by Jay | Jul 26, 2009 | ACT, Beech Ridge
Scarborough, ME – Five-time American Canadian Tour Champion Brian Hoar of Williston, VT notched career win number 24 in the Beech Ridge 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Hoar started in the ninth position and moved into the lead on lap 37 by passing local favorite Aarron Ricker. Hoar then appeared to have the race in hand as he was chased through lap traffic by Randy Potter during an 80 lap green flag run.
After a couple of late cautions Eric Williams moved up into second place and challenged Hoar for the win right down to the end. Williams would come home second followed by Cris Michaud while Potter held on for fourth and Maine native Ricky Rolfe finished fifth. Coming home sixth was Jay Laquerre followed by Brent Dragon, John Donahue, Scott Payea, and Nick Brown rounding out the top ten.
Hoar becomes the 13th driver to qualify for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19th. He joins Brad Leighton, Williams, Scott Payea, Joey Polewarczyk Jr., Patrick Laperle, Dave Pembroke, Jean-François Déry, Donald Theetge, Sean Kennedy, Brent Dragon, John Donahue and Oxford 250 winner Eddie MacDonald.
The Beech Ridge 150 took just over one hour and fifteen minutes to complete and was slowed by only seven cautions. One caution was for a malfunction with the track lighting, which left the front stretch completely dark on lap 28. Everyone made it through the black out safely.
This Friday, July 31st the American Canadian Tour will be back in action at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH. Twin State is one of the five ACT sanctioned events during a four day period this week. It all begins this Thursday, July 30th when special guest Richard Petty visits Thunder Road International Speedbowl for a regular weekly event. Friday sees the ACT Tour at Twin State, while Saturday, August 1st has the Série ACT Castrol at Autodrome Montmagny and the Tiger Sportsmen Tri-State Series travels to Canaan Fair Speedway for their second event of the 2009 season. The busy weekend is then capped off with the 25th Annual M&M Beverage Enduro on Sunday, August 2nd.
Unofficial Beech Ridge 150 Results
Pos Car # Driver
1 37 Brian Hoar
2 7vt Eric Williams
3 6 Cris Michaud
4 02nh Randy Potter
5 51me Ricky Rolfe
6 50 Jay Laquerre
7 55vt Brent Dragon
8 26vt John Donahue
9 89 Scott Payea
10 12 Nick Brown
11 97nh Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.
12 88 Nicholas Sweet
13 22 Aarron Ricker
14 10nh Mike Rowe
15 55nh Brad Leighton
16 0 #Miles Chipman
17 60nh Bobby Babb
18 7me Glen Luce
19 40vt Eric Chase
20 73me #Joey Doiron
21 00 Bryan Kruczek
22 9vt Chip Grenier
23 15vt Joey Laquerre
24 28vt Dwayne Lanphear
25 27 Jason Larrabee
26 41 Pete Potvin, III
27 26me Corey Morgan
28 38vt Tyler Cahoon
29 87 Larry Gelinas
30 85 Travis Stearns
31 71 Bobby Dragon
32 77nh Mark Hayward
33 18 Jamie Fisher
34 25 Shawn Knight
by Jay | Jul 24, 2009 | ACT, New England
Barre, VT- Cris Michaud of Northfield, VT captured the first ever victory for a Ford Crate Engine in American Canadian Tour history at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Casella Waste Management Night. Michaud drives the lone Ford engine in ACT competition since its inception this season. Countless hours of testing and tuning by Michaud and his crew have made the Ford Crate Engine competitive both at Thunder Road and on various tracks visited by the ACT Tour.
Michaud got by Doug Murphy with five laps remaining in the 50 lap main event. Murphy would hold on to second and his second straight podium finish. Reno Gervais worked his way from the seventh starting position to finish third followed by Trampas Demers and Jerry Lesage rounding out the top five. Phil Scott came all the way from 15th to finish sixth, Nick Sweet seventh, Jamie Fisher eighth, Joey Becker ninth and Dave Pembroke took tenth.
