Wyant Group Raceway ready for green flag to drop

The Wyant Group Raceway opens its season on Saturday.

    For members of the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association, they might feel like kids opening presents on Christmas morning, because they will begin racing for real.

    On Saturday, the green flag is ready to drop to start an abbreviated season at the Wyant Group Raceway. Normally, the stock car racing season in Saskatoon starts near the last weekend of May.

    Of course, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic wreaked havoc on the local automotive racing season like it has the entire sports world.

    The SSCRA has had a racing season of some sort every year since 1954, and that streak will go on despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

    The front gates are set to open at 4 p.m. on Saturday and the national anthem and invocation will follow at 6 p.m. to kick off the night’s main program.

    Racing is slated to take place in the super late model, bandolero, sportsman, baby grand and mini cup classes.

    Due to Government of Saskatchewan COVID-19 pandemic regulations, the SSCRA was only able to sell 150 tickets for Saturday’s race program, and those tickets were all scooped up a short time after going on sale on Tuesday.
    The fans won’t have any problems when to comes to physical distancing as the Wyant Group Raceway has a capacity of 3,319 spectators, and the track also has 15 corporate chalets that act as box seating.

Racers from the sportsman class head down the front straightaway. 

    With 150 spectators coming to the track, it will almost feel like you could have one fan per every section of stands.

    Still, those in attendance will likely be excited to once again take in one of Saskatoon’s long time summer traditions. The tradition goes back to 1954, when the unincorporated Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Club, which became the SSCRA, operated on the 8^th Street Racing Oval called the Motordrome.

    The track moved to the grandstand area at Prairieland Park for a couple of years in 1970 and 1971. The action shifted to the Bridge City Speedway from 1972 to 2005 before the City of Saskatoon annexed that land to build the residential neighbourhood of Evergreen.

    Since 2006, the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association has called the immaculate Wyant Group Raceway home. For those that have never been there, Wyant Group Raceway feels like a piece of race car heaven, and you almost can’t believe a stock car racing facility that nice is located in Saskatoon.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t on, the Wyant Group Raceway hosts an annual NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop. The NASCAR Pinty’s Series is a minor league circuit that prepares drivers to compete one day at NASCAR’s top level – the Cup Series.

    Still, the racing in Saskatoon’s local classes is top notch and gets the adrenaline pumping. SSCRA supporters will once again be able to see the exploits of various standout drivers in local classes like Aaron Anderson, Neil Schneider, Kevin Dyck, Lachlyn Anderson, Sam Howlett, Blake Erb, Mike Rea, Matthew Shirley and Jim Gaunt.

The super late model class produces tonnes of thrilling races. 

    Prince Albert, Sask., product Shantel Kalika is another track standout, but it is uncertain she will take part in any 2020 races as she is on maternity leave.

    Some of the Saskatoon drivers have been entertaining fans online with a series of iRacing virtual events. While the broadcasts of the virtual events are cool, they can’t replace the feel of live action.

    The shortened SSCRA race season is schedule to run over seven spread out over August and September.

    Considering it seemed possible there wouldn’t be a race season at all in these pandemic times, the 2020 SSCRA season is a special and much welcomed gift.

Could the Saskatoon Field House come back to action?

The front entrance of the Saskatoon Field House.

    It appears the Saskatoon Field House might not be used for any field hospital type purposes at all.

    In early April, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said the Saskatoon Field House was going to be used to stage staff for the field hospital that has been built inside neighbouring Merlis Belsher Place for a surge of COVID-19 cases.

    Merlis Belsher Place was opened on the University of Saskatchewan campus on October of 2018 mainly to serve as the home of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams. Housing two hockey rinks, Merlis Belsher Place was also home to the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA hockey team and the Saskatoon Stars under-18 female AAA hockey club.

    At the moment, Merlis is a “Linus blanket” field hospital in waiting, and for those that have seen the surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States, it is likely a good thing Merlis is a field hospital in waiting.

