A look at prominent Pro/Super Late Model Racing Regions Part 7 (Canadian Maritimes)
August 5th, 2024
The Maritime Late Model Racing scene is an exciting and deeply rooted motor-sport culture in Atlantic Canada, featuring a blend of historic events, exciting tracks, passionate drivers, and a strong community following. Here’s a look into just some of the many things that make this region a significant part of the Canadian racing landscape:
This is just some of the many noteworthy drivers from the region. There were lots that I wanted to include, and this is not a ranking, just a sample of notable drivers to keep this article from being a wiki on drivers.
#2 Ashton Tucker has been a dominant force in the Maritime racing world, tying a streak of podium finishes across various events, including the Super Late Model Series (SLMS) and the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour (ECIPST), having his streak narrowly end with a 4th place finish, and ultimately having a streak of 12, matching Maine’s Cassius Clarke. Tucker is currently 3 points behind #83 Cory Hall for the SLMS Championship, with 1 race to go. Ashton has won the Mike Stevens Memorial, the Speedway 660 250 3 times, and the Scotia Speedworld Summer Clash 250, along with many top-5s in all 3 events, and multiple top-5s and a podium in the Riverside International Speedway IWK 250.
#91 Dylan Gosbee clinched the inaugural SLMS title, demonstrating his consistency and speed on the track with a key win, and many strong finishes. Over the years, Gosbee has amassed 3 top-5s in the Mike Stevens Memorial, 28 top-5s in the Pro Stock Tour, including a win, and he really stepped it up against fields consistently well into the 20s in the SLMS, against top competition like #83 Cory Hall, and #2 Ashton Tucker, and took the championship, holding the points lead from the conclusion of race 2 onward.
#89 Donald Chisholm is a prominent figure in Maritime racing, both as a driver and through his broader contributions to the sport. His racing career is marked by numerous achievements, including winning the 2015 Pro Stock Tour Championship, a title he secured in an emotional season dedicated to the memory of his late father, John Chisholm. John was a significant figure in Maritime motor-sports as well, having built the Riverside International Speedway, a mini-replica of Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, and it is one of the region's premier racing venues, hosting the biggest race in Atlantic Canada, the IWK 250. Donald is deeply involved with Riverside International Speedway, which remains a cornerstone of Maritime motorsports, and helps to field multiple competitive cars, and helps to provide drivers with opportunities. His continued participation in racing, including competing in the NASCAR Canada Series at his home track sometimes, helps maintain the sport’s visibility and excitement in the region.
#52 Shawn Tucker has 3 Speedway 660 250 wins, a MASCAR feature win, 22 Pro Stock Tour wins, and 3 Pro Stock Tour Championship titles. Tucker thrived during one of the more competition heavy periods in this region, and had many nights where once you could see that he was ‘on’, he was going to be almost impossible to stop.
#67 Dylan Blenkhorn has had a short and bright career. It isn’t over, and he is still really young. But during his full-time years, it is hard to debate that him and #53 Cole Butcher were not the absolute best. #5 Jonathan Hicken was right there, too, and #2 Ashton Tucker, and #83 Cory Hall were a little younger still. Blenkhorn has 2 Scotia 250 wins, including 7 top-5s in 9 attempts, and he has an IWK 250 win, along with a Mike Stevens Memorial win. Capping off his full-time years, to date at least, was a Pro Stock Tour championship, after some set-backs impacted a few prior years’ efforts. Dylan is easily one of the most electric drivers in Canada right now, period.
Greg Sewart won his first ever race - and it was in a Sportsmen. He had impressive success in the Sportsmen ranks, as well as the Modified ranks, and when he moved up to MASCAR, the rest is history. He has the most MASCAR titles of anyone, with 5, he finished second in the Oxford 250, the Riverside 250 twice, the Halifax Street Course, Moosehead Grand Prix for ASA 3 times, had a trip to the All American 400 for ASA, and has over 100 feature wins to his credit, all on top of being a Canadian Motorsports Hall of Famer, and a Maritime Motorsports Hall of Famer.
Shawn Turple had a very strong career. With a win in his only start in the Mike Stevens Memorial, he backed this up with 14 wins in the Pro Stock Tour, and perhaps more impressively, 87 top-5s in his 172 starts, making for a top-5 rate of 50.6%. This was enough for him to capture 3 championship titles, and anytime he was on the track, if he wasn’t in the top-5, there was over a 50/50 chance that someone in the top-5 was going to lose their spot. He was patient, but willing to get the job done and beat and bang if needed.
