by Jay | Aug 26, 2009 | ACT, New England
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) will open up the 2010 season at the 4/10-mile Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York (A/S) in April.
Albany-Saratoga Promoter Bruce Richards contacted the ACT office several months ago and discussed the possibility that there might be a change from the clay surface to the asphalt. “Part of our plan is to pull up the clay this Fall and open the first several events in the Spring with the asphalt. We have considered this for a number of years, but now it is time to make the move. The ACT has grown throughout the Northeast and Canada over the past several years, and our long-standing relationship with Tom Curley and Ken Squier made this a natural for us to hook up again for what will be a very exciting change for Albany-Saratoga Speedway’’, said Richards.
‘Malta”, as the track was know for many years in the 60’s and 70’s, used to be one of the regular asphalt tracks for weekly Modified racing. Part of the race for NASCAR National Point Championships would see some of the Northeast’s greatest stars make “Malta” a regular stop. On a weekly basis the best of New England stars like Rene Charland, Ed Flemke, Don MacTavish, Bugsy Stevens, and dozens of other New England ‘shoes’ would take on the great drivers from New York , including Jerry Cook and multi-time NASCAR National Champion, Rome, New York’s Richie Evans.
A new era on the asphalt at A/S will take place when the Late Model full-bodied cars of the American Canadian Tour compete at the historic New York oval. The American Canadian Tour has been sanctioning major short track stock car events throughout New England and Canada since 1986. It will now add Albany Saratoga Speedway to its only other New York track, Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh.
“I can’t wait to visit Albany Saratoga. My dad (legendary driver Beaver Dragon) has told me about all the racing that went on there in the 60’s. Our team always enjoys the challenges of a new track”, said ACT veteran racer Brent Dragon from Milton, VT. Dragon will join race teams from every corner of New England and two provinces of Canada to make racing history at the Albany Saratoga Speedway in April, 2010.
“This is going to be a lot of fun for our race teams”, Tom Curley, director of the American Canadian Tour said. “They all like going to new tracks and ‘Malta’ is a special place for me personally. I spent nearly every Friday night for a couple of summers at A/S with my friend Don MacTavish, back in the mid-sixties. Without his great finishes at “Malta”, he never would have won his NASCAR National Championship. I also raced my ‘36 coupe with a 427 big block there, although I doubt it will show up in many record books, but it was always a fun place to be on a Friday night back then”, Curley said with a laugh.
The opening date is slated for April, 2010. The day and particulars will be forthcoming as soon as the 2010 American Canadian Tour schedule is completed sometime around mid-November.
For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963 or [email protected], or the Albany Saratoga Speedway office at 518.587.0220.
by Jay | Aug 25, 2009 | ACT, NASCAR, New England, Thunder Road
Unadilla, Georgia’s David Ragan will pull into Thunder Road for Thursday night’s final race of the 50th season on a high after a morale boosting victory in Bristol, Tennessee this past weekend over Carl Edwards. The 23 year old prospect for NASCAR stardom won his second Nationwide series of the season after his victory at Talladega, Alabama earlier this summer. The 100 lap main event will put the “scourge” of Georgia short tracking up against Thunder Road’s top talent. Along with his Nationwide series success, he’s been a top ten finisher in the past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 11 times, driving for John Henry (Red Sox Owner) and Jack Roush. He has already been signed for another year in their UPS car for Sprint Cup Racing.
“I am truly excited about the prospect of running at Thunder Road. Tony Stewart told me that seldom in his experience has he raced against guys that drive harder and are more respectful of each other than the guys at Thunder Road”, he said. But he cautioned that you need track time to get in the rhythm of the famed Barre high banks. “I intend to be there early and really work on what everyone tells me is as challenging a short track as one can find in the US”, he said.
Ragan will be carrying his familiar number 6 but the car bears the livery of the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. “It’s a personal thing with me but I know a bit about their burn center and have made Shriner’s my choice of cause in which I want to be involved.”
Ragan hopes with some precautions to challenge Thunder Road’s best including Cris Michaud, Jean-Paul Cyr, Hurricane Fisher, David Pembroke and Phil Scott. This week’s finale is 100 laps for 26 late model cars.
The largest fireworks show ever presented at Thunder Road will conclude the 50th annual Thursday night season leaving only the Bond Auto 250 for the Labor Day Weekend and the famed 47th Chittenden Milk Bowl Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th.
Post time for this Thursday night’s race is 6:00 p.m.
by Jay | Aug 24, 2009 | Beech Ridge, Maine, New England, PASS
Naples ME (8/24/2009) It’s been four months since Ben Rowe captured the first round of the four race Pro All Stars Series (PASS) National Championship Series at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway, but the series will heat up in earnest when the National Championship trail leads to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on September 12 and 13th for the PASS 300.
