Petty International Raceway, Petitcodiac, NB PR - 51st Jones Auto Body River Glade International to Light Up Petty Raceway This We

- Petty International Raceway, located in River Glade, New Brunswick, will be the place to be this weekend, Friday, August 21st and Saturday, August 22nd, for the best in short track racing with the 51st Jones Auto Body River Glade International on tap. In total, seven unique stock car racing divisions will do battle on the weekend, comprising hundreds of laps around the tight, high banked 1/3-mile oval. The two nights of racing are sure to leave the novice and diehard race fan alike on the edge of their seat all weekend long until the checkered flag drops Saturday with the Parts for Trucks 150 for the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour.

The Friday night racing card is headlined by the Jones Auto Body 100 for the Sportsman division. Along with being one of the most prestigious races in the country, the race also serves as a championship point event for the Sportsman division. With two races to go, including Friday night’s Jones Auto Body 100, it is Andrew Rodgers (Smithtown, NB) leading by just a single point over Luc Bourgeois (Memramcook, NB).Bourgeois has won two of the three races contested this season, including the Caleb Dunn Memorial 100 at the beginning of the month, while Rodgers has seen consistency award him with the top spot in the standings heading into Friday’s race.

Leading Rookie Ken Mackenzie Jr (Salisbury, NB) is also well within the overall championship hunt, sitting just three points behind Rodgers. Andrew’s older brother Matt (Smithtown, NB) sits fourth in points with Byron Bartlett (Quispamsis, NB) and Chris Cormier (Moncton, NB) in fifth and sixth place, respectively. The top six in points only have a slim ten points between them heading into Friday night’s show, meaning a strong performance by any one of them could put them closer to the championship when it is handed out in September.

The Jones Auto Body 100 brings out some of the biggest names in Sportsman racing to vie for the coveted River Glade International title, including the defending champion of the event Russell Smith Jr (Lakeside, NS). Smith has won some of the biggest races in the region this season already and will look to continue his streak by rolling into Petty International Raceway, a track where he has won the Sportsman championship twice, and take home another River Glade International crown.

The CMax Street Stock division will also contest a point paying feature on Friday evening. Gary Tingley (Colpitts Settlement, NB) won the last Street Stock event at Petty International Raceway and will look to extend his point lead even further than the nine point advantage he has on reigning champion Ken Mackenzie Jr (Salisbury, NB). Nick Cadger and Clifford Mercer are locked into a battle for the top spot in the Rookie of the Year battle, with just three points between the two heading into Friday’s Street Stock showcase.

Mike Weagle (Salisbury, NB) is working towards the Mister Transmission Mini Stock division championship, but Rob Poirier (Irishtown, NB) and Tim Webster (Beaverbank, NS) are giving him all he can handle with two races to go. Weagle leads the battle for second by seven points and Poirier, the leading Rookie in the class, and Webster only have a single point between them heading into Friday night. While there are all kinds of tight battles throughout the field, expect the competition to be on their game this Friday night as JR Lawson (Shubenacadie, NS) and other “part-time” invaders are expected to try and steal the spotlight from the championship contenders.

Ashton Tucker (Lyttleton, NB) is looking to win the Leisure Days RV Bandolero crown by one of the biggest margins since Petty International Raceway started tracking points championships. Tucker leads by 11 points over Levi Rossiter (Salisbury, NB) while Rossiter only has a single point on Michael Cormier (Grand-Barachois, NB) for the second place spot in the standings. Nova Scotia drivers Josh Langille (Coldbrook) and Austin MacDonald (Pictou) have been conducting a friendly rivalry all season long and the two now find themselves tied for fourth in the standings heading into Friday night’s event.

The second day of the double header weekend at Petty International Raceway is all about touring divisions. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour will headline the card with the Parts for Trucks 150, along with a 50-lap feature for the Atlantic Tiltload Maritime League of Legends Tour and a 35-lap feature for the Atlantic Modified Tour.

In addition to the coveted Jones Auto Body River Glade International title, the Sportsman and Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour drivers will be competing for handcrafted grandfather clocks from K. Hubley Woodworking and Contracting. The winners of the headlining feature each night will receive the clocks for winning one of the oldest stock car races in Canada.

Wayne Smith (Timberlea, NS), known as “The Oval Outlaw,” will make an attempt to win both grandfather clocks as he will race in both the Jones Auto Body Sportsman 100 on Friday night and the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour 150 on Saturday night. The six-time Maritime touring champion will race the Craig McFetridge owned #41 car in Friday night’s 100-lap event and will run his iconic #44 on Saturday out of the Oval Outlaw Racing shop. At press time, Smith is the only driver looking at “doing the double” this weekend.

Pit gates for competitors participating in Friday’s Jones Auto Body River Glade International Sportsman 100 open at 4pm. Grandstand gates for spectators open at 5:30pm with racing getting underway at 7:30pm. Adult admission to the grandstands is $20, youth admission (ages eight to 18) is $10 while children seven and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $25.

Saturday’s pit gates for competitors in the Parts for Trucks 150 open at 12:30pm. Grandstand gates open for spectators at 4pm, with Atlantic Tiltload Pro Stock Time Trials beginning at 5:10pm and qualifying action beginning at 6pm. Adult grandstand admission is $30 on Saturday, youth admission (ages eight to 18) is $10 while children seven and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $35.

An adult grandstand weekend pass is available for the 51st Jones Auto Body River Glade International and can be purchased for $45. All tickets can be purchased at the gate on race day.

There will be an open practice for competitors on Thursday, August 20th from 5pm to 9pm. Pit admission for the open practice night is $10, with free admission to the grandstands for spectators.

Complete information on the 51st Jones Auto Body River Glade International, or any Petty International Raceway events, can be found at PettyRaceway.com.