John Flemming holds the record for Pro Stock Tour titles, winning it more than anyone else: 5 times. Flemming has 5 MASCAR wins, 23 Pro Stock Tour wins, and 79 top-5s in 167 starts, a Scotia 250 win, and International Pro Stock Challenge win. While many drivers came and went during his run, he was able to really put in some especially strong years, over a stretch of time.
Cole Butcher is starting to become as recognized for his success in the USA these days, as he is in Canada. While his time in the Pro Stock Tour, like Blenkhorn’s, was shorter than some of these other drivers, what he achieved during his time, was very noteworthy. Coming up at the same time as Blenkhorn, the two very often fought hard battles for the lead over the years. Butcher won the Pro Stock Tour championship twice, and missed by just 1 point to Shawn Turple another year. Butcher has 3 wins, and 9 top-5s in 16 ASA National races. This year, in the Southern Super Series, he has 3 wins in 8 races. He has won the past 2 Oxford 250s, has won the Easter Bunny 150 twice, has CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series win, 22 wins, 60 top-5s in 97 Pro Stock Tour starts, a Mike Stevens Memorial win, 2 Scotia 250 wins, a Redbud 400 win, and his last 5 Snowball Derby finishes are: 3rd, 6th, 3rd, 5th, and 4th.
Rollie MacDonald has been a towering figure in Canadian motor-sports, with a career that spans several decades and includes significant achievements both as a driver and as a team owner. He is the 1983 MASCAR Champion, the 1986 QUASCAR (Quebec) Champion, he competed in the 1994 NASCAR Busch Series North, and began transitioning between racing full-time and becoming a car-owner/team operation, first fielding a car for #00 Scott Fraser all over the Eastern United States, including an attempt at full-time racing in the 1998 ASA National Series Tour. He was inducted into the 2005 Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, and, won the 2005 Pro Stock Tour Championship, and continues to leave a legacy with King Competition racing which helps many drivers to be their best.
Dave Gorveatt has had 52 races in PASS North, including a win, 2 wins in 6 starts in the International Pro Stock Challenge Series, a MASCAR Championship title in it's first year, in which he also won the first race, 3 top-5s in 6 attempts at the Scotia 250, and is part of the Maritime Motor-sports Hall of Fame.
Craig Slaunwhite has been on an absolute tear in recent years. This year he has retired from full-time racing, and is running select races. This wasn’t enough to deter him from being the first racer in the recent era to win back-to-back IWK 250s, and it was in his first start in Canada this year. Joining Scott Fraser Racing (SFR) with support by family, and people close to Scott, he began in a Pro Late Model/Pro Stock in 2008 for the Pro Stock Tour. He was at his very best most recently, with 9 wins in his last 32 Pro Stock Tour starts, including the past 3 Championships (only person to do this 3 years in a row). He’s won the Atlantic Championship 250 Race at Shediac (Centre for Speed), along with the Golden Crown (660 250, Scotia 250, and IWK 250).
Scott Fraser (RIP) was special. He had an orbit around him, which drew in hands full of significant individuals in the racing world, into his sphere, and the impacts of that influence reverberate into today, with many people involved who likely would not have been, if not for Scott. His achievements are far too great to list in this space, but:
Scott Fraser's racing career began at the age of 16 in the street stock division at Onslow Speedway, where he quickly set a record for wins in a season. After four seasons, he transitioned to the Open-Wheel Modified division at Scotia Speedworld in 1992, winning the series championship in his rookie season. Fraser also made a mark in the American Canadian Tour, securing top-five finishes in all three races he entered, including a win at Scotia Speedworld. His MASCAR career started with a debut at the 1991 Moosehead Grand Prix, followed by a remarkable run from 1994 to 1998, where he won five consecutive Riverside 250s. In 1996, Fraser had a historic season, winning 12 of 15 races and securing his first MASCAR championship. He won another MASCAR title in 1998 with an impressive average finish of 2.7.
Fraser's career also saw him partnering with Rollie MacDonald to form King Racing in 1998, competing in high-profile events like the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing and the NASCAR Busch North Series. Despite some challenges, Fraser and King Racing achieved significant success, including winning the International Pro Stock Challenge in 1999. They later competed in the ASA National Tour, where Fraser secured multiple top-ten finishes. Fraser and King Racing continued their success in the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, where they finished third in the 2003 season standings. Fraser was also known for building and working on race cars, with four of the top ten cars in the 1996 MASCAR standings coming from his shop.