There’s still three weeks before the series takes to the beautiful Scarborough Maine oval for their biggest event of the season, but the early entries are already rolling in.
The PASS South super late model contingent is already well represented. Teen sensation Ryan Blaney, three time 2009 PASS South winner Jay Fogleman, PASS South stalwarts Jeff and Jane Day’s entry with Mark Gibson at the wheel and John Batten have already filed entries, and there’s more to come from the south.
Bub Bilodeau has what it takes to race with PASS anytime, anywhere. Bilodeau is a multi-time Beech Ridge Pro Series champion, and he’s the first home track regular to to file an entry for the 300 lap showdown. PASS North touring pro Richie Dearborn cut his racing teeth at the Ridge, and his was the first entry blank to arrive at the PASS office.
Adam Bates has been tough to beat at Beech Ridge; he’s got two wins under his belt and ran a close second to 2008 PASS 300 race winner and series champ Johnny Clark. He’ll be trying to better that by one spot but Clark will be back to try and make it two “300s” in a row.
There’s a whole lot of racing on tap over the course of the weekend. On Saturday all divisions will qualify and the Wildcats, Road Runners and Legends will have their feature events. Sunday kicks off with the PASS 300 “B” main for the super late models. Then it’s 100 laps for the PASS Sportsman division, a 50 lap shootout for the PASS Mods and the $10,000.00 to win PASS Super Late Model 300.
Entry blanks for the Wildcats, PASS Sportsman and PASS Super Late Models are available now at www.racewithpass.com .
The races go green at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. Check out the complete PASS 300 entry list by visiting www.racewithpass.com or www.proallstarsseries.com . Beech Ridge Motor Speedway is on line at www.beechridge.com .
by Jay | Aug 23, 2009 | ACT, New England, New Hampshire, Riverside Speedway
St-Croix, QC – Donald Theetge of Boischatel, QC scored his second win of the season at the Riverside 150 at Riverside Speedway in St-Croix, Quebec. Theetge is now the all-time win leader for the Serie ACT Castrol with 14 career wins. Theetge was chased to the line by Sylvain Lacombe and Patrick Hamel, the only other two on the lead lap.
Jacques Poulin came home fourth followed by Karl Allard, Dany Ouellet, Patrick Cliche, Eric St-Gelais, Stephane Descoste, and David Michaud to complete the top ten respectively.
Unofficially Theetge now moves back into the point lead after Patrick Laperle had rearend issues. Laperle had to replace his rearend after it broke in his heat race. His crew got it repaired in time for the feature, but Laperle had to start in 25th. Laperle moved from his 25th starting position through the field and into the lead by lap 22. He then led until lap 98 and lapped the majority of the field in the process. On the 99th circuit his rearend let go again and he was done for the day.
Sylvain Lacombe then inherited the lead. After battling Stephane Descoste for about 17 laps, Theetge moved into the lead and held on until the checkers. Theetge has already qualified for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19th. Therefore the number of qualifiers remains at 14 including a representative from 8 different states/provinces. Over 50 teams will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this Tuesday, August 25 and Wednesday, August 26 for a “Test and Tune” session to prepare for the historical event.
Next weekend, Saturday, August 29, is the Coors Light Showdown 200 at Autodrome Chaudiere. The all-star race includes 11 of the best ACT Tour competitors against 11 of the best Serie ACT Castrol drivers. The Showdown kicks off the American Canadian Tour’s Money Month, where $250,000 in purse money will be rewarded to late model teams from August 29 to September 27 in the biggest five races of the year.
Unofficial Serie ACT Castrol Riverside 150
Riverside Speedway, St-Croix, QC
Pos Car # Driver Laps
1 80 Donald Theetge 150
2 3 Sylvain Lacombe 150
3 51PQ Patrick Hamel 150
4 97PQ Jacques Poulin 149
5 48QC Karl Allard 149
6 28QC Dany Ouellet 149
7 5QC Patrick Cliche 149
8 42 Eric St-Gelais 149
9 10QC Stéphane Descoste 148
10 40QC David Michaud 148
11 92 Jonathan Desbiens 148
12 25 Marco Savoie 147
13 99 Derek White 146
14 27 Alexandre Gingras 145
15 30 Stéphane Durand 131
16 21QC Jean-François Déry 123
17 15QC Kevin Roberge 115
18 9PQ Yvon Bédard 111
19 03 Martin Lacombe 105
20 91 Patrick Laperle 99
21 2 Daniel Descoste 95
22 12QC Etienne Lemay 89
23 17ON Justin Holtom 88
24 26QC Valerie Chiasson 63
25 98 Brandon White 16
26 11PQ Claude Leclerc 4
by Jay | Aug 21, 2009 | NASCAR, New England, Thunder Road
Waterbury, VT – NASCAR Sprint Cup rising star David Ragan, driver of the UPS car for Rousch-Fenway, will race at Barre, Vermont’s Thunder Road in the Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU) 100-lap final Thursday summer event on August 27th.
