by Jay | Nov 22, 2009 | ACT, Canada, New England, Thunder Road
DRUMMONDVILLE, QC – 2009 Série ACT Castrol Stock Car Champion Donald Theetge of Boischatel, Quebec was honored at the annual Série ACT Castrol Banquet of Champions at the Best Western Hotel Universel in Drummondville, QC on Saturday, November 21. It is Theetge’s second career Série ACT Castrol Championship, with his previous title coming in 2006. The top ACT teams, officials and fans were in attendance to help honor Theege and his team. Theetge beat 2008 ACT Tour Champion Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Quebec in the closest point battle in Série history to become the first Série ACT Castrol repeat champion. With his two victories during the 2009 season, Theetge also became the all-time Série ACT Castrol wins leader with 14. Theetge’s championship earned him a point fund paycheck of $9,000.
Justin Holtom of Ottawa, Ontario received the 2009 Série ACT Castrol Rookie of the Year Award. Holtom was the only Série regular from outside the province of Quebec. The 19 year old picked up his career best finish (5th) at Autodrome Montmagny in August and contended for the win at several events during the season on his way to 12th place in the Série ACT Castrol Championship Standings.
St-Félicien, Quebec’s Karl Allard earned the votes of his fellow competitors and Série officials to win the Série ACT Castrol Sportsmanship Award for the second time in his career. Allard earned the award based on his competitive but fair nature. Allard finished the season third in the Championship Point Standings and finished an impressive 12th at the Inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.
The 2009 Série ACT Castrol Most Improved Driver Award was also awarded based on driver and official votes. Earning the most votes was 19 year old Jonathan Desbiens of Levis, Quebec. Desbiens finished 10th in the Championship Point Standings in just his third season with the Série. He also improved his best career finish in 2009 with a 6th at Autodrome Chaudiere in August.
Drivers in attendance from the top 15 in the 2009 Championship Point Standings also received personalized award plaques as well as point fund earnings of over $35,000. Also awarded were certificates for product from Bassett Racing Wheels and Five Star Race Car Bodies.
The 2010 Série ACT Castrol schedule has been announced with 12 events throughout the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The season will begin on Saturday, May 22 at Autodrome Ste-Eustache. For more information visit www.acttour.com or www.laserieactcastrol.com.
2010 Série ACT Castrol SCHEDULE
# DATE DAY TRACK LAPS
1. May 22 Sat. Ste-Eustache 100
2. May 29 Sat. Montmagny 100
3. June 05 Sat. Chaudiere 150
4. June 12 Sat. Capital City 100
5. June 19 Sat. Riverside 100
6. June 03 Sat. Montmagny 250
7. July 10 Sat. Ste-Felicien 135
*** July 18 Sun. Oxford 250
8. July 26 Mon. Riverside 100
9. July 31 Sat. Ste-Eustache 100
10. Aug. 07 Sat. Chaudiere 150
11. Aug. 14 Sat. Riverside (Combo*) 200
*** Aug. 28 Sat Chaudiere (Showdown) 200
12. Sept. 26 Sun. Ste-Eustache 300
***non-championship point counting event
*Combination race with Série ACT Castrol and U.S. ACT Tour
by Jay | Nov 20, 2009 | New England, PASS
Naples ME (11/17/2009) Johnny Clark’s 2009 Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Championship is remarkable unto itself, given the level of competition in the New England super late model ranks. But two in a row and four titles in the nine years that PASS has been sanctioning super late model racing is a feat that only one other driver has managed to accomplish. Clark tied Ben Rowe for the most series titles by beating Rowe for the thirteen race crown in 2009, and it’s fitting that the two drivers that top the all time PASS standings are now tied in the titles won column.
Clark’s 2008 championship was a come from behind effort that saw the Farmingdale Mainer come on strong in the second half of the season. His 2009 title drive started out just the opposite, winning two out of the first three races (Speedway 95 and Unity) and scoring a seventh at the Beech Ridge PASS opener. Clark’s consistency was challenged throughout the campaign by perennial title contender Ben Rowe and upstart Adam Bates.Derek Ramstrom, Richie Dearborn and Kelly Moore were all ready to pounce should Clark falter.
But Clark and his veteran crew kept their train on the tracks, posting another win in the series’ return to Lee USA Speedway and never finishing outside the top ten after that. The final tally was Clark 2799 -Rowe 2767, a 32 point bulge.
