|
Sommerville
Wins the Irving Oil 250!!!
First
Pro Stock Outing of Year Results in Memorable Finish
Irving Oil 250 Winner Lonnie Sommerville is flanked by
Kirk Thibeau (left) and Dave O'Blenis (right)
All
Photos Courtesy of Max Roy, Roy's Performance Photography
September
3rd, 2006 -
Fredericton
,
NB
– Lonnie Sommerville made his first pro stock start of the season in a
new car a memorable one – he won the Irving Oil 250 in front of over
7,500 fans. Sommerville took the lead on lap 159 and led the rest of the
way except for one lap. Boundary Creek’s Dave O’Blenis finished second
and Presque Ile’s Kirk Thibeau rounded out the top three.
The
winning move - Sommerville (23) passes Chubbuck (29) for the lead
All
Photos Courtesy of Max Roy, Roy's Performance Photography
The
race featured six leaders with several contenders eyeing the top spot
throughout the night. Sommerville did not secure the win until the final
lap as it looked like O’Blenis was baiting the hook for a late race
charge right until the end. Although threatening as the laps wound down,
O’Blenis could not close the gap sufficiently to pull beside the
Saint John
driver. In the end, Sommerville took the victory and led 91 laps in his
#23 Oil Can Harry’s Monte Carlo walking away with a $19,550 payday.
Irving
Oil 250 Champion Lonnie Sommerville
All
Photos Courtesy of Max Roy, Roy's Performance Photography
O’Blenis,
the 2002 race winner, had to settle with second on the podium for his #48
Burger King Fusion. Although the win wasn’t in the cards, he still
walked away with a nice payday, taking home $6,700 in bonus lap money for
leading a race high 134 laps, plus the $500 Riverview Halfway Challenge
Award and the $500 Robin’s Inn Award for the highest finishing NBIS car.
O’Blenis dominated the early portion of the car, accumulating all of his
laps led before lap 140.
Thibeau,
the winner of the inaugural Irving Oil 250 in 2001, ran a solid race in
his #28 Grower’s Exchange Ford Fusion. He led the fewest laps of the
podium finishers with two laps led, but he stayed out of trouble and ran a
smart race in one of his few appearances of the season at the Geary oval.
Johnny Benson at NBIS
All
Photos Courtesy of Max Roy, Roy's Performance Photography
The
lead changed hands several times. In addition to the top three cars, John
Flemming (4 laps), Scott Chubbuck (16), and Travis Benjamin (3) also led
at different points in the night. Benjamin had another strong Irving Oil
250 showing with a fourth, while Flemming finished fifth after running
with the leaders most of the night. PASS tour driver Johnny Clark finished
sixth. Defending Irving Oil 250 champion Scott Chubbuck was in contention
early on, but dropped back after spinning out. Shawn Tucker, another
contender and the 2004 race champion, dropped out on lap 32 when his new
ride suffered terminal mechanical difficulties. NASCAR’s Johnny Benson
finished seventh, one lap down.
The
Starting Grid
All
Photos Courtesy of Max Roy, Roy's Performance Photography
The afternoon card also featured the
Hyundai Street Stock 50 which was captured by rookie Jason Shannon from
Hoyt. Shannon easily won the event, outpacing the venerable Smokin’ Joe
Albert in the #04 Mowatt’s Well Drilling Malibu and John Rankin in the
#28 Rankin Trcuking and Logging Regal. The event featured only two
cautions and some entertaining racing. The Atlantic Open Wheel Series also
ran for a second consecutive day with Dave Burnham taking checkers, Mike
Raeburn second, and Lowell Affleck third.
Nackawic’s
Casey Leblanc provided the intermission show, entertaining the audience
with several tunes. She also stayed for an autograph session. Speedweekend
2006 finishes tomorrow with an Enduro 200 where competitors are allowed to
tap, spin, and dent fenders to outwit and outlast their competitors.