    It is well known in the Saskatoon sports community that Merlis won’t be available to be a sports facility for the 2020-21 campaign, and it is uncertain when it will ever serve as a sports facility again.

    With that noted, it appears the Saskatoon Field House might escape having to serve the field hospital at Merlis.

    I went biking through that area on Sunday, and there is no Saskatchewan Health Authority signage on the Saskatoon Field House. There are still signs on the doors of the Saskatoon Field House from the City of Saskatoon stating that sports facility is still closed.

    When you go to the back of the Saskatoon Field House, it feels kind of abandoned as some of the weeds by the back door are about three feet high.

    The City of Saskatoon’s website says the Saskatoon Field House is still closed and there are no notes about when it possibly could reopen. Most of Saskatoon’s leisure centres are close with the exception of the Lakewood Civic Centre and the Shaw Centre, which are partially open.

    The Saskatoon Field House in the main practice facility for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s track and field teams and for the local track and field community. If it isn’t being reserved to assist with the field hospital at Merlis, the optimism that the Saskatoon Field House could be opened for sports purposes at some point in the future has to increase.

    The outside of Merlis has various Saskatchewan Health Authority signs placed all over it. The main entrance has a label for staff to enter and door for couriers bring packages to the building.

    The back side Merlis has a pair of doors labeled for patients to enter, and both doors lead to the hockey rink area.

    While Merlis won’t be a sports facility for some time, it would be a huge bonus for the Saskatoon sports community to get the Saskatoon Field House back.

Softball Saskatchewan cancels provincials, other notes

Saskatchewan softball players will just play in local area leagues in 2020.

    Softball Saskatchewan couldn’t hold out any longer.

    On Wednesday, the minor sport governing body cancelled all of its provincial championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While most minor sport governing bodies that oversaw teams sports during the spring and summer hand cancelled their respective provincials some time ago, Softball Saskatchewan was holding out hoping some positive developments would break with regards to the pandemic.

    Softball Saskatchewan cited Government of Saskatchewan restrictions and guidelines for the cancellation. The Government of Saskatchewan still has a ban regarding tournament play for team sports due to the pandemic.

    Only Golf Saskatchewan was able to run provincial championship tournaments this summer due to golf being an individual sport.

    Softball Saskatchewan and Baseball Sask were allowed to get game action going in city and house leagues starting in early July. Those games are continuing throughout August.

    While it is disappointing Softball Saskatchewan won’t be able to host provincial championship tournament, the crew with that organization should be commended for the work they did to try and make those title events a reality.

