ACT Late Model Tour: Emily Packard Devil’s Bowl Speedway Race Report
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Emily Packard of East Montpelier, Vt., scored a career-best ACT Late Model finish of 10th in the Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on Sunday, May 5. Packard’s first career ACT Top-10 came on the heels of a 15th-place qualifying effort, after which she patiently steered the No. 9 Northstar Fireworks/Berlin Optical Expressions Chevrolet through traffic to begin her march into the Top-10. Packard, 16, fought for track position over a couple of late-race restarts, but emerged from the side-by-side battle on the half-mile oval with one of the best results of her young Late Model career. (more…)
ACT Late Model Tour: Brian Hoar Devil’s Bowl Speedway Race Report
WEST HAVEN, VT. – Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., finished second in one of the closest finishes in ACT Late Model Tour history, just .02-seconds out of the lead in the Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., on Sunday, May 5. The eight-time ACT champion started fourth in the 30-car field and led on two different occasions for a total of 17 laps heading into a final restart with five laps remaining. He battled eventual winner Wayne Helliwell Jr. side-by-side for every one of the final circuits in the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger before coming up just a fender short at the checkered flag. Hoar remains one of just three ACT drivers to finish in the Top-10 in each of the season’s first three races. (more…)
With the crowd on its feet, Wayne Helliwell, Jr. (orange car, outside) beats Brian Hoar (#37) by two feet to win the 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway. (Eric LaFleche/VLFPhotos.com photo)
Helliwell Nips Hoar in Spring Green Thriller at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
WEST HAVEN, VT – American-Canadian Tour stock car drivers Wayne Helliwell, Jr. and Brian Hoar brought a full house to its feet for a photo finish in 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green 113 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Helliwell headlined a list of race winners to open the 2013 season at the West Haven, VT track that also included Todd Stone, Richie Turner, and Chris LaVair.
Dover, NH driver Helliwell, the defending winner of the race and the 2012 ACT Late Model Tour champion, dominated the first 92 laps of the race before giving way to three-time Spring Green winner Hoar after a restart. Hoar, of Williston, VT, led the next 16 circuits and appeared to be pulling away before two restarts with five laps remaining gave Helliwell a chance to regain the lead. The crowd rose to its feet as the pair ran inches apart in the final five laps, with Helliwell eventually nosing ahead for the victory by just .027 seconds – about two feet. (more…)
Oxford, Maine – Shawn Martin of Turner made his first start in an Oxford Championship Series Pro Late Model a successful one Sunday afternoon, driving from the rear of the starting field to the front of the pack, claiming victory in the 40-lap headliner at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Skip Tripp of Poland scored his first victory of the year in the 30-lap Allens Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock feature race. Lisbon’s Nik Coates wired the Allen’s Cofee Flavored Mini Stock division’s 30-lapper, while the Ripley & Fletcher Ford Outlaw Sportsman division honors went to Corey Morgan of Lewiston for the second consecutive week. (more…)
Helliwell and Hoar take the checkers in a photo finish at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in the Spring Green 113 on Sunday, May 5. (Photo Credit: Eric LaFleche)
West Haven, VT – Reigning American Canadian Tour Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. sent the message loud and clear to his competitors on a beautiful Sunday (May 5) afternoon at West Haven’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway, taking his second victory in-a-row in the Spring Green 113 by just .02 of a second over Williston’s Brian Hoar. ACT Point Leader Jimmy Hebert continued the hot start to his season and completed the podium in third place.
Helliwell used his second-place starting position to his advantage to jump to the early race lead, bringing eight-time ACT Champion Hoar in tow. The pair ran away in the front while Hebert and Tiverton, RI’s Ray Parent began the battle with Devils Bowl Speedway Champion Craig Bushey for the top five positions. A few early cautions for single spins kept the field together early, while Helliwell showed the 31-car field the way. (more…)
(Hermon) With the prefect weather for racing as the back drop, Speedway 95 in Hermon had another exciting evening of action, Saturday, May 4th with a down to the wire side-by-side race in the Darlings Ford Sportsman series, and a full card of regular weekly divisions.
With just two cautions in the 25-lap Darlings Ford Sportsman series race (the first of three) Milford’s Joe Legere battled side-by-side in the closing laps with Kris Matchett of Skowhegan. The pair traded the top spot back-and-forth until the checkered flag favored Legere. Matchett told fans in victory lane that the car started to become loose in the closing laps, making his second place finish all the more intense. Kris Watson of Hermon was on the back bumper of the pair, to finish the race in a close third. (more…)
PASS North Series: Bradley Babb
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Report
SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Bradley Babb of Windham, Maine, finished 17th in the PASS North Series Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 4. Babb, the reigning NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Beech Ridge, started 13th in the 28-car field and fought the handling on the No. 14 Babb Wood Contractors/McGoldrick Bros. Blasting Chevrolet from the outset. Babb pitted several times under caution throughout the event to try and make improvements, but in the end he patiently avoided wrecks and salvaged a 17th-place finish. (more…)
This week saw Josh Bailey of Wiscasset score his first career win at the Wiscasset Speedway. Bailey leapt to the lead and left the pack behind him during the 25 lap Super Stock race. Car No. 05 driven by James Osmond and Adam Chadbourne in the No. 1, jockeyed for second position during the opening lap. On turn three Chadbourne passed Osmond on the outside. Osmond was unable to maintain his momentum and then allowed Bobby Mesimer in the No. 3 to overtake him in turn one of the following lap.
There was a caution in lap nine after Nate Yeaton in No. 27 slid onto the infield on the backstretch. There was a scramble for position after the restart. Bailey quickly moved to the lead once again. Mesimer tracked down Chadbourne, looking for an opportunity to pass. His chance came in lap eleven, and he passed Chadbourne on the inside on turn three. In lap twelve, Chadbourne and Osmond tangled on the back stretch. Osmond went to the pit with right front end damage. With no more cautions, the race quickly concluded with Bailey, driving the No. 2, in first. Once in victory lane, Bailey said, “I struggled bad last race, but this week makes up for it.” Second went to Mesimer, and 2013 two time Wiscasset Super Stock winner, Adam Chadbourne, placed third.
PASS North Series: Austin Theriault
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Report
SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Brad Keselowski Racing development driver Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, finished seventh in the PASS North Series Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 4. Theriault’s finish was his best PASS North Series finish of the season, and it extended his streak to seven consecutive Top-10 finishes in PASS-sanctioned races dating back to last season. Theriault started 15th after qualifying through the first round, and he raced as high as sixth on a late-race restart. Track position proved crucial late, particularly as the car’s handling tightened up over the course of the 150 laps, and he ended up seventh at the checkered flag.
