by Jay | Jun 3, 2015 | ACT, New Hampshire, Speedway 51, Touring Series News
Speedway 51 Generation Next 151 Three Stars Awarded
Waterbury, VT – The American Racer Three Star program is designed to recognize three teams in no particular order of performance that had outstanding races at American-Canadian Tour (ACT) U.S. Tour events. There are no specific criteria for deciding who might receive the award of a free American Racer Tire (value $125.00), but a special effort by a team, exceptional race, just plain old hard luck, or any other accepted reason is used to decide the award recipients.
The Three Stars are chosen by ACT officials and will receive certificates for use of a free American Racer tire at a race of their choosing during the 2015 season.
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by Jay | Jun 1, 2015 | ACT, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – In a hard fought run towards the front by Packard in her Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels car, it was rain that finally won out on Saturday night. Her 15th place finish was not the results that she had hoped for and not a reflection of just how well she ran the race. “I am pretty happy with my finish,” Packard said. “I wish we could have ended in 9th place and not had the rain delay and that restart after the rain fell. I believe that the car was good enough that had the race gone to the scheduled 151 laps, I could have picked off a few more cars and maybe had a top-5 finish.”
With 5 practices on Saturday to get the car dialed in, Packard and the team took advantage and used each practice to make the car faster each time she went out on the track. “We had a decent car in practice,” said Packard, “and we knew that we would have a good car for the race.” Drawing the 8th starting position in the 3rd heat, Packard knew that she had her work cut out for her to finish in the top-3 and qualify to the feature. “We went out for our heat race and just got stuck in the wrong line and was not able to make any progress forward,” Packard said. With a large turnout of cars for this race, Packard started in 8th position in the second of three consolation races, where they were taking the top-2 to qualify and 2 to fill out the back half of the field. With only 15 laps to make her way forward, Packard tried the inside and the outside, but was only able to make her way to 5th as the checkers fell. Now it was on to the “B” feature. Starting 5th in the “B” feature race, Packard had to finish in 3rd or better to transfer into the Generation Next 151 race. “I knew I had to get to 3rd in order to make the race, and I went out and set my sights on moving forward,” Packard said. As the race ended, Packard was in the 3rd and final transfer position into the feature race.
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by Jay | Jun 1, 2015 | Lee USA, New Hampshire
photo by Rich Hayes
Lee, NH – Lee USA Speedway opened the regular season last weekend with the first Friday night under the lights at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“ for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The night’s action featured the EKeys 4Cars Supermodifieds, R&R Public Wholesalers Late Model Sportsmen, David‘s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stocks, and Tri-City Line X-sponsored Ironman divisions.
Veteran campaigner “Super Dave” Sanborn of Tilton was the man of the hour in the Supers, moving past polesitter Mike Spurling of Rochester to grab the early lead and staying out front for the balance of the 30-lap main, scoring the win in just over seven and a half minutes in the fast-paced green-to-checker event. (more…)
by Jay | May 31, 2015 | ACT, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
Helliwell Takes Second Win of Season in Rain-Shortened Generation Next 151
Groveton, NH – Two-time American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. was in the right place at the right time on Saturday night, taking his second win of the season in the rain-shortened Generation Next 151 at Speedway 51 in Groveton, NH.
Helliwell got the break on Rowley, MA’s Eddie MacDonald on a lap-85 restart and was in front when the caution flew for Travis Stearns’ spin a lap later. A caution for rain came out on the subsequent restart. Although the race was able to resume, the rains returned just five laps later, forcing the conclusion of the event after 91 of the scheduled 151 laps.
Defending Fall Brawl winner MacDonald took the lead from polesitter Mike Bailey on the opening lap and led the first 12 circuits before two-time Thunder Road Late Model Champion Derrick O’Donnell drove around him on the outside. MacDonald grabbed the lead back for a single circuit following a lap-20 restart, but O’Donnell reassumed command and led a four-car breakaway that included Helliwell and local racer Jeff Marshall.
MacDonald retook the lead for a third time following a lap-75 caution and held it through a lap-83 restart. The race's fourth caution came out on lap 85 for a hard crash involving Jason Corliss and Jimmy Hebert. Helliwell finally got the break on that restart and was in front at the time of the race's premature end.
O'Donnell and Marshall finished second and third as MacDonald faded on the final sprint. Joey Polewarczyk Jr. drove from the 18th starting position to finish fourth, followed by defending event winner Kyle Welch in fifth. Derek Ming, MacDonald, D.J. Shaw, Cody Blake, and Tyler Cahoon completed the top-10.
Heat race wins went to MacDonald, Ming, Shawn Swallow, and Corliss. O'Donnell, Corey Mason, and Boomer Morris won the consis, while Cody Blake took the Last Chance B-Feature.
