June 17 Race Recaps & Results

Featured image credit: Mike Francis

(CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – June 20, 2023)

The night of Saturday, June 17 was one people will be remembering for a long time.

With the highest Super Late Model car count at Oyster Bed Speedway since 2008 and three supporting classes, there was no doubt the fans would be getting their money’s worth. Indeed, they did.

Here is your recap of every division, including race results and new standings.

Super Late Model Series

Image credit: SLMS

The first-ever Super Late Model Series race on Prince Edward Island was nothing short of brilliant.

Greg Proude (#29), a five-time Pro Stock race winner and former Modified champion at OBS, became the first PEI-born driver to win an SLMS race on Saturday night, capitalizing on a green-white-checkered finish over several fellow Prince Edward Island drivers to win the Chapman Bros. 150 presented by Hynes Paving.

Proude led a total of 99 laps en route to victory. Initially, he had taken the white flag and was in a heated battle with Darren MacKinnon (#18) until a stopped Allison MacKinnon (#07) in Turns 3 & 4 led to the #18 spinning the #29 to avoid what could’ve been a horrible accident. Per the SLMS procedural rulebook, both Proude and MacKinnon retained their running position as they spun to avoid the caution.

Proude went into the race with loads of momentum, claiming the fastest time in afternoon practice #2 and using his +4 passing points score in his heat race to start second, while two-time Pro Stock champion Troy Burke (#01) claimed the EIT Race Radios Pole with a +5 passing points score. Burke finished sixth with 29 laps led.

Joining Proude on the podium were Darren MacKinnon and Dylan Gosbee (#16), with Robbie MacEwen (#40) and Lonnie Sommerville (23) rounding out the top 10.

Other finishes from PEI drivers include: Chris Hughes (8th), Allison MacKinnon (18th), Brodie Lewis (19th), Tanton Wooldridge (20th), Kenny Snow (21st)

Dylan Gosbee takes the points lead after round two of six. He leads over Ryan Messer (#1) by 10 points. Half of the top 10 drivers in points are PEI drivers. Round three will be at Petty International Raceway on July 8. The next race at OBS will be round four of six on August 5, sponsored by Universal Truck & Trailer.

The Super Late Model Series can be found on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter at @SLMSeries. Also, be sure to check out the official website at SLMS.ca.

Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock

Randy MacTavish (#76) had himself a dominant night, finishing second in his heat race and scoring his first feature victory of the season.

MacTavish started third in the heat race, battling Ricky Bedell (#2) for a lap before charging ahead and towards polesitter Brandon Forsyth (#3). He wouldn’t be able to catch Forsyth, who stormed away to take the heat race victory.

Behind them, Bedell had a sideways moment in Turns 3 & 4, nearly causing a chain reaction with Corey Bridges (#04) and Jeff Bridges (#95), but all three drivers managed to keep going — toppling over the Turn 4 cone in the process. Bedell and defending Mini Stock champion Tyler Doucette (#24) fought hard for fifth for a few laps, with the latter prevailing.

MacTavish started third (again) in the feature and was caught in a four-car battle for second within the first few laps. With 16 laps remaining, the battle proved to be a ticking timebomb, as Corey Bridges (#04) had a tight moment in Turn 4, shooting up into the left side of Ricky Bedell (#2). Somehow, the #2 car was able to save it and keep going.

More chaos rained out in the next few laps as Tyler Doucette (#24) and Jeff Bridges (#95) got together on the frontstretch, sending Doucette’s car through the infield grass. Mere seconds later, another rough sequence of events occurred with Bridges and Bradley Darrach (#44), ending with an inside-lane Turn 1 divebomb from the #95 that led to a caution. Darrach would head to the pit area and not finish the race.

That wouldn’t be the end of shocking revelations. Brandon Forsyth (#3) had won the pole and zoomed away from the field, but under the caution period, his car came to a halt in Turn 4 and had to be helped to the pit area by a tow truck, becoming the second DNF.

Nine laps to go, restart, front row of C. Bridges and MacTavish. It would take one lap for MacTavish’s #76 car to become the new dominator, hanging on over Bridges to win. Tyler Doucette overcame his earlier incident to finish third.

Jeff Bridges retains the points lead, but the other Bridges is just one point behind.

Moore Well Drilling Honda Outlaw

Have you ever? The same words from Mike Joy during NASCAR’s closest finish in history could be said here — but twice.

Although it wasn’t a “triple” victory this time around, it was still the #17 of 2018 Mini Stock champion Ricky Millar taking the checkered flag for his second feature victory of the season, going back-to-back after a dominant start to the season on May 28.

