By 
(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – August 30, 2024) – Race week for the most anticipated event of the 2024 Oyster Bed Speedway season has arrived.
On Monday, September 2, drivers and fans from across Prince Edward Island and afar will be flocking to the high-banked oval for a statutory holiday special at the biggest and most popular event on the calendar. The 2024 edition of the annual Labour Day races will see five racing divisions, a demolition derby, and Kids Rides highlight an action-packed afternoon of high-octane competition.
The PiccottCare Piston Cup 100 headlines the event as one of the biggest and richest Street Stock races in the Maritimes. The stakes have been raised for the 14th-annual running of the race, as $1250 will be awarded to the winner, and the total purse has upwards of $7000 ready to be awarded.
Alongside the Street Stock spectacle will be the Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero September Shootout with a 15-lap Beginner feature and 25-lap Outlaw twin races, championship point racing for the Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stocks and Moore Well Drilling Outlaws, and the popular annual demolition derby.
Event Information
Date: Monday, September 2 at 2 pm
Gate Times: Pits and grandstands at 9:30 am
Classes: Street Stocks, Bandoleros, Mini Stocks, Outlaws, Demolition Derby
There will be Kids Rides that will commence sometime between 1:30pm and 2:00pm!
Ticket Prices: Adults $20 | Youth (8-15) $10 | Children (7 and under) FREE | Pits $25 with ewaiver
Tickets can only be purchased at the gates on race day. Cash, credit, and debit are accepted.
EWaiver link: https://os.speedwaiver.com/
Rain Date: To be determined for the fall
Past Piston Cup winners: Tyler Gauthier (2023), Mike Duskey (2022), Jimmy Tingley (2021), Michael Cormier (2019), Amanda Wheatley (2018), Alex Sheehan (2017), Joel Hickox (2016), Colton Ford (2015), Mark MacLean (2014), Geoff Boyle (2013), Stephen Gass (2012), Darren MacKinnon (2011), Doug MacEwen (2009)
Past TCM September Shootout champions: Daniel Vandenburg (2023), Hudson Linzel-Waddell (2023 Beginner), Caden Tufts (2022)
EVENT STORYLINES
Big Money, Big Talents Highlight 14th Annual Piston Cup!
The PiccottCare Piston Cup 100 will be during the second of four events in a row at Oyster Bed Speedway where success will be crucial for the cars and stars of the Gauthier’s Auto Repair Street Stock division.
Last Saturday featured a chaotic round two of three for the A&S Scrap Metals Street Stock Super Series. After the Piston Cup will be the Super Series championship finale on Saturday, Sept. 7 and the year-long points finale on Saturday, Sept. 21. While the Piston Cup is a non-points race, it could easily still turn a driver’s season upside down if things go wrong.
For the race’s first-ever running with PiccottCare on board as the title sponsor, at the time of publishing this, fifteen (15) cars are registered to do battle for 100 laps and aim for the grand prize of $1250 plus nearly $3000 in lap money and contingency prizes. The entry list includes three past Oyster Bed Speedway champions, three past Piston Cup winners, multiple Super Series winners, multi-time Mike Stevens Memorial winners, and a plethora of veterans with numerous wins and podium finishes.
The most recent Piston Cup winner is two-time and reigning track champion Tyler Gauthier (#30), who is set to defend the highly-coveted trophy. The car has been driven full-time by his fiance Sarah Jay this year, but when given the opportunity to return behind the wheel for a one-off run, it was hard to pass up.
2022 winner Mike Duskey (#42) and 2019 winner Michael Cormier (#68) also seek to become the first driver in Piston Cup history to win more than once. Duskey has only made one start at Oyster Bed this year, finishing runner-up at the Victoria Day Weekend season opener. Cormier, one of three mainland entries, comes over from Grand-Barachois, N.B. with four Petty International Raceway Street Stock championships, three Ricky Bobby 150 wins, and two Maritime Street Stock championships.
