2023 Fan Appreciation Night Race Recaps & Results

(CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – June 29, 2023)

Saturday, June 24 was the night to honor Oyster Bed Speedway’s amazing fan base and give back to them for their incredible support.

From bouncy houses and face painters to Kid Rides and Power Wheels drag races, the fans were given an experience like no other.

Even better, the action on the race track was a kind that many will remember for a long time.

Here is your recap of every division on Fan Appreciation Night, including race results.

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Power Wheels Kid Races

Prince Edward Island’s first-ever electric car races were an outstanding success!

25+ kids (ages 3-6) took to the track in their mighty Power Wheels machines and thrilled the fans with some intense drag races. No better way for Oyster Bed Speedway’s future stars to begin their racing careers!

In our eyes, EVERYONE was a winner! All drivers earned a very special OBS license. Congratulations to all who participated!

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Reliable Motors Bandolero Division

The bandoleros returned to the race track on June 24, with the Beginner and Outlaw divisions equally putting on competitive performances.

In the Beginner division, it was New Brunswick’s Hudson Ruff (#83) taking the checkered flag first in the 15-lap feature race. The 2022 Petty International Raceway Beginner Bandolero champion won three races throughout the day, including Heat 2 and Semi 1.

The #83 was the most dominant car in the field, but the runs weren’t easy as Ruff had to start fourth in Heat 2, defend his position on a restart in Semi 2, and start sixth in the feature.

Andrew O’Connor (#63) and Mason Gillis (#9) rounded out the feature podium. O’Connor won Heat 1 and finished third in Semi 2 albeit facing spins in both races. Gillis finished runner-up in Heat 1 and won Semi 2.

Points leader and rookie Hudson Linzel-Waddell finished third, second, and fourth respectively in his races. Despite maintaining the points lead, O’Connor closes in and sits five points behind with five rounds remaining.

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In the Outlaw division, Landon Pierce claimed his third victory of the season in the 15-lap feature race, his first being a feature. After two wins and a feature runner-up finish on opening weekend, the 2022 Bandolero points runner-up flipped the script, with the original dominator of the day being Nova Scotia’s Daniel Vandenburg (#97), who won the heat and semi races.

Vandenburg started fifth in every race and crawled his way up to the front. In the heat, he avoided a spinning Wyatt Peters (#33) in Turn 2. In the semi, a three-wide maneuver on the backstretch sent him from fourth to first.

The feature looked to be his with another three-wide maneuver (much earlier, but led to Peters spinning again) and a rocket launch of a restart. Unfortunately, with eight laps remaining, his #97 car went spinning in Turn 3, causing a chain reaction that collected three other cars. Pierce hit Vandenburg’s car hard, sustaining front-end damage, but it wouldn’t affect his trip to victory lane. Vandenburg walked away unhurt.

Pierce leads the points again but has jumped to a 27-point advantage this time. The absence of original points leader Ethan Hicken (#5) drops him to sixth. Five rounds remain.

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Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock Division

Brandon Forsyth (#3) and Randy MacTavish (#76) were the two drivers of discussion in the Mini Stock division, with Forsyth outweighing MacTavish by two-to-one in wins, including the 20-lap feature race. It’s his third victory of the season.

Forsyth started second in the feature and fired off like a missile, with no worry in the world. MacTavish and Corey Bridges (#04) had zero time to catch up while fighting through the field en route to their podium finishes.

Forsyth also started second and finished first in the heat race as polesitter Ricky Bedell (#2) went for a Turn 2 spin. The #3 started and finished second in the semi as MacTavish found a faster groove on the outside line, beating Forsyth in a photo finish. A lot closer finish than initially expected as a mid-race restart was required for an incident involving Bedell and defending Mini Stock champion Tyler Doucette (#24), who collided in Turn 1 and went for a ride along the trees.

Points leader and 2021 Mini Stock champion Jeff Bridges claimed fourth in the feature in his #95 Lightning McQueen-themed car. For the second week in a row, he holds a one-point lead over Corey Bridges. Forsyth’s two victories propel him from eighth to sixth in the points standings, while MacTavish jumps from fifth to third.

Five rounds remain.

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Moore Well Drilling Honda Outlaw Division

In a similar fashion to the Mini Stocks, the Outlaw division was all about three drivers; 2018 Mini Stock champion Ricky Millar (#17), 2022 Petty Int. Raceway Mini Stock champion Ryan McKnight (#46m), and Jordan LeClair (#47).

McKnight proved to be the best of the three, claiming his second victory of the season, his first in a feature (20 laps). The #46m had to be patient, finishing second in Heat 1 and Semi 2 (started sixth in both races) and carrying that momentum en route to the feature win.

Despite a 13-car field in the feature that nearly had a big crash on lap one, the race went caution-free. McKnight took advantage of the close call with a pass-in-the-grass from eighth to third. At the same time, Millar was stuck on the outside line, so the #17 needed more patience to make his way to the front. After a heated battle with LeClair for second place, he charged at McKnight but time ran out.

Initially, Millar had one win (Heat 2), but Semi 2 was awarded to him due to a post-race penalty against original winner Matthew Ford (#14). LeClair won Heat 1 and Semi 1 en route to a third-place feature finish.

Millar remains the points leader, but McKnight has gained one point and won’t let Millar get away just yet. Behind them, it’s going to take a lot of luck for the rest of the field to catch up with six rounds remaining.

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Central Engine Services Street Stock Division

The Street Stocks were the talk of the day, with fireworks on and off the track and a wicked, caution-free feature race full of consistent side-by-side racing.

Tyler Gauthier (#11) claimed his third victory of the season, his first in a feature. His day started slowly with a fourth-place finish in Heat 1, but he found more speed in Semi 2, starting and (initially) finishing second. Alex Sheehan (#06) took the checkered flag first but was disqualified by tech post-race.

Gauthier started fourth in the 25-lap feature and remained there for some time as the field remained side-by-side for half of the race. When the field slowly separated, Gauthier found openings and surged to the top. The final laps were stressful as Gauthier had Alex Sheehan (#06) and Brandon Albert (#37) in his rearview mirror, but neither driver could match Gauthier’s speed.

Gauthier’s campaign has been an interesting one, to say the least. He was seventh in the point standings after opening weekend and third after the June 17 races. Now, he leads the standings in what looks to be a three-way battle for the championship with seven rounds remaining.

Defending Street Stock champion and former points leader Colton Ford sits four points behind in second, coming off a Heat 1 win and a premature ending to his feature race run. Veteran Jeff MacInnis is seven points behind in third.

Gauthier’s storyline was slightly overshadowed as multiple incidents prior to the feature race had everyone talking. In Heat 2, a lead battle between 2008 Street Stock champion and 21-time award winner Randy Millar (#77) and Brian Arsenault (#03) ceased after contact, sending Millar around and collecting MacInnis.

The chaos against Millar was not over. In Semi 1, on the final lap in Turn 3, Brandon Albert made a bump-and-run move on Dexter Arsenault (#31), sending the latter around in Turn 4, collecting Millar. Altercations ensued in the pits as Albert was black-flagged and Brian Arsenault was given the win.

Millar was not willing to give up despite sustaining heavy damage. An incredible team effort prior to the feature saw Millar return to the track with an exposed front end, leading multiple laps. He wound up finishing seventh and now sits seventh in points.

Image credit: Randy Millar

Seven rounds remain.

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