In the 10-year history of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, one stop everyone looks forward to is Riverside International Speedway for the Bumper To Bumper 300.
The race will be held this Saturday and once again feature 300 laps of side-by-side competition on the fast .333-mile speedway.
Among the favorites expected to contend for the win will be current points leader Andrew Ranger. Ranger won the season-opener at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, and he has remained out front in the standings thanks to a pair of wins during the first half of the season.
The Roxton Pond, Quebec, native has success at Riverside, scoring a victory there in 2009. He enters the weekend looking to become the third driver to earn multiple victories in Nova Scotia.
Donald Chisholm, from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, – the first and, to date, only Pinty’s Series winner from the Maritimes – is also expected to be a strong contender and hoping to pick up his second series win in the Bumper to Bumper 300.
“We always look forward to racing with those guys,” said Chisholm, who scored a dominating win in 2014. ” We had a good car last year but didn’t get to show it after we broke an axle on a pit stop. We’re taking the car back the same way it was the last two years and hoping for some luck like we had in 2014.”
Another driver scheduled to compete this weekend is D.J. Kennington, who has multiple wins at Riverside. The St. Thomas, Ontario, driver picked up his first win in 2010 and followed with a victory in the 2012 race. His victories at Riverside have been a good omen in the past, as he scored both of his NASCAR Pinty’s Series championships in the same season he scored his wins at the fast oval.
Veteran Mark Dilley won the inaugural NASCAR Pinty’s Series race held at Riverside International Speedway in 2007 and holds the record for most top-fives (seven) and top-10 (nine) finishes at the track. Dilley also is the only driver to finish in the top-10 at Riverside in every start.
Jason Hathaway is also slated to race and will go for his second win at the speedway. The veteran picked up his lone win at Riverside in 2013. He and Kennington will enter the weekend as the only two drivers in series history to start every race.
Cayden Lapcevich and Alex Tagliani enter this race second and third in the standings, respectively, with each driver picking up at least one win on an oval track this season.
Waylon Farrell, from Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, will make his Pinty’s Series debut in the Bumper to Bumper 300. He will be driving a car out of the Scott Steckly stable. Steckly has two wins at Riverside in NPS competition and Farrell won a sportsman race at the track in June, along with being the point leader in the regional Legends Cars tour.
“I was pretty comfortable in the car at the end of the test session, ” said Farrell, who will also run the sportsman race at Riverside on August 19. “I look forward to my first Pinty’s Series start. We’re hoping for a good finish.”
RACE: Bumper To Bumper 300
PLACE: Riverside International Speedway, James River, N.S.
DATE: Saturday, Aug. 20
TIME: 8 p.m. ADT
TELECAST: TSN – Sunday, Aug. 28, 12:30 p.m.; RDS2 – Fri., Sept. 16, 8:30 p.m.
TRACK LAYOUT: .333-mile, banked asphalt oval
2015 POLESITTER: D.J. Kennington
2015: WINNER: Scott Steckly
EVENT SCHEDULE (FOR NASCAR): Practice 1-1:30 p.m., Final Practice 2-2:30 p.m., Qualifying 4:40 p.m., Driver Autograph Session 5:15 p.m.
TRACK TWITTER: @Riverside_NS
EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #BumperToBumper300
FAST FACTS
The Race: The 10th annual Bumper To Bumper 300 will be the ninth of 12 championship points events on the 2016 NASCAR Pinty’s Series schedule and the lone trip of the season to the province of Nova Scotia and Riverside International Speedway.
The Procedure: The maximum starting field is 24 cars, including provisionals. The first 21 cars will have secured starting positions based on two-lap time trials and the remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race is scheduled for 300 laps (99.99 miles) and is an impound race with two change tires allowed.
The Track: Riverside International Speedway originally opened in 1969 and was modeled after legendary Bristol Motor Speedway. In 2006, the track was completely demolished and rebuilt with a new racing surface, concrete walls, lighting, grandstands, and control tower. Like its U.S. counterpart in eastern Tennessee, Riverside features high-banked turns, but here they are 14 degrees. The front stretch is 440 feet long with banking of six degrees while the backstretch is also 440 feet but with five-degree banking.
