August 19 Race Rewind

(CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – August 21, 2023)

There’s a lot to discuss after a wild night of races at Oyster Bed Speedway on Saturday, August 19.

From triple victories and first-time winners to extended points leads, the championship battles in every division continue to form storylines and give the fans something to talk about after every weekend.

Here is your recap of every division on August 19. The updated points standings for all five house divisions can be found on our “POINTS STANDINGS” page. Race results will be uploaded at a later date.

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Reliable Motors Beginner Bandolero Division

Make it two feature victories in a row and six wins on the season for Andrew O’Connor (#63), who survived lap-one carnage and a catching-up Hudson Linzel-Waddell (#57) en route to victory lane.

O’Connor managed only one win this past Saturday, but it all worked out in the end after falling short in a heat #1 photo finish and spinning multiple times in semi #2. He earned the most points out of everyone with 84, one over Linzel-Waddell, who won heat #2 and finished second in semi #2.

Points leader Mason Gillis (#9) visited victory lane the most on Saturday with heat #1 and semi #2 victories, but a side-swipe of a spinning Juliana O’Connor (#10) in the feature led to an early exit and a major lack of points versus the other O’Connor and Linzel-Waddell.

Irelyn Rose (#47) earned her first victory of the season in semi #1, while also scoring third place in heat #2 and fourth place in the feature.

In updated points, Gillis remains the leader, but Linzel-Waddell and A. O’Connor have caught up at two and five points behind respectively. With either one or two points rounds remaining (to be determined soon), any one of those three could be crowned champion considering the inconsistency factor that has run rampant all season.

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Reliable Motors Outlaw Bandolero Division

Cole Doyle (#12) not only earned his first feature victory of the season, but he also earned his first heat and semi race victories, taking home a total of 90 points (11 more than second!). With 10 podium finishes and 14 top-5 finishes heading into Saturday, Doyle remains the most consistent driver in the field.

Brother Simon (#91) also had a successful day with two runner-up finishes and third place in the semi race, forming a 1-2 Doyle finish in the feature.

With points leader Landon Pierce (#19) unavailable to drive on Saturday, Rory Coats substituted for him and earned a best finish of fourth in the semi race and feature. Coats’ points were given to Pierce.

Wyatt Peters (#33), who hoped to carry momentum from a non-point feature victory on July 29, spun multiple times throughout the night, but came home third in the feature Hunter MacKinnon (#07) finished last in all three races, but brought home a clean car.

In updated points, C. Doyle gained 23 points on Pierce and is now 25 behind. The title could still be Pierce’s if only one round remains, but if there are two, Doyle has a chance to surprise everyone.

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Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock Division

The Mini Stock division featured an absolute duel on Saturday, with Randy MacTavish (#76) coming out on top in the end, earning his third victory of the season, second in a feature. He also finished fourth in both the heat race and semi race.

Despite battling grip issues, points leader Jeff Bridges (#95) earned the most total points out of everyone with 81, finishing second in the feature, third in the heat race, and first in the semi race. Had the feature seen a late caution or was a few laps longer, Bridges would’ve very likely caught MacTavish.

He was lucky to come close as he, Brandon Forsyth (#3), and Corey Bridges (#04) all got into an extremely heated battle for half of the race (which helped MacTavish get away), all three knowing that major points were on the line. At the checkered, Forsyth barely beat C. Bridges for the third spot, while Ricky Bedell (#2) finished fifth, but a post-race incident led to a decision of putting Bedell third.

Cash Bridges (#69) initially had a great day going with his first win since 2022 Labour Day weekend in the heat race, but an incident in the semi race led him to only turn a few laps in the feature. Despite that, the earlier-mentioned post-race decision gave him fourth to wrap up a fair points day.

In updated points, Jeff Bridges extends his points lead to a 17-point gap over Forsyth, who jumps Corey Bridges. The best way to put it, Jeff would love two rounds remaining, while Forsyth will want three rounds remaining.

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Moore Well Drilling Outlaw Division

In what was probably the cleanest division on Saturday (albeit oil on the track giving drivers a heck of a challenge all night), Ryan McKnight (#46m) earned his second feature victory of the season, along with earning heat #1 and semi #2 victories for his first triple victory of the season. Although one missed event dropped McKnight drastically in points, he is still in the running for second place.

