EDMONTON, AB – A trip to victory lane at the season opening race does not guarantee a Northern Provincial Pipelines Late Model Series Championship but it can improve the odds. Seven of fifteen NPP Series Championships awarded since 2001 have gone to the driver that initially won the first race of the season. The 16th consecutive season of the NPP Late Model Series race action begins this Saturday, May 28th at Castrol Raceway. Three-time NPP Series champion Trevor Emond was the first driver to win the season opener and a championship the same year (2004). In 2009, Darrell Midgley won the season opener and his first NPP Series championship. The Sidney, British Columbia driver became the first driver in NPP Series history to accomplish this feat twice by winning the 2015 season opener and later the season championship.

When the 2016 season gets underway in just a few short days, the two-time and defending NPP Series champion could become the first driver in NPP Series history to win three season openers. “Anytime you can have an asterisk beside your name is nice,” admits Midgley, “but I don’t think too much about records. I just go out there and do the best I can every night.” Midgley has 10 wins and 48 Top 5 finishes in 87 NPP Series starts.

Bruce Broughton knows the importance of starting the season off on a winning note. The 2010 NPP Series Champion also won the 2010 season opener. “Winning the first race of the season does take a bit of pressure off,” says the Stony Plain, Alberta driver, “it’s a lot easier to race with the points lead than playing catch up.” Broughton adds that in the grand scheme of things all races are pretty much identical if you think about it. “The points are the same for the first race, the middle race and the last race. You add them up at the end and hope you have more than everybody else.” Broughton has 9 wins and 41 Top 5 finishes in 92 NPP Series starts. Broughton was also the 2005 NPP Series Rookie of the Year.

SEASON OPENING WINNERS (2001 – 2015)
2016 ????
2015 Darrell Midgley**
2014 Kevin Wheeler
2013 Kevin Wheeler**
2012 Chris Beaulieu
2011 Mike Tom**
2010 Bruce Broughton**
2009 Darrell Midgley**
2008 Dwight Kennedy
2007 Jason Beaulieu**
2006 Trevor Emond
2005 Jason Beaulieu
2004 Trevor Emond**
2003 Feature cancelled – snow (heats completed)
2002 Larry Simpson
2001 Larry Simpson
**also won season championship the same year

2 Jason Beaulieu
2 Trevor Emond
2 Larry Simpson
2 Darrell Midgley
2 Kevin Wheeler
1 Chris Beaulieu
1 Bruce Broughton
1 Dwight Kennedy
1 Mike Tom
1 Snow Out!!

2016 SEASON OPENER
>Saturday, May 28th

Classes Racing:
-Sportsman Sprint Cars
-Northern Thunder Late Model Series
-NPP Late Model Series
-Northern Alberta Mini Stock Series

Spectator Admission (set by track)
$20.00 – Adults
$10.00 – Youth /Seniors