Slated to join Cormier as a fellow New Brunswick star is Logan Power (#58) out of Riverview, who is the 2017 Petty International Raceway Street Stock champion, a multi-time winner of the Mike Stevens Memorial and River Glade International Street Stock races, and a multi-time winner at Speedway Miramichi and Riverside International Speedway. Also projected to come from the other side of the Northumberland Strait as the lone Nova Scotia entry is former Heart of a Champion Hot Rod Classics driver Patrick Horne (#21) from Lawrencetown.
Two past Oyster Bed Speedway champions have yet to win the Piston Cup, being three-time champion Nick Chaisson (#27) and 2009 champion Randy Millar (#77). Chaisson, who finished second in last Saturday’s Super Series race, has come agonizingly close to a feature win in 2024 but has found himself on the short end of the stick too many times; he hasn’t won a feature since Canada Day in 2023. Millar, who is the year-long points leader, enters the race hoping to build big momentum going into the last two events of the season, and nothing would be better than a Piston Cup win and over $1250 in prize money.
Matthew Ford (#86) is the hottest driver as of recently, as last Saturday, he picked up his first Street Stock feature win in 14 years, surviving a calamity-filled 50-lap race and leading the most laps. Winning at his home track in back-to-back races would be monumental as he enters the latter half of the Maritime All-Star Street Stock Series season on the mainland.
Joining Ford with solid runs lately are multi-time championship runner-up Andrew Thompson (#4) and past Mini Stock winner and veteran Zach Chappell (#44). Last Saturday, Thompson went from an early hit to the frontstretch wall to claiming third place after post-race tech, while Chappell finished fourth in his first Street Stock race in several years.
Several drivers look to pick themselves back up after having their runs at the previous event cut short. 2022 championship runner-up Brandon Albert (#37) was eyeing three straight feature wins to cap off a brilliant summer stretch until a wreck took him out of contention. With his car fixed and ready to compete for 100 laps, a Piston Cup win would be a huge mental turn-around in his efforts to fight for a track championship. Hometown hero Randy Snow (#26), who finished fifth in last year’s Piston Cup, has been on the cusp of a feature win several times ever since returning to full-time but just hasn’t had the right luck.
Keaton Vessey (#001) will make his third start of the year, recently coming off a rough result at round two for the Super Series and eyeing a better result and big money. Reigning Rookie of the Year and the youngest driver in the field Tyler Doucette (#24) will get back behind the wheel for the first time since July along with Brian Arsenault (#03).
PRELIMINARY ENTRY LIST (as of August 30)
*Subject to change without notice
New Leader, Major Moves in Four-Fun Mini Stocks
The cars and stars of the Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock division will have two things to focus on at the Labour Day event – critical championship points and warming up for the Super Series finale five days later.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year Cash Bridges (#69) went from being three points below Ricky Bedell (#2) going into last Saturday’s event to jumping to a big lead of +23 after claiming podium finishes across all three races, including a runner-up finish in the feature. With 23 points separating the two plus 49 points separating Bridges and rookie Campbell Stewart (#3), Bridges can relax a little, but the pressure is still on to remain consistent. Labour Day will also be an important warm-up run for Bridges as he leads the Super Series points going into the finale on Sept. 7.
Bedell had another rough performance last Saturday with only one top-five finish all night coming in the feature. While he has drastically fallen behind Bridges, there is still time to bounce back and return to the form he had early in the season. Stewart finally had things go his way as he recently picked up his first career triple win, sending him up to third in points. It might take some miracles for him to have a shot at the title, but anything is possible.
Veteran Randy MacTavish (#76) remains settled in fourth in points and continues to be consistent in every race, but hasn’t been able to repeat his triple-win performance at the season opener. Two-time and defending champion Jeff Bridges (#95) had decent results last Saturday but lost vital points after being disqualified after the feature, so while a late-season charge for his third championship is likely out of reach now, there is still time to salvage the season with more wins.
Blaze Roberts (#6) impressed everyone with his best career performance yet in the last event with two podium finishes, one coming in the feature. While an opportunity for a win will be hard to achieve considering the surrounding competition, Roberts proved his worth in the division and will be a big name to keep an eye on going into September. Rookie Austin Corrigan (#10) and Adam Holland (#01) will be eager to improve their results as their recent tries against the division’s best have been less than desirable.
