SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD: Consistent finishes helped an East Coast International Pro Stock Tour driver from Lantz land a top five points finish and Rookie of the Year honours.
Matt Vaughan, who is formerly from Fletchers Lake, came home eleventh in the season finale on the tour at Scotia Speedworld on Oct. 2. The tour is usually 12 races long, but due to COVID19 restrictions nit was shortened to nine races.
Vaughan drove the orange no. 0 emblazoned with East Coast International on its side to 1,682 points, good for fifth.
He was the lone newcomer on the tour that competed in 80 per cent of the races by attending them so earned Rookie of the Year honours.
It may have been Cole Butcher in victory lane to cap off the 2021 season, but there was a grand ovation as the 99 of Craig Slaunwhite crossed in third place.
That finish cemented him as the 2021 East Coast International Pro Stock Tour champion by 32 points. He let it be known how that made him feel doing burns out just by the start finish line as officials tried to setup for victory lane.
The emotion that flowed was evident as well as he got unstrapped and out of the car with a fist in the air, before being interviewed by the voice of the Pro Stock Tour and Scotia Speedworld, Tim Terry live on Tim’s Corner Motorsport TV and for the large crowd of fans that took in the Cummins 150 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Oct. 2.
Dartmouth’s Nic Naugle came home second in the no. 08 hot rod.
Russell Smith Jr (Lakeside, NS) and Kent Vincent (Crapaud, PE) both had fantastic showings and finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Fall River’s Marty Prevost kept his no. 11 BTP Construction-sponsored hot rod in the top 10 all afternoon, coming home with an impressive seventh place showing.
Beaver Bank’s Wade Slaunewhite, driving the no. 67 of Dylan Blenkhorn out of Truro, was 14th in the race, multiple laps down.
Craig Slaunwhite’s average finish in the shortened nine race season was second and he only missed the podium once this year. He has been a wheelman of a Pro Stock late model for the past 13 years in hopes of finally taking home the illustrious title of East Coast International Pro Stock Tour Champion.
PEI’s Greg Proude, Smith Jr., and Naugle took home Atlantic Tiltload heat race wins.
Pictou’s Austin MacDonald in the no. 13 King Racing hot rod took home the Kenny U Pull Hard Charger award.
The race was slowed by four cautions and took 52 minutes to complete.
In the 50 lap Legends undercard non-points race, Bedford’s Dylan Dowe took the checkered flag, ahead of Devin Wadden and Nathan Langille.
Nine Mile River’s Dawson Noble in the no. 8 was fifth in the race, while Windsor Junction’s Ayden Christensen in the no. 24 was seventh, his first Legend race of the year.
Gage Gilby of Enfield had mechanical issues and did not finish after pitting on lap 34.
In the non-points Sportsman, Moncton’s Brandon Carter won.
Pete Miller of Kennetcook in the No. 92 AJK machine came home second just barely ahead of Oakfield’s Darren Wallage in the no. 3 at the checkers.
