The Maritime Pro Stock Tour (commonly known as the Fort Garry Industries Pro Stock Tour due to a sponsorship deal with Fort Garry Industries) is an annual

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southe ...

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

tour located in the Maritime provinces of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

History

The Maritime Pro Stock Tour was founded in 2001 to provide short track racing in the Maritime provinces and is the successor to the MASCAR Tour. It is now known as the Fort Garry Industries Pro Stock Tour and was previously known as the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour from 2001-2010, the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour from 2011-2020, and the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour from 2021-2024. The tour is known as one of the best in

and is recognized as one of the healthiest touring series in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. Each summer the Maritime Pro Stock Tour draws some of the largest crowds of any summer sport in the Maritimes. On August 4, 2013, driver Mike Stevens was in involved in a four car accident in with two laps remaining in the Exit Realty 100 at Oyster Bed Speedway in Oyster Bed Bridge, P.E.I. Stevens' car flipped onto its roof, but Stevens appeared to be unhurt. As Stevens remained upside down he began to remove his safety equipment, and in his effort he inadvertently strangled himself. The race was stopped immediately and Stevens was transferred to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Maritime Pro Stock Tour tracks

The tour currently races on four different paved oval short tracks throughout the Maritimes;

Riverside International Speedway Riverside International Speedway is a , high banked, asphalt short track located in James River, Nova Scotia, James River, Nova Scotia, Canada, about southwest of the town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Antigonish. Track history Riverside Interna ...

and Scotia Speedworld in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Petty International Raceway in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

and Oyster Bed Speedway in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. The track formerly raced at Speedway 660 in New Brunswick from 2001-2017 and 2023-2024.

was designed after the famed

Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Bristol International Raceway from 1978 to 1996 and as the Bristol International Speedway from 1961 to 1978) is a oval Oval track racing#Short track, short track in Bristol, Tennessee. The track ha ...

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary be ...

, making it a favourite among fans and competitors.

IWK 250

Since 2008 the series has played host to the IWK 250 at

in support of the

IWK Health Centre IWK Health is a major women's and children's (pediatric) hospital and trauma centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia that provides care to maritime youth, children and women from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and beyond. The IWK is the ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, which has quickly become their biggest and most high-profile race. The IWK 250 has attracted some of

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

's biggest stars, including

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, is a Hall of Fame and Museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina that honors NASCAR and its history. Inductees to the Hall of Fame are drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs ...

inductee

Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959), nicknamed "the Kid", is an American former stock car racing driver. He most notably drove the No. 6 Ford Motor Company, Ford for Roush Racing for the majority of his career. From 1989 to 2009, Martin wo ...

, 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion

Brad Keselowski Bradley Aaron Keselowski (; born February 12, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and entrepreneur. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing, a te ...

, two-time

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...

champion

Matt Crafton Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 88 Ford F-Series (fourteenth generation), Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing ...

, three-time

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

champion

Joey Logano Joseph Thomas Logano (born May 24, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No.22 Ford Mustang (seventh generation), Ford Mustang Dark Horse for NASCAR operations of Tea ...

, and 2024

Rookie of the Year

Carson Hocevar Carson Hocevar (born January 28, 2003) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, part-time ...

. In 2008, the first year the event was held as part of the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, Regan Smith became the first and to date only NASCAR regular to claim victory in the event.

2025 Maritime Pro Stock Tour Schedule

List of tour champions

John Flemmings car prior to the 2013 IWK 250

Race results

Season still in progress
Season upcoming
Rained out

Title sponsors

CARQUEST Carquest Corporation is an American automotive parts distribution network that is currently owned and operated by Advance Auto Parts via independent retailers associated with the network as "Carquest Auto Parts". As of October 4, 2014 Advance o ...

Auto Parts (2001–2010) * Parts for Trucks (2011–2020) * East Coast International (2021-2024) * Fort Garry Industries (2025-present)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Speedway 660 WebsitePetty Int'l Raceway WebsiteOyster Bed Speedway WebsiteRiverside Int'l Speedway WebsiteScotia Speedworld WebsiteTours Official Website
Stock car races Stock car racing series Auto racing series in Canada Motorsport in Canada Recurring sporting events established in 2001 2001 establishments in Canada