Riverside International Speedway (RIS) is set to start the 2018 season this Saturday with the Ron MacGillivray Chev Buick GMC 150 for the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST). The race is round three of 12 for the series season and if the first two races are any indication, it promises to keep race fans on the edge of their seats for all 150 laps.
Heading for Riverside, the series championship point standings see Dylan Blenkhorn (Truro) leading Cole Butcher (Porter’s Lake) by just one point. This is a result of the two drivers finishing first and second in the first two races; Blenkhorn took the checkers in round one and Butcher in round two.
While Blenkhorn has three wins at Riverside – including the last two Ron MacGillivray Chev Buick GMC 150’s, Butcher has a better average finish at the high-banked 1/3-mile oval, at 5.8 over 15 races vs. 7.9 for Blenkhorn over the same time period – and Butcher is coming off a big win in a U.S.-based Pro All Stars Series event held in New Brunswick on June 3. Blenkhorn is the reigning champion of Riverside’s IWK 250; Butcher is the 2016 champion of the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour.
Besides the battle between these two drivers, race fans at RIS on Saturday will see a full field of stout cars and talented PST racers all looking to get their name in the win column including Craig Slaunwhite (Halifax) who is third in the point standings, Darren MacKinnon (Charlottetown, PE) – fourth in the standings, and Shawn Turple (Enfield) – fifth in the standings, and more.
Local racers Donald Chisholm (Antigonish) and George Koszkulics (New Glasgow) will also be in the show. Chisholm is the 2015 PST champion and both he and Koszkulics are multi-time winners at RIS.
NASCAR Pinty’s Series racer Jason Hathaway (Stouffville, ON) is expected, too, hoping to score his first PST win and his second win at Riverside – having won the 2013 edition of the RIS Pinty’s Series race.
“Anytime I can get to Riverside and race I jump all over it,” said Hathaway. “The Ed Hakonson Racing team will make the 1800km trip to join the PST again this year. We didn’t get the results we needed from last year’s trip to this race with some new car gremlins. As a Chevrolet based team like EHR is, it would be great if we could get the win at the Ron MacGillivray 150.”
Besides the pro stocks, fans will see season-opening action for the NAPA Sportsman Series (NSS) in the Henry’s AUTOPRO 75, the first of four NSS races at Riverside this year and round one of five for the series championship chase.
Fans will also be treated to a display of new and unique General Motors products from Ron MacGillivray Chev Buick GMC as well as a mobile Kubota display that will make one of its only stops in Nova Scotia at Riverside for this event.
Atlantic Tiltload heat races for pro stocks start at 6 p.m. followed by semi-features (if necessary) and the feature races for both divisions; the box office and grandstand gates open at 3 p.m.
Advance tickets are available here; admission is $25 for adults, $10 for students (16 to 18), $5 for youth (8 to 15), and children seven and under get in free. Reserved seats are also offered for those who purchase their tickets in advance. There is plenty of free spectator parking for this event, along with free unreserved parking for self-contained RV’s.
EXPECTED ENTRY LIST (as of June 13)
- #03 – Stephen Halpin – Saint John, NB
- #07 – Allison MacKinnon – Oyster Bed Bridge, PE
- #08 – Nicholas Naugle – Dartmouth, NS
- #0 – Shawn Turple – Enfield, NS
- #3 – Jason Hathaway – Uxbridge, ON
- #5 – Jonathan Hicken – Brudenell, PE
- #8 – Kent Vincent – Westmoreland, PE
- #13 – Cory Hall – Jolicure, NB
- #14 – Terry Dougay – Albany, PE
- #18 – Darren MacKinnon – Charlottetown, PE
- #21 – Shawn Pierce – Bridgewater, NS
- #29 – Greg Proude – Springvale, PE
- #30 – Stephen Lively – Shubenacadie, NS
- #32 – Sarah McKay – Quispamsis, NB
- #40 – Robbie MacEwen – Charlottetown, PE
- #42– Kyle Reid – Fort MacMurray, AB
- #42– Chris Reid – Fort MacMurray, AB
- #48 – Waylon Farrell – Conception Bay South, NL
- #49 – Harry Ross White – Kennetcook, NS
- #51 – Braden Langille – Shubenacadie, NS
- #53 – Cole Butcher – Porter’s Lake, NS
- #54 – Jarrett Butcher – Porter’s Lake, NS
- #67 – Dylan Blenkhorn – Truro, NS
- #88 – George Koszkulics – New Glasgow, NS
- #89 – Donald Chisholm – Antigonish, NS
- #91 – Dylan Gosbee – Cornwall, PE
- #94 – D.J. Casey – Prospect, NS
- #97 – John Flemming – Halifax, NS
- #99 – Craig Slaunwhite – Terence Bay, NS
*Entry list subject to change without notice
Ron MacGillivray Chev Buick GMC is located on Andrews Street in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. This four-time Triple Crown Award winner has been serving Eastern Nova Scotia since 1986. Ron MacGillivray Chevrolet, “A name you can count on, a team you can trust.” To learn more about Ron MacGillivray Chevrolet please call 902.863.2803 or visit www.ronmacgillivraychev.com.
The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST) is considered the highest level of stock car racing in Canada. The Tour is recognized in the industry as one of the healthiest stock car racing series in North America. PST visits five tracks throughout the Maritimes during its May through September season. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is owned and operated by Maritime Pro Stock Tour Limited. For more information, call our administration office at 902.481.2531 or click www.maritimeprostocktour.com . You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/prostocktour and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prostocktour.
Riverside International Speedway is recognized throughout North America as a top stock car racing venue. Founded in 1969, the family-friendly facility boasts a 1/3-mile high banked asphalt oval which roars to action several times a year for thrilling door-handle-to-door-handle special events including the IWK 250, widely known as the most anticipated stock car race in Canada – and the Bumper to Bumper 300, eastern Canada’s only NASCAR Pinty’s Series event. 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.