Parity and Battles Remain Strong in 4-Cylinder Outlaws
The Moore Well Drilling Outlaw division refuses to back down with its insane parity and constant battles, as, including heat and semi races, 11 different drivers have visited Palmer Automotive & Truck Center victory lane in 2024; six of them have won a feature.
Jessie LeClair (#46) is the most recent and the only multi-time feature winner so far, coming off a wild run last Saturday where he surged from sixth to first within five laps and sped away from the field. Although multiple circumstances earlier in the summer took him out of the championship battle, he remains a force to be reckoned with for the win every race.
Although Brandon Forsyth (#3) hasn’t won a race, not even in preliminary action, since the Victoria Day Weekend season opener, his consistency and numerous podium finishes have him leading the points. The 2024 Super Series champion extended his year-long championship lead by six over Jordan LeClair (#47) after last Saturday’s races. It’s been a month since LeClair has held a checkered flag.
Not too entirely out of the championship picture just yet are three drivers within a 13-point bubble for third place. 2022 champion Layton Delaney (#7) was substituted for by Dexter Arsenault last Saturday, which played a huge role in keeping the #7 car high in points. It’s been a roller coaster of a season for former Mini Stock star Corey Bridges (#04) and multi-time champion Kendall Palmer (#45); both drivers won in qualifying action recently but were unable to find good speed in the feature.
Harley Cornish (#13) has shown flashes of brilliance over the summer but still can’t catch a break. Jonathan Fitzpatrick (#78) found his groove in the last event with two runner-up finishes, one coming in the feature, and could be a candidate to win for the first time in a while in September. Matt Palmer (#5) is coming off a strong 2024 debut with a semi race win and a feature podium finish. Look out for other veterans like Bradley Richard (#49), Shane Bridges (#4), Jamie Cummings (#81), and Dre Folland (#33) to attempt to shine in the spotlight.
Maritime Stock Car Racing’s Youngest Stars To Contest For TCM Bandolero Road Trip Wins
While the Reliable Motors Bandoleros are off in terms of championship point racing, the rising stars of Maritime stock car racing from Prince Edward Island and afar will come together to participate in the Tim’s Corner Motorsports Bandolero September Shootout, the final of three races on the TCM Bandolero Road Trip.
The Beginner class will have a separate 15-lap feature, won by Hudson Linzel-Waddell (#57) in 2023, and the Outlaw class will have twin 25-lap features across the race day schedule. Landon Pierce (#19) and Daniel Vandenburg collected wins in 2023, with Vandenburg claiming the overall victory.
The Beginner feature will start the event after Kids Rides. A random draw will decide the starting lineup for the first feature, which will begin immediately after Piston Cup heat races and before Mini Stock and Outlaw semi races. The Conway Customz “Fast Five” Redraw will shake the lineup up for the second feature, which is set to run before all house class features.
Fans To Experience Up-Close Action and Demolition Destruction!
The thrills and spills of stock car racing at P.E.I.’s only paved stock car oval will entertain all for the most part, but fans from local and afar will have their final opportunity of the year to meet their favourite drivers up close and experience the annual Labour Day demolition derby.
Kids Rides will allow young supporters to hop in a car and feel what it’s like to take a ride around the high-banked oval whilst greeting the stars of P.E.I. stock car racing. A “crash for cash” demolition derby will be the grand finale of the event with a projected start time just before or around 6:00 p.m.
2024 DEMOLITION DERBY RULES
– Must be 16 years of age or older
– All glass must be removed except windshield
– Air bags must be removed, disabled or cut
– Doors chained or welded shut
– Helmet and fire extinguisher are both required
– No bracing of car allowed
– Front and rear wheel drive cars and minivans are allowed
– Full-size vans are not allowed
More Information:
Stay up-to-date on our website and social media pages for more breaking news and updates as they happen across the 2024 season and beyond.
Oyster Bed Speedway can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at @oysterbedspeedway, and @obspeedwaypei on YouTube and X.
Merchandise is available at www.obsmerch.ca. Shop Samantha Busch merch is available.
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.
Website: www.oysterbedspeedwaypei.ca
Race Day Format:
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