The NAPA Tiger Sportsmen Casella Waste Management Feature saw a three car breakaway for the win. Eric Badore of Milton won his second feature event of the 2009 season and his NAPA Tiger Sportsmen career. Badore held off runner-up finisher Ray Stearns and third place Shawn Fleury as they broke away from the rest of the field. Pete Ainsworth and Brian Delphia finished fourth and fifth respectively while David Finck, Ricky Roberts, Neal Foster, Mike Billado and Joey Laquerre filled the sixth through tenth positions.
Tucker Williams of Hyde Park, VT captured his third Allen Lumber Street Stock Feature win of his rookie career in the Casella Waste Management feature. Jason Allen inherited the second place after Jeff Martin had issues in the tech line due to too much left side weight. That also allowed Martin Ingram to move into third followed by Troy Gray and William Hennequin finishing in the top five. Sixth through tenth was Greg Adams, David Allen, Scott Weston, Mike Martin and Tim Campbell.
Northfield’s John Prentice took home the Power Shift Junkyard Warriors Monza style feature. The first eight laps the Warriors drove in reverse before turning around for the final 25 laps. Prentice was given the win for finishing third in both segments. Kevin Streeter came home second after losing the tie-breaker to Prentice. Apparent third place finisher Mark LaFleche was disqualified in the tech line for too much camber, handing third place to Ken Christman. Kevin Wheatley and Kevin Dodge rounded out the top five.
Next Thursday, July 30th is WDEV/Calkins Night with special guest Richard Petty. “The King” will be on hand for a Meet and Greet session for fans from 5:45 to 6:30. Petty will also be the Grand Marshall for the annual Porta-Potty Grand Prix. This year’s contestants are Jean-Paul Cyr representing the Late Model division, James Hebert for the NAPA Tiger Sportsman, Gary Mullen in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Donnie Yates from the Power Shift Junkyard Warriors. Also next week is the $5,000 to win M&M Beverage Enduro on Sunday, August 2nd.
Unofficial Late Model Feature Results – 1. Cris Michaud (6) Northfield, VT, 2. Doug Murphy (4) Tunbridge, VT, 3. Reno Gervais (12vt) Island Pond, VT, 4. Trampas Demers (85) South Burlington, VT, 5. Jerry Lesage (74) Winooski, VT, 6. Phil Scott (14) Montpelier, VT, 7. Nicholas Sweet (88) Barre, VT, 8. Jamie Fisher (18) Shelburne, VT, 9. Joe Becker (16) Jeffersonville, VT, 10. Dave Pembroke (44) Montpelier, VT, 11. Craig Bushey (05) Cambridge, VT, 12. Mike Bailey (00) Barre, VT, 13. Jean-Paul Cyr (11vt) Milton, VT, 14. Brooks Clark (68) Fayston, VT, 15. Eric Chase (40vt) Milton, VT, 16. Matt White (42vt) Northfield, VT, 17. John Donahue (26vt) Graniteville, VT, 18. Dylan Smith (34) Randolph, VT, 19. Grant Folsom (81) Waitsfield, VT, 20. Rich Lowrey (8vt) Charlotte, VT, 21. David Whitcomb (25) Essex Jct., VT, 22. Kyle Caron (22) Colchester, VT, 23. Steve Fisher (24) Shelburne, VT, 24. Tony Andrews (1) Northfield, VT.