|
The
Irving Oil 250
September 3rd, 2006
|
|
Finish
|
Start
|
#
|
Driver
|
Hometown
|
Laps
|
Laps
Led
|
Winnings
|
|
1
|
13
|
23
|
Lonnie
Sommerville
|
Saint John
,
NB
|
250
|
91
|
$19,550
|
|
2
|
3
|
48
|
Dave
O’Blenis
|
Boundary Creek
,
NB
|
250
|
134
|
$12,800
|
|
3
|
9
|
28
|
|
Presque Ile
,
ME
|
250
|
2
|
$3,100
|
|
4
|
5
|
17
|
Travis
Benjamin
|
Morrill
,
ME
|
250
|
3
|
$2,550
|
|
5
|
2
|
97
|
John
Flemming
|
Halifax
,
NS
|
250
|
4
|
$2,200
|
|
6
|
8
|
54
|
Johnny
Clark
|
Hallowell
,
ME
|
250
|
0
|
$1,800
|
|
7
|
27
|
21
|
Johnny
Benson
|
|
249
|
0
|
$1,700
|
|
8
|
15
|
79
|
|
Saint John
,
NB
|
249
|
0
|
$1,625
|
|
9
|
10
|
44
|
Wayne
Smith
|
Timberlea
,
NS
|
249
|
0
|
$1,575
|
|
10
|
1
|
15
|
Scott
Alexander
|
Dartmouth
,
NS
|
249
|
0
|
$1,500
|
|
11
|
18
|
29me
|
Scott
Chubbuck
|
Brunswick
,
ME
|
249
|
16
|
$1,900
|
|
12
|
11
|
35
|
Brad
Mann
|
Glen
Livet, NB
|
247
|
0
|
$1,050
|
|
13
|
23
|
75
|
Gary
Smith
|
Bangor
,
ME
|
244
|
0
|
$1,000
|
|
14
|
12
|
38
|
Darren
Sherwood
|
|
240
|
0
|
$975
|
|
15
|
25
|
8
|
Hal
O’Neal
|
Aroostock
|
210
|
0
|
$950
|
|
16
|
26
|
0
|
Shawn
Turple
|
Enfield
,
NS
|
170
|
0
|
$925
|
|
17
|
19
|
10
|
Kent
Livingston
|
|
137
|
0
|
$910
|
|
18
|
28
|
51
|
Larry
Gulliver
|
Lincoln
,
NB
|
132
|
0
|
$900
|
|
19
|
20
|
47
|
Corey
Williams
|
Boothbay
,
ME
|
106
|
0
|
$890
|
|
20
|
22
|
26
|
Mike
Stevens
|
Colpitts
Settlement, NB
|
74
|
0
|
$880
|
|
21
|
14
|
81
|
Glenn
Rasmussen
|
New
Denmark
, NB
|
67
|
0
|
$870
|
|
22
|
21
|
25x
|
Mike
Ryan
|
Salisbury
west
|
59
|
0
|
$860
|
|
23
|
6
|
66
|
Paul
Gahan
|
Lwr.St.Mary’s,
NB
|
40
|
0
|
$850
|
|
24
|
7
|
25
|
Brad
Leighton
|
Center Harbor
,
NH
|
31
|
0
|
$840
|
|
25
|
17
|
9
|
|
Temperance
Vale, NB
|
31
|
0
|
$830
|
|
26
|
4
|
52
|
Shawn
Tucker
|
Fredericton
,
NB
|
31
|
0
|
$820
|
|
27
|
24
|
78
|
|
Hanwell
,
NB
|
30
|
0
|
|
|
28
|
16
|
01
|
Kevin
Moore
|
Fredericton
,
NB
|
23
|
0
|
$800
|
|
Irving
Oil 250
Did
Not Qualify
|
|
00
|
Matt
Lee
|
Albion
,
ME
|
|
01X
|
Robbie
Maclean
|
Winsloe
,
PEI
|
|
01Z
|
Dan
Eddy
|
Halifax
,
NS
|
|
11
|
Marty
Prevost
|
Halifax
,
NS
|
|
14
|
Lloyd
Garnett
|
n/a
|
|
18
|
Al
Snelgrove ®
|
Moncton
,
NB
|
|
19
|
Tim
Rodgers
|
Upper
Coverdale
,
NB
|
|
20
|
Greg
Fahey ®
|
St.Stephen
|
|
21P
|
Shawn
Pierce
|
Blockhouse,
NS
|
|
24
|
Jody
Harris
|
St.David Ridge
,
NB
|
|
29P
|
Greg
Proude
|
North
Wiltshire, PEI
|
|
29
|
Robert
Tomlinson
|
Arthurette
,
NB
|
|
31
|
Myles
Harris
|
Fredericton
Jct
,
NB
|
|
71
|
Dan
MacKay
|
Halifax
,
NS
|
|
77
|
Gerry
Curtis
|
Nasonworth
,
NB
|
|
92
|
Mike
Thornton
|
Fredericton
,
NB
|
Fredericton Hyundai Street
Stock 50 lapper
|
|
|
#
|
Driver
|
Hometown
|
|
1
|
20
|
Jason
Shannon
|
Hoyt
|
|
2
|
04
|
Joe
Albert
|
Minto
|
|
3
|
28
|
John
Rankin
|
St.Martins
|
|
4
|
99
|
Shawn
Hyslop
|
St.Stephen
|
|
5
|
23
|
| |