Millar had to experience another back-to-the-front weekend, as he started ninth in the heat race and 10th in the feature race. In the heat, it took four laps for Millar to jump to third (whilst in a seven-car pack and making successful three-wide moves… twice), but it wouldn’t be enough time to catch 2019 champion Shane Bridges (#4) and Ryan McKnight (#46M), who ran away from the field.

In the feature, Bradley Richard (#49) and Bridges led the field to green. It took one turn for a near “Big One” to occur as Drake Folland (#33) went spinning in the middle of the field off of Harley Cornish’s (#13) left-rear bumper. Somehow, no one else was collected and the race remained green.

Bridges had sailed off into the distance by lap four, but the rest of the field wasn’t done tearing it up yet. In Turns 1 & 2, Jessie LeClair (#46) went up the track and into Millar, sending both cars sideways. LeClair straightened his car out, while Millar lost control and slid off the Turn 2 embankment. Luckily, he only tapped a tree. Unluckily, a loose moment in the same turn for Drake Folland caused his car to overcorrect and slam the outside wall head-on, ending his night early with a destroyed front end.

After a long clean-up, the field went back to green with 17 laps remaining. Bridges and Cornish battled side-by-side for many laps, causing other drivers to catch up. With 12 laps to go, the lead battle had extended to four cars, with McKnight and Millar getting in the mix. A three-wide moment into Turn 3 sent McKnight and Millar forward, while Bridges and Cornish went backward.

It looked to be a 10-lap dash to the finish for McKnight vs Millar before a Bradley Richard spin caused a caution. Another restart wouldn’t last long as Cornish had a tire come off in Turns 3 & 4.

Green-white-checkered finish, McKnight vs Millar. The #17 and #46 battled side-by-side the entire way and came to the checkered flag in a photo finish, with Millar barely edging McKnight for the win. That wasn’t the only photo finish, as Bridges held on for third by a few feet over Jessie LeClair.

Central Engine Services Street Stock

Brandon Albert (#37) returned to victory lane with his first feature victory of the season. After a disappointing 10th-place run in the season-opener, Albert experienced a great resurgence on Saturday night, which included a second-place finish in his heat race.

Street Stock was the only division to have two heat races as 13 cars showed up to the track. Heat #1 saw the Arsenaults in Dexter (#31) and Brian (#03) on the front row. Unfortunately, both cars missed out on good finishes.

Brian collided with 2010 champion Tyler Gauthier (#11) on lap three in Turn 1 and couldn’t find any more speed. Ironically, Gauthier looked to “return the favor” on the other Arsenault in Turn 2, sending Dexter to the pit area with a flat left-front tire.

It was Gauthier versus 26-time race winner Mike Duskey (#42) in a four-lap shootout, with the #11 claiming victory and the #42 barely edging out defending champion Colton Ford (#35) for second.

Heat #2 looked to be the Brandon Albert show, but Michael Cormier (#68) was having quite a surge from fifth to second, fighting hard against three-time champion Nick Chiasson (#27), who made his return to the track after being replaced by Colin Jenkins at the season-opener.

Behind them, an incident between 2008 champion Randy Millar (#77) and Tayler Albert (#38) in Turns 1 & 2 resulted in a caution. On the restart, Cormier’s surge continued as he passed B. Albert and sailed away to victory. Behind them, six-time award winner Jeff MacInnis (#29) and Nick Chiasson battled hard for third, with MacInnis taking the spot.

Albert started second in the feature race. Almost exactly like the Outlaw feature, Turn 1 was near “Calamity Corner” once more as Albert and Dexter Arsenault (#31) almost wrecked in front of the whole field, but both drivers kept going. Albert began to drive away as Arsenault was passed by Chiasson.

As the top three remained single-file, 2008 champion Randy Millar (#77) and Randy Snow (#26) fought hard for third, with MacInnis and Tyler Gauthier following close behind. Brian Arsenault would become the first DNF of the race as he drove off to the pit area.

A few laps later, a tap from Gauthier to Millar’s left-rear bumper sent the #77 for a slide off Turn 4, slamming Snow’s right side and drifting through the infield grass. He would finish the race in 11th.

On a more fortunate end was Brandon Albert, who had nothing to worry about with a straightaway length over Nick Chiasson. The #37 took the checkered flag, saluting his dominance with a frontstretch burnout and a backward victory lap. Fifth-place saw a photo finish between Michael Cormier and Jeff MacInnis, with the former prevailing. From 12th to fifth — not a bad run!