by Jay | May 18, 2016 | ACT, Airborne, New, New England, New York, Touring Series News
By: Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald staged an impressive door-to-door battle in the closing laps with Nick Sweet to capture his first win in the American Canadian Tour event at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y. in the Spring Green 116 on Saturday, May 14. Eddie Mac powered the Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy to the lead on lap 107 and held on to the lead to post his sixth ACT win of his career.
“This is really a great win and to do it against Nick and Patrick (Laperle) is one of those races you remember forever,” beamed the veteran racer. “We had so many things go our way today, especially the weather. At the halfway mark the rain came and I thought our day might be done with a sixth place run but the officials kept us out there for 25 minutes to keep the track dry. It was a great call on their part and gave us the opportunity to win it.”
Eddie Mac started the 116 lap race on the half-mile oval in 13th place after an even rating in the heat with the winner saying, “I was a little concerned after the heat because we started in third place and didn’t pass a car. The handling wasn’t great so I didn’t know what to expect. However the car didn’t change for the worse and actually got a little better after the rain break and I was able to drive it to the front. I think the leaders fell off a bit and that helped me as well as the lapped cars.”
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by Jay | May 13, 2016 | ACT, Airborne, New, New York, Touring Series News
American Canadian Tour
42nd ACT Spring Green 116 Saturday
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour heads west to Airborne Park Speedway for the annual Spring Green Championship Stock Car race this Saturday night, May 14. The forty second (42nd) running of the historic event will begin with one of the largest contingents of front runners in the 30-year history of the sanctioning organization. Bobby Therrien from Hinesburg, VT holds a slim 12-point lead over a rebounding Nick Sweet, after the Barre, VT native’s spectacular win at the Merchants Bank 150, held at Thunder Road on May 8. Only twelve (12) points separate the top 2 teams after the first three events of the 2016 campaign. Just twenty-two (22) points separate the top five teams heading into the weekend at Airborne.
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by Jay | May 11, 2016 | ACT, New, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
photo by RPM 360
By Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald battled a tight race car on Sunday, May 8 in the 18th Annual Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont to post an eighth place finish in the American Canadian tour’s race at the famed speedway. The event originally scheduled for last weekend but postponed due to rain, was again delayed by morning rain and blustery cold weather prevailed throughout the day.
“I don’t really know what happened to the car during the race,” said Eddie Mac. “We were really happy with it in practice and in the heat. Even during last Saturday’s practice here, we felt like the car was going good and we would have solid shot at the win. I don’t know if it was the cold or something else but the car was tight right from the start of the race and just didn’t have any speed.”
Eddie Mac drew the sixth starting position in the second heat but actually started second when cars in front of the Rowley, Mass. veteran dropped out. The Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy easily won the heat earning a plus one rating forcing a 12th place start in the feature with Eddie Mac saying, “We started on the outside and there were a number of cars in front of us that just couldn’t run out there. I fell back in the pack and with the car not handling, it just kept getting worse. It was a struggle during the race to get the car going.”
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by Jay | May 10, 2016 | ACT, Airborne, New, New York, Touring Series News
American Canadian Tour
Race began in 1974 at Catamount Stadium
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) will travel to Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY for the annual Spring Green Championship Stock Car race this Saturday night, May 14. The race began at Catamount Stadium in Milton, VT back in 1974 with 74 laps, and each year has added a lap. Upon the closing of Catamount in 1987, the race was moved to SANAIR Super Speedway in Ste Pie, Quebec for the 1988 edition. Robbie Crouch won his only Spring Green at SANAIR. 1989 was the only year there was no Spring Green race run. Returning in 1990, the race was moved to Airborne Speedway, which holds a record for most Spring Green events, with a total of twenty-two (22). The only other location of the event was three events held at Devil’s Bowl Speedway from its asphalt opening in 2012 thru 2014.
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by Jay | May 9, 2016 | ACT, New, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
American Canadian Tour
Barre, VT – Local racer Nick Sweet fended off Williamstown’s Jimmy Hebert on a trio of late restarts to win the 18th American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Merchants Bank 150 at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, May 8.
Sweet, driving the #40VT Mad Dog Motorsports Chevrolet in place of his familiar #88VT Buick, first took the lead from Brook Clark on lap 14 and dominated the middle stages of the race. But a series of late spins allowed Hebert to draw alongside, and the former Tiger Sportsman track champion nosed ahead following restarts on laps 133 and 143.
But the two-time Thunder Road “King of the Road” was able to come back each time, and he easily cleared Hebert on the race’s final restart with three laps to go. Sweet became the second three-time winner of the Merchants Bank 150.
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by Jay | May 4, 2016 | ACT, New, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
Local Stars Looking to Make Noise at Thunder Road on Sunday. (Alan Ward Photo)
Barre, VT—With the 18th running of the Merchants Bank 150 rescheduled for Sunday May 8, there are plenty of local race teams with hopes of carrying the checkered flag around the high banked ¼ mile oval. The American Canadian Tour (ACT) race is expecting well over 40 Late Models trying to qualify for just 26 starting spots at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement”.
Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien currently holds the top spot in the ACT Points Championship race, with defending three-time Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. just 2 points behind. Barre’s Nick Sweet, Emily Packard of Berlin, VT and Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown, VT are all regular Competitors on the ACT Tour who started their racing careers at Thunder Road. Of this group, Sweet has had the most success earning the “King of the Road“ title in 2010, 2012, and finishing as the runner-up in 2015, to go along with his four feature victories last season. The 21 year-old Hebert has also won a track Championship on the high banks, claiming the Flying Tiger Sportsman Division in 2009, and the 19 year-old Packard who finished fourth in the ACT Points Championship last season would love to get her first ACT win at her home track.
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