• On Tuesday, the AHL announced it has cancelled the AHL All-Star Classic for the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Laval Rocket was set to host the AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in 2021. Laval will host the event for the 2021-22 campaign on dates that are still to be determined. The AHL hopes to start its 2021-22 regular season on Dec. 4.
• On Tuesday, the Saskatoon Blades announced former captain Ralph Klassen passed away at age 64. Klassen, who is from Humboldt, Sask., played 300 regular season games at centre over five seasons for the Blades from 1970 to 1975 piling up 81 goals and 194 assists for 275 points. Following his time with the Blades, Klassen skated for nine seasons in the NHL from 1975 to 1984 playing for the California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Blues. He appeared in 497 career NHL regular season games collecting 52 goals and 93 assists for 145 points. Klassen passed away after a battle with cancer.
• On Wednesday, the OHL announced it hopes to start its regular season on Dec. 1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the OHL is reducing the length of its regular season from 68 games to 64 games for each team. The OHL plans to hold playoffs in a 16-team format slated to start on April 29, 2021. The OHL hopes to host the Memorial Cup tournament to crown a CHL champion from June 17-27, 2021 in either Oshawa with the Generals as hosts or Sault Ste. Marie with the Greyhounds as hosts.
• On Wednesday, Phil Andrews announced via Twitter he was remaining with the WHL’s Regina Pats as the team’s director of media and communications. He was set to step down from that post on July 31. Andrews said he will be remaining with the Pats to bridge the gap in that position until the WHL season starts.
• On Thursday, the WHL announced it is moving the start of its regular season for the 2020-21 campaign to Dec.4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit is still planning to play a full 68 game regular season for each team and four rounds of playoffs.
• On Thursday, the CJFL cancelled its entire 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The venerable Saskatoon Hilltops have won the last six straight CJFL titles and have taken the league crown in nine of the last 10 years. The Regina Thunder had the lone other CJFL title win during that span of time coming in 2013.
• On Thursday, the University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey team and the University of Alberta Pandas women’s hockey team were reinstated as members of the Canada West Conference for the 2020-21 U Sports season. On June 17, the U of Alberta athletics program suspended play in a number of sports for the 2020-21 season due to financial constraints brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Golden Bears and Pandas hockey teams requested to be reinstated following new financial support from donors. At the moment, regular season play in the Canada West Conference is slated to start in Jan. 2021 depending how the COVID-19 pandemic plays out. The Golden Bears have won the most U Sports national men’s titles with 16, and the Pandas have won the most U Sports national women’s titles at eight.
• Gregg Drinnan continues to do solid work tracking how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the sports world in his Taking Note blog. His post from Thursday can be found by clicking right here.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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“Kickstart My Heart” – Let action at the Wyant Group Raceway go green flag!

The SSCRA’s super late model class jets into action in 2017. 

    Right now, there is a sizable community inside Saskatoon that feels “the need for speed!”

    Usually, the Saturday of last weekend would have marked the start of the new Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association season. Normally, that would mean you could look forward to Saturday nights at the Wyant Group Raceway watching a mix of racers in seven different classes ripping around the track like their hair is on fire.

Aaron Anderson zips around the track in the pro truck class in 2017.

    These racers are good too, and they are running around the track in pricey toys that can go at high speed comparable to what see with NASCAR races on television. Some of the cars in Saskatoon’s super late model class cost around $34,000, and they perform just as good as or even better than NASCAR cars.

    Unfortunately due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are robbed of seeing the exploits of Aaron Anderson, Neil Schneider, Kevin Dyck, Lachlyn Anderson, Sam Howlett, Blake Erb, Mike Rea, Matthew Shirley and Jim Gaunt.

Matthew Shirley in super late model action in 2017.

    The Wyant Group Raceway is home of drivers from Saskatoon and mid to northern parts of Saskatchewan.

    It is also the home track for Prince Albert, Sask., product Shantel Kalika. Kalika has made appearances the past two seasons on the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, which is a minor league series that prepares drivers to compete one day at NASCAR’s top level – the Cup Series.

    While competing on the Pinty’s Series, Kalika has continued to race in the pro truck class at the Saskatoon track.

The Wyant Group Raceway can pack in the fans.

    The best part about the crew at the Wyant Group Raceway is that they are all good people and there are countless names of drivers you could include in this column that are fun to watch. Even if you only have a casual interest in racing, it is a blast being out there.

    When you head out there, it is pretty obvious there is a sizable segment of the community that has found the charm of that track. It is common to see a gathering of at least 1,500 on most race nights.

    The Wyant Group Raceway is a NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop, and that has become the local annual two-day Super Bowl type spectacle at that track during a Tuesday and a Wednesday night in late July.

The Wyant Group Raceway enjoys healthy support in Saskatoon.

    The local classes take centre stage on the first day. On the second day, it is common to see the stands that can pack in 3,319 spectators full to check out two 125-lap NASCAR Pinty’s Series with a local Saskatoon class holding a feature race of its own between the two Pinty’s Series runs.

    Unfortunately, this year’s NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop set for July 28 and 29 in Saskatoon has become a COVID-19 casualty.

