by Jay | Oct 2, 2009 | ACT, New England, Thunder Road
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) announced today that they are planning a ten (10) race program for their ACT Late Model division located in Canada for the 2010 race season. This will be one additional event from the recently concluded 2009 schedule on the Série ACT Castrol. There will also be special events available to the ACT Castrol competitors such as the SHOWDOWN at Chaudiere, the Oxford 250, an anticipated return to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH for those who qualify, as well as ACT events throughout New England, including the Spring Green and Fall Foliage 300 at the new Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY.
This will be the fourth season of ACT Late Model racing throughout Quebec, which also includes a stop in Ottawa as a part of the proposed 10-race schedule.
“We have sent proposals this week to all our track promoters. We hope to have a confirmed schedule before the month of October is completed”, said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour. “We still have two more events to be run this season on the US Tour schedule (Thunder Road’s rain-postponed Milk Bowl this Sunday and the final event at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, October 11), but with all the rumors that have been floating around Quebec, we wanted to let our competitors know that we will continue to organize and sanction race events on the Série ACT Castrol in 2010”, continued Curley.
Plans call for an additional event in 2010 at the Autodrome Ste. Felicien in the Lac St. Jean region. The track is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2010, and negotiations are underway between ACT and promoter Louise Boulanger to have the Castrol Série help them celebrate. ACT last raced at Ste. Felicien in 2008.
It was also announced today by ACT headquarters that the annual Série ACT Castrol Banquet of Champions will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2009 in Drummondville, QC. ACT will distribute over $30,000 in point fund and prize money to the ACT Castrol competitors. Donald Theetge of Boischatel, QC will be crowned the ACT Castrol Série Champion.
by Jay | Oct 1, 2009 | ACT, New England, Thunder Road
Waterbury, VT – For Cris Michaud it was a pretty easy decision.
Michaud was injured when he fell off a ladder at a job site and broke a vertebrae. When doctors informed him that he would not be able to race in the rained-out 47th annual Chittenden Milk Bowl at Thunder Road this coming Sunday, October 4, the three-time track champion went after one of his biggest Thunder Road rivals to fill the seat for him.
“What better guy to take over my ride in the Milk Bowl than Chad (Wheeler)? I really wanted to win the three Thunder Road Championships in a row in 2006 (Michaud won the Thunder Road track championships in 2004 and 2005, along with his title in 2001), but Chad was unbelievably consistent with his finishes all season long. He deserved to win the title that year”, said Michaud convalescing at his home in Williamstown, VT.
The 2004 winner of what is known as the ‘toughest short track race in America’ went on to say, “I think the Milk Bowl is the perfect race for Chad to come back and have some fun. He is a patient and smart racer and that’s what it takes to raise the milk can and kiss the cow,” concluded Michaud.
Over $70,000 in purse money, with a guaranteed minimum of $10,000 to win, is up for grabs by the American Canadian Tour (ACT) starting field of competitors. The thirty car field was set last Saturday in the unique format of time trials, triple 50 lap qualifying races, and a ‘Last Chance Race’. Fifty-four (54) teams attempted to qualify for the prestigious event.
A pair of ACT young guns will sit on the front row. 2008 ACT Rookie of the Year, Nick Sweet, in only his second year of racing Late Models, will lead the field to the green flag in segment one of the unique three-segment event. The first segment is lined up according to time trials and the Triple 50 qualifiers. The following two segments are reversed from the previous segments, with the best having to come from the rear twice to have a chance to win the Milk Bowl. Sweet, a hometown favorite from Barre, VT, will start beside Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., a three-time pole sitter and holder of the Thunder Road track record of 12.935 seconds.
“I have heard that Cris had a heck of a run in the Triple 50 qualifiers last Saturday. Coming from dead last to finish fourth was pretty darn impressive. I know I will have a good car under me and I am excited about trying out the only Ford engine. I had a great time racing against Cris for a lot of years and beating him for the title in 2006 got me to thinking that there really wasn’t much more for me in the sport at this time in my life. I wanted to spend a lot of time with my young boys, but now maybe there is one more thing I could accomplish with racing. It sure will be fun to try. I am looking forward to it, and I appreciate the confidence Cris has in putting me in his car,” said Wheeler.
The 47th annual Chittenden Milk Bowl is re-scheduled for this Sunday, October 4th, after having been rained out last Sunday. Gates will open at 10:00 am and pre-race ceremonies, which will include the Catamount Pipe and Drum Corps, the Norwich University color guard and Shock Platoon Drill Team will kick off the festivities at 1:00 pm. Racing will start at 1:30, and all the competitors in the various Thunder Road divisions, except the Late Models, will complete their championship seasons. Late Model racer Jean-Paul Cyr, from Milton, VT was named the King of the Road for 2009 at the final Thursday night event in August.
The Milk Bowl will bring down the curtain on the 50th Anniversary celebration of the racetrack.
by Jay | Sep 29, 2009 | PASS
Naples, ME 9/29/09- Race fans wanted to see super late model action return to one of the nicest facilities in the state of North Carolina but Mother Nature decided that race teams and fans alike would have to wait an extra day for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Southern National 150. That wait wasn’t near as long as Ben Rowe’s wait to return to victory lane in PASS South competition. So for Ben, the extra day wasn’t a big deal as he came from the back of the pack on the event’s final restart to claim his third PASS South win of 2009.
