EDMONTON, AB – The Northern Provincial Pipelines Late Model Series is proud to be a part of the 60th anniversary of the Gold Cup. First run at Edmonton Speedway Park in 1954, the Gold Cup is Canada’s oldest, most prestigious open wheel race event. Edmonton’s Castrol Raceway has hosted the Gold Cup since 1991. The NPP Late Model made its official debut at the 1999 Gold Cup as the support class to the open wheel Sprint Cars. Edson, Alberta’s Dwight Kennedy won the very first ‘pre-Series’ NPP Feature event. Sixteen years after the original debut, Kennedy is the NPP Late Model Series Championship point leader heading into the 2014 Gold Cup weekend. The two-time NPP Series Champion has a slim four-point lead over Whitecourt, Alberta’s Kevin Wheeler. Wheeler, the defending season Champion, won last year’s NPP Series Gold Cup Feature. Wheeler has won five consecutive NPP Series Features and could set an all-time NPP Series win streak record with a trip to victory lane Friday night. Calgary, Alberta’s Mark Miller sits third in NPP Series Championship points, just three points behind Wheeler. The weather forecast is calling for possible showers and thundershowers both nights which has NPP Series race officials and Castrol Raceway track officials a little concerned.

NPP SERIES – THE INSIDE TRACK:
– only two drivers have swept a NPP Series Gold Cup Features on both nights [Bruce Broughton – 2010 and Trevor Emond – 2005]
– the NPP Series Official Pace car won’t be making an appearance in Edmonton this weekend. It was involved in a serious accident returning home from Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Wednesday night.
– Travis Rilat (Forney, Texas), with sponsorship by Northern Provincial Pipelines, is the defending Gold Cup Champion in his open wheel Sprint Car.

NPP SERIES FEATURE WINNERS
AT GOLD CUP RACES SINCE 2001
5 – Trevor Emond
3 – Jason Beaulieu
3 – Dwight Kennedy
3 – Larry Simpson
2 – Bruce Broughton
2 – Darrell Midgley
2 – Mike Tom
1 – Chris Beaulieu
1 – Kevin Clark
1 – Kevin Wheeler