July 19-20 saw New Brunswick’s Miramichi Dragway again host a NHRA Northeast PC Richard.com National Open…
The 2019 version event, which featured Northeastern Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series class drivers as well as ferocious ET Bracket racing completion — would also bring to a conclusion the 2019 John Scotti Classic Cars Stock/Super Stock Championship Points Series. That 6-race schedule had previously included stops at Cayuga Dragway in Ontario and Napierville Dragway in Quebec. Season rounds five and six were runoff over the 2-day race.
With just over 200 racers arriving as early as Wednesday and Thursday, the racing action started early on Friday morning under clear and extremely warm skies.
Some 38 Stock-Super Stock racers on hand, the number one qualifier on Friday was Jeremy Keans with his 1983 H/SA Camaro. Keans made his way right through to the Friday finals before he was stopped by another Nova Scotia racer, Dan Nickerson in his C/SA Firebird. It was a pretty exciting 1st time Wally victory for young Nickerson and his family.
Nova Scotia racer, Dan Nickerson earned his first career NHRA “Wally” with is C/SA Firebird on Friday.
Also on Friday, in Top Sportsman/Top Dragster it was Doug Wrathall from Sydney, NS that claimed his 2nd NHRA Wally with his victory Hal Schurman of PEI.
Doug Wrathall from Sydney, NS – scored in Friday’s TD/TS eliminator.
In Super Street (10.90) it was Tony MacNeil’s Mazda that would win the duel with Sheldon Pastuck’s Dodge Dart. Super Gas final had Benny Niesten’s ’71 Nova take the stripe ahead on PEI’s Dave Constable driving his ’69 Camaro. And in the Super Comp final, it was Sussex, New Brunswick’s Mark Green defeating John Rankin out of Mt. Uniacke, Nova Scotia.
Conditions for Saturday were again very warm but the skies remained clear for an entire day of very tight racing packages. To begin, Guy Desjardins SS/EA Camaro claimed the number one qualifier with his 9.177 pass on a 10.35 index. After five rounds of racing, it would be Fred Thibeault’s B/SA Camaro that would face Brian Oakes and his SS/AA Camaro out of Taylorsville, NC. in the finals. Thibeault however had problems at the line and Oakes sailed to victory with his 8.93 pass.
Maritimes native Brian Oakes (near lane) won both the event as well as the John Scotti Classic Cars Stock/SS Series points title when he beat Fred Thibeault in a final round battle of Chevy Camaro.
With this victory on Saturday, Oakes was also able to clinch the 2019 John Scotti Classic Cars Championship by only four points of veteran racers Bill Sheppard and Bob Park.
Dany D’Anjou emerged the winner in the TD/TS shootout on Saturday.
The Top Sportsman/Top Dragster final would see the Dany D’Anjou dragster win the battle over Dave Anthony from Mount Pearl Newfoundland. Super Street was won by Benny Niesten from Millville, NS over second time finalist, John Rankin from Mt. Uniacke, NS.
Benny Niesten from Millville, NS won in the S/ST 10.90 class.
PEI’s Glenn MacLean scored an impressive “double” winning in Super Gas and Super Comp on Saturday.
In the Super Gas 9.90 final it was Glenn MacLean’s Firebird from Hunter River, PEI defeating Jeff Stackhouse and his Beretta from St. John, NB. Saturday would prove to be a busy day for Glenn MacLean as he would also line up and claim the victory in the Super Comp final against a hard charging Doug Forbes out of Douglas, New Brunswick.
Post and photos by Gerard “Indy” Bryden
