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May 28 Season Opener Recap & Results

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(CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – May 30, 2023)

Five divisions of stout fields, a large & electric crowd, a competitive demolition derby, and a defeat of Mother Nature to the finish were all key factors to a successful 2023 Oyster Bed Speedway season-opening event on Sunday, May 28.

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

Reliable Motors Bandolero (Beginner Division)

Hudson Linzel-Waddell’s career at Oyster Bed Speedway got off to a fantastic, dominant start on Sunday, scoring a triple victory.

Linzel-Waddell (#57) was almost denied in the heat race on the final lap as Andrew O’Connor (#63) dove to the inside off Turn 4, but the #57 hung on by a few feet.

It was more than a few feet in the semi race, as Linzel-Waddell dominated the race. Irelyn Rose (#47), who missed the heat race (and eventually the feature race), had a solid finish in her only race, finishing second over O’Connor.

In the feature race, Linzel-Waddell experienced two minor scares towards the end, including a Turn 4 spin (he retook the lead on the restart) and almost having his lead stolen after the white flag due to lap traffic. O’Connor came close to an upset, but Linzel-Waddell was able to hang on as O’Connor also suffered a Turn 4 spin.

RACE RESULTS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reliable Motors Bandolero (Outlaw Division)

It took two runner-up finishes for Ethan Hicken (#5) to persevere and steal the feature race out of the hands of Landon Pierce (#19), who won the heat and semi races.

In the heat race, Pierce and Hicken started fourth and fifth, respectively, and each driver had to fight hard to make their way to the front. Pierce ran away with the victory, while Hicken had to hold off Cole Doyle (#12) in a close battle.

In the semi race, Pierce and Hicken started in the same positions. An early Turn 2 spin from Wyatt Peters (#33) led to a restart. With Hicken on the inside behind Simon Doyle (#91), a bump-from-behind in Turn 2 shot Hicken past Doyle on the outside.

Pierce and Hicken eventually got past Cole Doyle, who fell back to fifth, finishing first and second again, while Peters claimed third.

In the feature race, Pierce and Hicken ran away from the field and got into a heated battle as the laps wound down. On the final lap, a wiggle in Turn 4 almost sent Hicken’s car up the track, leaving an opening for Pierce, but the #5 would hang on to steal the show.

RACE RESULTS:

 

Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock

The Bridges were the spotlight in the Mini Stock division on Sunday, with 2021 champion Jeff Bridges taking the heat and semi races, while Corey Bridges stole the feature race.

In the heat race, Randy MacTavish (#76) and Jeff Bridges (#95) started on the front row. Contact between Bradley Darrach (#44) and Brandon Forsyth (#3) gave Forsyth’s car front-end damage, causing him to pull off into the frontstretch grass for the remainder of the race.

Meanwhile, as defending champion Tyler Doucette (#24) and Corey Bridges (#04) fought hard for fourth, it would be J. Bridges, MacTavish, and Darrach running away with the podium spots.

In the semi race, it was MacTavish and J. Bridges on the front row again. A better jump from Bridges on the high line sent him sailing away from the field, while MacTavish fell back to fifth. It was a heated battle for second with Darrach, C. Bridges, and Doucette, with that being the final order between second and fourth.

In the feature race, it was C. Bridges and Darrach on the front row, with the former getting the better start. Behind him, contact between Darrach and Jeff Bridges almost had the #44 going around in front of the field, but he managed to save the car and keep up in third place.

The rest of the race featured a heated battle for fourth between Doucette and MacTavish, and J. Bridges trying his hardest to catch C. Bridges. One final send in Turn 3 wouldn’t be enough for the #95, as the #04 hung on to score the victory.

Corey Bridges finished third in points in 2021 and second in 2022… does this victory signal a charge for first this year?

RACE RESULTS:

 

 

Moore’s Well Drilling Honda Outlaw

(two heat & two semi races)

It wasn’t just Hudson Linzel-Waddell scoring a triple victory, as 2018 Mini Stock champion Ricky Millar began a hot start to his 2023 campaign.

In what is Millar’s second season in the Honda outlaw division, he hopes to find adversity after three wins and a near-championship in 2022, which was marred by a crash.

In heat #1, Colin Brewer (#14) and Jordan LeClair (#47) started on the front row. The two drivers battled side-by-side for one lap before LeClair cleared the way. Ryan McKnight (#46M) would fight Brewer for several laps, eventually catching up to LeClair. At the white flag, it was LeClair and McKnight side-by-side for the lead, with LeClair winning by a few feet.

In heat #2, Drake Folland (#33) and Jessie LeClair (#46) started on the front row. LeClair got a perfect start and sailed away, while Folland nearly got trapped in a three-wide situation with Harley Cornish (#13) and Bradley Richard (#49).

With a two-by-two pack behind LeClair, disaster struck on lap two, as the #49 got loose in Turn 2, tried to stay straight, but overcorrected into the backstretch outside wall. Despite front-end damage, Richard kept going and finished fourth out of six cars.