Ragan, who represents the new generation of racers, joins NASCAR veterans Bobby Allison, Richard Petty and current point leader Tony Stewart who have made appearances during the 2009 season to help celebrate Thunder Road’s 50th Anniversary. Ragan will drive a Pete Duto-prepared, Phil Scott Ford ACT race car, and will compete in the VSECU 100-lap event. Ragan plans to arrive early to get some seat time on the tricky high banks of Thunder Road.
Unadilla, Georgia’s Ragan is an accomplished short track racer. “I have heard so much about Thunder Road that I really jumped at the opportunity to race there this summer. I love the short tracks, and from what I hear, the atmosphere at Thunder Road is fantastic. I hope I get it figured out by the end of the 100 laps,”said Ragan.
Ragan is a supporter of the Shriners organization. He donates all the proceeds from the sale of his die cast Shriner’s cars to the Shriner’s Hospital. They will be on sale at the Thunder Road event.
The ‘’King of the Road” title will also be settled at the VSECU 100 . Jean-Paul Cyr from Milton, VT, who is chasing his first Thunder Road title and sits in a comfortable first place going into the final event of 2009, has battled former track champions David Pembroke, Phil Scott, and Cris Michaud all season. Cyr, a seven-time American Canadian Tour Champion said, “ Our goal was to try and win the Thunder Road title. I sure didn’t get off to a great start, but Jeff (Laquerre) and the guys have really gotten the car to work well lately. It is some different trying to win races at Thunder Road in 50 laps from what I have been used to on the ACT Tour over the years, but it has been fun and unbelievably competitive.”
The final Thursday night of the season will also be celebrated with the largest fireworks in Thunder Road history. In addition, over 100 ‘old timers’ will help bring the curtain down on the 50th year of Thursday night racing.
Post time for the VESECU 100 is 6:00 and front gates open at 3:00 for the VESECU 100. Adult tickets are only $12.00 and a family ticket for two adults and two children between 6-12 is only $25.00. Kids under 6 are free.
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) $40,000 Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 will take place over the Labor Day weekend, on Sunday, September 6, 2009.
by Jay | Aug 21, 2009 | New England, Thompson
THOMPSON, CT. New England race fans, thanks to Mother Nature, will get to see two major racing events in two consecutive weeks at the Thompson International Speedway. The True Value Modified Racing Series will be in the spotlight on Thursday, August 27th while the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will top the bill a week later at the famed Connecticut oval.
The Town Fair Tire presentation of the True Value Modified Racing Series has been the victim of rain twice and the third attempt to run this event will be Thursday, August 27th. Rain also raised havoc with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on August 13th. As a result, the new date for the New England Dodge Dealers presentation of the Bud 150 is Thursday, September 3rd.
The True Value Modifieds have proven to be a big attraction everywhere they have run this year and their annual Thompson appearance always draws a big crowd. Thompson is the largest track on which these cars compete. Race teams and fans alike love the high speed action and the close competition that has made this annual race special. The True Value cars will be joined by Thompson’s very own NASCAR Whelen All American Series “Super6” divisions. An additional bonus comes with the addition of dual races for the Thompson Late Models. Not only will they compete in their regular 25-lap main event, but they will also complete the 40-laps remaining from their June 11th race that was halted by rain.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event on September 3rd will bring both old and new fans to watch these incredibly fast race cars. The new fans will want to see the NASCAR Modifieds in person after seeing them, possibly for the fist time ever, on national television when this touring series made its debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway this past week.
The 2007 champion, Donny Lia, captured the inaugural Bristol race by besting pre-race favorite Ted Christopher. Christopher, fighting an ill handling race car, held on for second and Ryan Preece claimed the third spot. Rounding out the top five at Bristol were George Brunnhoelzl, III and Woody Pitkat.
The grandstands at Thompson will open at 2 PM on both August 27th and September 3rd. Qualifying on both days will begin at 5:30 PM. Complete schedules for these major racing programs are available on the Thompson web site. www.thompsonspeedway.com. Tickets for these events are available in advance by calling the Thompson Int’l Speedway’s track office at 860-923-2280.