Clark’s 2009 stats are remarkable: thirteen starts, three wins, eight top fives and twelve top tens in the North, plus another top ten in The PASS South opener at Hickory Motor Speedway, a fourth place in the Mason-Dixon Meltdown at South Boston and capped his year of with a win in the season closer at Greenville-Pickens Clark’s only hiccup of the season came at New Brunswick Canada’s Speedway 660 where a wheel departed the Clark’s Car Crushing /Port City Race Cars 54, resulting in a fourteenth place run.
That’s the kind of consistency that championships are made of, and a big chunk of the credit goes to the team that keeps Clark on the speedway lap after lap. From crew chief Robert Green to brother Bobby Clark on the spotters stand, John Marshall taking care of the tires and Heidi Marshall keeping track of the stats. Dad John Clark, Tim Clark, Terri Davies, Craig Smiley and Herb Geraux, each played key roles in the 2009 PASS title for Johnny Clark Motorsports. In fact,many of the team’s members have played a role in all four championships.
The right equipment, team work, consistency, and most of all, the talent and will to win. Those are the key elements to any championship. Johnny Clark and his race team have once again proven that they have them all in spades.
The Pro All Stars Series will return to action in ten weeks, kicking off their 10th season with the non points PASS Florida Speedfest at New Smyrna Speedway on January 29-30, 2010. Keep up with all the off season news at www.proallstarsseries.com and www.racewithpass.com .
by Jay | Nov 17, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, New England
The 2009 season for the NASCAR Camping World Series East featured arguably the best rookie class in history as four first-year drivers finished in the top 10 in the standings and nearly two-thirds of the checkered flags were captured by cars with a yellow stripe.
Heading the class was Ryan Truex, who not only earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, but captured the 2009 Camping World Series East championship as well. Only current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rising star Joey Logano had accomplished that feat prior to Truex.
Truex, from Mayetta, N.J., won three races in his first season as a development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing. For the son of Martin Truex Sr. and younger brother of Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. – both former competitors in the Camping World Series East – the season didn’t get off to a roaring start. A stellar mid-season run and strong finish, however, was enough to edge veteran Eddie MacDonald by 34 points for the title.
Three races into the season, Truex had recorded an average finish of 21st, but the turnaround was dramatic. In the fourth race of the season, Truex captured his first 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and finished third in the race for his first career top five. That effort began a streak of seven straight podium finishes – highlighted by wins at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. – that moved him from 12th in the standings to just one race away from the title.
Heading to the season finale at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Truex maintained a slim 30-point margin on MacDonald, but when the checkered flag flew, the former crossed the line one position ahead of the latter and the trophy was in hand.
In the season finale at Dover, Truex wasn’t the only standout rookie celebrating. Brett Moffitt of Grimes, Iowa, dominated at the “Monster Mile” for the second win of his rookie campaign. Driving for Camping World Series East veteran Andy Santerre, Moffitt won the pole in his series debut and went on to register six top fives and nine top 10s, good enough for third place in the season standings.
Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Matt DiBenedetto made a big splash as well in 2009. The Grass Valley, Calif., native had an average finish of 6.7 in just seven starts with a win at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., and a last-lap battle with Truex in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., that resulted in another victory. DiBenedetto earned a series-high three 21 Means 21 Pole Awards presented by Coors Light and led more laps than any driver despite participating in just two-thirds of the races.
While Truex, Moffitt and DiBenedetto were perhaps the most prominent, the 2009 rookie class also had depth. Alan Tardiff registered eight top 10s – including a season-best third place at Tri-County – and finished seventh in points despite not competing in one race. Alex Kennedy’s respectable season resulted in a 10th-place finish in the standings with three top 10s, highlighted by a career-best finish of fourth at Lime Rock.
Matt Kurzejewski made nine starts and was 15th in the standings while Jarit Johnson, the younger brother of three-time defending Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, finished 17th in points with seven starts.
