Super Late Model Series Introduces Presenting Sponsor, Six-Race 2024 Schedule

In its inaugural season, the Super Late Model Series exceeded the expectations of fans and racers alike.

But the promoters of Atlantic Canada’s newest stock car series were not content to rest on their laurels.

The six-race, three-speedway series unveiled its race dates for 2024, along with a new entitlement sponsor to secure the future for the organization.

Easy-Kleen Pressure Systems, a New Brunswick-based pressure wash systems manufacturer and a supporter of racers in the Maritimes, was welcomed as the presenting sponsor of the newly-named Easy-Kleen Super Late Model Series in a multi-year agreement.

“The first season for the Super Late Model Series was an incredible success and really laid the foundation for the future,” said race director Brent Roy in a press release. “Now, this partnership with Easy-Kleen Pressure Systems will truly elevate the series and reinforces the belief that drivers and fans alike have in us.”

Roy and his family operate Speedway 660 in Geary, N.B., one of the three partner tracks of the SLMS. In late 2022, Speedway 660 principals forged a partnership with Petty International Raceway in River Glade, N.B. and Oyster Bed Speedway in Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island to form the SLMS as an alternative to the established East Coast International Pro Stock Tour.

Using the Speedway 660 rule book as a baseline, the SLMS embarked on a six-race schedule with two events at each of the three partner tracks, taking care not to create conflicts with the Pro Stock Tour or other major events throughout the Maritimes.

Dylan Gosbee, from Cornwall, P.E.I., clinched the inaugural SLMS title over Robbie MacEwen and Cory Hall. Fifteen drivers took the green flag in all six races, with race-to-race car counts rivaling those of the American-Canadian Tour and CARS Late Model Tour in the United States. Hall was a two-time winner in 2023, while Gosbee, Ryan Messer, Ashton Tucker and Greg Proude each scored single wins before the season was out.

Along with the name change, SLMS officials commissioned a new logo for the series as well. (Photo courtesy SLMS)

Despite the new sponsorship announcement, the 2024 SLMS itinerary will stay firm at six events, two at each track, to avoid any scheduling conflicts due to the region’s brief racing season.

Petty, conveniently the closest track to Easy-Kleen’s corporate headquarters, will open the season on May 11 with the Fog City Auto Spa 150. Speedway 660 hosts the second round of the championship, with an as-yet-unsponsored 150-lap tilt on June 1. Two weeks later, Oyster Bed Speedway’s first of two dates is the Chapman Bros. 150 presented by Hynes Paving.

The second half of the schedule rolls off at Petty on July 6 with the Old Fashion Meat Market 150. A month later, on August 3, the Universal Truck and Trailer 150 at Oyster Bed will set the stage for the final round of competition. Speedway 660 hosts the championship finale on August 17, with the ReCar 150 presented by Wonder Auto & Tire wrapping up the second SLMS season in grand fashion.

A six-race schedule that concludes in August is fleeting, but it fits within the SLMS’ goal of providing a less-grueling touring option for racers in the Maritimes.

“We heard from the drivers and teams how six races for a schedule provided a perfect balance while creating plenty of intensity,” Roy said. “That same formula will continue as we strive to grow the series in many ways, while sticking to the vision we originally set out with, which includes doing what is best for the fans and teams.”

Indeed, the six-race itinerary aligns with the Pro Stock Tour’s ten-race trot, with dates at all three SLMS partner tracks as well as stops at Scotia Speedworld and Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia. And it leaves plenty of room for major events like Speedway 660’s New Brunswick 250, a long-distance feature that is approaching its 24th running.

Thus far, the SLMS has taken a complementary role, not an adversarial one, relative to Atlantic Canada’s established Super Late Model ecosystem. In a region with a short racing season and only so many weekends to choose from, it’s a model necessary for survival.

Elsewhere, it’s a model many touring series could learn from.

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