Pole Winners: The first eight Riverside races have produced five different pole winners, led by Scott Steckly’s three. D.J. Kennington set the track record last year on Aug. 15, 2015, of 14.429 seconds, 83.803 mph.
Race Winners: There have been seven different winners in the first nine Pinty’s Series events at Riverside. Only Kennington has two triumphs.
BUMPER TO BUMPER 300 NOTES
Championship Chase Remains Tight: Just five points separates Andrew Ranger and Cayden Lapcevich in the championship standings with only four races remaining in the season. It’s no surprise to see Ranger atop the standings as he’s a two-time series champion (2007 & 2009), however, Lapcevich is having a breakout season and currently leads the battle for the Josten’s Rookie of the Year title. The 16-year-old driver celebrated his first career series win in July and has been in the runner-up position in the standings all season long.
Lacroix Enters Race Hot: Quebec’s Kevin Lacroix enters the Bumper To Bumper 300 as the most recent winner on the Pinty’s Series schedule after a dominating victory at Trois-Rivieres last Sunday. He enters this race having won two of the last three E3 Spark Plug pole awards and will attempt to get his first win on an oval Saturday at Riverside.
Chisholm Returns Looking For Second Win: Donald Chisholm will have plenty on the line Saturday, as he looks to score his second Pinty’s Series win at his home track. The Antigonish, Nova Scotia native rolled to a dominating win in 2014 in his first career Pinty’s Series triumph.
Legends to Provide Opening Act for NASCAR: Besides NASCAR action on Saturday, fans will enjoy the Farrell’s Excavating 50, a championship points event for the Upper Clements Park Maritime League of Legends. Heat races for the Legends are at 2:35 p.m., followed by Pinty’s Series qualifying and an autograph session; the Legends feature is set for 6:15 p.m., prelude to driver introductions and the green flag for the Bumper to Bumper 300.
Free Tailgate Party Friday at Bumper to Bumper in Antigonish: On Friday, August 19, fans are invited to Bumper to Bumper in Antigonish between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a Tailgate Party. Kevin Lacroix will be there with his NASCAR Pinty’s Series race car and there will be a barbecue. 98.9 XFM is doing a live radio broadcast from the Tailgate Party between Noon and 2 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
Racing Starts Friday at Riverside: Make a weekend of it starting on Friday with the Highland Home Building Centres 100 for the NAPA Sportsman Series and the Fast Four Invitational, a return to grass roots four cylinder racing after a 10-year absence at Riverside. Both series will see entries from throughout the Maritimes. Racing starts Friday at 7 p.m.; the grandstand gate/box office opens at 4 p.m.
Tickets are now available for both days or as a weekend pass; please note reserved seats are only available in advance. Please visit www.riversidespeedway.ca or call 902-863-2410.
Bumper to Bumper was introduced to the Canadian automotive aftermarket in 1977 and began with two stores. Over the years, the brand presence expanded to the Prairies and entered the Uni-Select fold in 2006. Today, over 100 auto parts stores operate in Western Canada under the Bumper to Bumper banner. In the coming months, Uni-Select will be rebranding all of its corporate stores under one unified banner: Bumper to Bumper.  In addition, the Bumper to Bumper brand is available to our 1,150 independent wholesalers across Canada, expanding the brand’s presence nationally.
Riverside International Speedway is recognized as a premiere stock racing facility in Canada. The 1/3-mile high-banked asphalt oval roars to action several times a year for special events. It is the home of eastern Canada’s only NASCAR event, and of the IWK 250 – widely known as the best stock-car race in Canada. Located in James River, between New Glasgow and Antigonish, the facility is easily accessible at exit 30 on Trans Canada Highway 104. For more information please visit www.riversidespeedway.ca or call 902-863-2410.
