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Speed Weekend is now history and rookie Carquest Pro Stock driver Craig Slaunwhite, from Halifax, made history by becoming the youngest driver ever to win the Peterbilt 250 last weekend. Slaunwhite has been a force to reckon with ever since he stepped into the SFR car last August. The "rookie is currently sitting 6th in the Tour standings and has a 49 point lead over his nearest rival in the "rookie" race on the Tour. The former Sportsman champ at Scotia Speedworld has loads of talent and it doesn't hurt that he has the Scott Fraser Racing Impala under him either.
This weekend, the Carquest Pro Stock Tour heads to the spacious Centre for Speed oval for the second last race of the Tour's 2008 season. Wayne Smith, a former champion and last year's runner up, leads the race by a mere 23 points over St John competitor Lonnie Sommerville while last year's champion, Shawn Tucker, is only 76 points back and within striking distance if the leaders have a bad day. This 150 lap race is the conclusion of the rained out August 3rd event and now has more importance than ever. A large crowd is expected and the wide oval should provide lots of passing and side by side racing to keep everyone on the edge of their seats the whole way.
Local competitor, Sandy Livingston Jr, who calls Centre for Speed his home track, is poised for a good run at the track where he cut his teeth in Pro Stock. Livingston has proved in the past that he knows how to get around the place and a good run will go a long way to putting him back into the top twenty. Livingston fell out of the top half when he had a mechanical failure at Riverside, hitting the wall hard and demolishing the front and right side of the car. The whole season has been a battle for the Springhill racer ever since but a good run at Raceway Park two weeks ago have lifted their spirits greatly.
The Pro Stock Tour's season wraps up the following weekend, September 13th, at Scotia Speedworld with a 200 lap extended race sponsored by Parts for Trucks. At this point in the season, many of the cars are not in their prime so anything can happen over the next two weeks. Both Shawn Turple and Kent Vincent are waiting in the wings for something to happen that will vault them to the top of the leaderboard. Anything can happen yet !!!
This Sunday, another in a series of "Crash and Bang" demolition events is on tap, this time at River Glade Speedway. These events are always exciting and while not for the racing purests, a huge crowd is expected for the action. Points racing is also on the schedule as well as a 50 lap endurance race for cars that have never raced previously, so this one could be very entertaining.
All of the other tracks in the Maritimes are offering up regular cards to their patrons, so wherever you are, there's lots of exciting action at a track near you.
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