Brian Hoar: ACT Late Model Tour
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., will look to win his first race at New England’s premier race track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. during the ACT Late Model All-Star Challenge on Friday and Saturday, August 12-13. The All-Star Challenge is the first ACT points race held at New Hampshire. Brian Hoar will look to defend his ACT points lead against a diverse group of racers from around New England and Canada as he pursues an unprecedented eighth ACT points championship.
THE FACTS
WHO: Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Rick Paya, Georgia, Vt.
BEST CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 4th (September 2010)
LAST RACE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 4th (September 2010)
WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour All-Star Challenge
WHERE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (1.058-mile oval)
WHEN: Qualifying – 10:25 a.m., Friday, August 12; Race – Segment 1: 10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 13; Race – Segment 2: 6:15 p.m., Saturday, August 13
ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
LAST RACE: July 30, Casco Bay Ford 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (6th)
NEXT RACE: August 20, ACT 150, Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (.375-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION: 1st
DID YOU KNOW?
Brian Hoar has never won an ACT race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but he previously held the track qualifying record for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at the track – which he set in 2002 for the New England 125.
RPM Motorsports and Brian Hoar have not finished outside of the Top-10 in any of the 2011 ACT Late Model Tour races.
Brian Hoar has 31 career victories, the most by any driver in ACT history.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
BRIAN HOAR, Driver of the No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, on his past experience at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “We held the track record for qualifying for the K&N East Series there for eight or nine years. We have two or three second-place finishes (in NASCAR events). Two or three poles and some Top-5s. We’ve had a lot of success there but no wins, and we would like to pull that off. It’s one of the biggest races and the biggest track that we run. I like racing there. I really like the track.”
On whether the fact that this is a points race changes his approach to the racing: “No not really. The biggest thing we have is qualifying with the draw and plus/minus (handicapping). I like that system. We race for points almost every week. I don’t think there will be any difference from a regular race.
“It’s a big enough event with enough great racers and people that I respect racing with us. We are all going to be racing our hearts out. This will be a big event combined with the Castrol Series and a very diverse group of racers. It’s a big deal and we are going to race our hearts out just like we do every weekend. We will do the best we can. If we can’t win, we’ll go for second. If we can’t get second we will try for third or just a great finish.”
On having Mike Stefanik as a teammate at RPM Motorsports this weekend: “Mike’s awesome. I’ve raced with him in the [NASCAR] K&N East Series. He’s a great race car driver and a great guy. I have a lot of respect for him. I’m very excited to have him on as a teammate this weekend.”
On his goals for the weekend: “Besides winning? I didn’t know there was another goal besides that. But really it’s a points race, so we want to have a great race with a great finish.”
RICK PAYA, Crew chief and owner of the No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On racing at New Hampshire: “I think we’re getting closer. Every time we go there, we learn and learn and learn. I’m excited to see what we learn this time around, which I’m sure we will apply for when we go back in September.
“The biggest thing we’ve learned is to brace up the body, brace up the windshields for the speed. That’s one of the biggest things. Handling – handling’s been quite a challenge there, to get the handling of the car with the speeds so fast. Aerodynamics come into play. That’s been a learning curve for us, too, just trying to see what Brian really needs and what he wants out of the car.”
UP NEXT
The ACT Late Model Tour heads back to Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine to run the postponed ACT 150 on Saturday, August 20… In July, Brian Hoar and his RPM Motorsports team took home 5th-place in the TD Bank Oxford 250. Hoar will look to improve on his performance and capture that elusive first win at Oxford Plains Speedway.