the top-five finishers in the Vance Hanes Auto Parts Sportsman 100 as part of the 2008 Pepsi Atlantic Stock Car Championships, a two-day end-of-year stock-car racing extravaganza featuring top drivers in 7 divisions from throughout Atlantic Canada. Day two goes on Sunday, October 12th at 1:00 p.m. at the Centre for Speed (CFS) near Shediac, N.B.

Pepsi Pro Stock 150 (October 11, 2008)
1. #44 Wayne Smith Timberlea, NS 150 laps
2. #28 Kirk Thibeau Fort Fairfield, ME 150 laps
3. #37 Kris Fournier Charlottetown, PEI 150 laps
4. #01 Dan Eddy Halifax, N.S. 150 laps
5. #17 Brent Wiggins Fredericton, N.S. 150 laps
6. #5 Jonathan Hicken Brudenell, PEI 150 laps
7. #51 Josh Jaillet MacDougall Sett., N.B. 150 laps
8. #48 Dave O’Blenis Boundary Creek, N.B. 150 laps
9. #19v Darren Vanderaa Milton, PEI 150 laps
10. #18 Brian McNaughton Lower Coverdale, N.B. 149 laps
11. #92 Wayne Miller Kennetcook, N.S. 149 laps
12. #89 George Koskulics New Glasgow, N.S. 148 laps
13. #77 Chris Hughes Winsloe, PEI 148 laps
14. #37L Kent Livingston Rockland, Ont. 148 laps
15. #6 Lowell Affleck Summerside, PEI 148 laps
16. #24 Scott Livingston Charlottetown, PEI 148 laps
17. #39 Sandy Livingston Jr. Springhill, N.S. 147 laps
18. #43 Jason Carnaghan Boundary Creek, N.B. 145 laps
19. #21 Shawn Pierce Bridgewater, N.S. 144 laps
20. #2 Lloyd Garnet Dobson Corner, N.B. 133 laps
21. #88 Kevin Moore Fredericton, N.B. 123 laps
22. #66 Paul Gahan Saint Mary’s, N.B. 120 laps
23. #80 Roger Miller Kennetcook, N.S. 119 laps
24. #92 Mike Thornton Fredericton, N.B. 104 laps
25. #65 Ronnie Lane Prosser Brook, N.B. 51 laps
26. #3 Terry Dougay Albany, PEI 17 laps Vance Hanes Auto Parts Sportsman 100 – (October 11, 2008)
1. #53 Laurie Cormier Riverview, N.B. 100 laps
2. #45 Leonard Boutilier Dutch Settlement, N.S. 100 laps
3. #69 Brian Gillespie Nackawic, N.B. 100 laps
4. #22 Claude Gaudet Grand Barachois, N.B. 100 laps
5. #58 Mike Power Jr. Salisbury, N.B. 100 laps

(NOTE: Other 25 finishing positions will be provided on the evening of October 12th)

Over 100 Drivers set to Compete on Day 2 of the 8th annual Atlantic Stock Car Championships

Over 100 drivers and teams from throughout Atlantic Canada, including a number of current and former track champions, are set to compete on Day 2 of the 8th annual Pepsi Atlantic Stock Car Championships on Sunday October 12 at the Centre for Speed (CFS) in nearby Grand Barachois.

Track champions from throughout the region and other top drivers in the Streetstock and 4 cylinder divisions will compete in individual Atlantic Championship features – including the Atlantic Streetstock 75 and 35-lap main events for the 4 cylinder TigerCat (over 100 hp) and Thundercat (under 100 hp) divisions.

Furthermore, drivers from the Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) modified touring series will battle it out for their series championship in a 35-lap main event along with competitors from the Legends racecar series who will compete in a 30-lap feature.

Day passes for the October 12th races will be $15 for adults and $5 for youths.

The CENTRE for Speed is a 128-acre motor sports park including Atlantic Canada’s largest and fastest stock-car oval along with several other racing facilities. The facility overlooks the Northumberland Straight and is located 5 kms east of Shediac’s Parlee Beach in the village of Grand Barachois , New Brunswick .

Full schedule details are available at www.centreforspeed.com