When the inaugural Super Late Model Series green flag flies on Saturday May 13th, it will go down in the record books as a new era commences for Maritime Super Late Model racing. The buzz is building for the series kick-off, which will be contested at Geary, New Brunswick’s Speedway 660 with a strong field of cars and near capacity crowd expected to be in attendance to witness the historic event. With so much hype, it’s little wonder opening day – and the remainder of the six-race series - has already been circled on the calendars of drivers and fans near and far.
Formed through a partnership between Speedway 660, River Glade, NB’s Petty International Raceway, and Oyster Bed Bridge, PEI’s Oyster Bed Speedway, puzzle pieces have been falling into place for the SLMS since its announcement in Fall of 2022. With now three months until opening day, Speedway 660’s Brent Roy – who will serve as race director for the Super Late Model Series – says business has been picking up, but the reality is series management is just getting started.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Roy said. “Interest has come from drivers and fans from five Canadian provinces and several American states. It’s exciting to see so many in the industry buying into the vision we have for the Super Late Model Series – but we have so many more exciting and unique features to come, so we encourage everyone to mark those calendars and keep tabs on social media!”
The field of registered competitors continues to grow and is now pushing two dozen entries. The superstars of the Super Late Model Series are currently being introduced to fans through weekly social media posts – so far Harvey, New Brunswick’s Ryan Messer (#1) and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island’s Robbie MacEwen (#40) have been introduced to fans.
With many more drivers still to be unveiled to fans, the talent signed up so far is immense. The list of entries accounts for over eleven (11) victories amongst the three Maritime 250’s, and over seventeen (17) late model championships throughout the region. Additional entries are anticipated, including several drivers are expected to compete on a part-time basis.
Talent is also being added to the series off the track. Since the start of January, veteran technical inspector Donnie Greer has been announced as the head of tech. Following this announcement was the introduction of popular announcer Jesse Thompson to the team.
“Adding Jesse and Donnie to the team were important milestones for the Super Late Model Series. An integral part of the series model will be utilizing many staff members at each individual track to save on staff costs – thus allowing for bigger prizes for drivers – but having consistency in key roles such as the tech shed for drivers, and the announcer’s booth for fans, will be crucial to provide the “next level” experience we are striving for,” Roy said.
Opening day for the Super Late Model Series will fittingly fall on opening day for Speedway 660’s 30th anniversary season, marking what will be a monumental day in the Geary Woods. Just a few weeks later the series will travel down the Trans Canada Highway on June 3rd to Petty International Raceway for the series’ debut at the high banked oval. On June 17th, the first of back-to-back trips across the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island’s only stock car oval at Oyster Bed Speedway will be pivotal towards the overall championship. Each track will host two races, wrapping up on September 30th at Petty International Raceway.
As preparations continue, fans are encouraged to “Like” and “Follow” Super Late Model Series on all forms of social media at @slmseries. Registered drivers are being unveiled every Tuesday and Thursday, with plenty of announcements and teasers to come. Fans can also head to slms.ca, the official online home of the Super Late Model Series!
-Super Late Model Series Press Release