by Jay | Apr 27, 2016 | ACT, Lee USA, New, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
photo by RPM 360
After posting the fastest time in practice on Saturday, Eddie MacDonald hoped to repeat his 2014 win in this year’s American Canadian Tour Exit Realty Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday. When the checkered flag waved Eddie Mac crossed the stripe for a frustrating eighth place finish.
“We made an adjustment late Saturday that really helped us in the short run but killed us in the long run,” said the driver of the Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy. “The car was pretty fast on Saturday and we thought the change would help the car in the late stages of the race but it didn’t turn out that way. It was pretty frustrating knowing I didn’t have the car to win it. With all our family and friends here, it would have been great to win it on our home track.”
Eddie Mac posted a plus one in his qualifying heat to start 13th in the 32 car field scheduled to go 150 laps around the 3/8ths of a mile oval owned and operated by Eddie’s parents Judy and Red MacDonald who are celebrating their thirtieth year operating the track. The American Canadian Tour’s Governor’s Cup had to be rescheduled from an earlier date due to weather concerns. When the green flag finally dropped to open the Lee USA season, Eddie Mac was comfortable riding the Freddie Peterson owned #17 near the middle of the pack to conserve tires. ACT rules do not allow teams to change tires unless damaged.
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by Jay | Apr 27, 2016 | ACT, Lee USA, New, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
photo by Rich Hayes
Lee, NH – Lee USA Speedway swung open the gates Sunday afternoon to drop the green flag on the 2016 season with the annual running of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model event. The traditional season-opener also featured the NEMST Mini Stocks and Northeast Classic Lites doing battle at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“.
Many special guests were on hand for the season-opening activities, including New Hampshire’s Governor Maggie Hassan, and legendary local rocker Charlie Farren, who sang the national anthem before the afternoon’s main event.
The Northeast Mini Stock Tour got the honor of being the first feature that took to the fast 3/8th’s mile for the new season, with Zach Audet claiming a convincing victory in the 50-lap feature event. 2014 Lee USA Late Model Sportsman champ Niko Maniatis came up just short for the second straight year scoring runner-up ahead of Haywood Herriot.
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by Jay | Apr 21, 2016 | ACT, Lee USA, New, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
Therrien Leads Charge into Lee USA Speedway. (Heather Aube photo)
Waterbury, VT – After a convincing victory at Oxford Plains Speedway last Sunday, Bobby Therrien is looking to continue his hot start as American-Canadian Tour (ACT) takes the green flag this Sunday, April 24 at Lee USA Speedway with the annual New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150. The NH Governor’s Cup, which was postponed due to weather in early April to start 2016 racing season, has been the traditional ACT opener since 2008, and with 12 different winners in the previous 13 ACT Late Model Tour events at the 1/3-mile speedway, the stage is set for another unpredictable and exciting event.
Four of the last six NH Governor’s Cup winners – Miles Chipman (2010), Jimmy Hebert (2013), Eddie MacDonald (2014), and Wayne Helliwell, Jr. (2015) – have entered the event. Each hopes to become just the second repeat ACT Late Model winner at Lee.
The four will have plenty of challengers trying to add their names to the Lee USA record books. Colchester, VT’s Scott Payea now pilots the RPM Motorsports car that Brian Hoar drove to back-to-back NH Governor’s Cup wins in 2011 and 2012. Windham, ME’s Brad Babb was the runner-up in the 2015 Governor’s Cup and hopes to do one spot better in 2016. Kyle Welch and Rich Dubeau also turned in impressive performances at Lee in 2015 and could challenge for the win.
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by Jay | Apr 7, 2016 | ACT, Lee USA, New, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
photo by RPM 360
Eddie MacDonald will take the green flag at Lee USA Speedway, his family-owned track, on Sunday, April 10 in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 American Canadian Tour’s 25th season opener. As the 2014 Governor’s Cup winner, Eddie Mac would like nothing better than to start the season off with a victory on the track he honed his skills as a teenager.
“We are really looking forward to this race and hope to win in front of all our families and friends,” said Eddie Mac. “My parent’s, Judy and Red, will be celebrating their 30th season owning and operating Lee. It would be awesome to win this for them for everything they have done for me. They haven’t put any pressure on me to win other than my father expecting me to win every race, but I know it would mean a lot to them.”
Following last season’s finale in the Fall Brawl at Speedway 51 the #17 Freddie Peterson owned Hancock Electric/Exit Realty Chevy needed extensive body repairs with Eddie and the crew spending a lot of shop time getting the car back in shape with Eddie saying, “We had to replace all the body panels, nerf bars and just about everything else you could think of but it looks great and we think it will be fast once we hit the track. The guys worked hard getting everything done. Joe St. Jacques did a great job with metal and tin and John Tiernan did his usual great job with the paint and lettering. Rob Drandson took care of all the welding. Herbie Wing and Dick Casey were the guys taking everything apart and putting it all back together. Rollie and I have been putting the final touches in for the set up so we are ready to go.”
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by Jay | Apr 6, 2016 | ACT, Lee USA, New, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
Waterbury, VT –The unique Winter-Spring of 2016 has forced officials of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and the Lee USA Speedway to postpone the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10.
More than 40 ACT Late Model teams were expected to try and qualify for 28 starting spots, including defending event and 2015 ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dover, NH, along with recent SERIE Que Champions Dany Trepanier and Alex Labbe. Former Lee Governor’s Cup Champion, Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA was also ready to begin the season at his home track.
The make-up date for Lee is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24 with a post time of 1:00pm.
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by Jay | Mar 18, 2016 | ACT, New, New Hampshire, Touring Series News
Southern New England Tripleheader Highlights 25th Season for ACT Late Models
Waterbury, VT – The 25th season of the ACT Late Model Tour will see a number of exciting new events that showcase the best of Late Model racing in the Northeastern United States. Among the highlights of the silver anniversary is the debut of the Southern New England Tripleheader, which will pit the standouts of the ACT Late Model Tour against the best weekly Late Model racers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
The three race series will be contested at Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl and Thompson Speedway, along with Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway, which is located just outside of E. Providence, RI. In addition to awarding ACT Late Model Tour championship points at each event, a separate $7,500 point fund has been posted for local weekly competitors who run all three events.
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