Rich Vleck
ROCHESTER, NY, (April 20, 2015)- It was a dreadful winter for much of Patriot Sprint Tour landscape but heading in to the season opener it is all systems go for an invasion at one of the most anticipated tour stops.
For the third consecutive year, the season lid-lifter for the Fine Touch Collision Patriot Sprint Tour Canada Series gets underway on the final Saturday in April at Merrittville Speedway in Southern Ontario. Last year’s event was lost to a rain shower the morning of the race, but two years ago Steve Poirier held off a wild late-race challenge from Justin Barger to score the win and eventually go on to the 2013 PST Canada Championship. A host of drivers are looking to pull a similar feat at the 3/8-mile this year to go wire-to-wire to score the prize that is up for grabs for the 2015 Championship.
Three time and defending PST Champion Jared Zimbardi has four career top 10 finishes in five starts in Thorold. But it is fellow past PST Champions Scott Kreutter and Bryan Howland who each have won at the Bicknell/Williamson-Owned Facility, with Howland doing it on two occasions.
PST America regulars that will be traveling north include Don Adamczyk, Steve Collins and Todd Hoddick. PST Canada regulars Glenn Styres, Alain Bergeron and Mitch Brown are also names that should be on hand.
Of course a race at Merrittville would not be complete without the groundswell of local teams that circled this date on their schedule early on. Chris Steele, Stan Zanchin, Jim Huppunen, Shawn Sliter, Jamie and Cory Turner are just some of the names that should be ready to make the short trip.
Saturday’s event will also be the first race where a Hoosier rear tire will be handed out to the highest-finishing driver that was in the top 20 of the 2014 PST Canada Standings.
Pit gates for this special event will swing open at 3:00 P.M., with heat racing getting underway at 7:00 P.M. Stay up-to-speed with all that his happening this Saturday by following the Patriot Sprint Tour on Twitter or liking the Patriots Tour on Facebook. For additional information, visit www.PatriotSprintTour.com.
Patriot Sprint Tour History at Merrittville
Races: 4
June 24, 2006- Bryan Howland
August 1, 2009- Scott Kreutter
June 18, 2011- Bryan Howland
April 27, 2013- Steve Poirier