A host of other up-and-coming racing talents also had impressive efforts in spot starts in 2009. Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Gifford had an average finish of 6.3 in four starts while Childress’ grandson, Ty Dillon, had a pair of top 10s in three outings. Max Gresham, who split time in the JGR No. 18 with DiBenedetto, also recorded two top 10s in three events. Noted road racer Patrick Long had an average finish of ninth in four outings and nearly won at Watkins Glen while dirt racers Kevin Swindell and Josh Richards showed plenty of asphalt talent in their six combined starts.
by Jay | Nov 13, 2009 | Canada, Maine, New England, PASS
Clark, Grant, Martin honored at PASS Banquet of Champions
Naples ME (10/11/09) Pro All Stars Series race teams, officials and fans gathered in Westbrook Maine Saturday night for the ninth annual PASS Banquet of Champions. Series president Tom Mayberry opened the evening by thanking all of the competitors for racing with PASS in 2009, especially given the challenges of our current economy. Although the 2010 PASS North Super Late Model schedule is about two weeks away, Mayberry did touch upon the upcoming season, including the January 29-30 PASS Florida Winterfest hosted by New Smyrna Speedway.
The President’s awards were up next and the most improved driver awards went to Derek Ramstrom (Super Late Model) and Scott McDaniel (PASS Mod). The award that no one hopes to receive came next. Hard Luck drivers for 2009 were Adam Bates (Super Late Model), Dan Somes (PASS Mod) and Dan McKeage (PASS Sportsman). Northern Race Tires Rookie of the Year accolades were collected by Nick Ribbe (Super Late Model), Scott Grant (PASS Mod) and Clyde Hennessey (PASS Sportsman).
Master of Ceremonies Mark Thomas and Michael Mayberry distributed the hardware to the top ten in each series. Carey Martin made it official, claiming the 2009 PASS Sportsman Champion’s spoils. Scott Grant came out on top in the PASS Mod series where he earned both the championship and rookie of the year.
2009 PASS National Champion Ben Rowe and the Richard Moody team were recognized for their accomplishments, and 2009 PASS Super Late Model Champion Johnny Clark closed out the awards presentation, making his fourth walk to the podium as Champion in the series premier division. Clark’s team received championship jackets and travel bags from Northern Race Tire and Superior Image Embroidery.
by Jay | Nov 12, 2009 | ACT, Canada, New England
Waterbury VT —- The American Canadian Tour (ACT) has announced the majority of its 2010 US Tour schedule. The confirmed schedule shows a total of 13 events, which will take place at nine (9) different racing facilities. There are two additional events that are expected to be announced within the month, according to Darla Hartt, Vice President and Director of Administration.
“The ACT Tour has enjoyed tremendous support in the Northeast and throughout the provinces of Quebec and Ontario over the past five years. We had many opportunities to book additional events as we continue to enjoy growth with our Late Model business model, but we feel at this time it is in the best interest of our affiliate tracks and race teams to continue to concentrate in helping our weekly affiliate tracks and marketing areas that best serve our various sponsors and team needs. We continue to study the possibility of how we might be able to accommodate an expanded schedule in the future as the popularity of regional Late Model racing continues to develop,” said Tom Curley, President of ACT. “We have reserved two dates for events that we are very hopeful will be a part of the 2010 campaign. We plan to release those dates before the end of this month, but wanted our present and interested race teams to have the benefit of the completed schedule to date,” concluded Curley.
There have been two new tracks added to the 2010 schedule. An April event will be staged at the historic Albany Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY in the greater Albany region. The popular former paved speedway will undergo improvements and a repaving project. The ACT will be the initial asphalt tour to be a part of the opening event of this major change by the CVRA (Champlain Valley Racing Association) organization.
A return to the 5/8th Riverside Speedway (formerly Autodrome Ste-Croix) will take place in August. The event will be the ‘$40,000 CAN-AM Confrontation by the Seaway’ a $40,000.00 combination event with the Série ACT Castrol division of the American Canadian Tour. Jean Bergeron, owner and manager of the new Riverside complex, has agreed to major renovations in the pits, pit road alterations, and improvements and repaving of the full 5/8th mile track. “This opportunity to race on what will become one of the premiere short track facilities in Canada will be a great opportunity for the competitors in both our series. Speeds of up to 130 mph with the long straight-aways will continue to provide our veteran and younger teams with a different and important kind of racing experience,” continued Curley.
The US Tour season will open at the Lee USA Speedway in mid-April with the annual Governor’s Cup event and will continue through the final event, the 48th annual Milk Bowl at Thunder Road to be held the first weekend of October 2010. Return mid-summer trips to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine, and the Twin State Speedway in Claremont, New Hampshire, along with the long supporting tracks Oxford Plains Speedway, White Mountain Motorsport Park, Airborne Speedway in New York and Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont will round out the 13 event 2010 schedule.