    At the moment, Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association isn’t throwing in the towel as far as the 2020 campaign is concerned. It hopes to start its season at the beginning of August.

Shantel Kalika, left, is one of the SSCRA’s best known racers. 

    The NASCAR Cup Series has already restarted its 2020 campaign in the United States racing in events without fans.

    The top professional level has shown it is possible to hold stock car racing in these COVID-19 pandemic times.

    The racers are shielded from coming into physical contact with each other, because they are inside their cars. The pit crew teams are all spaced out from each other.

    Inside each team, you do work together in close quarters, but the Cup Series races have shown the pit crew teams can get things done just with wearing protective masks.

    On top of that, the drivers at the Wyant Group Raceway are putting a tonne of their own money into their cars and operations. Of course, most of the racers have sponsors, but they are not bringing in big paydays.

Shantel Kalika (#49) races in the pro truck class in 2017.

    Usually the top prize for winning a local class feature race on the NASCAR Pinty’s Series race days is $1,000, which isn’t a whole lot of money in the race world.

    These drivers are out there, because they love what they are doing and they love being at the track.

    If the races have to go on without fans, it would be wise to see of Access7 in Regina could come up to Saskatoon and broadcast the races from the Wyant Group Raceway on the community channels run by Access7 and the stripped Shaw cable company.

Neil Schneider in action in the sportsman class in 2017.

    These races are something the SaskTel Network could look into showing province wide too. The action at the Wyant Group Raceway is a product made for television.

    Actually, if the province could lax up on the restrictions for mass gatherings to allow the Wyant Group Raceway to operate at half its spectator capacity, the track could rock and roll with that.

    Last weekend in Canada, you had gatherings of 3,500 in three cities rightfully protesting to bring an end to racism, and the Wyant Group Raceway’s capacity comes in just under that.

Jim Gaunt is the steady veteran at the Wyant Group Raceway.

    Stock car racing is a long time summer tradition in Saskatoon. The tradition goes back to 1954 when the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association started out as the unincorporated Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Club operating on the 8^th Street Racing Oval called the Motordrome.

    The track moved to the grandstand area at Prairieland Park for a couple of years in 1970 and 1971.      

    The action moved to the Bridge City Speedway from 1972 to 2005 before the City of Saskatoon annexed that land to build the residential neighbourhood of Evergreen.

Kevin Dyck (#10) makes a charge in a super late model race in 2017.

    Since 2006, the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association has called the immaculate Wyant Group Raceway home, which has 15 corporate chalets on its grounds.

    Stock car racing is something that is doable in these COVID-19 pandemic days. Come on medical health and government officials, let’s make this happen.

White named interim CEO of U Sports, other notes

Dick White, right, with Christine Stapleton in 2001.

    Dick White couldn’t stay retired and has answered the call from Canada’s university sports scene once again.

    On Tuesday, White was named the interim Chief Executive Officer for U Sports. White takes over from departing president and CEO Graham Brown, who had served in that role since October 2015.

    White is best known for being the director of athletics for the University of Regina from 1995 to his retirement on Dec. 31, 2014. He served as the president of U Sports for two stints including from 2005 to 2009 and the 2013-14 season.

    He graduated from the U of R in 1974 with bachelor of education. White initially joined the U of R’s athletics program in 1981 as administrative assistant and would continue to work in a variety of roles at the university before becoming the director of athletics in 1995.

    White was inducted into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 as a builder. Since his retirement, he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (2015), the U of Regina Sports Hall of Fame (2019) and the inaugural class of the Canada West Hall of Fame (2019).

    “I am pleased to take on this role and am committed to working with our teams and membership in navigating the current environment and positioning the Canadian university sport delivery system to achieve best-case outcomes,” said White in a release. “I strongly believe U Sports will further its important role as a progressive facilitator and advocate for university sport and to advance future opportunities for athletes.”

Dick White, right, with Ralph Nilson in 2002.

