JAMES RIVER, NS (March 28, 2013) – Riverside International Speedway will be the site for the inaugural event of the new Maritime Sportsman Challenge (MSC), the Highland Building Supplies 100 on July 19, the opening event of the 2013 IWK 250 super weekend.

The three-race series will be contested at three different tracks in the Maritimes with top drivers racing for bragging rights and cash bonuses. The second and third events will be held at Scotia Speedworld near Halifax on August 9 and the third event at Petty International Raceway in River Glade, New Brunswick on August 23.

The mini-series is the result of a collaboration between rules-makers at the three facilities in working over the winter off-season to bring sportsman rules packages closer together so that sportsman racers can more easily compete at different facilities, without needing to make extensive modifications to their race cars.

“The tracks put a lot of time and effort into working on the sportsman rules over the winter,” said Paul McLean, general manager of Riverside International Speedway. “We are pleased to host the first race. Racing for extra money is sure to bring added excitement – that’s good for our racers and our fans.”

Each facility will run their own MSC event; in Riverside’s case the Napa Sportsman Series will govern the Highland Building Supplies 100, as they do for all Riverside sportsman races.

The overall champion at the end of the three races will pocket $1,500.00, second-place will pay $1,000.00, and third-place gets $500.00.

All three races of the Maritime Sportsman Challenge are, in effect, opening acts for major races on the regional racing calendar: the IWK 250 at Riverside (July 20), the Atlantic Cat 250 at Scotia Speedworld (August 10), and the River Glade International at Petty (August 23). The Riverside and Scotia MSC races are each 100 laps while the Petty race is 150 laps.

About Riverside International Speedway

Riverside International Speedway, a 1/3-mile high banked asphalt oval, is located in James River between New Glasgow and Antigonish at exit 30 off Trans Canada Highway 104. Opened in 1969, the facility was totally rebuilt in 2006 to become a premiere motorsports site, comparable to the best short tracks in Canada and the U.S. To learn more about Riverside International Speedway please visit www.riversidespeedway.ca or call 902.863.2410.