Unofficial NAPA Tiger Sportsmen Feature Results – 1. Eric Badore (04) Milton, VT, 2. Ray Stearns (89) E. Corinth, VT, 3. Shawn Fleury (31) Middlesex, VT, 4. Pete Ainsworth Jr. (80) Middlesex, VT, 5. Brian Delphia (55) Waterbury, VT, 6. David Finck (37) Barre, VT, 7. Ricky Roberts (9) Washington, VT, 8. #Neal Foster (19) Waterbury, VT, 9. #Mike Billado (8) Essex, VT, 10. Joey Laquerre (15) E. Montpelier, VT, 11. Joe Steffen (00) Essex Jct., VT, 12. Jeff French (06) Northfield, VT, 13. Joey Roberts (50) Georgia, VT, 14. Mike Ziter (26) Williamstown, VT, 15. Cody Blake (99) Barre, VT, 16. Bobby Therrien (4) Hinesburg, VT, 17. Matt Potter (23) Marshfield, VT, 18. Kris Grout (49) Waterbury, VT, 19. Mark Barnier (0) Essex Jct., VT, 20. Joel Hodgdon (36) Craftsbury, VT, 21. Lance Allen (18) Barre, VT, 22. Tony Rossi (90) Barre, VT, 23. Brendan Moodie (94) Wolcott, VT, 24. James Hebert (58) Williamstown, VT, 25. Derrick O’Donnell (68) Bradford, VT, 26. Tom Therrien (48) Hinesburg, VT, 27. Richard LaFond (84) Colchester, VT, 28. John Drinkwine (98) Barre, VT.
Unofficial Allen Lumber Street Stock Feature Results – 1. #Tucker Williams (99) Hyde Park, VT, 2. Jason Allen (88) Northfield, VT, 3. Martin Ingram (7) Essex Jct., VT, 4. Troy Gray (00) Fairlee, VT, 5. William Hennequin (47) Morrisville, VT, 6. Greg Adams Jr. (38) Hardwick, VT, 7. David Allen (11) North Troy, VT, 8. Scott Weston (04) Berlin, VT, 9. Mike Martin (01) Craftbury Comn,VT, 10. Timmy Campbell (34) W. Topsham, VT.
Unofficial Power Shift Junkyard Warriors Feature Results – 1. John Prentice (87) Northfield, VT, 2. Kevin Streeter (61) Waitsfield, VT, 3. Ken Christman (4) Cabot, VT, 4. Kevin Wheatley (31) Williamstown, VT, 5. Kevin Dodge (8) Barre, VT, 6. Troy Kingsbury (7) Waitsfield, VT, 7. Alex Whitcomb (78) Montpelier, VT, 8. Lance Donald (52) Williamstown, VT, 9. Donny Yates (05) N. Montpelier, VT, 10. Keith Fortier (35) Hinesburg, VT.
by Jay | Jul 24, 2009 | ACT, Beech Ridge, New England
Waterbury, VT – Eddie MacDonald from Rowley, MA has entered the American Canadian Tour (ACT) championship at the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (BRMS) this Saturday night. The winner of the TD Bank 250 at the Oxford Plains Speedway last Sunday will take his Rollie Lachance-led team to BRMS to compete in the ACT point-counting event.
Red MacDonald, the owner of Lee USA Speedway and father of one of New England’s brightest stock car stars said, “Eddie wanted to work on his NASCAR Camping World East car this weekend to get ready for a race at Adirondack Speedway in a couple of weeks. I told him it was just a one-day race at Beech Ridge and we needed to go race this Saturday. I told him I would put the ACT Late Model back together after the tear down last Sunday night if he was willing to head up the road about an hour this Saturday.”
MacDonald headlined a stellar field of cars last Sunday at the 36th annual summer classic at Oxford Plains where he captured over $35,000.00 in prize money, and put his name in the storied history books of winners of the prestigious “Oxford 250”. “We really have fun racing with these Late Models and when we see the mix of veteran drivers like Brad Leighton, Mike Rowe, Brian Hoar, Brent Dragon along with the new stars like Joey Polewarczyk, Nick Sweet and Scott Payea, we know we are going to have to battle all day. It is a lot of fun,” said MacDonald.
Post time for the Beech Ridge ACT 150 is 6:00 pm this Saturday, July 25, 2009.
by Jay | Jul 14, 2009 | ACT, Beech Ridge, Maine
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) will return to the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (BRMS) on Saturday, July 25, 2009. The “Ridge” was a mainstay for ACT back in the days of veteran racers Rowe, McCabe, Dragon, Crouch, Dion, Cabana and a host of other Pro Stock competitors.