    White helped navigate U of Regina athletics out of tough economic times in the early to mid 1990s. Under his watch, U of Regina athletics grew from its original six varsity teams to 16 teams.

    That include having the CJFL’s Regina Rams join the U Sports ranks as the U of Regina Rams in 1999 to play alongside the rest of the varsity teams that operate as the U of Regina Cougars.

    White had a big hand in allowing a new gym in the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport to be built and open on the U of Regina campus grounds in 2004.

    With the world gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot of uncertainty.

    White has vast experience in dealing with government officials during his career, and this will be a huge asset for U Sports as it tries to get itself through these crazy current days.

    White has a great passion for U Sports, and you can bet he is coming into this position to make a huge positive difference.

    In all reality, White has done his part for “king and country” when it comes to Canada’s university sports scene, and he could have deservedly gone on enjoying the retired life. He still regularly attended as many U of Regina athletics events as he could just to enjoy things as a spectator.

    It is pretty big for U Sports that he has come back to action in these unprecedented days.

• On Tuesday, Country Thunder pulled the plug on its festival for Craven, Sask., set for July 9 to 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The big tripping was the uncertainty regarding continued restrictions for large public gatherings. Country Thunder said everything was postponed for until July 8 to 11, 2021, when the next festival was planned for Craven.
• On Monday, Baseball Manitoba announced it has been given clearance by medical health and government officials to start executing a return to play plan during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Manitoba, sanctioned baseball training is slated to resume this coming Monday. The start date for when competitions may resume hasn’t been determined, but a July 1 target date has been set.
• On Sunday, members of the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association took part in an iRacing virtual event that was broadcast online. Many of the cars the Saskatoon racers used included their real life paint jobs. The video of that race was posted on Youtube and can be found by clicking right here.
• Phase 3 of the Government of Saskatchewan’s reopen plan is slated for this coming Monday. If you drove through downtown Saskatoon on Wednesday night, you would notice the staff at Hudsons Canada’s Pub was preparing the establishment’s patio area for the reopening. It was a site that helps increase things in the hope department.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Lapcevich lives up to hype at Saskatoon’s NASCAR Pinty’s stop

Cayden Lapcevich and his crew celebrate a first place finish.

    Cayden Lapcevich is leaving the sophomore jinx in the dust.
    Last year, the Grimsby, Ont., product burst on to the scene becoming the first driver to win the NASCAR Pinty’s Series championship and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series rookie-of-the-year award in the same season. He accomplished both those feats at age 16.

    This year as a 17-year-old sophomore, Lapcevich has a win and two finishes in the top five after the first five races of the Pinty’s Series season. He sat fifth in the driver’s standings, but he considered the start a slow one due to the fact he has visions of repeating as the circuit’s champion.

Cayden Lapcevich (#76) holds of the Pinty’s Series field.

    On Wednesday, Lapcevich made big gains as the series stopped at Saskatoon’s Wyant Group Raceway for unique pair of 100-lap feature races called the Bayer Velocity Prairie Thunder Twin 100.
    He came away with a third place finish in the first race and captured top spot in the second race at the three-eighths mile oval track.

    Thanks to getting his second win of the season, Lapcevich was pleased with how his day progressed.

    “I thought it went pretty good,” said Lapcevich. “We were good in practice. We qualified OK.

    “We’ll build on it. I think there are still improvements to be made. It was definitely tough staying mentally prepared for today.

    “I’m excited to see what the rest of the ovals bring. I think we’re back in the championship chase.”

Cayden Lapcevich won last year’s NASCAR Pinty’s Series title.

    If it wasn’t for a short moment of bad luck, Lapcevich could have left Saskatoon with two feature race wins. On lap 40 of the first race, Lapcevich was involved with a bump and a spin with another car that drew a caution. He pushed back in the field because of that mishap.

