Saturday to See Day of 8s at Speedway Miramichi

The show of the summer hauls into Speedway Miramichi on Saturday as the fan-favorite “Day of 8’s” will be contested. Back by popular demand – headlining the event for the second year in a row – will be the Figure 8 Trailer Race! Coupled with The Day of 8’s Demolition and stock car racing from the Street Stock, Mini Stock, and Bomber divisions, The Day of 8’s is shaping up to be an incredible afternoon. The start time is 4 pm.

The star of the show is the Figure 8 Trailer Race once again in 2022. The inaugural version of this race in 2021 was an overwhelming success, with Riley Harris (#1) ousting Joey Pitre (#20) to claim the victory. Pitre stole the show after sending his car through the camper of third-place finisher Norm Robichaud (#666), leaving a trail of destruction behind. Indications are the second running will be bigger and better, with drivers getting even more creative with their trailers.

Many favorites have signaled intentions to compete in the Trailer Race, including Billy Pelletier (#333), Norm Robichaud (#666), Randy Girouard (#8), Dylan Doucet (#02), Joey Pitre (#20), Johnathan Dickson (#3), Kevin Kinney (#17), and Mathieu Brideau (#99). RJ Driscoll (#999) will be in attendance with a massive camper trailer for his first Miramichi start, while Speedway 660 Sharp Shooter points leader Daniel Atyeo (#15) will do battle for the big win.

The Figure 8 Trailer Race is a Figure 8 style Enduro, where the goal is to have the last trailer running. Drivers aim to take out or destroy fellow competitors’ trailers – not the cars. It leads to chaos and destruction to the delight of fans!

The Day of 8’s brings a double headlining act, as in addition to the Figure 8 Trailer Race, drivers also compete to win The Day of 8’s Demolition Derby. Many big names will fight for glory, including Demolition points leader Ricky Boudreau (#764), who had a strong Spring Smash with a pair of preliminary victories. Dash for Cash winner Jean-Francois Basque (#21) is off to his best start to a season since his second championship, and he looks to maintain the momentum. Amber Sickles (#03) will return after a tough Spring Smash seeking redemption. Jeremy Faulds (#11), Matt Murray (#069), Kyle Hay (#027), Gary Caissie (#28), Shawn Sisk (#94), Georgia Estey, and more will be amongst the stiff competition on Saturday.

Four preliminary races are required for competitors to qualify for the grand prize in The Day of 8’s Demolition. These include the popular Dash for Cash and Back-Up races, along with a returning Tire Race! The ladies will shine for the Powder Puff race – which was the best show of the season opener, ending in a 4-wide photo finish with Chantal Lanteigne claiming the win and the early points lead!

In stock car competition, Street Stock competitors will do battle for round one of “The Road to The Very Best Fall Shootout.” A guaranteed top 6 starting position is on the line for October’s 6^th Annual Street Stock 100 to the winner of Saturday’s feature. This is catching the eye of several competitors – led by two-time and reigning Street Stock 100 winner Logan Power (#58). Power’s two victories in the biggest race of the year have come from the seventh and twelfth starting positions, so securing a feature win would put him in prime position for a three-peat. The winner of round 2 of the Maritime Street Stock Series at Speedway 660, Kenny MacKenzie Jr (#85), rolls in to chase the checkered flag. PEI standout Mitchell Arsenault (#51) will make the trip across the Confederation Bridge in an effort to nail down a top starting spot. Tom Nicholls (#28) had a breakthrough performance during last year’s 100-lap race and will return sporting a new look. Rookie Matt Pelletier (#16) will haul to Miramichi for the first time to partake in the race.

Local drivers will also vye for the Street Stock victory, led by 2020 champion Bryar Ellis (#95), and 2021 Bomber champion Mark Kingston (#97). More drivers are expected to be added to the list at race time, making for one of the highest Street Stock car counts on opening day in many years.

It may be a new year, but the same song and dance have been featured in the Mini Stock division, as JR Lawson (#81) extended his win streak and grabbed an early season point lead at the Spring Smash in May. Lawson has not been beaten in feature competition since 2018. Everyone is itching to topple Lawson, including his own wife Chantel Lawson (#30), who came home second on opening day. Mitchell Poirier (#28) had his best start to the season ever with a podium run and a heat race win. Poirier won the heat race in a photo finish over Mathieu Mallet (#80), who would come home fourth in the feature. Guy Basque (#27) finished fifth in his first race with his new car.

