by Jay | Sep 24, 2009 | ACT, New England, Thunder Road
Barre, VT – Lots of new names will be at Barre’s Thunder Road this weekend for their first Chittenden Milk Bowl experience. These “outsiders” will invade the Barre highbanks to take on the Thunder Road and American Canadian Tour regulars in the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl on Sunday, September 27.
Newcomers Wayne Helliwell, Jr. (2009 Lee USA Champion), Quebec’s Daniel Bergeron, stock car builder Jeff Taylor, White Mountain’s Bernie Lantagne and Travis Fadden will take on local favorites Dave Pembroke, 2009 King of the Road Jean-Paul Cyr, Nick Sweet, Phil Scott, Jamie Fisher and Eric Williams among others.
“Its fun competing against new faces and we proved at Loudon last weekend that you don’t have to know one another to race each other with respect,” said Barre’s Nick Sweet. Sweet turned heads when he finished second at the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH last Saturday, September 19.
With no points on the line and over $75,000 in purse up for grabs, the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl is an intriguing event for many Late Model competitors from around the Northeast. With track champions already decided at most tracks in the area the Milk Bowl could turn out to be one of the best showcases of ACT Late Model competition in 2009.
Milk Bowl weekend will kick off with Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day on Saturday, September 26 at 1 pm. Times Trials as well as Triple 50 qualifiers will be run on Saturday to decide the first 24 starting positions of segment one. The final six positions will be filled after the Last Chance race at 1 pm on Sunday, September 27th, with the first segment of the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl soon to follow. Visit www. thunderroadspeedbowl.com for more information.
by Jay | Sep 24, 2009 | ACT, New England, Thunder Road
Berlin, VT – Harvest Hills Larolupine, a genuine Vermont beauty, has been crowned the 2009 Miss Milk Bowl. The three year-old registered Ayershire will deliver the victory smooch at the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl at Thunder Road International Speedbowl this Sunday afternoon (Septemeber 27th).
Larolupine comes from a Scottish background and has been winning pageants since she was a heifer. She has earned the honors of “Miss Milk Bowl” after recently being named the Grand Champion at the World’s Fair in Tunbridge. Owner Anne Burke claims she is “very kissable.”
Over forty of the finest Late Model competitors from the Northeast are expected to be on hand to battle for the honor of locking lips with Larolupine this weekend. Saturday, September 26 is Booth Bros./H.P. Hood qualifying day with the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl on Sunday, September 27. Post time for both days is 1 p.m.
by Jay | Sep 23, 2009 | ACT, Canada, New England
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) crowned Quebec City, Quebec veteran racer Donald Theetge as the 2009 Série ACT Castrol Champion. It was the second ACT Championship for the Theetge team. Theetge led the JPN Racing Patrick Laperle team by 33 points going into the final and longest race of the season, a 300-lap event on the 4/10ths mile oval at Autodrome St. Eustache, just outside Montreal.
Theetge was racing comfortably past the halfway mark in the 300-lap grind when he was involved in a major wreck on the front stretch. The race car suffered what appeared to be irreparable damage. “My team never gave up. My guys literally rebuilt the entire left side of the front suspension during the middle of the race. I have won this ACT Castrol title because of them. They were unbelievable, and I am very proud of how hard they worked to give us a chance to win the title”. Theetge finished 18th after returning to the race 50 laps down. He won the Championship following a bizarre set of events.
Laperle led a total of 189 laps of the event. He was leading around lap 268 when he appeared to have a tire going flat. Maintaining the lead but slowing dramatically until lap 270, Laperle knew he was in trouble. Sylvain Lacombe took over the lead on lap 270 and was then passed by eventual winner Jonathan Urlin of London, Ontario. Laperle started going back through the field. At this point there was not much question that he would have to pit under green flag conditions unless he could catch a ‘lucky’ caution flag.
On lap 273 Laperle’s cousin, Jacques Laperle, racing in only his second ACT Castrol event of the season, was running sixth on the lead lap. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, Jacques Laperle stopped his car under green in the outside lane on the backstretch, bringing out a yellow. The Jacques Laperle team claimed that they had a flat tire. ACT officials observed that the tire was not flat. Jacques Laperle was disqualified from the event for his actions of intentionally bringing out a yellow.