Jay Fogleman ruled time trials for his first career PASS South Pro Photo Productions fast qualifier award, but the top ten redraw put Preston Peltier on the point. Peltier quickly took the lap one lead and held it until a lap forty-two red flag due to a hard hit in the turn two wall by Chris Bowers. Under the red flag, Peltier’s right front tire went flat on his #5 machine forcing him to the pits for a change.
Georgia’s Justin Wakefield was the benefactor of Peltier’s bad luck and took over the top spot with Rowe right on his tail. It wasn’t long before the bad luck demons would strike Wakefield as well when the brakes went away on his #98 Ford giving the lead to PASS South and National point leader Rowe for the first time. Rowe would eventually give the lead up to Cassius Clark with fifty-five laps remaining. A yellow flag flew on lap 107 for a Dean Clattenburg spin which brought Rowe, who at the time was in third place, to pit road for adjustments.
The final forty-three laps went clean and green playing right into Rowe’s strategy allowing him to slice through the field and capture the win. Clay Jones finished a career high of second followed by Preston Peltier in third who recovered nicely from his flat tire. Cassius Clark kept his National Series hopes alive
Jody Measamer was victorious in the PASS LM Trucks. The win was Measamer’s third of 2009. Michael Cooper and series point leader Grant Davidson raced under the checkers second and third.
Next up for PASS South is the Mason-Dixon Meltdown at South Boston (VA) Speedway on Saturday October 17th. The event will mark the series one and only stop in the state of Virginia in 2009; “The Meltdown” is also the fourth and final round of the 2009 PASS National Championship series. For more information including tickets visit the track’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com or call 434-572-4947.
For more information including schedules, standings, and results for all PASS sanctioned touring series visit their home on the web at www.racewithpass.com or www.proallstarsseries.com . For marketing or media questions contact Norm Desjardins at 603-539-3368 or for technical information contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230.
Official Results PASS South/PASS National Series Round 3 – Southern National 150 – Kenly NC 9/27/2009
1) 4n Ben Rowe 2) 15 Clay Jones 3) 5 Preston Peltier 4) 8 Cassius Clark 5) 20 John Stancill 6) 10 Ryan Blaney 7) 91 Heath Hindman 8) 18 Bradley McCaskill 9) M3 Shelton Mcnair jr 10) 62 Mark Gibson 11) 23 Jimmy Weller 12) 48 John Batten 13) 98 Justin Wakefield 14) 53 Brad Bischoff 15) 39 Dean Clattenburg 16) 48H Brandon Head 17) 4s Jay Fogleman 18) 16 Joey Coulter 19) 79 Chris Bowers 20) 35 Devin Jones
by Jay | Sep 28, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series
Dover, DE (September 27, 2009): Alan Tardiff struggled with a flu bug at Dover International Speedway over the last couple of days, but was able to overcome it long enough to post a fifth place finish in the Sunoco 150 on Friday evening. Tardiff drove the No. 38 Bestway Disposal/Renton Coil Springs Chevrolet to the top-five from a 16th place starting position.
“I don’t know if I have a flu bug or something,” said Tardiff. “I got up today and I still had a headache, but I had to put everything together and just work it out. We had a fast racecar today. We raced in second place for a long while, but the 44 car was stellar and no one was touching him. We came in took fuel and tires, and the car got really loose. Our goal was to come here and get a top-five and we accomplished that so I’m really happy.”
The Sunoco 150 marked Tardiff’s track debut at Dover so patience was the name of the game until the first caution came out. Tardiff was running 14th for the restart at lap 16 and made it up to 10th before caution slowed his pace once again. He remained in the top-10 until lap 48 when a majority of the leaders headed for pit road. Tardiff elected to stay out and gain track position.
“We wanted to put ourselves off sequence,” explained Tardiff. “To be off sequence later in the run would give us fresher tires and more fuel in the car later in the run. It turned out to be beneficial for us. My guys did a really, really good job this weekend just as they have been all year.”
Tardiff restarted the race on the outside second row and moved up to third at the drop of the green. On lap 60, Tardiff went to the bottom of early leader Matt DiBenedetto and passed him for second. Moffit, however, had already stretched out a 2.2 second lead over the Bestway Disposal/Renton Coil Springs Chevrolet. Tardiff worked on closing up the distance when caution appeared at lap 80.
The yellow flag conditions gave Tardiff the opportunity he needed to come down pit road for fuel and tires. He returned to the track in eighth for the restart at lap 86. Tardiff gained two spots on the initial drop, but experienced a loose condition in the Bestway Disposal Chevrolet that hadn’t existed before.
Caution tightened the field up once again at lap 97 with Tardiff maintaining his position over the next 15 laps. He was able to move up to fifth by passing Ryan Truex on lap 116.
