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(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – October 3, 2024) – Oyster Bed Speedway’s 40th-anniversary season is set to come to a close with one last Sunday afternoon clash at the high-banked oval on October 6, where everything is on the line and the stakes are at their highest.
Six (6) racing divisions are on the race card, with five (5) crowning year-long champions and the sixth hosting open-invitational races. The Reliable Motors Beginner and Outlaw Bandolero, Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock, Moore Well Drilling Outlaw, and Street Stock divisions will decide who the next champions of P.E.I. stock car racing will be, while the Alvin’s Auto Sales + Repair Bomber division will put on open races to continue showcasing the class in hopes of a year-long division in the future.
Event Information
Date: Sunday, October 6 at 2 pm
Gate Times: Pits and grandstands at 10 am
Classes: Bandoleros, Four Fun Mini Stocks, 4-Cylinder Outlaws, Street Stocks, V6 Bombers
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: None
EVENT STORYLINES
Two Drivers Looking for a Salute of a Lifetime in Street Stock Championship Battle!
The stage has been set for a championship battle in the Street Stock division that nobody will want to miss and everybody will be paying attention to on Sunday.
A 25-lap feature and multiple qualifying races are on tap to decide who the next champion of Oyster Bed Speedway’s headline division will be. Two (2) drivers have found themselves separated by 15 points going into the most crucial event of the season; one is a former four-time champion while another is seeking his first, and both drivers are expected to step away from full-time competition within the class after this year.
Leading the points and under the most pressure going into the weekend is track legend Randy Millar (#77). It’s been 16 years since Millar emerged as a Street Stock champion (2008) and 12 years since the Freeland native has won a championship at the track, his last one coming in the former Modified division in 2012, and the other ones in 1997 and 2009. Ever since Millar returned to Street Stocks just after the pandemic, he has battled problem after problem but has never backed down, and his relentlessness and patience have him in the best position going into Sunday. Although he has just one (1) feature win on the year and it came after a technical infraction, he has proved that consistency is just as, and arguably more, important. A championship to salute a prestigious career would be monumental and the most popular outcome.
However, his opponent is another driver who refuses to lose and has also been conquering every challenge that’s gone his way. Linkletter’s Brandon Albert (#37) is the winningest driver in the division with three (3) feature wins and four (4) preliminary race wins and is the most recent winner, claiming a chaotic 50-lap Super Series championship finale race on Sept. 21. He has also won three (3) of the last four (4) points-paying features and he finished on the podium at the PiccottCare Piston Cup 100. Heading into 2024, Albert had a rough second-half performance keep him 65 points back of the 2022 championship and he was unable to contend full-time in 2023 due to unforeseeable circumstances. With his sights set on moving up to Pro Stocks in the near future, Albert wouldn’t want any better way to transition than by having a home track Street Stock championship backing him up. He’ll also look to become the first driver in his family, which has raced at the high-banked oval for over 35 years, to lift a championship trophy.
While Millar and Albert will duke it out for Oyster Bed Speedway’s biggest crown, there are three (3) cars within a 10-point bubble for the last spot on the season-end podium. Veteran Andrew Thompson (#4) came agonizingly close to a Super Series championship in the last go-around but lost to three-time champion Nick Chaisson (#27), and to add insult to injury, he fell one spot short of claiming his first feature win in a long time. One (1) race remains to finally get the job done and to finish the season on a high note.
Chaisson and 2016 champion Kenny Snow (#26), substituting for brother Randy, are right on his heels, with Chaisson recently adding another title to his resume and Snow hoping to bounce back after suffering major damage at the Super Series finale.
Can Hudson Linzel-Waddell Hang On in Beginner Bandoleros?
The young phenom (#57) out of Charlottetown, P.E.I. has led the Reliable Motors Beginner Bandolero points all season and has yet to finish worse than third in a feature. With two (2) points-paying feature wins, six (6) qualifying race wins, and a Tim’s Corner Motorsports September Shootout victory behind him, the door is wide open for him to finish a season of domination strong.
However, one wrong move or something else beyond his control could easily cause a Cinderella story for the ages for his close competitors. Payton Gallant (#42) and Oliver Rayner (#23) are separated by one (1) point for second, with Gallant 23 points behind Linzel-Waddell.
Gallant has one (1) feature win and a plethora of podium finishes and preliminary race wins, and she looks to recover from a lap-one incident in the last event which took her out of contention, while Rayner has won the last two (2) points-paying features (including a triple win in late August) and has quietly moved up in the standings as a result. While second place will likely be what the two drivers will be fighting for, their main priority lies ahead in a dream scenario of an upset.
Rookie Charlee Rayner (#24) could be a threat to get on the season-end podium but will have Juliana O’Connor (#10) to defend herself from, who in the most recent event had her best performance of the season, including a podium finish in every race and two qualifying race wins.
