Antigonish, Nova Scotia’s Donald Chisholm, claimed his first Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour championship at the Dartmouth Dodge 200 Saturday night at Scotia Speedworld in Halifax.
It was an emotional celebration for Chisholm, a multi-time PST race winner, as he remembered his father, the late John Chisholm, who passed away last July.
Donald Chisholm with the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour championship trophy (photo – Mike McCarthy Photographic)
“The one guy who should be here with me tonight, isn’t”, said Chisholm, who won the Lucas Oil 150 at Riverside last weekend, “But he’s watching.”
“My team gave me a great car all year long. I can’t believe this. We’ve been through everything and things went our way this year.”
Chisholm’s title hopes took a nearly disastrous turn early in the race when, after starting on the pole, he spun on lap 29 after contact with another car and had to start at the rear of the 20-car pack. By the mid-way point he was back to fourth and ran as high as third in the last half of the race. He finished fifth with a nine-point margin over second-place points runner Cole Butcher who finished second in the race at Scotia Speedworld, which was won by Dylan Blenkhorn, who finished third in the final standings.
Blenkhorn crossed the finish line sideways to win the Dartmouth Dodge 200 at Scotia Speedworld, no surprise after he and Butcher battled door handle to door handle for over half the race…it’s just amazing it took 200 laps to happen as the two talented young drivers on the series swapped the lead an amazing 26 times. In the end they let it all hang out coming off turn four, leaning on each other, with the two sideways at the checkered flag. It was more than the race on the line, literally, as both were tied for second in final point standings entering the race and with Chisholm running fifth, well, a slip on his part – even on the last lap – would have seen either Blenkhorn or Butcher crowned the champ.
“I’ve never been more proud of a win in my life,” said Blenkhorn from Victory Lane. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had. Good, clean, hard racing with Cole – that was awesome.”
click to hear Donald Chisholm as he accepted the 2015 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour championship (courtesy of Race Time Radio)
Butcher, a little more subdued, agreed it was fun racing but was understandably disappointed to be the guy who finished second.
“It was fun,” said Butcher. “We just came up a little short.”
Darren MacKinnon finished third in the race with Greg Proude and Chisholm rounding out the top five.
Blenkhorn finished third in the points, just three behind Butcher.
Chisholm’s championship comes on the strength of consistency and one feature win on the season; he is the sixth different champion in the 15 year history of the series.
Dylan Gosbee won the Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials with a 14.355-second lap around the tight 3/10-mile oval. Chisholm won the King Freight Dash for Cash. Dartmouth Dodge Heat Race winners were John Flemming and Exide Batteries Rookie of the Year DJ Casey.
Aaron Boutilier won the 50-lap Dartmouth Dodge Sportsman feature with Matt Moore second and Travis Roma third. Pete Miller and Shane Coffin rounded out the top five.
Chisholm will officially receive his championship accolades at the 2015 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Awards Banquet on November 14, in Dartmouth.
Management at Riverside International Speedway would like to thank and congratulate all the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour teams on a fabulous 2015 season.
