Maritime Pro Stock Tour
Maritime short track racing tour founded in 2002.
The Maritime Pro Stock Tour—now branded as the Fort Garry Industries Pro Stock Tour under a sponsorship deal—is a yearly stock car racing series that takes place across Canada’s Maritime provinces. It was launched in 2002, taking over from the MASCAR Tour, and focuses on short track racing. The series is widely regarded as one of Canada’s top touring circuits and one of the healthiest in North America, regularly pulling in some of the biggest crowds of any summer sport in the Maritimes.
The tour has gone through several name changes: it was the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour from 2002 to 2010, the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour from 2011 to 2020, the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour for the 2021 season, and now the Fort Garry Industries Pro Stock Tour starting in 2025.
The series currently races at four paved oval short tracks: Riverside International Speedway and Scotia Speedworld in Nova Scotia, Petty International Raceway in New Brunswick, and Oyster Bed Speedway in Prince Edward Island. It previously raced at Speedway 660 in New Brunswick from 2002 to 2017 and returned for the 2023 season only. Riverside International Speedway is a fan and driver favorite, though it was not explicitly modeled after any specific track.
Since 2008, the tour has hosted the IWK 250 at Riverside International Speedway, an event that supports the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This race has drawn NASCAR stars like Hall of Famer Mark Martin, 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski, two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, three-time Cup champion Joey Logano, and 2024 Cup Rookie of the Year Carson Hocevar. In the first year of the event, 2008, NASCAR regular Regan Smith won—and remains the only NASCAR regular to do so.
On August 4, 2013, during the Exit Realty 100 at Oyster Bed Speedway, driver Mike Stevens was involved in a four-car crash with two laps to go. His car flipped onto its roof, and though he appeared unhurt, he began removing his safety equipment while still upside down. In the process, he accidentally strangled himself. The race was stopped, and Stevens was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Quick Facts
- Abbrev
- MPST or FGIPST
- Sport
- Stock car racing
- Category
- Auto racing
- Jurisdiction
- Nova ScotiaNova Scotia / New BrunswickNew Brunswick / Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island
- Headquarters
- Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia
- Sponsor
- Fort Garry Industries
- Countryflag
- Canada
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Maritime Pro Stock Tour was founded in 2002 to provide short track racing in the Maritime provinces, succeeding the MASCAR Tour. It has undergone several name changes due to sponsorship: the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour from 2002 to 2010, the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour from 2011 to 2020, the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour for the 2021 season, and the Fort Garry Industries Pro Stock Tour from 2025 onward. The tour races on four paved oval short tracks: Riverside International Speedway and Scotia Speedworld in Nova Scotia, Petty International Raceway in New Brunswick, and Oyster Bed Speedway in Prince Edward Island. It formerly raced at Speedway 660 in New Brunswick from 2002 to 2017 and returned for the 2023 season only. Riverside International Speedway was not explicitly modeled after any specific track, though it remains a driver and fan favorite.
Reader's Guide
The Maritime Pro Stock Tour holds significance as a premier short track racing series in Canada, drawing large summer crowds across the Maritimes. Its IWK 250 event, held since 2008 at Riverside International Speedway in support of the IWK Health Centre, has attracted NASCAR stars including Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski, Matt Crafton, Joey Logano, and Carson Hocevar. In 2008, Regan Smith became the first and only NASCAR regular to win that event. The tour's history includes a tragic incident on August 4, 2013, when driver Mike Stevens died after a four-car accident at Oyster Bed Speedway; Stevens' car flipped, and while upside down he inadvertently strangled himself while removing safety equipment. The tour's legacy is tied to its role in sustaining stock car racing in the region and its ability to host top-level drivers.
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