JAMES RIVER, NS (August 13, 2008) - After what has turned out to be a three-week hiatus the CARQUEST pro Stock Tour returns to action at Riverside International Speedway Saturday August 16 for the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 presented by Parts for Trucks.
The series event August 3 at Centre for Speed in Shediac, NB, was halted due to rain with only half of the qualifying round completed. And the series was off this last weekend, so the last racing action many of the series competitors has seen was on July 26; they'll be chomping at the bit to get back in the driver's seat as they work toward the series season finale now set for September 13 at Scotia Speedworld - moved from September 6 to accommodate the rescheduled Shediac race.
The fast historic high banks of Riverside - and the event tribute to Scott Kelly - will combine to add extra incentive in getting to Victory Lane. Riverside is a track each and every racer in the Maritimes wants to win at, and Kelly was a racer respected by his peers. Scott Kelly, at just 28 years old, lost a battle with cancer in 1999; the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 is a tribute to him from his longtime sponsor and many good friends at Parts for Trucks.
Rudi Foster, Parts for Trucks, recalled one Friday when Scott was released from the hospital and together with his No. 12 S.K. Racing team drove directly to Prince Edward Island to race in the 100 lap feature in 90 degree heat. It was this kind of determination that made Scott a very special person.
"Scott was a young man who loved to race, and he never let his sickness interfere with his passion for racing," said Foster. "Scott also loved to be around kids and to share with them his love for racing. He and S.K. Racing were always doing everything possible to make sure that kids had a chance to see and sit in the car, even if this meant taking the car to a young man’s house, who was too sick to come out and see the car on display."
Concurrent with Scott Kelly's desire to brighten the lives of young children there will be a fundraiser at the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 with proceeds going to the trust fund established in Scott Kelly's name at the IWK Health Care Centre for Children in Halifax.
In keeping with Scott Kelly's passion for racing, the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 will surely see a race Scott would have enjoyed - at the site where he won the MASCAR season opener in May 1998 - an emotional day for all who were watching this brave young man during a time when he was undergoing cancer treatment.
Scott Kelly's all-too-short racing career started in 1988. He raced three years in the street stock division, then three years in the open wheel division. In 1994 he moved to late model/pro stock and won the MASCAR Rookie of the Year title; in 1995 he was second in MASCAR points; in 1996 he finished third in the prestigious Oxford 250 in Maine; and in 1998 he won the inaugural International Pro Stock Challenge title. Scott's dad, Junior Kelly - the 1985 MASCAR champion, was his mentor.
Thirty-one teams are expected to enter the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 presented by Parts for Trucks including series point leader Wayne Smith (Halifax), defending champion Shawn Tucker (Fredericton, NB), defending rookie of the year and currently second-place in points Lonnie Sommerville (Saint John, NB), the only two-time winner on the series this year and third-place in point standings Shawn Turple (Enfield).
Local racers expected to be vying for a spot on the 26-car starting grid include Donald Chisholm (Antigonish), George Koszkulics (New Glasgow) and Rollie MacDonald (Pictou).
Time trials and qualifying heats will determine the starting lineup for the 100-lap feature. The Highland Home Hardware Sportsman Series will provide support class action.
The Scott Kelly Memorial 100 is round three of four for the 2008 edition of the Parts for Trucks Challenge, a mini-series that will see the top three points getters in the four Parts For Trucks sponsored events each take home a year-end bonus. After two of four races Sommerville leads the mini-series with 400 points, followed by Greg Proude (N. Wiltshire, PEI) with 388 points and Kent Vincent (Crapaud, PEI) with 383 points.
Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials start Saturday at 5:10 p.m. Racing starts at 6 p.m.
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