Helliwell unofficially retakes the point lead from Polewarczyk heading into the ACT Tour's next race at Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT on Saturday, June 6. Post time for the 100-lap event is 6:00pm.
For more information contact the ACT offices at 802.244.6963, [email protected], or visit www.acttour.com.
ACT GENERATION NEXT 151
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Pos Start Pos Driver Car # Hometown Laps
1. ( 4 ) Wayne Helliwell Jr. ( 27NH ) , Dover, NH , 91 Laps
2. ( 3 ) Derrick O'Donnell ( 60VT ) , N. Haverhill, NH , 91 Laps
3. ( 6 ) Jeff Marshall ( 32NH ) , Lunenberg, NH , 91 Laps
4. ( 18 ) Joey Polewarczyk Jr. ( 97NH ) , Hudson, NH , 91 Laps
5. ( 14 ) Kyle Welch ( 9NH ) , Newport, NH , 91 Laps
6. ( 9 ) Derek Ming ( 5NH ) , West Burke, VT , 91 Laps
7. ( 2 ) Eddie MacDonald ( 17MA ) , Rowley, MA , 91 Laps
8. ( 16 ) D.J. Shaw ( 77NH ) , Ctr. Conway, NH , 91 Laps
9. ( 25 ) Cody Blake ( 99VT ) , Barre, VT , 91 Laps
10. ( 19 ) Tyler Cahoon ( 38VT ) , St. Johnsbury, VT , 91 Laps
11. ( 21 ) Brandon Atkins ( 4NY ) , AuSable Forks, NY , 91 Laps
12. ( 1 ) Mike Bailey ( 00VT ) , S. Barre, VT , 91 Laps
13. ( 29 ) Jeremy Davis ( 14NH ) , Tamworth, NH , 91 Laps
14. ( 12 ) Travis Stearns ( 16ME ) , Auburn, ME , 91 Laps
15. ( 27 ) Emily Packard ( 9ME ) , E. Montpelier, VT , 91 Laps
16. ( 10 ) Shawn Swallow ( 04NH ) , Stark, NH , 91 Laps
17. ( 20 ) Jeff White ( 50ME ) , Winthrop, ME , 91 Laps
18. ( 5 ) Randy Potter ( 15VT ) , Groveton, NH , 91 Laps
19. ( 23 ) Mike Kenison ( 3NH ) , Lancaster, NH , 91 Laps
20. ( 15 ) Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) , Montpelier, VT , 90 Laps
21. ( 26 ) Mike Ziter ( 54VT ) , Barre Town, VT , 90 Laps
22. ( 30 ) Bryan Mason ( 10NH ) , Stark, NH , 90 Laps
23. ( 22 ) Nick Sweet ( 40VT ) , Barre, VT , 86 Laps
24. ( 11 ) Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) , Barre, VT , 85 Laps
25. ( 13 ) Jimmy Hebert ( 58VT ) , Williamstown, VT , 85 Laps
26. ( 7 ) Brad Babb ( 15NH ) , Windham, ME , 83 Laps
27. ( 8 ) Corey Mason ( 1NH ) , Groveton, NH , 43 Laps
28. ( 24 ) Rowland Robinson, Jr. ( 28ME ) , Steuben, ME , 35 Laps
29. ( 17 ) Boomer Morris ( 13VT ) , Barre, VT , 22 Laps
30. ( 28 ) #Rich Dubeau ( 30NH ) , Plainfield, NH , 20 Laps
Lap Leaders: Mike Bailey, 0; Eddie MacDonald, 1-12; Derrick O'Donnell, 13-21; Macdonald, 22; O'Donnell, 23-75; MacDonald, 76-85; Wayne Helliwell Jr., 86-91. 7 lead changes among 4 drivers.
Time of Race: 56:48 Margin of Victory: under caution
Cautions: 7 (laps 20, 75, 83, 85, 86, 86, 91)
Heat Winners: Eddie MacDonald, Derek Ming, Shawn Swallow, Jason Corliss
Consi Winners: Derrick O'Donnell, Corey Mason, Boomer Morris
B-Feature Winner: Cody Blake
by Jay | May 28, 2015 | ACT, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
Eric LaFleche/VLFphotos.com photo
Waterbury, VT—The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) travels to Speedway 51 in Groveton, NH on Saturday, May 30 for the Generation Next ACT 151. Although the ACT Late Model Tour has been to Groveton 12 times previously, the 13th visit will hold a greater meaning, as it marks a new beginning for the ¼-mile oval formerly known as Riverside Speedway.
The event will be the first stock car race held at Speedway 51 since it was purchased at auction last November by Joey Laquerre, the winningest driver in the history of Barre, VT’s Thunder Road and patriarch of the Laquerre racing family. The auction occurred just one week after Laquerre’s grandson, up-and-coming Late Model racer Joey M. Laquerre, died from injuries sustained in an ATV accident. (more…)
