page_title: IWK 250
section_title: 2007 IWK 250
hierarchical_section_title: IWK 250 / History / 2007 IWK 250
caption_attribution_description: English: Regan Smith on the backstretch during practice for the 2007 IWK 250
context_page_description: The IWK 250 is a 250-lap late model stock car race held annually at the third-mile Riverside International Speedway in James River, Nova Scotia.
  In 2007 the annual 250 mile race at the track was repurposed to raise money and garner support for the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It has since become one of the premier Pro Stock races in North America, attracting national attention, as well as some of the sports top drivers, including NASCAR Champions Brad Keselowski and Matt Crafton, V8 Supercars Champion Marcos Ambrose, and Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano.
  Prior to the 2015 IWK 250 the event has raised over $250,000 for the IWK.
context_section_description: The 2007 IWK 250 was the first event to be run in support of the IWK Health Centre and with that track promoters wanted to have a big name driver headline the event.
  NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Bill Elliott was tapped to be that driver. According to track staff, Riverside paid an extra premium on April 27, 2007 to guarantee his inclusion in the race and heavily promoted his involvement in the race with all the promotional material revolving around Elliott, right down to the design on the tickets. However, just ten days before the race Elliott informed Riverside that he would not be attending via written notice, saying he would be "too busy" to attend, and adding "There is no way I am going to Nova Scotia to race that weekend. Now stop bugging me." This decision by Elliott received a tremendous amount of criticism from fans and media, as it was seen as Elliott bailing on a charity race, with some going as far as encouraging fans to contact Elliott directly to voice their displeasure.
  This led to Elliott releasing a formal statement via Motorsports Management International;
  The track eventually secured both Regan Smith and Ricky Craven as Elliott's replacement. This would be the last time that Riverside would promote their celebrity driver so heavily in race promotional activities.
  Ricky Craven was involved in an early crash with teammate Donald Chisholm, and left the track during the half way break to get a head start home. The event was dominated by veteran racing father and son Mike & Ben Rowe who held off a hard charging Regan Smith to finish 1-2 respectively.
  This would mark the only time the podium was dominated by American born drivers, with the Rowe family hailing from Maine, and Smith coming from New York. The next year the race was sanctioned by the Maritime Pro Stock Tour in an attempt to get fans more excited about the local drivers.
caption: Regan Smith on the backstretch during practice for the 2007 IWK 250
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