To the surprise of many, Chance Cove’s NASCAR driver Sara Thorne announced on Facebook earlier this week that she will not be racing at Eastbound International Speedway in 2027.
Thorne’s decision to stop racing at Eastbound comes off the heels of two scary crashes that ended her 2026 run for a second Sportsman title, and subsequent concerns regarding safety and etiquette on the track.
Thorne has competed at Eastbound since she was 10 years old, starting in the Amanda Arsenault Realtor Bandolero Series, where she won the championship in both 2014 and 2016. At 15 years old, Thorne stepped up to the NASCAR Regional Late Model Sportsman Series, driving alongside her father, Ross Thorne.
Thorne also secured a third track championship in the 2025 running of the Sportsman Series and is the three-time recipient of the Tim’s Corner Motorsports Most Popular Driver award, which includes drivers from all across Atlantic Canada.
The first crash happened while fighting for the lead on September 20th. The #06 was spun across the front stretch, slamming into the inside wall and sending the car flying into the air. While Thorne landed back on her wheels, two concrete barriers were knocked over from the impact.
The second crash took place during the season finale on October 11th, when Thorne was spun into the outside wall entering Turn 3, sending her late model sportsman careening over the concrete barriers and into the access gravel outside of the closed course.
Before the crash on October 11th, Thorne was running in position to win the Sportsman championship, but will now have to settle for a 3rd-place finish in the standings.
Thorne highlights that her two crashes are part of an ongoing issue at Eastbound. The driver believes that both of her crashes may have been avoided if similar accidents in the past were penalized.
“There’s never anything done out there in regards to following the rules,” Thorne vented, “and now it’s to the point where it put the safety of me and many other people in jeopardy, not once, but twice now.”
Thorne originally stated in her Facebook post that she believes both crashes were intentional, but has since retracted her certainty on the October 11th crash. The wrecked racer explains she tried to settle these matters privately, but no action was taken by Eastbound officials.
Thorne has also asked The Muse to retract the names of the other drivers involved in both crashes to limit the level of online backlash:
“I don’t think the drivers are bad people, and I don’t want things like this to come back on them.”
Following her decision to step away from Eastbound, the fan favourite has received a large wave of support, both on social media and in-person; Thorne remains “very grateful” to all of those who have supported her career so far.
The 2025 champion recalls hearing from fellow female racers, telling her that she was the reason they began racing. As a woman in racing herself, Thorne understands the additional pressure that comes with pursuing her passion.
“I don’t want to focus this on my gender,” Thorne began, “but if I was just competitive, it would be different. But because I’m competitive and a female, I’m threatened, intimidated, and it’s not fair.”
Thorne recalls a specific incident where, while waiting in line for post-race inspection, another driver stuck their head inside of her car window, “pointing and spitting” while she was still strapped in.
“Nobody should have to [deal with] that just to participate in a sport they love, and unfortunately I can’t do that anywhere else on the island.” Thorne continued, “I hoped to break the ice so [other female drivers] wouldn’t have to.”
Thorne left the door open for a potential return to Eastbound in the future, as she still enjoys racing the course and highlights that “the fans are just different.”
However, the speedway will need to become a more welcoming environment between competitors, in addition to clearer guidelines of racing etiquette, before the Chance Cove driver considers a return.
While the pink #06 late model sportsman will not race in Newfoundland in 2027, Thorne will continue to race across Atlantic Canada, with her main focus on the Scotia Speedworld Weekly Racing Series and the Maritime All Star Series (MASS), of which the latter has previously raced in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
In her 2025 campaign, Thorne finished 2nd in the MASS championship. Now with her focus on racing away from home, Thorne hopes to return to championship glory in 2027.
The Muse has reached out to Eastbound Speedway for comment on Thorne’s departure, to which we have received no response at this time.