This week, ACT Late Model teams across the northeast held their breath hoping for the call: an invitation to the 4th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 22. No one may have been more satisfied than Vermont teen sensation Emily Packard.
“We were so on edge, I got the call in school today and I’ve been shaking ever since,” said Packard out of breath. “I am so excited about racing up there. We were so happy with the Test ‘N Tune, I’ve been telling my crew ‘We have to go to Loudon’ since the winter,” she finished.
Packard and her family team can finally be at ease, as she received one of 11 final invites. The news couldn’t have been any sweeter for the first year Late Model driver.
“As soon as we walk through that tunnel I’m going to be satisfied,” she said. “Obviously we would love a great finish, but just going there is enough for me. I can’t wait!”
Packard isn’t the only one who can breathe easy now. Former Canaan Fair Speedway Champion Aaron Fellows has been invited to the 43-car starting grid, and will be joined by rising Oxford Plains Speedway star Dave Farrington, Jr. ACT rookie Ben Lynch will make the trip from North Carolina after a career day in the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic at Thunder Road, and a first timer- Thunder Road regular Ricky Roberts- will get a shot at his dream on Saturday, September 22.
“This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me,” said a grinning Roberts. “I got so nervous waiting, I kept checking the internet. We are really a low budget team, so the invite is such a big deal for us.”
ACT Teams will be on the big stage at the Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 22. Post time is 4:30pm.