Burton back to defend title
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/05/2016 (3608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Jay Burton claimed last season’s Prairie Association of Stock Car Auto Racing crown, and he’s the overwhelming favourite to win it again this year.
“Apparently,” said Burton, who turns 36 today. “That’s what everyone else says. I don’t know, but I think it just might be luck.”
Whether it is or isn’t luck, the third-year PASCAR driver, who returns his No. 28 Dodge Neon, doesn’t fixate on results alone, nor will he when the eight-race season begins Sunday on the three-eighths of a mile dirt track just outside of Souris. The final race is scheduled for Oct. 16.
“It’s just fun. That’s all we are out there for, to keep it safe and have fun,” Burton said.
Matt Bootsman will be among about a dozen other four-cylinder stock-car drivers looking to dethrone Burton. Bootsman, who will be driving a 2003 Oldsmobile Alero this season, decked out with the No. 15, isn’t going to sit back and let Burton collect another title that easily.
“We’ll give him a run for his money this year,” Bootsman, who finished fifth a year ago, said with a laugh.
Drivers collect points towards the championship during multiple events on race days. Points are allotted for the heats, which are five laps, and the feature race, which varies from 10 to 15 laps.
Burton tallied 727 points last year; Doug Morrow was the runner-up with 633, while Bootsman earned 584.
In just its third year of existence, and second year at its current location, PASCAR is slowly gaining more traction in Westman.
“There wasn’t really anything around here locally and then this popped up and I jumped on it as quickly as I could,” Burton said. “I built a car and here we are.
“(President) Chad (Bicklmeier) has done an excellent job running it and getting things going.”
Bootsman, who is the organization’s vice-president, thinks continued expansion of the circuit is plausible.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if we (had more). We really don’t know what to expect the first race day, but we know lots of guys are out there building cars,” he said. “We just don’t know when they are going to show up.
“We might push 20 on a big race day.”
The PASCAR executive hopes a more professional-looking track will also help attract more prospective drivers. During the off-season, the entire middle of the track was reshaped and drainage was added to the track itself. The front wall was also repainted, as were the bleachers.
The Arthur Verhaeghe Memorial Race Day, in honour of the late Arthur Verhaeghe who used to race stock cars on the old PASCAR track, but lost a courageous battle with cancer, gets underway at 1 p.m. Admission is free, but donations in support of the organization’s efforts to promote automotive safety are welcome.
» nliewicki@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @liewicks