For the first time this season, points leader Ricky Millar (#17) never visited victory lane this past Saturday, battling a loose car from a gas tank overfill and another car leaking oil while also being stuck in other battles during the feature. He managed to come home with finishes of second, third, and third, maintaining his gigantic points lead and extending it by 12 points over Jordan LeClair (#47).

LeClair earned a heat #2 victory after starting fourth and battling hard against brother Jessie (#46). Multi-time Modified and Pro Stock track champion Matt Palmer (#5) had a successful 2023 debut with a heat #1 runner-up finish (photo finish!), heat #2 victory, and feature fifth-place finish.

Bradley Richard (#49) had his best run of the season yet with a heat #1 third-place finish and feature runner-up finish.

In updated points, besides Millar’s outstanding lead, seven points separate Jordan LeClair and McKnight, while Gerald Gallant (#99G) drops to fourth. Harley Cornish (#13) dropped from fifth to seventh after a practice incident (which dropped liquid on the track) caused him to not start.

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Central Engine Services Street Stock Division

Remember how many times we discussed the one-point gap between defending champion Colton Ford (#35) and Tyler Gauthier (#11)? Well, about that, things got interesting on Saturday.

Gauthier had a near-perfect night with heat #1 and feature victories plus a runner-up result in a close semi #2 finish. For his first year back in a street stock in a long time, Gauthier now sits at seven wins and 16 podium finishes within 21 starts.

Ford settled for a heat #2 victory, fourth in semi #2, and second in the feature. The latter result came with perfect timing at the finish, as Ford used a clean bump-and-run move in the final turns on Brandon Albert (#37) to gain a few extra points.

Although losing 10 points to second place in points, Jeff MacInnis (#29) earned his first victory (semi #2) since the May season-opener. Matthew Ford (#86), in his first races since July 23, also earned his first victory since May in semi #1.

Along with Ford, several other drivers returned to the track for the first time in a while, including Alex Sheehan (#06), Randy Snow (#26), and Nick Chiasson (#27). Unfortunately, Sheehan’s first runs since June 24 came to a quick and abrupt end in heat #2, as a huge crash on lap four collected him, Brian Arsenault (#03), Tyler Doucette (#24), and Snow. Sheehan and Arsenault crashed hard over the turn one embankment into the tires, but both walked away.

Despite damage from the wreck, Snow ran the rest of the night without a front end and scored finishes of second (heat #1) and sixth (feature). Andrew Thompson (#4) scored finishes of fifth, fifth, and fourth. Randy Millar (#77) scored finishes of second, third, and ninth.

In updated points, Gauthier now leads the way by eight points over Ford. MacInnis is 31 points behind in third. Thompson and Millar have dropped out of title contention, but are separated by four points for fourth. Whether there are two or three rounds left in the season, Gauthier will be chasing his first title since 2010, while Ford looks to defend his 2022 crown.

After eight rounds, the biggest one of them all is approaching this upcoming Saturday, as the street stocks face another running of the coveted “Piston Cup” in honor of David Lambe. For 100 laps, PEI’s street stock superstars (plus hopefully some mainland drivers) will be put through a dogfight of attrition to earn their name in the history books. Notable winners in the past include Colton Ford, Michael Cormier, Mike Duskey, and Alex Sheehan. More info to come throughout the week.

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Race days remaining per division (as of August 19)

NOTE: A decision on the September 9 make-up date will be made prior to racing on August 26, so the numbers for BN, MINI, OUT & SS are TENTATIVE.

Beginner & Outlaw Bandolero: 2 (Aug. 26, Sep. 4)

Note: Labour Day is a non-points event for the Bandoleros.

Mini Stock: 2 (Aug. 26, Sep. 4)

Outlaw: 2 (Aug. 26, Sep. 4)

Street Stock: 2 (Aug. 26, Sep. 4)

Legends: 1 (Aug. 26)

Bombers: 1 (Aug. 26)

Pro Stocks: 0

Hot Rods: 0

Points leaders

Beginner Bandolero: Mason Gillis (#9)

Outlaw Bandolero: Landon Pierce (#19)

Mini Stock: Jeff Bridges (#95)

Outlaw: Ricky Millar (#17)

Street Stock: Tyler Gauthier (#11)

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