A new crop of Late Model competitors will return to the Beech Ridge event from throughout New England and Canada. They are a diverse group comprising both veteran and new teams. The ACT 150 lap championship event will see a whole new generation of stars, along with some of those familiar names from 16 years ago. Second generation drivers Brent and Scott Dragon, rising stars Joey Polewarczyk from Hudson, NH and current point leader Scott Payea from Milton, VT will be joined by Maine ACT Late Model standouts Glen Luce of Turner and Ricky Rolfe from Albany Township. The Oxford Plains Speedway will also send a large contingent of their weekly stars to the inaugural ACT Late Model event. Oxford champions Travis Adams, Tim Brackett and Shawn Martin are expected to take on the Tour regulars.
“Returning to Beech Ridge has been one of the goals of the American Canadian Tour since we started touring with these Late Model teams about ten years ago”, said ACT President Tom Curley. “There is real excitement for the competitors to be able to compete at one of the premiere short tracks in America. I think BRMS is perfectly suited to our kind of racing. The fans should be in for a great treat, as there should be plenty of cars to make the qualifying intense, and traditionally our 150 lap races have fans on the edge of their seats”, continued Curley.
The American Canadian Tour was designed to give local racers an opportunity to compete on a level playing field with the outside touring teams. The basic concept was to have a series where it was more about driving the cars and setting them up than just buying raw horsepower. The popularity of the American Canadian Tour among teams and fans has proven this to be a good formula for the current times.
The added incentive of winning at Beech Ridge is that the winner will be given an invitation to participate in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway ACT Invitational on Saturday, September 19. This triple-header of racing will feature the NASCAR Whelen Modifieds, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ACT Invitational. ACT teams have been qualifying throughout the 2009 race season. Each touring event in both the US and its Canadian counterpart, the Série ACT Castrol, has brought record fields of cars to this year’s events. The winners all get invited to NHMS for the opening weekend of the Cup Chase. The winner of the Beech Ridge event will earn an invitation, along with 35 other competitors from throughout New England and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
Post time for the Saturday, July 25th event is 6:00.
Forum link – http://www.maineracer.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=118161#118161
by Jay | Jul 12, 2009 | ACT, NASCAR
Peterborough, ON – Brad Leighton of Center Harbor, NH captured his second ACT Tour victory of the 2009 season in the Summer Sizzler 200 at Kawartha Speedway in Peterborough, ON. Leighton started on the outside pole with a plus four handicap in ACT’s plus/minus system and led until Patrick Laperle took control on lap 27.
Laperle wouldn’t hold the lead for long as Randy Potter got by him on lap 56. Potter and Laperle then battled until a caution flag on lap 92 when Potter along with several other cars pitted for fresh tires and gas. Laperle would not be contested again until Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk, Jr. caught him on lap 113.
Laperle and Pole rubbed fenders until lap 139 when Laperle lost the lead for good. It then appeared that Pole was going to run away from the field until a caution on lap 181 grouped the field back together and brought Potter within striking distance. Pole and Potter then swapped the lead through three more late restarts until it appeared Potter had issues on the lap 189 restart.
Leighton took advantage of Potter’s mishap and got by Pole for the final lead change on lap 191. Pole would hang on to finish second followed by ACT Tour point leader Scott Payea in third. Karl Allard and Jonathan Urlin finished fourth and fifth. Brian Hoar, Patrick Laperle, Dave Morgan, Brandon Watson and Chip Grenier filled out the sixth through tenth positions.
Leighton scored his first victory of the season at the ACT Tour opener at Lee USA Speedway in April, where he received the first invite to the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19th. Therefore the total number of qualifiers remains at eleven.
The ACT Tour has next weekend off but many of them will make the trip to Oxford Plains Speedway for the Oxford 250 on Sunday, July 19th. The next ACT Tour event will be at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, ME on Saturday, July 25th.
