JAMES RIVER, N.S. - For the 12th consecutive season, Riverside International Speedway will host Canada’s only NASCAR-sanctioned touring series Aug. 18; and this year’s Bumper To Bumper 300 will go a long way in determining who will have a chance to win the 2018 championship.
The high-banked track is only one of four facilities on the schedule to host the Pinty’s Series every year since NASCAR began sanctioning the series in 2007.
Last year, Alex Labbe and Kevin Lacroix had fans on their feet on the final lap of the race.
Labbe bumped Lacroix in turn four to make the deciding pass and go on to win the race after Lacroix had dominated the event; leading a race-high 251 laps up until the deciding contact in the race.
During the cool down laps, Lacroix made heavy contact with Labbe that resulted in a penalty from NASCAR officials which effectively ended any chance for Lacroix to win the title. Lacroix returns to Riverside for the Bumper to Bumper 300 looking for redemption at the challenging 0.333-mile speedway. Labbe is competing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year and will miss defending his win.
While Lacroix is definitely motivated to win, he’ll face some talented competition in the ninth race of the 13-race 2018 season. Among the entries includes the only active driver to win multiple Bumper To Bumper 300 races, two-time series champion D.J. Kennington. Kennington started on the pole last year after rain washed out qualifying and finished third in the event.
Antigonish’s Donald Chisholm, who won the NASCAR race at Riverside in 2014, will be looking to join Kennington as a multi-race NASCAR winner at Riverside.
Besides his win in 2014, which he got from the pole, Chisholm picked up the pole award for the Bumper to Bumper 300 in 2016. He has 21 Pinty’s Series starts all tolled; Riverside will be his first series start of 2018.
Kennington picked up his first win in 2010 and followed with a victory in the 2012 race here in Nova Scotia, ironically the same seasons he won his two Pinty’s Series titles. The St. Thomas, Ontario native is the only driver to start every race in the history of the series and would love to celebrate a win at Riverside again.
Veteran Mark Dilley won the inaugural NASCAR Pinty’s Series race held at Riverside in 2007 and holds the record for most top-five finishes (eight) and top-10 (11) finishes at the track. Dilley is also the only driver to finish in the top-10 at Riverside in every start.
The weekend kicks off Friday, Aug. 17, with the Henry's AUTOPRO 100 for the Napa Sportsman Series and the Passione Flooring 50 for the MJS Holdings/Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour.
On Saturday, it’s the NASCAR Pinty’s Series Bumper to Bumper 300 and the Maritime League of Legends with a 50-lap points race. Racing starts at 7 p.m. Friday and, on Saturday, NASCAR qualifying is set for 3 p.m., Legends heat races at 4:30 p.m., followed by a NASCAR autograph session at 5:25 p.m., the Legends feature race at 6:15 p.m., NASCAR driver introductions at 7:25 p.m. and the Bumper to Bumper 300 at 8 p.m.
The grandstand gates and box office opens at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. Friday.
Reserved and general admission tickets are available online at www.RiversideSpeedway.ca as either a weekend pass or single-day tickets. Reserved seats are only available in advance. Advance ticket sales close Thursday at 5 p.m. General admission tickets will be available at the gate on race day.
There is plenty of free spectator vehicle and RV parking for this event. RV parking is for self-contained units only and campers must park in the area designated for campers, and must adhere to Riverside camping terms of use which are published online at above listed website.