    From there, Lapcevich worked his Dodge racer back into third spot behind race winner Alex Labbe and runner-up DJ Kennington. Kennington led a number of laps in that first run before being overtaken by Labbe.

    Lapcevich said all he could do was shrug off his bad luck.

    “It is part of racing,” said Lapcevich. “You build on it and learn from it.

Alex Labbe (#32) captured Wednesday’s first Pinty’s Series race.

    “After we had a tough first race, it was definitely good to rebound and win the second one and be able to climb in the championship.”

    In the second feature race, Lapcevich calmly maneuvered his way through the field like a seasoned veteran. After the first 39 laps, he sat outside of the top four. At the 59^th lap, Lapcevich worked his way into third place.

    By the 75^th lap, Lapcevich worked his way into second spot and vaulted into the lead by the 78^th lap. He held top spot for the duration of the race. Kennington finished second and Labbe came in third.

DJ Kennington placed second in both Pinty’s races in Saskatoon.

    On the twin feature race day, Lapcevich said the biggest challenge was to maintain focus, but the day wasn’t that much out of the ordinary when compared to a day with just one longer feature race. In previous years, the NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop in Saskatoon consisted of one feature race 250-laps in length. Lapcevich won the 250-lap feature race last year in Saskatoon.

    “It is not too much different,” said Lapcevich. “It was just tough to stay mentally prepared.

    “We pushed through and worked hard at it. I’m glad to come out with a win.”

Trent Seidel holds off the local super late model field.

    The two Pinty’s Series races were divided by a 100-lap feature race from the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association’s super late model class. The local class put on a great show before large turnout of spectators that packed the track’s stands.

    Andrew Hardy led the early portion of the race in his Dodge Challenger before being overtaken by veteran standout Trent Seidel driving his Chevrolet SS with about 65 laps to go. Seidel held on to top spot from there.

    While Seidel was pacing himself to victory, the battle that was occurring behind him for positioning turned out to be interesting. Matthew Shirley, Kevin Dyck, Jim Gaunt and Kelly Admiraal all jockeyed to get into the top three. When the dust settled, Admiraal slipped into second while Shirley came in third.

Trent Seidel (#70) and Matthew Shirley (#12) battle in a corner.

    Wednesday’s action closed the annual two-day Pinty’s Series stop, which featured racing in the SSCRA’s local classes on Tuesday.

    The SSCRA season resumes at 7 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the Wyant Group Raceway.

    As for Lapcevich, he turns his attention to the next stop in the Pinty’s Series, when the circuit hits the Edmonton International Raceway in Wetaskiwin, Alta., on Saturday.

    The young driver did take some time to reflect on everything that has happened to him this season and last season. In May, he was named to the NASCAR Next program, which gives additional help to young standouts over a 12-month period so they may one day race at NASCAR’s higher levels.

Cayden Lapcevich aims to rocket up the NASCAR ranks.

    The Pinty’s Series is a minor-league circuit that prepares drivers to compete one day on NASCAR’s top level – the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    With being part of the NASCAR Next program, Lapcevich receives media training and sponsorship support to help him develop professional skills to assist him in growing his marketability. At times, the last 19 months have been a whirlwind for Lapcevich.

    “It has progressed so much quicker than I thought it would have been,” said Lapcevich. “It has been a lot of fun, and I am excited to see what my future holds.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Local super late models to get bigger spotlight at Saskatoon NASCAR Pinty’s stop

SSCRA’s super late model class will race in a prime spot.

    Matthew Shirley might be jumping a little more than normal with excitement for this year’s NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop in Saskatoon.

    The 22-year-old races in the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association’s super late model class, and that group is going to have a prime showcase spot at the NASCAR Pinty’s stop. The event runs over two days on Tuesday and Wednesday with the main NASCAR race set for the second of those days.

    This year, the NASCAR Pinty’s Series will hold two feature races 100 laps in length on Wednesday, and both of those races count in the drivers’ standings for the circuit. Those races will be split up by a 100-lap feature race from the local super late model class.