Unofficial ACT Tour Summer Sizzler 200 Results – 1.Brad Leighton (55NH) Center Harbor, NH, 2. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (97NH) Hudson, NH, 3. Scott Payea (89) Milton, VT, 4. Karl Allard (48QC) St-Felicien, QC, 5. Jonathan Urlin (4) London, ON, 6. Brian Hoar (37) Williston, VT, 7. Patrick Laperle (91) St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC, 8. Dave Morgan (70) Buckhorn, ON, 9. Brandon Watson (19) Stayner, ON, 10. Chip Grenier (9VT) Graniteville, VT, 11. Ricky Rolfe (51ME) Albany TWP, ME, 12. Donald Theetge (80) Boischatel, QC, 13. Derek Lynch (15) Warkworth, ON, 14. Dan McHattie (71) Cavan, ON, 15. Pete Vanderwyst (72) St. Thomas, ON, 16. Cole Powell (25) Mount Bridges, ON, 17. John Donahue (26VT) Graniteville, VT, 18. Justin Holtom (17ON) Ottawa, ON, 19. Glen Luce (7ME) Turner, ME, 20. Sylvain Lacombe (3) Terrebonne, QC, 21. Claude Leclerc (11PQ) Lanoraie, QC, 22. Daniel Descoste (2) St-Joseph du Lac, QC, 23. Randy Potter (02NH) Groveton, NH, 24. Pete Potvin (41) Graniteville, VT, 25. Stéphane Descoste (10QC) OKA, QC, 26. Tyler Cahoon (38VT) St.Johnsbury, VT, 27. Mike Sinopoli (8) Courtice, ON, 28. Nick Sinopoli (1) Oshawa, ON, 29. Bryan Mercer (81) Port Hope, ON, 30. Spencer MacPherson (31) Carleton Place, ON, 31. Ryan Kimball (16) Norwood, ON, 32. Tim Kirby (07) Carleton Place, ON, 33. Darragh Moroney (5) Peterborough, ON, 34. Tim Fernandes (77) Peterborough, ON, 35. Eric Chase (40VT) Milton, VT, 36. Brent Dragon (55VT) Milton, VT, 37. Yvon Bédard (67) St.Nicolas, QC.
Unofficial ACT Summer Sizzler 200
Pos Car # Driver
1 55NH Brad Leighton
2 97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.
3 89 Scott Payea
4 48QC Karl Allard
5 4 Jonathan Urlin
6 37 Brian Hoar
7 91 Patrick Laperle
8 70 Dave Morgan
9 19 Brandon Watson
10 9VT Chip Grenier
11 51ME Ricky Rolfe
12 80 Donald Theetge
13 15 Derek Lynch
14 71 Dan McHattie
15 72 Pete Vanderwyst
16 25 Cole Powell
17 26VT John Donahue
18 17ON Justin Holtom
19 7ME Glen Luce
20 3 Sylvain Lacombe
21 11PQ Claude Leclerc
22 2 Daniel Descoste
23 02NH Randy Potter
24 41 Pete Potvin, III
25 10QC Stéphane Descoste
26 38VT Tyler Cahoon
27 8 Mike Sinopoli
28 1 Nick Sinopoli
29 81 Bryan Mercer
30 31 Spencer MacPherson
31 16 Ryan Kimball
32 07 Tim Kirby
33 5 Darragh Moroney
34 77 Tim Fernandes
35 40VT Eric Chase
36 55VT Brent Dragon
37 67 Yvon Bédard
Brad Leighton Wins Summer Sizzler 200 at Kawartha Speedway
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ACT-071209
Peterborough, ON – Brad Leighton of Center Harbor, NH captured his second ACT Tour victory of the 2009 season in the Summer Sizzler 200 at Kawartha Speedway in Peterborough, ON. Leighton started on the outside pole with a plus four handicap in ACT’s plus/minus system and led until Patrick Laperle took control on lap 27.
Laperle wouldn’t hold the lead for long as Randy Potter got by him on lap 56. Potter and Laperle then battled until a caution flag on lap 92 when Potter along with several other cars pitted for fresh tires and gas. Laperle would not be contested again until Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk, Jr. caught him on lap 113.
Laperle and Pole rubbed fenders until lap 139 when Laperle lost the lead for good. It then appeared that Pole was going to run away from the field until a caution on lap 181 grouped the field back together and brought Potter within striking distance. Pole and Potter then swapped the lead through three more late restarts until it appeared Potter had issues on the lap 189 restart.
