NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH FOR Nov 27th 2015
By Lou Modestino
RPM Motorsports has announced that former American-Canadian Tour (ACT) standout Scott Payea will join the team for the 2016 ACT Tour season. Milton, VT’s Payea returns after two years off from racing to compete for the Tour championship behind the wheel of the RPM Racing Engines Ford with car owner and crew chief Rick Paya.
Payea previously competed on the ACT Tour for six seasons beginning in 2005. He was the ACT Rookie of the Year in 2005 and finished runner-up in points for three straight years from 2007-2009, losing the 2008 championship to Patrick Laperle by a single point. Payea also won five Tour events, including two victories in the Merchants Bank 150 at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road as well as wins at White Mountain Motorsports Park, Waterford Speedbowl, and Airborne Park Speedway.
He then competed weekly at Thunder Road from 2011 through 2013, finishing in the top-10 in points each year. Payea retired from racing at the end of the 2013 season to spend more time with his family, but after two seasons on the sidelines, he jumped at the unexpected chance to return.
“I went to a few races to watch with my son, and I found out that there’s no middle ground for me,” Payea said in an RPM Motorsports press release. “I either wanted to be out there on the track or not there at all, so I didn’t go too often. In the back of my mind I was hoping I would get another shot, but I never expected to have a car owner like Rick call me and want me to drive.”
Payea joins a team which has won eight ACT Tour Championships and nearly 40 ACT Late Model races with drivers including Jean-Paul Cyr, Brian Hoar, Nick Sweet, and Austin Theriault. RPM Motorsports recently won the final two races of the 2015 ACT season at Airborne Park Speedway and Thompson Speedway with Brian Hoar at the controls. But Hoar announced in Victory Lane at Thompson that he was stepping away from racing to spend more time with his own family, creating the opportunity for Payea to return to the driver’s seat.
“The announcement of Rick Paya and his RPM team bringing Scott Payea back to the 2016 ACT Tour can prove to be a game-changer,” ACT President Tom Curley said. “We know the kind of credentials that the RPM team brings to any organization, and Scott certainly proved what an outstanding racer he had become before he made the decision to spend some time with his young family. That decision alone shows the character of Scott Payea. This team will be strong beginning with our opening event at Lee USA Speedway in April. Teams that love to compete, like early contenders Wayne Helliwell Jr. and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., will be happy to have this kind of quality competition joining us on the 2016 ACT campaign.”
The 2016 ACT U.S. and Série ACT schedules are expected to be released by Thanksgiving.
The annual Lee USA Speedway “Banquet of Champions” closed out the 2015 season at the Executive Court Inn and Conference Center on Saturday night, with Tommy Tombarello, Jr., Jay Sands, Dennis Dumas, Troy Washburn, and Jesse Tellier celebrated as the best of the year at New Hampshire’s “Center of Speed”.
After Master of Ceremonies John Spence, Track Manager Bill Callen and owner Red MacDonald recognized the loyal staff and legion of sponsors, it was on to showcasing the accomplishments of the best drivers to circle the seacoast oval in the past season.
Tombarello topped the EKeys4cars Supermodifieds for the fourth time in his six year career, taking the big trophy back home to Haverhill, MA once again. During his acceptance speech, Tommy noted that his crew chief/brother-in-law Justin Belfiore and the rest of the Best Team Performance-winning gang were already at work building a new car to replace the one he destroyed on championship night.
Leslie Keyser was the runner-up for 2015 in the Supers, collecting hardware along with Mike Ordway, Jr., Lance Barthelemy, Sportsmanship winner Mike Spurling, Kyle Sawyer, Mike Murphy, Rookie of the Year Mike Keddy, Moe Lattime, and Most Improved Driver Jim Barker, who finished second through tenth place.
Sands was honored as champion in the highly-competitive Late Model Sportsman ranks, collecting the title after inching out former Hobby Stock champ Jimmy Russell by a slim two-point margin over the course of the season. Sands’ crew collected Best Team Performance, while Russell earned Sportsmanship honors.