Following a timing and scoring re-check of several positions which was requested by the Patrick Laperle team, there was a scoring adjustment on the Daniel Descoste finishing position. There was also a procedural penalty issued to the Patrick Laperle team by ACT officials for violation of the ACT rules and procedures. A Patrick Laperle crew member left their pit stall and entered the pit stall of cousin Jacques Laperle, just prior to the alleged ‘flat tire’ on the backstretch. Patrick Laperle was issued a one-lap penalty for this infraction. Under ACT rules and procedures the driver is responsible for the conduct of his team. Patrick Laperle finished the event in 8th position, the first car two laps down.
With only 17 of the 33 cars that started the event finishing, Donald Theetge managed to complete the race in 18th position. The final results awarded Theetge the Championship by a single point.
The event had 13 cautions, five lead changes among 4 different drivers. Jonathan Urlin won $5,000 for winning the race.
The top ten final standings of the 2009 ACT Castrol Série are:
Pos. Car # Name Points
1. 80QC Donald Theetge 733
2. 91QC Patrick Laperle 732
3. 48QC Karl Allard 697
4. 21QC Jean-Francois Dery 641
5. 51QC Patrick Hamel 630
6. 5QC Patrick Cliche 596
7. 27QC Alexandre Gingras 523
8. 97QC Jacques Poulin 500
9. 11QC Claude Leclerc 496
10. 92QC Jonathan Desbiens 485
The annual Banquet of Champions will be held in November and the 2009 Série ACT Castrol will be honored.
by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | ACT, Canada, NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
Waterbury, VT – As American Canadian Tour (ACT) competitors prepare for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl, the grand finale of the 50th Anniversary Season at Barre’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl, all of New England is buzzing about their performance this past weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) in Loudon, NH. With some of the best racing of the meet, negotiations are already underway for a return in 2010.
ACT President Tom Curly stated, “There are several details to be worked out but the reaction from the speedway and the crowd made it an unqualified success.”
The Inaugural ACT Invitational saw Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA come from the 19th starting position to take the win. Other big movers were Barre’s Nick Sweet from eighth to second, fourth place Canadian Patrick Laperle started 18th and Graniteville’s John Donahue from 21st to finish fifth.
NHMS President Gerry Gappens said “With only two cautions in the entire race, one for a cut tire that sent Ben Rowe into the fence and the level of competition of ACT drivers coming through the field, it was as exciting as we’d hoped. ACT drivers showed a lot of respect, but never gave an inch. It was great racing.” The other caution was for a minor spin and 32 of the 36 cars that started the 50 lap event took the checkers.
Sixteen year old Brandon Watson from Stayner, Ontario battled hard with former NHMS track champion MacDonald for a good portion of the race. Watson started racing go-carts at the age of eight and only has two years of experience in the Late Model division at Kawartha Speedway in Fraserville, Ontario. Watson won two features and finished second in the point standings at Kawartha.
This weekend the action on the famed Barre highbanks will begin on Saturday, September 26 with Booth Bros./H.P. Hood time trials and 50 lap qualifiers as well as NAPA Tiger Sportsmen, Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Power Shift Junkyard Warriors qualifying beginning at 1:00 pm. Race pageantry for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl will begin Sunday, September 27 after the Last Chance “B” Feature at 1:00pm.
by Jay | Sep 20, 2009 | ACT, Canada, NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
LOUDON, NH – Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA won the Inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. MacDonald came from the 19th starting position and took the lead on lap 36 from young Brandon Watson from Stayner, ON. Watson hung with MacDonald, not more than a car length away and eventually took the lead again on the lap 41 restart. MacDonald would eventually take the lead again for good.
“It was awesome to win the first ACT race here. I’m sure there will be more but winning the first one is special. There were still a lot of fans in the grandstands from after the truck race,” said MacDonald who scored his second win of the weekend after taking the East Series race at NHMS on Friday.