Leighton took advantage of Potter’s mishap and got by Pole for the final lead change on lap 191. Pole would hang on to finish second followed by ACT Tour point leader Scott Payea in third. Karl Allard and Jonathan Urlin finished fourth and fifth. Brian Hoar, Patrick Laperle, Dave Morgan, Brandon Watson and Chip Grenier filled out the sixth through tenth positions.
Leighton scored his first victory of the season at the ACT Tour opener at Lee USA Speedway in April, where he received the first invite to the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19th. Therefore the total number of qualifiers remains at eleven.
The ACT Tour has next weekend off but many of them will make the trip to Oxford Plains Speedway for the Oxford 250 on Sunday, July 19th. The next ACT Tour event will be at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, ME on Saturday, July 25th.
Unofficial ACT Tour Summer Sizzler 200 Results – 1.Brad Leighton (55NH) Center Harbor, NH, 2. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (97NH) Hudson, NH, 3. Scott Payea (89) Milton, VT, 4. Karl Allard (48QC) St-Felicien, QC, 5. Jonathan Urlin (4) London, ON, 6. Brian Hoar (37) Williston, VT, 7. Patrick Laperle (91) St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC, 8. Dave Morgan (70) Buckhorn, ON, 9. Brandon Watson (19) Stayner, ON, 10. Chip Grenier (9VT) Graniteville, VT, 11. Ricky Rolfe (51ME) Albany TWP, ME, 12. Donald Theetge (80) Boischatel, QC, 13. Derek Lynch (15) Warkworth, ON, 14. Dan McHattie (71) Cavan, ON, 15. Pete Vanderwyst (72) St. Thomas, ON, 16. Cole Powell (25) Mount Bridges, ON, 17. John Donahue (26VT) Graniteville, VT, 18. Justin Holtom (17ON) Ottawa, ON, 19. Glen Luce (7ME) Turner, ME, 20. Sylvain Lacombe (3) Terrebonne, QC, 21. Claude Leclerc (11PQ) Lanoraie, QC, 22. Daniel Descoste (2) St-Joseph du Lac, QC, 23. Randy Potter (02NH) Groveton, NH, 24. Pete Potvin (41) Graniteville, VT, 25. Stéphane Descoste (10QC) OKA, QC, 26. Tyler Cahoon (38VT) St.Johnsbury, VT, 27. Mike Sinopoli (8) Courtice, ON, 28. Nick Sinopoli (1) Oshawa, ON, 29. Bryan Mercer (81) Port Hope, ON, 30. Spencer MacPherson (31) Carleton Place, ON, 31. Ryan Kimball (16) Norwood, ON, 32. Tim Kirby (07) Carleton Place, ON, 33. Darragh Moroney (5) Peterborough, ON, 34. Tim Fernandes (77) Peterborough, ON, 35. Eric Chase (40VT) Milton, VT, 36. Brent Dragon (55VT) Milton, VT, 37. Yvon Bédard (67) St.Nicolas, QC.
Unofficial ACT Summer Sizzler 200
Pos Car # Driver
1 55NH Brad Leighton
2 97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.
3 89 Scott Payea
4 48QC Karl Allard
5 4 Jonathan Urlin
6 37 Brian Hoar
7 91 Patrick Laperle
8 70 Dave Morgan
9 19 Brandon Watson
10 9VT Chip Grenier
11 51ME Ricky Rolfe
12 80 Donald Theetge
13 15 Derek Lynch
14 71 Dan McHattie
15 72 Pete Vanderwyst
16 25 Cole Powell
17 26VT John Donahue
18 17ON Justin Holtom
19 7ME Glen Luce
20 3 Sylvain Lacombe
21 11PQ Claude Leclerc
22 2 Daniel Descoste
23 02NH Randy Potter
24 41 Pete Potvin, III
25 10QC Stéphane Descoste
26 38VT Tyler Cahoon
27 8 Mike Sinopoli
28 1 Nick Sinopoli
29 81 Bryan Mercer
30 31 Spencer MacPherson
31 16 Ryan Kimball
32 07 Tim Kirby
33 5 Darragh Moroney
34 77 Tim Fernandes
35 40VT Eric Chase
36 55VT Brent Dragon
37 67 Yvon Bédard
by Jay | Jun 9, 2009 | ACT, New
Speedbowl’s Late Model Competitors Ready to Host ACT Tour
Waterford, CT (June 8, 2009) – Late Model teams at Waterford Speedbowl will have Saturday June 13th off from NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action. The ACT Late Model Tour visits the historic shoreline oval for a 100-lap event however, which some ‘Bowl competitors are hoping to provide some home cooking in.