Terry Clattenburg is a celebrated figure in Maritime motor-sports with a career that spans multiple decades and various forms of racing. Starting in 1965, Clattenburg quickly made a name for himself, winning championships in drag racing in 1968 and 1969. He transitioned to stock car racing, where he won the Sportsman Stock Car Racing title in 1970 and later the Maritime Honda Series Championship for road racing in 1978.
Clattenburg became particularly well-known for his success in the MASCAR series, where he won four championships in 1986, 1989, 1990, and 1991. His dominance in the series was highlighted by his victory in the 1990 Riverside 250 and his three consecutive wins at the Moosehead Grand Prix from 1991 to 1993. Clattenburg was inducted into the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007, recognizing his significant contributions to the sport.
Wayne Smith known as the "Oval Outlaw," is a celebrated figure in Maritime motorsports with a career marked by numerous championships and significant contributions to the sport. Smith is a six-time Maritime touring champion and has secured multiple titles in the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour, including notable victories like the IWK 250. His aggressive driving style and consistent performance have made him one of the most respected drivers in the region.
In addition to his success on the track, Smith has played a key role in the administrative side of the sport. In 2016, he was appointed as the Technical Director for the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour, where he is responsible for ensuring that competition and safety rules are followed. He has further went on to become the owner of Petty International Raceway; This role leverages his deep knowledge of the sport and his relationships with many drivers and teams, further cementing his legacy in Maritime racing.
Prominent Tracks and Events (There are other tracks and races that have also been active in the past - I am speaking of current series/races that occur in this places now)
Speedway 660 in Geary, NB Speedway 660 has been a staple of Late Model racing in the region since 1994, being an integral part of their own Late Model Series’, the Pro Stock Tour, SLMS, and their annual marquee 250 lap race, which last year this race paid: $15,000 to win, plus $50 per lap led, and $1,000 to the leader at the half way point.
Petty International Raceway in River Glade, NB Petty has taken the throne for defunct now almost fully restored River Glade Speedway, NB, with it’s running of The River Glade International, and it also hosts the Mike Stevens Memorial, which last year offered $20,000 to win, plus $100 per lap led in the 254 lap feature, which would make for possibly close to $45,000. Petty is also home to the SLMS and Pro Stock Tour.
Oyster Bed Speedway in PEI Oyster Bed has run it’s own track Late Model Races, and is also home to racing from the SLMS and the Pro Stock Tour. It’s a fun track to watch, and frequently delivers lots of door-to-door action, and intense battles.
Scotia Speedworld in Enfield, NS Currently home of the Summer Clash 250, paying $15,000 to win, plus $75 per lap led (and $25 per lap to charity), plus additional bonuses, such as $1,500 for the half-way mark leader, and $1,000 to the time trial leader. Scotia Speedworld currently hosts the SLMS and Pro Stock Tour.
Centre for Speed in Shediac, NB is not currently a track run by either touring series, however it does play host to an annual Atlantic Championship single feature Late Model race - the distance varies, but this year will be 200 laps. Many notable drivers from both Canada and the USA have won this event in the past.
Riverside International Raceway, NS A mini-replica of Bristol, which plays host to the IWK 250. The 2024 running of the IWK 250, which pays $20,000 to win, plus a laps led bonus, and other bonuses. Riverside also plays host to other Pro Stock Tour feature events, and sometimes NASCAR Canada.
Series Overview
The Super Late Model Series (SLMS), introduced in 2023, has quickly gained traction, thanks to its hard working team, well-organized and executed plan, working within it’s means, it’s deep, competitive racing environment, and it’s communication and media utilization. The series is known for its well-managed events and has secured strong sponsorships to support its growth.
Meanwhile, the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour (ECIPST), with its rich history, continues to be a pillar of Maritime racing. This tour is an integral part of the region's racing ecosystem, offering prestigious races and maintaining a long term dedicated fan base.
It is worth nothing that this region has also been host either entirely, or as part of the schedule of:
Pro All Star Series (PASS)
ACT Pro Stock Tour (American Canadian Tour)
International Pro Stock Challenge (IPSC)
and the Maritime Association of Stock Car Racers (MASCAR).
Challenges and Opportunities
2024 is a significant year for Maritime racing, as both the SLMS and ECIPST navigate their respective paths. For the SLMS, it's about proving its sustainability beyond a successful debut season, while the ECIPST is revitalizing its driver base and continuing its legacy.
This region's racing scene is defined by its tight-knit community, the legacy of its events, and the rising talents who are shaping the future of the sport. The synergy between the drivers, tracks, and series creates a vibrant and competitive environment that continues to draw attention from racing enthusiasts across Canada and beyond.