After MacDonald took the lead for the last time the battle of the race became for second. Nick Sweet of Barre, VT and Joey Laquerre from Montpelier, VT caught Watson for second. The three ran under a blanket for the final 7 laps with Sweet getting the advantage and Watson fell back to third after Laquerre momentarily lost the handle. Watson then had to hold off Patrick Laperle from St-Denis, QC for third at the line by a bumper. Laperle had to settle for fourth followed by John Donahue of Graniteville, VT taking fifth. Laquerre held on for sixth followed by Brad Leighton, Brian Hoar, Bruce Thomas, and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. came home tenth.
Joey Doiron of Berwick, ME got the initial jump on lap one and led by three car lengths over pole sitter Bruce Thomas of Groton, CT by the time they were in turn 2. Doiron then pulled out to a comfortable lead for the first 20 laps before the handling on his car appeared to fade. Thomas was right there to take over followed closely by Ontario’s Brandon Watson. Watson and Thomas battled through lap traffic as the field remained under green for the first 31 laps. That ended when Eric Chase spun in turn two. Watson took the lead on the restart until MacDonald took over the lead after coming from his 19th starting position.
The Inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire was completed in 38 minutes and 32 seconds with only 2 cautions. The lead was swapped five times among four drivers.
The Série ACT Castrol drivers will be back in action tomorrow at St-Eustache Speedway in St-Eustache, QC for a 300 lap to cap off their season. The American Canadian Late Model Tour will finish off their season at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, October 11. Next Sunday, September 27 most of these drivers will show up for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.
Inaugural ACT Invitational
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pos Car # Driver Hometown
1 17MA Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA
2 88VT Nick Sweet Barre, VT
3 9ON Brandon Watson Stayner, ON
4 91QC Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC
5 26VT John Donahue Graniteville, VT
6 15VT Joey Laquerre East Montpelier, VT
7 55NH Brad Leighton Center Harbor, NH
8 37VT Brian Hoar Williston, VT
9 35CT Bruce Thomas Groton, CT
10 97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. Hudson, NH
11 11RI Ryan Vanasse Warwick, RI
12 48QC Karl Allard St-Felicien, QC
13 71ON Dan McHattie Cavan, ON
14 94ME Shawn Martin Turner, ME
15 21QC Jean-François Déry Quebec, QC
16 89VT Scott Payea Milton, VT
17 11VT Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT
18 14ON Sean Kennedy Dunrobin, ON
19 55VT Brent Dragon Milton, VT
20 02NH Randy Potter Groveton, NH
21 40VT Eric Chase Burlington, VT
22 80QC Donald Theetge Boischatel, QC
23 44VT David Pembroke Montpelier, VT
24 18VT Jamie Fisher Shelburne, VT
25 14VT Phil Scott Montpelier, VT
26 27MA Wayne Helliwell Jr. Dracut, MA
27 6VT Cris Michaud Northfield, VT
28 51ME Ricky Rolfe Albany Twnshp, ME
29 83VT Stacy Cahoon St. Johnsbury, VT
30 8NH Guy Caron Lempster, NH
31 73ME #Joe Doiron Berwick, ME
32 03ME Travis Adams Canton, ME
33 10NH Ben Rowe Turner, ME
34 60NH TJ Watson Cundys Harbor, ME
35 7ME Glen Luce Turner, ME
36 47CT Tim Jordan Plainfield, CT
by Jay | Sep 19, 2009 | ACT, NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
1. Bruce Thomas, Jr.
2. Joey Doiron
3. Brandon Watson
4. Timmy Jordan
5. Joey Laquerre
6. Randy Potter
7. Shawn Martin
8. Nick Sweet
9. Sean Kennedy
10. Ryan Vanasse
11. Jean-Francois Dery
12. Karl Allard
13. Donald Theetge
14. Brian Hoar
15. Ben Rowe
16. Dave Pembroke
17. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.
18. Patrick Laperle
19. Eddie MacDonald
20. Brent Dragon
21. John Donahue
22. Brad Leighton
23. Scott Payea
24. Phil Scott
25. Jean-Paul Cyr
26. Wayne Helliwell, Jr.
27. Dan McHattie
28. Glen Luce
29. Stacy Cahoon
30. Travis Adams
31. Guy Caron
32. T.J. Watson
33. Eric Chase
34. Jamie Fisher
35. Ricky Rolfe
36. Cris Michaud
