Action-packed racing at speedway | Taranaki Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Taranaki

An enthusiastic crowd turned out for the New Zealand Stock Car Grand Prix held at the Stratford International Speedway over the weekend.

There was plenty of high speed and thrills at the qualifying round on Friday as competitors battled it out for top spots.

Saturday was finals night and the tension in the air was apparent as the competition became even more serious.

In the end, relatively inexperienced driver, 19-year-old Shane Simpson from Palmerston North took out the top honours, much to the surprise of his competition as this is his first season racing stockcars. Previously, he had only raced mini-stocks.

Scott Fredrickson of Tauranga finished in second place, with New Zealand No 2 Richard Gaskin taking third, barely pipping Stratford driver, Mark Woods.

Local driver, Jay Knight, finished fifth in the rankings.