The Speedbowl Late Model division is comprised of ACT-legal cars, giving the “home team” of drivers a leg up on the ACT Tour competition when it comes to experience and number of laps around the tricky three eighths mile Speedbowl. Waterford regulars Bruce Thomas Jr. and Tim Jordan will lead the charge for the locals. Others expected to defend their turf versus the Tour include Dennis Stampfl, Allen Coates, and Joe Curioso. Another driver looking to qualify is Howard Payne. Payne is just getting started in the division, but the multiple-time winner in the Truck Series has proven to be a quick learner in his racing career. Payne will be racing for a cause, donating any winnings from his effort to Racing Against Cancer.
“We’ve hoped our Late Model division would evolve towards this and our guys are ready” offered Speedbowl owner and promoter Terry Eames. “This should be a good one”.
A year ago, Bruce Thomas Jr. was impressive in the 100-lap event leading much of the race before succumbing to eventual winner Scott Payea during a restart in the middle stages of the race. Thomas finished the event second. Seven Speedbowl competitors in total qualified for the 30-car field last year. Many ran well and Ron Yuhas Jr. joined Thomas in the top-five finishers.
During NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model action this year, none have been quicker than Thomas or Jordan. The pair have captured the past three division championships and have routinely been clocked in the mid 15 second lap bracket during competition this year. Thomas, who hails from nearby Groton, turned in a blistering 15.202 second time-trial lap during qualifying for an event earlier in May. He’s found success claiming four of seven wins in the division this year and is the current points leader and two-time defending champion of the division.
Jordan on the other hand is looking to turn around a season mired with misfortune, with three hard wrecks sidelining the Plainfield, CT native. A strong showing in the ACT 100-lap event could be a turning point for the season. His outlook remains positive.
“Last year’s race proved that the local guys can be fast and put up a fight” stated Jordan, a feature winner this season himself. “We will try to give the Tour guys a run for their money.”
A big key to the potential success may lie with the ACT plus/minus qualifying system, where drivers earn points for number of cars passed in their qualifying race. “It’s all about the qualifying draw” according to Jordan. “It can make for an easy night or a tough one. The heats will dictate the outcome of the event. I don’t think anyone can come from the back and have tires left at the end. Last year, the contenders came from within the top-ten starting spots.”
The ACT heat races as well as consolation events are another treat for Speedbowl fans. Qualifying begins at 5:00pm Saturday for both the Speedbowl divisions and the ACT Tour, giving local fans the chance to root on their hometown heroes who try and make the show.
Leading the list of contenders for the ACT Tour is last year’s event winner Scott Payea. Payea leads the 2009 Tour points after five events, and has already reached Victory Lane. Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk Jr. has claimed a win and is tied for second in points with Brian Hoar. Brent Dragon, winner of an ACT race in 2003 at the ‘Bowl and Brad Leighton, winner at Lee USA Speedway earlier this year are other contenders and names Speedbowl fans should be familiar with.
Joining the ACT Tour will be NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action for the SK Modifieds with another 35-lap feature event, while the Street Stocks and Norwich Bulletin Mini Stocks will compete in 20-lap features. The Legends Cars also join the action with a 20-lapper of their own. Main events will follow qualifying and are set to begin at approximately 7:00pm. Admission is priced $25 for adult grandstands and $5 for youth ages 6 to 14, and free for children 5 and under. The Speedbowl offers acres of free parking. For more information about the 2009 Speedbowl season and calendar of events, please visit www.speedbowl.com or contact the track office at 860.442.1585.