The rest of the top ten in the LMS ranks for 2015 included three-time feature winner Frankie Eldredge, second-generation racer Geoff Rollins, Rookie of the Year George Helliwell, Most Improved Driver Ray Dinsmore, Hard Luck Award winner Nate Leavitt, Jimmy Ryder, Steve Paquette, and Ricky Porter.
Hobby Stock ace Dumas collected the first championship trophy of his career along with Best Team Performance for his men in blue, with sophomore shoe Zac Fraser taking home runner-up honors for the year as well as the Most Improved Driver hardware.
Third through tenth in the Hobbies were opening night winner Dave MacDonald, Chris “Rooftop” Harding, Hard Luck Award winner Jay Avery, two-time feature winner Paul Palen, Rookie of the Year Trevor Randlett, Kevin Bowman, Brian DeStefano, and Eric Hoffman.
Washburn was honored as champion in the Ironman division, and he shared the stage with an excited crew when they were called up to accept Best Team Performance. Shane Horvath took home the runner-up trophy, with Most Improved Driver Christin DeStefano third in the final tally.
Cousin Zach Washburn picked up the fourth place Ironman hardware, with Adam Knowles, 2013 champ Travis Holins, Sportsmanship winner Hannah Shaw, 2014 champ Wayne Osborne, Rookie of the Year Luke Grammont, and Hard Luck Award winner Tyler Mitchell rounding out the top ten.
Jesse Tellier took home his second straight Pure Stock championship, and his hard-working Midnight Motorsports crew earned Best Team Performance. Rookie of the Year Rob Carleton collected second place honors, and second-generation racer Danielle Evans picked up third place and the Sportsmanship award.
Brandon Setzer took the lead from Mike Hopkins for the final time with 60 laps to go and held on for a popular hometown win Saturday afternoon in the 10th Annual Mason-Dixon Meltdown 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway. Setzer becomes the 7th different first-time winner in Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model competition for 2015.
“Man it’s so awesome to get this win in front of the hometown crowd, I’ve got so many sponsors and family and friends here, I’ve just got to thank everybody so much,” said Setzer in victory lane. “Mike Hopkins drove a great race and his stuff stayed together way better than I thought it would in the first half. He [Hopkins] pushed me really hard there, that’s all I had, and Tyler [Church] there at the end too, but you know this thing had enough.”
While Setzer was celebrating his first career win, third generation racer Tate Fogleman soldiered home to a tenth place finish to secure his first career PASS South Super Late Model championship. At 15-years-old, Fogleman becomes the youngest driver to ever win a PASS Super Late Model championship. By following his father, Jay, as a series champion, they join Mike and Ben Rowe as the only father-son combination to ever win a PASS title. Zane Smith saw a big points lead evaporate late in the season due to late season penalties. Smith was fined for jumping a late restart at South Boston Speedway in August. That paled in comparison to a huge points and monetary penalty assessed after an event at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in October in which Smith intentionally spun race winner Joey Doiron after the checkered flag, destroying Doiron’s machine. Smith’s collapse late in the year played into Fogleman’s hand and paved the way for him to win his first title.
“I just can’t thank the guys enough, I’m lost for words,” said an emotional Fogleman afterwards. “I could feel my heart beating there, it definitely got hairy there at the end a couple of times. In the beginning we got into a good spot and just saved tires, but in the second half the car got tight. We were right in the middle of everything but luckily everybody got spread out and we could just ride there.”
In qualifying, defending PASS South Super Late Model champion Tyler Church took the quick qualifying time with a lap of 14.802 seconds. But, in the top 10 qualifiers redraw, he would pull the 10th pill, while Derek Scott, Jr. and Joey Padgett would move up to the front row.