The race went green for the remainder of the distance and Tardiff was able to close out the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East with a fifth place finish. It was his third top-five and eighth top-10 of the season. Tardiff earned a seventh place position in the final point standings.
“I didn’t have high expectations coming to this racetrack since I had never been here before. A top-five is a win. I was running second and I was smiling ear to ear,” Tardiff said.
by Jay | Sep 27, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series
Dover, DE (September 26, 2009): Brett Moffitt used lapped traffic to take the lead for the fourth and final time in the Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway Friday evening and convincingly score his second win of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East season. Moffitt, behind the wheel of the No. 44 Red Line Oil Chevrolet, took the checkers two-and-a-half seconds over Ryan Gifford. The finish catapulted Moffitt and Andy Santerre Motorsports into third in the final point standings.
“The Red Line Oil car was just really good,” said Moffitt. “This is amazing with all these Cup guys here. This track is always talked about as that crazy place so it’s really cool to win here.”
Moffitt started the race from the fourth position after posting a qualifying lap of 23.569 seconds (152.743 mph) earlier in the day. At the drop of the green, Moffitt was on a tear. He dropped to the bottom groove and easily drove into third before challenging Eddie MacDonald for second. After passing him on lap three, Moffitt set his sights on then-leader Matt DiBenedetto, who had already pulled away by nearly half a straightaway. Moffitt closed in to five carlengths on the leader when the caution flew at lap 13.
When racing resumed at lap 16, Moffitt blew by DiBenedetto to take the lead. Caution flew immediately for a blown engine further back in the field, but Moffitt was able to repeat his earlier performance on the restart at lap 18. Moffitt continued to lead until a restart at lap 18 saw DiBenedetto take the lead.
Moffitt stayed glued to DiBenedetto’s bumper over the next several laps, and made a challenge on lap 39 for the position. Lapped traffic forced Moffitt to back out of it, but on lap 40, Moffitt repeated the challenge and took the lead for the second time.
A caution at lap 47 saw some cars opt to pit, but Moffitt elected to keep the No. 44 Red Line Oil Chevrolet out on track. They went back to green flag racing at lap 51 with Moffitt and DiBenedetto side by side heading into turn one. Coming out of turn two, Moffitt comfortably took the lead and remained there for the next 30 laps. Moffitt gave up the lead on lap 82 to come in for fuel and tires.
Moffitt took the green at lap 86 in sixth place. A caution period slowed his progress, but Moffitt was up to fourth for the restart at lap 97. The 17-year-old driver showed a lot of maturity as he patiently waited for things to settle up front before really making the push back to the front. By lap 110 Moffitt was in second place and chasing then-leader Ryan Gifford down. Lapped traffic worked to Moffitt’s advantage and he was able to take the lead for the final time on lap 116.
“I was catching him and the car was a little bit too tight. We caught those lapped cars and I used them. Ryan was able to hang with me for a little while, but as soon as we got into clean air I was able to go. My car was awesome,” he said.
Only six cars remained on the lead lap when Moffitt took the checkers.
The Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway marked the final race for Andy Santerre Motorsports, who sold off the team to the 909 Group last week. The race also marked the last time car owner Andy Santerre and driver Brett Moffitt would work together.
“This is our last race together unless we go to the Showdown. I really wanted Brett to win here. The kid has a bright future and I’m glad we could be a part of it,” said car owner Andy Santerre. “I wish him the best of luck. He and his Dad are great people and we’ve had a good relationship this year. I’m moving on to different things and I wish them the best. To end the ASM era here at Dover with a win is pretty awesome.”
by Jay | Sep 26, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, New England
DOVER, Del. — A pair of rookies took center stage Friday at Dover International Speedway: Brett Moffitt came away with the Sunoco 150 checkered flag and Ryan Truex earned the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East championship.
Truex, a 17-year-old development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, finished eighth on Friday but it was the performance throughout the 11-race season that put him in the championship Winner’s Circle following the Sunoco 150. Truex finished his first season in NASCAR’s top development series with three wins and eight top 10s.
The main championship contender for Truex – Eddie MacDonald – finished one position behind Truex in the race and wound up 34 points out of the championship (1,719 – 1,685).
Jody Lavender was the third driver to enter the day with a mathematical chance at the championship, 102 points back of Truex. His race ended with a 17th-place finish, seven laps down.
Friday’s season finale was dominated on the track by Moffitt, also 17. The Grimes, Iowa, native led four different times for 85 laps and crossed the line two and a half seconds ahead of Ryan Gifford for the Sunoco 150 victory. The second win of the year placed him third in the season standings.
Following Richard Childress Racing development driver Gifford across the line at Dover was Corey LaJoie, David Mayhew, and Alan Tardiff. Steve Park, Ryan Duff, Truex, MacDonald and Jarit Johnson rounded out the top 10.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto set the track qualifying record earlier in the day and led three different times for 31 laps, but a mid-race accident left him two laps down in 11th.
With the 2009 season complete, the next racing event on the schedule for NASCAR Camping World Series teams will be the 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on Jan. 29-30 in Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).
Truex and the rest of the NASCAR touring series champions will be honored at the Touring Series Gala in Concord, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 14.