    “It is going to be absolutely exciting, and all the drivers are going to have the jitters going to the max,” said Shirley. “We are going to have a full crowd, we are going to have a great car count and we also going to be racing in front of the NASCAR guys.”

    Tuesday’s action begins at 7 p.m. and that day’s program contains 75-lap feature races for the local pro truck and sportsman class and heat races for the super late models. Wednesday’s action starts at 6 p.m. and that day’s program contains the two Pinty’s Series races and the feature run of the local super late model class.

    The Pinty’s Series is a minor-league circuit that prepares drivers to compete one day on NASCAR’s top level – the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    On the local circuit, Shirley moved to the super late model class last year after winning two straight track titles in the sportsman class in 2014 and 2015. He turned some heads during the two day NASCAR Pinty’s stop last year capturing the Bryce Mann Memorial super late model feature race.

The SSCRA’s super late models charge down a straightaway.

    “It was one of the highlights of my career winning that Bryce Mann last year,” said Shirley. “That was my first super late model feature win.

    “It was in front of a NASCAR crowd on the Tuesday show. The Tuesday show the crowd is not as strong as the Wednesday. Now, it is on the Wednesday, so the memory you can have of winning this is huge.

    “The main thing I think for us young drivers is we are doing it in front of the NASCAR drivers and they are going to be watching. As a young aspiring racer, you’ve always wanted big names watching you race.”

    Shirley said driving in the local super late model class has been challenging due to the presence of a number of strong veteran drivers. They includes the likes for Jim Gaunt, Trent Seidel, Dave Bone and Doug Bienia, and Shirley watched them race while growing up. He said the veterans seem to get faster as they age.

    “It is pretty humbling and cool when you get to race against them,” said Shirley. “They always pull out different tricks.

    “They set the bar so high, which is great for me as a developing driver. I won two championships in a row in sportsman, and it was like hey we have to move up to super late, so I can kind of just keep developing as a driver.

    “Those guys, they push you. They are the peak of the mountain for definitely here in western Canada racing that is for sure.”

    Shirley said you will be on the track thinking you are doing well in a super model race, and all of a sudden you would be shocked when one of the veterans pulls a move to blow by seven cars to take the lead. The young driver said you have a moment of being both stunned and in awe trying to comprehend what just happened.

    With that said, Shirley is part of a youth contingent in the class along with Jared Reddekopp who are getting noticed. Shirley said the veteran drivers always have the edge, but the super late model feature race on Wednesday will be a competitive one. He believes the crowd that is expected to be around 5,000 will get a good show from the local class.

Jim Gaunt takes a victory lap in 2015.

    It is expected a field of 21 to 22 cars could be present for the NASCAR Pinty’s Series races, and a field of 18 cars is expected for the super late model feature race.

    “When NASCAR comes around, it is always bigger, because there is a lot more excitement,” said Shirley, who is the local track’s director of fundraising. “There is a lot more of a buzz.

    “As a local driver, especially with this new format they have given us where we get to put our super lates in between the two 100 races, it is a big opportunity to show the city of Saskatoon, the corporate sponsors, everybody kind of what they are missing on their week to week racing.”

Blogs of Interest are worth checking out

Ashley Bernstein, left, writes a good-vibes blog.

    Recently, I added a blogs of interest column to my site that contains blogs I find I get engaged with and hope other readers will be engaged with as well.

    I figured I should give a brief description of each blog. They are listed alphabetically. The links to these blog can been found on the “Blog of Interest” bar running down the right side of this page.

    Dominic’s journey with AML – This blog is put together by my former sports editor at the Medicine Hat News – Sean Rooney. Rooney created the blog to document the journey his family went on after his toddler son, Dominic was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on Sept. 12, 2013. Dominic passed away shortly before his third birthday on Sept. 3, 2015.