It’s All Landon Pierce While They Battle for Second in Outlaw Bandoleros
The Nova Scotia talent simply needs to show up and start and the Reliable Motors Outlaw Bandolero championship will be all but his for the second consecutive year. Pierce (#19), who leads the standings by 67 points, has made a trip to Palmer Automotive & Truck Center victory lane in every event except for the season opener, and five (5) of those wins have come from features since mid-July, including the TCM September Shootout Twin 25s. With Pierce set to graduate to a higher division and likely stick to the mainland in 2024, fans will have one more opportunity to witness his sheer dominance in action.
While he is far and away in the distance, three (3) cars are within a 15-point bubble for second place. Fan favourite Simon Doyle (#91) and reigning championship runner-up Cole Doyle (#12) will be back behind the wheel of their cars after being substituted for by Rhyan Burke (#01) and Austin Corrigan and are ready to challenge Pierce one more time. Each driver has one (1) feature win this year, with only one having a shot at being the winningest brother (aside from Cole’s four preliminary race wins).
They form a sandwich with Outlaw level rookie Andrew O’Connor (#10) in the middle, who has two goals this weekend; win a Beginner Bandolero championship at Petty Raceway on Saturday and finish top-three in points at his home track on Sunday. O’Connor is coming off a third-place finish in the previous event and will look to end his season on a high note.
Wyatt Peters (#33) and reigning Beginner Bandolero champion Mason Gillis (#9) could get within the mix to steal a position or two out of the three drivers above them; if unsuccessful, they will be locked into a battle to claim fifth in points. Peters has been wildly inconsistent but had his best day at the track two Saturdays ago, winning two qualifying races and finishing second in the feature.
Hunter MacKinnon (#07) has been solid in the last three (3) events with three (3) top-5 finishes, and the last one coming after a brilliant save early in the feature.
One Title Down, One More To Go for Cash Bridges in Mini Stocks
After claiming the Super Series championship in the last event, Cash Bridges (#69) is well on his way to a Chris’s Bobcat Services Mini Stock division title. The reigning Rookie of the Year is currently 42 points above Ricky Bedell (#2) and has three (3) feature wins, with all of them coming within the last six (6) events. As long as he collects good finishes and brings the car home in one piece, he will cap his season off with yet another championship in what has been one of the best sophomore campaigns in track history.
Bedell is not entirely out but will need every form of bad luck imaginable to happen to Bridges. The Montague driver would’ve loved for the momentum from his strong early-season start to have continued into the summer months, but considering everything that’s happened to him and surrounding him, a runner-up finish in points would still be great. July and August were not in his favour one bit, but recent finishes of second and fourth could have him swinging for a season finale victory.
Veteran Randy MacTavish (#76) will look to lock up third in points albeit missing one event, while rookie Austin Corrigan (#10) has a former champion and two race winners this year charging after him for fourth in points, including the current crown holder Jeff Bridges (#95).
Recent preliminary race winner Adam Holland (#01), rookie Rosie Kitson (#13), and recent first-time feature winner Blaze Roberts (#6) are within the mix for seventh in points. Rookie Corbin MacAulay (#17) hopes to end his season on a high note after long-run struggles and a late-feature flat tire at the last event.
One Championship Earned, One Left To Collect for Brandon Forsyth in Outlaws
The 4-cylinder rookie sensation (#3) from Alberton is currently 44 points ahead of 2022 champion Layton Delaney (#7) and is another driver who is set on achieving two championships within one season. However, just like Randy Millar in Street Stocks, Forsyth has relied on consistency all season and has won a feature just once, being the season opener, and only has two (2) qualifying race wins. The parity within the division has been at an all-time high with only one (1) driver having multiple feature wins, but Forsyth has this Sunday to try and add himself to that statistic with season-opening and season-concluding wins.
Behind him, multiple battles are set to occur, with Delaney and past champion Kendall Palmer (#45) going for second in points. Palmer was on his way to finishing third in the most recent feature, but an incident with Corey Bridges (#04) going into the final turns on the final lap allowed Delaney to take the position away. Bridges will be defending fourth in points from Jordan LeClair (#47), who could’ve been in the mix for second in points but an engine failure right before the previous event caused him to drop to fifth.
Bradley Richard (#49) and Jamie Cummings (#81) have picked up multiple preliminary race wins throughout the year but still have yet to collect a feature race checkered flag.
One Last Chance to Catch The Bombers In Action!
While the Alvin’s Auto Sales + Repair Bomber championship was awarded two (2) weekends ago, the division will host a pair of open-invitational races to give them more publicity at the season finale and to continue the effort of building something special for the future.
2024 champion Ryan Cormier (#96) has been racing all year but is expected to hand the steering wheel to his significant other Kate Bridges for the season finale. Spencer Paton (#35) will look to earn his third consecutive triple-win while Caycie DesRoches (#16) is eager to add another feature podium finish after claiming her first at the division points finale.
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 1/4 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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