Former track champion Rob Poirier (#0) was plagued by issues late in the race at the Spring Smash – pitting in the closing laps while running in a podium position. One of the favorites to tackle Lawson, Poirier will aim to capitalize on a preferred starting spot this race. Conrad Murphy (#89) looks to improve after a disappointing Spring Smash, while rookie of the year winner one year ago Jamie Turner (#26) is back after having his windshield replaced since the last race.

Another former champion Brad Daley (#66) will return to the track to try and take down Lawson. Also making the trip to Speedway Miramichi with long hauls will be Speedway 660 Sharp Shooter driver Alex Gallant (#5) and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia’s Tom Ackles (#130). Hauling from the province of Quebec will be Mark Campbell (#74) to challenge the Maritimes best. Another storyline to watch will be rookies Nathan Richard (#35) and Kevin Kinney (#17) will continue their battle for rookie of the year – thus far, fourteen-year-old Richard has the upper hand in that race. The Mini Stock division will contest a thirty-lap feature at The Day of 8’s.

The Bomber division put on one of the best shows of the day at the Spring Smash, with a side-by-side duel between Adam Plourde (#28) and Timmy Blakely (#69) entertaining fans over the closing laps. Plourde (#28) would emerge victorious, but Blakely nabbed the heat win, and these two veterans now sit tied on top of the point standings. Plourde won the opening day while co-driving for Terry Thurston. Behind, Billy Pelletier (#18) picked up his first career Bomber podium with a strong third-place effort, while Riley Connell (#43) finished fourth after earning a heat win. Pelletier and Connell are tied for third in points. Samantha Blakely (#96) came away with a respectable top 5 finish on opening day and sits tied for fifth in points.

Opening day was not kind to every driver – including Blake Bransfield (#60) who lost a transmission while battling for a podium position. An early-season favorite, Bransfield now finds himself deep in points. Sophomore driver Axten MacLean (#13) had a good run go sour with overheating issues at the Spring Smash. A flat tire put rookie competitor Corey Barton (#995) down laps, after what was a promising effort. One of the biggest surprises was issues for Tyson Donovan (#63) – last year’s points runner-up battled mechanical issues all day but salvaged a seventh-place finish when the dust settled. Dylan Doucet (#02) and Kevin Tucker (#87) each faced challenges but persevered to earn decent points days last race – with high hopes for Saturday.

A slew of drivers is primed to make their 2022 debut during Saturday’s 30-lap Bomber feature, led by one of the most successful drivers of the class, Johnathan Dickson (#3). Demolition standout Norm Robichaud (#15) will make his first start of the summer driving for Marc Maillet. Dan Dionne (#55) will kick off his second season of competition after claiming a heat race victory during last October’s Spooktacular. Ericka Lesage (#19) will return to the track, while Jonathan Mahar (#32) will make his Bomber debut subbing in for Dylan Phillips.

Typically the most popular question on Facebook, we can confirm that yes, the popular Burnout Competition is back once again and will prelude the Figure 8 Trailer Race. Johnathan Dickson is the most recent Burnout Competition winner.

Pit gates open at 12:00 pm on Saturday for stock car drivers and teams, while the pits will open at 1:00 pm for Demolition drivers and teams. Grandstands open to spectators at 2:00 pm. Racing begins at 4 pm with stock car action followed by the Demolition portion of the show. Grandstand admission is $20 for adults, $10 for youth ages 8 to 17 years old, and seniors over the age of 65, while kids 7 and under are free. Pit passes are $25 and pit access is restricted to those over the age of 18, and those aged 8 to 17 with proper parental waiver forms. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid long lines.

A crew from Tim’s Corner Motorsports will be at the facility with a LIVE Broadcast from Speedway Miramichi. The racing action and the TimsCorner.tv (TCMtv) live broadcast begins at 4:00 pm Saturday. A portion of sales go back to support Speedway Miramichi and the race tracks the TCMtv crew visits. Please note, all pass prices will be listed in USD. TimsCorner.tv is a member of the Speed Sport TV network.

For more information, stay tuned to Speedway Miramichi’s social platforms, “Speedway Miramichi Inc.” on Facebook, “speedway.miramichi” on Instagram and Tik Tok, and our website at speedwaymiramichi.com.

Source – track communications