    Rooney still documents the journey his family still encounters and also details fundraising initiatives they undertake for the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Rooney is a talented writer, and his best work is chronicling some of his family’s most emotional times.

    Dubnetwork – Is the brainchild of co-founders Paul Figler and Jesse Phillips. It is a site devoted to cover the happenings of the Western Hockey League. In just over a year, they have built up a nice roster of writers to help cover the league.

    It is a good independent site that doesn’t have attachments to the mainstream media. Even casual WHL followers will enjoy what Dubnetwork has to offer.

    Hurricane Watch – Pat Siedlecki, who is a former radio play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, put together this blog that collects all the various new items involving the Hurricanes. For anyone that is looking for a nice way to get a quick roundup with what is happening with the Hurricanes, this blog makes for a nice one-stop place.

    Pick-It Or Flick-It – A movie blog that is produced by my cousin Justin Chomitzky. I myself am not a movie junkie, but when I do want to watch a movie and make a theatre stop, I want to know if it will be good. My cousin’s passion is movies, and his blog reviews have always been bang on in saying what is good and what isn’t good.

    If you are interested in watching a movie on a night out or at home, checking my cousin’s blog is always a wise decision.

    Regan’s Rants – Regan Bartel, who is the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, produces this blog. He writes opinion pieces on happenings involving the Rockets and elsewhere in the WHL. Bartel’s blog gives a good look into one of the most elite and successful franchises in the WHL’s Western Conference.

    RodPedersen.com – Saskatchewan Roughriders play-by-play voice Rod Pedersen produces this blog, and it is one of those blogs that has been around for a lengthy stretch of time. Of course, Pedersen writes about the daily happenings and his views on everything involving the Roughriders.

    His blog also does a good job in rounding up everything else that is going on in Regina’s sports scene. With it being summer, Pedersen’s blog contains frequent posts on the Regina Red Sox of the Western Major Baseball League, who have a big following in “the Queen City.” Pedersen has frequent round ups involving the WHL’s Regina Pats, the University of Regina Rams and the CJFL’s Regina Thunder as well as pieces from a few veteran media members.

    Shawn Mullin’s Swift Current Broncos Blog – Created by Swift Current Broncos play-by-play voice Shawn Mullin, this blog features news about what is happening with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. It is another blog that has a lengthy history dating back to 2010.

    Due to the fact the Broncos exist in the Canadian Hockey League’s smallest market, they don’t receive a huge amount of media coverage. Mullin provides an easy place that allows you to quickly get a handle on all the news involving the team.

    Taking Note – The granddaddy of major junior hockey blogs produced by Gregg Drinnan and dates way back to June of 2007. When it comes to covering the WHL, Drinnan is the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. He has produced the one stop shop place for everything that happens in the WHL, and he always produces his work in a way that is understandable for everyone.

    Drinnan also gives a few good looks about other happenings in the sports world. He has always been a big supporter of the work I’ve done on this blog, and his Taking Note is always a must to check out.

    The Lost Girl’s Guide to Finding the World – This blog is produced by Ashlyn George, who is a freelance travel writer, photographer and videographer. The former University of Saskatchewan education grad is pretty much an experience junkie, who has visited 55 countries and seven continents all before the age of 30.

    You will be drawn in by her blog of her adventures around the world. Even the stories from her home province of Saskatchewan are amazing and gives those from the province a new look at their home area.

    This is 25 – This blog is produced by Ashley Bernstein, who a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Cheer Team. She produces upbeat happy posts that create positive vibes in just going through life. It gives you a chuckle when she tells stories about the struggles she has had in dating, and her stories come off in a way they make you laugh.

    She also shares some battles she has had on the mental health front, which have been linked to issues with body image. Bernstein looks perfect, and being on the Riders Cheer Team, you would never think she would deal with any of those issues. That makes her human, and you have to admire the fact she always strive to be that ray of sunshine that seems to brighten up everyone’s day.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.