When the race got underway, Scott jumped out into the lead. Championship contender Zane Smith started 27th, but made his way around Kody Evans for 15th on lap 48. The first caution of the night waved on lap 54 when Jeff Batten slammed the turn three wall. The next caution waved just three laps later for a grinding crash by Kyle Desouza into the turn one wall.
On the restart, Setzer moved by Scott to take the lead for the first time of the afternoon. But, following a caution for the stalled car of Joey Padgett on lap 69, Scott moved around Setzer to reassume the lead. Smith was continuing his climb to the front, moving by Fogleman and into the top 10 on lap 73.
After starting fifth, Maine’s Mike Hopkins was the car on the move, passing Setzer for second on lap 75 and then Scott ten laps later after a hard battle for the lead. Church was biding his time as well, moving around Clay Rogers and into the top five on lap 92. Hopkins was the leader at the competition caution on lap 120 over Setzer, Roger Lee Newton, Scott, and Church.
Following a 10 minute break to change tires and make adjustments, Hopkins continued to lead over Setzer and Church, who made his way by Scott for third on lap 130. With 61 laps to go, the complexion of the championship changed when Smith spun entering turn one after checking up for Scott and Newton as they slowed to pass the lapped car of Evans. Smith lost a lap, but would eventually fight his way back to a sixth place finish.
On the restart, Setzer bypassed Hopkins for the lead. A great battle ensued for the top spot as Setzer, Hopkins, and Church raced inches apart with 30 laps to go. The caution would wave two more times as Ben Rowe and Clay Rogers both had single car spins in turn four, just in front of the points leader Fogleman.
Setzer continued to lead, while Hopkins and Church tussled over the second spot. The two raced hard and eventually made contact entering turn three, sending Hopkins for a spin with 14 laps to go.
Once back under green, Setzer checked out for his first Mason-Dixon Meltdown win over Church, Newton, Brandon Ward, and Jody Measamer. Rounding out the top ten were Smith, Rogers, Vinnie Miller, Kodie Conner, and Fogleman.
In the PASS Pro Late Model division, Austin Thompson took the lead from Kerry Lawrence and never looked back as he went on to claim his fourth win of the season. Rounding out the top five were Jake Spillers, Zachary Dabbs, and JP Josiasse. Kodie Conner finished ninth to claim his first career PASS Pro Late Model division title.
Chris Lamb took the USAC Eastern Midget win over Jake Nelke, Andrew Layser, Matthew Lundstrom, and Sam Hatfield.
The PASS South Super Late Models will return on Saturday, February 6, 2016 to kickoff the season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway with the return of the Winter Meltdown.
PASS South Super Late Model – Mason Dixon Meltdown 200 – Unofficial Results
1. 6 – Brandon Setzer 15. 71 – Jimmy Doyle
2. 7 – Tyler Church 16. 4s – Trevor Sanborn
3. 33 – Roger Lee Newton 17. 15 – Mike Hopkins
4. 62 – Brandon Ward 18. 01 – Derek Scott, Jr.
5. 98 – Jody Measamer 19. 54 – Matt Craig
6. 77 – Zane Smith 20. 83 – Joey Padgett
7. 17 – Clay Rogers 21. 12 – Kody Evans
8. 16 – Vinnie Miller 22. 82 – John-Michael Shenette
9. 45 – Kodie Conner 23. 4m – Kyle McCallum
10. 8 – Tate Fogleman 24. 98x – Justin Ashburn
11. 4n – Ben Rowe 25. 88 – Kyle Desouza
12. 64 – Garrett Evans 26. 49 – Jeff Batten
13. 19 – Riley Herbst 27. 29 – Ryan Krachun
14. 41 – Mike Rowe
PASS Pro Late Model – 40 laps – Unofficial Results
1. 2 – Austin Thompson
2. 03 – Kerry Lawrence
3. 55 – Jake Spillers
4. 23 – Zachary Dabbs
5. 24 – JP Josiasse
6. 82 – Cameron Burke
7. 21 – Monty Cox
8. 24x – Mason Diaz
9. 45 – Kodie Conner