There will be additional ‘special events’ available to the teams of the ACT Late Model divisions on both sides of the border. The largest event of the race season, the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway will be held for Late Model teams on the weekend of July 18th. Thunder Road will present the Memorial Day Classic on May 30th and the Vermont Governor’s Cup in June. The third annual $5,000 to win Showdown at Chaudiere, which is contested by the best of the ACT teams in the US and on the Castrol Série, will again take place in August in Valle Junction, Que.
“For 2010 ACT feature events, we have requested that the features be started no later than 8:30 pm. We continue to try and accommodate the fans and teams of ACT racing in our efforts to make the tours friendlier to compete in and to attend. We are anxious to complete the US schedule and expect to have the final two dates in place within a couple of weeks,” concluded Curley.
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2010 Série ACT Castrol SCHEDULE
# DATE DAY TRACK LAPS
1 APR 18 SUN Lee USA 150
2 APR 25 SUN Albany-Saratoga 100
3 MAY 02 SUN Thunder Road 150
4 MAY 08 SAT Airborne 100
5 MAY 16 SUN Oxford 150
6 JUN 19 SAT Oxford 150
7 JUN 26 SAT White Mnt 150
Jul 18 Sun Oxford 250
8 JUL 24 SAT Beech Ridge 150
9 JUL 30 SAT Twin State 100
10 AUG 14 SAT Riverside (COMBO) 200
Aug 28 Sat Chaudiere (SHOWDOWN) 200
11 SEP 05 SUN Thunder Road 200
12 SEP 12 SUN Airborne 300
13 OCT 02/03 SA/SU Thunder Road 150
by Jay | Nov 4, 2009 | ACT, Canada, New England
Waterbury, VT—- The American Canadian Tour (ACT) announced an aggressive schedule for the 2010 season on the ACT Castrol Series. Fans of the popular series will see an increase to 12 events, or three additional events from the past couple of seasons.
“We continue to have increased interest from the promoters in Quebec, Ontario, and even Maine for our ACT Castrol Series. For 2010 we have added Autodrome Ste-Felicien in the Lac St. Jean region, and third events are scheduled for both Autodrome Ste-Eustache and Riverside Speedway (formerly Autodrome St-Croix),” said Tom Curley the President of the ACT.
A July date will be added to the Ste-Eustache schedule and the new Riverside Speedway will host the “$40,000 CAN-AM Confrontation by the Seaway” in August. The 200-lap event on the 5/8th mile speedway will join both the ACT from the US and the ACT Castrol competitors in dual point divisional races.
Curley reported that the management of Riverside agreed to a major renovation program with the scenic racetrack located along the St. Lawrence River if ACT would sanction the dual division event. “ A complete re-paving of the racetrack, with major improvements to the pits and pit road, convinced us that this was good for ACT racing and racers on both sides of the border, as well as Riverside Speedway, but most of all for the great fans of the Quebec City area,” said Curley.
The 12-event schedule will also include return visits to Autodrome Montmagny, Capital City Speedway in Ottawa, and the very popular Autodrome Chaudiere. Chaudiere will also present the third annual Showdown for the best of the Castrol and US teams with a hefty $5,000 to win and minimum $1,000 for all 22 teams that represent the two ACT divisions.
ACT Castrol teams will also run full ACT rules, which will enable them to compete on many special events in the US throughout the 2010 season, including the prestigious Oxford 250 in Maine, along with major events held at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY and the famous Thunder Road in Barre, VT. In addition, it is highly anticipated that ACT will announce a return to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will include invitations to various Castrol Série teams.
The 2010 Série ACT Castrol campaign will open at the Autodrome Ste-Eustache on Saturday, May 22, 2010.
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2010 Série ACT Castrol SCHEDULE
# DATE DAY TRACK LAPS
1 MAY 22 SAT Ste-Eustache 100
2 MAY 29 SAT Montmagny 100
3 JUN 05 SAT Chaudiere 150
4 JUN 12 SAT Capital City 100
5 JUN 19 SAT Riverside 100
6 JUL 03 SAT Montmagny 250
7 JUL 10 SAT Ste-Felicien 135
Jul 18 Sun Oxford 250
8 JUL 26 MON Riverside 100
9 JUL 31 SAT Ste-Eustache 100
10 AUG 07 SAT Chaudiere 150
11 AUG 14 SAT Riverside (COMBO) 200
Aug 28 Sat Chaudiere (SHOWDOWN) 200
12 SEP 26 SUN Ste-Eustache 300
