Sylvain Morin photo
Waterbury, VT – The American Racer Three Star program is designed to recognize three teams in no particular order of performance that had outstanding races at American-Canadian Tour (ACT) U.S. Tour events. There are no specific criteria for deciding who might receive the award of a free American Racer Tire (value $125.00), but a special effort by a team, exceptional race, just plain old hard luck, or any other accepted reason is used to decide the award recipients.
The Three Stars are chosen by ACT officials and will receive certificates for use of a free American Racer tire at a race of their choosing during the 2015 season.
CIRCUIT RIVERSIDE SPEEDWAY
CAN-AM 150
The ACT U.S. Tour and Série ACT made their annual trip to Ste-Croix, QC’s Circuit Riverside Speedway this past Saturday, August 22 for the sixth running of the Can-Am 150. A field of 37 cars were in attendance with 35 taking the green flag in the main event. The race was a rough-and-tumble affair early with seven cautions in the first 70 laps, but the second half of the race saw multiple long green-flag runs and strategy plays in search of the win.
Joey Polewarczyk Jr. turned an early incident to his advantage and claimed his second straight Can-Am 150 win, but both American and Canadian drivers put in strong performances. The top-nine positions were almost evenly split with five Canadians and four Americans, and several drivers made big charges through the field during the event. Some unexpected names were even seen near the top of the finishing order. The well-deserving Three Star winners are as follows:
*Karl Allard, St-Félicien, QC – #7ON – Former Série ACT Champion Karl Allard picked up his first Série ACT win in four years this past June 27 Autodrome Montmagny – but the accomplishment was undercut by a disqualification from the Chaudiere 150 two weeks later for a tire violation. Rather than pack up his tent, Allard has since doubled down on Série ACT.
Allard struggled in qualifying on Saturday and was forced to start 22nd on the Can-Am 150 grid. But the St-Félicien, QC driver was on fire early in the main event, rocketing into the top-10 by lap 23. He settled into a steady rhythm for the middle stages of the race and then made a final charge after a lap-106 pit stop for tires to bring home a fifth-place finish. Although he was ultimately unable to challenge the front four, Allard receives a Star Award for his efforts.
*Rich Dubeau, Plainfield, NH – #30NH – Defending Claremont Speedway Champion Rich Dubeau made his first visit to the 5/8-mile Circuit Riverside Speedway on Saturday. It is the largest track that Dubeau has ever raced at, presenting a new challenge to his young team.
But Dubeau did what he has done all season: stay out of trouble, respect his fellow competitors, and show steady improvement throughout the event. Dubeau started 19th and first cracked the top-10 on lap 63, rising as high as seventh after the final cycle of pit stops with 44 laps remaining. Dubeau was unable to hold off some of the top cars that had pitted late but still brought home a 12th-place lead-lap finish. The result was enough to keep him in the hunt for the top-10 in the ACT Tour point standings and is proof of how the team has developed during the year.
*Patrick Hamel, Ste-Croix, QC – #51QC – Hamel has run a partial Série ACT schedule in recent years, but never misses and an event at his hometown Circuit Riverside. Hamel was mired in the back of the pack through both rounds of qualifying and started 26th in the main event. However, he dodged a few early incidents and was up to ninth on lap 27.
Hamel fell off during a long green flag run in the middle of the race, but gained significant ground on pit road during the lap 106 round of stops. He managed to maintain that position during the final run to the finish and ended up with a 10th-place result. The improvements the team made to the #51QC Dodge Charger from the heat races to the main event were obvious, and they receive a Star Award for salvaging a respectable night after an inauspicious beginning.
The ACT U.S. Tour and Série ACT head to Vallée-Jct., QC’s Autodrome Chaudiere on Saturday, September 12. The ACT Late Models and Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models will each run 200 laps in their final doubleheader of the 2015 season. Post time is 6:00pm with the front gates opening at 2:00pm. Admission is $45 CAD/$40 USD for adults and free for kids 12 and under.
For more information contact the ACT offices at 802.244.6963, [email protected], or visit www.acttour.com.