On the restart, LeClair and Cornish led the way, but heading into Turn 3, Ricky Millar made a daredevil move, squeezing in between the #46 and #13 from the outside to the inside, taking the lead and sailing away to the win.

In semi #1, Ethan Albert (#11) and Colin Brewer started on the front row. Albert would eventually fade to third as Ryan McKnight took advantage and stole the lead on the inside line. Brewer remained close behind, but not near enough as McKnight took the checkered flag first.

In semi #2, it was another case of Ricky Millar going from the back to the front en route to victory. While Layton Delaney (#7) and Jessie LeClair fought for first, Millar surprised the two of them and used the inside line in Turns 1 & 2 to get past both drivers.

In the feature race, 13 cars took the green flag with Delaney and Gerald Gallant (#99) leading the way. It only took a few laps for Millar to shoot from fifth to first, although he had to face his hardest competition yet in a near three-wide battle with 13 laps remaining.

With three laps remaining, Drake Folland went for a spin in Turn 2, but the green flag remained out, and Millar held on for the triple victory. McKnight fell just short of second place to Delaney albeit a divebomb attempt.

RACE RESULTS:

 

Central Engine Services Street Stock

(two heat & two semi races)

The reigning Street Stock champion is back in victory lane. Colton Ford’s run for back-to-back titles has begun.

In heat #1, track legend Randy Millar (#77) and Tyler Gauthier (#11) started on the front row. Millar slipped back to fourth as Gauthier and Mitchell Arsenault (#51) held the top two spots for several laps until Alex Sheehan (#06) charged hard on the inside line and prevailed.

From there on out, Sheehan went far into the distance en route to victory, while second through fourth was a heated battle between Gauthier, Arsenault, and Colton Ford (#35). At the checkered flag, it would be Gauthier and Ford finishing second and third, while an issue for the #51 resulted in a seventh-place finish.

In heat #2, Randy Snow (#26) and Matthew Ford (#86) started on the front row. Ford cleared the way by lap two, while Snow was challenged by Andrew Thompson (#4). Thompson made his way to Ford to battle for the win, with the latter hanging on. Snow finished third as multi-time feature winners Mike Duskey (#42) and Jeff MacInnis (#29) had a photo finish for fourth.

In semi #1, it was another front row of Millar and Gauthier, and another case of Millar falling back, as his car continued to battle heat problems. Overcoming issues in heat #1, Arsenault charged from fourth to first en route to victory, with heat #1 winner Sheehan finishing second.

In semi #2, again, Snow and Ford on the front row. However, both cars fell back this time, and from out of nowhere came MacInnis, who battled a tight car in his heat race and started dead last in this race. The #29 car took the checkered flag first with Thompson finishing second again. Ford and Snow claimed third and fourth, respectively.

The feature race, originally 25 laps, was extended to 40 laps, and 15 cars took the green flag, with Ricky Myers (#8) and Colton Ford on the front row. Ford got the better start on the outside and shot away from the field. There were zero cautions throughout the race as battles were wild all across the field.

Randy Millar’s #77 car continued to battle heat issues, eventually pulling off track with 15 laps remaining. Issues returned for Mitchell Arsenault, who had a moment in Turn 2 and went for a ride in the infield, stopping by the flagstand and eventually pulling off.

At the end of the race, MacInnis charged hard at Ford, but it wouldn’t be enough as the #35 car took the checkered flag for his first feature win of the season.

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Congratulations to Hudson Linzel-Waddell, Ethan Hicken, Corey Bridges, Ricky Millar, and Colton Ford on becoming the first Palmer Automotive & Truck Center feature race winners of the 2023 season!

Fun fact: As soon as the demolition derby ended, Mother Nature rolled in and opened the skies. Talk about lucky timing.

The points standings will be unveiled later this week.

Our next races are scheduled for Saturday, June 10, featuring mini stocks, Honda outlaws, bandoleros, legends (first time this season), and a 75-lap PRO STOCK feature race with a prize of $1000! Street stocks will return on June 17.

The race day format for June 10 will be released during race week. Green flag is at 6 PM, which will be the time for the remainder of the season until September.

Stay up-to-date on our social media platforms and the website as we continue to reveal news and information, and continue the HYPE during a PROMISING racing season!

Follow us on FacebookInstagramTwitterYouTube, and TikTok. You can also check out our merchandise website at obsmerch.ca. Shop Samantha Busch merch is now available there and will be at the race track every race weekend.

About Oyster Bed Speedway:
Oyster Bed Speedway is Prince Edward Island’s premier auto racing facility and features fun and excitement with weekly stock car racing special events throughout the season. The 1/3 mile paved oval is located in Oyster Bed Bridge at the intersection of routes 6 and 7, halfway between Cavendish and Charlottetown on beautiful Prince Edward Island.

Phone: (902) 892-6684

Website: www.oysterbedspeedwaypei.ca

 

Reegan MacAulay

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