(Halifax, NS, July 17, 2013) The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour returns to Riverside International Speedway this Saturday, July 20th for the prestigious IWK 250 presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body. This marquee event will feature current NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski. Thirty-four drivers from five Canadian provinces and two states in the U.S. have pre-registered for the event with a purse of more than $93,000. The IWK 250 will mark round seven of 12 in the chase for the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Championship. Grandstand gates and box office for the IWK 250 open at 12:00 PM; Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials will get underway at 3:30 PM followed by an on-track autograph session and concert. Pre-race festivities start at 7:00 PM.
NASCAR champ Keselowski will work a rare off-weekend from his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford ride in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to make an even more rare start at the IWK 250. Keselowski will pilot the No. 13K Cat Car for Kids this Saturday. The Cat Car for Kids program, presented by Atlantic Cat, was initiated in 2008. Prior to race day the car and Keselowski will visit the IWK Health Centre where patients and their families can sign the car as co-sponsors; the annual visit has become a ‘signature’ event on the hospital calendar. The IWK 250 has raised awareness and more than $130,000 for the IWK Health Centre since 2007.
Only once since the first IWK 250 in 2007 has a NASCAR driver beat the locals to the finish line; that was in 2008 and the driver was Regan Smith. Keselowski is leaving no stone unturned in his mission to follow Smith’s trail to Riverside Victory Circle; he’s bringing his own car prepared in North Carolina by native Nova Scotian Gary Crooks/Crooks Racing who handles Keselowski’s driver developmental program. Keselowski is also bringing his top late model driver Austin Theriault as his IWK 250 teammate. Theriault will drive the No. 29x.
With three wins in six starts on the 2013 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST) and a 73-point advantage in the point standings three-time champion John Flemming is looking to improve his season – by defending his 2012 IWK 250 win and becoming the first repeat winner of the prestigious event. Besides Flemming, former IWK 250 champions expected in the field include Wayne Smith (2009), Kent Vincent (2010), and Darren MacKinnon (2011). Vincent and MacKinnon are racing full-time with the PST; this will be Wayne Smith’s first start in 2013. Maine’s Mike Rowe won the inaugural IWK 250 in 2007.
EXPECTED ENTRY LIST – IWK 250 presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body (subject to change without notice)
#01 – Robbie MacLean – Winsloe, PE
#02 – Mike MacKenzie – Dartmouth, NS
#03 – Steve Halpin – Saint John, NB
#0 – Shawn Turple – Enfield, NS
#4 – Mike Stevens – Riverview, NB
#5 – Jonathan Hicken – Brudenell, PE
#6 – Jerry Hayes – Sydney, NS
#8 – Kent Vincent – Westmoreland, PE
#11 – Marty Prevost – Fall River, NS
#13- Denver Foran – Edmonton, AB
#13K – Brad Keselowski – Mooresville, NC
#14 – Terry Dougay – Albany, PE
#18 – Darren MacKinnon – Charlottetown, PE
#21 – Shawn Pierce – Bridgewater, NS
#23 – Lonnie Sommerville – Saint John, NB
#24 – Steve Ross – Waverly, NS
#29 – Greg Proude – Springvale, PE
#29x – Austin Theriault – Mooresville, NC
#35 – Brad Mann – Glen Livet, NB
#44 – Wayne Smith – Lakeside, NS
#45 – Leonard Boutilier – Dutch Settlement, NS
#52 – Shawn Tucker – Fredericton, NB
#53 – Cole Butcher – Porter’s Lake, NS
#55 – Jason Carnahan – Moncton, NB
#56 – Josh Collins – Placentia, NL
#66 – Daryl Mahar – Hubley, NS
#67 – Dylan Blenkhorn – Truro, NS
#72 – Brad Eddy – Lower Sackville, NS
#77 – Colby Smith –Cape Sable Island, NS
#88 – George Koszkulics – New Glasgow, NS
#89 – Donald Chisholm – Antigonish, NS
#91 – Dylan Gosbee – Cornwall, PE
#97 – John Flemming – Halifax, NS
#98 – Jerome Kehoe – Sydney, NS
#99 – Craig Slaunwhite – Terence Bay, NS
*Entry list subject to change without notice