Emily Packard has a Great Run at Riverside ACT race

Emily Packard has a Great Run at Riverside ACT race

packard nhms pitPackard Ends Busy Weekend with Great Run at Riverside

Capturing her First ACT Pole, Leading the Most Laps and her 2nd Three Star Award

 

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt – Starting last in the final heat race at Riverside Saturday night, Packard went out and showed them that wasn’t going to be a problem for her. Starting in 7th with her 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels car, she followed the 27nh to the front. Packard finished comfortably in 3rd place +4, which was enough to secure her the pole for the Central Paving 150 ACT race. “We struggled early in practice, but our times were similar with everyone else,” said Packard, “We got the bottom lane in the heat race and were able to follow the 27 to the front and earn the pole with our +4.”
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Emily Packard finishes 12th in ACT Tour Season Opener at Lee USA Speedway

Emily Packard finishes 12th in ACT Tour Season Opener at Lee USA Speedway

Emily trackThe American Canadian Tour kicked off its 23rd season at Lee USA Speedway again this year with the Governor’s Cup 150 on Sunday April 13th. Hitting the track for her first race of the season, Emily Packard, the 17 year old East Montpelier native, brought home her 9X Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels sponsored car in 12th place.

Rain early in the day changed the track and the schedule, shortening day and allowing little to no practice to feel the car out prior to the heat races. Starting 5th in the heat race, Packard dropped back a position early on fighting a pushing race car, but battled her way up to 4th by Lap 4. The closing laps found her in a battle of side by side racing for the last three laps holding off the 5VT car to cross the line in 4th place to secure her place in the show. “I hope it was an exciting race for the fans to watch, because it was definitely exciting from the driver’s seat,” said Packard of her tight racing with the 5vt car, “it was a good (heat) race and a good start to the season.”

Starting 9th, Packard had a good handling car, but fell back a few spots where she concentrated on saving her tires for later in the race. On lap 47, Packard passed the 37VT to move up to the 12th position and gaining on the next car in line, only to have the caution come out on lap 53. A couple of the leaders chose to pit, allowing Packard to move up to 10th on the restart. “We were able to drive away from the guy behind us and ride for a while,” said Packard. The second caution came out on lap 71, and Packard restarted 15th, working her way around the 3/8ths mile track, for the next 75 laps, moving up to 13th place. “There were a good amount of laps that we were running and taking down lap cars. We were trying to make passes and fill any holes that we could.” When the final caution came out on lap 146, Packard found herself restarting in 12th position, as the 17RI spun out while battling for the lead. When the checkers fell, Packard came home with a 12th place finish. “I think it’s a very respectable finish and I am really happy with it going into the start of the season,” said Packard. “And a big thank you to my sponsors, Northstar Fireworks, Packard Fuels, Yipes! of Barre, Fecteau Homes, Berlin Optical Expressions, GossCars.com, Be the Match, Rutland Regional Medical Center, and R.G. Paving.”

Next up for Packard is the ACT Race at Thunder Road April 26th and 27th.

EMILY PACKARD: Packard Heading To Riverside For Fall Brawl 200

emily troadFall Brawl 200: Emily Packard
Riverside Speedway Race Preview

THE STORY

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., makes her Riverside Speedway debut in Groveton, N.H., with the $10,000-to-win Fall Brawl 200 on Saturday, October 19. Packard has never competed at the tight quarter-mile, but she did test at the track two years ago as she prepared to begin Late Model competition at Thunder Road International Speedbowl. The race is the final event of the year for the Emily Packard Motorsports No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet.

THE FACTS
WHO: Emily Packard, East Montpelier, Vt.
CREW CHIEF: Neal Woodward, Georgia, Vt.
TEAM: No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet
SPONSORS: Northstar Fireworks, Fecteau Homes, Berlin Optical Expressions, Yipes! of Barre, VT Shifter Karts, GossCars.com, Be The Match, Rutland Regional Medical Center, R.G. Paving
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EMILY PACKARD: Packard Returns To ACT For Season Finale At Airborne

Emily PackardACT Late Model Tour: Emily Packard
Airborne Speedway Race Preview

THE STORY

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., returns to the type of track where she’s had the most success in her young career for the ACT Late Model Tour Fall Foliage 200 at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., on Saturday, September 28. Packard has been at her best on the flat, half-mile tracks like Airborne, and she posted her first career ACT Top-10 starting spot at Airborne last season. She has produced similarly strong runs at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, another wide half-mile track, and the driver of the No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet thinks that success should translate into this weekend. Packard finished fourth in the final Vermont State Championship Series standings, which included half of its races at Devil’s Bowl, and she’s looking to rebound from an early ending to the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend.

THE FACTS
WHO: Emily Packard, East Montpelier, Vt.
CREW CHIEF: Neal Woodward, Georgia, Vt.
TEAM: No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet
SPONSORS: Northstar Fireworks, Fecteau Homes, Berlin Optical Expressions, Yipes! of Barre, VT Shifter Karts, GossCars.com, Be The Match, Rutland Regional Medical Center, R.G. Paving
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EMILY PACKARD: Accident Collects Emily Packard Early In ACT Invitational

packard nhms pitACT Late Model Tour: Emily Packard
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Race Report

LOUDON, N.H. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., finished 42nd in the fifth annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Saturday, September 21, after being collected in an accident involving other drivers just four laps into the event. Packard was among the 15 fastest cars in the 43-car field during final practice earlier in the day, and she started 32nd after ACT’s unique handicapping system for the event. She had already started gaining positions in the opening laps of the 50-lap race, but two cars tangled in a three-wide race on the frontstretch of the 1.058-mile oval. Packard was caught up in it, and a broken radiator hose ultimately kept the No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Ford from returning to the event.

WHO: Emily Packard, East Montpelier, Vt.
TEAM: No. 9x Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Ford Fusion
CREW CHIEF: Neal Woodward, Georgia, Vt.
WHAT: Bond Auto ACT Invitational 50
WHERE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (1.058-mile oval)
STARTED: 32nd
FINISHED: 42nd
NEXT RACE: September 28, Fall Foliage 200, Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. (.500-mile oval)
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