ACT NEWS: Brian Hoar Begins Campaign for 8th ACT Title With a Win in the Season Opener at Lee USA Speedway

Brian Hoar celebrates 1st ACT Championship win of 2011 (Leif Titleson photo)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             ACT-041711   Lee, NH – Seven-time American Canadian Tour Champion Brian Hoar of Williston, VT used patience to win the season opening NH Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH, his 29th career ACT win. Hoar began the race in the 18th starting position after winning his heat race but earning a 0 in the ACT Plus/Minus handicap system. The veteran moved through the field and ran just outside the top five while saving his tires and his car for a late race run to the front and the win.

 

Colchester, VT’s Scott Dragon started on the pole and led all but 1 of the first 116 laps while battling with Groveton, NH’s Randy Potter and St-Felicien, QC’s Karl Allard early in the race. Multi-time Lee USA Speedway Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. was also in the mix running as high as second.   Hoar and Graniteville’s John Donahue seemingly came from nowhere after the final caution on lap 115 to make a run to the front. Hoar took the win while Donahue inherited the runner-up position after apparent second place finisher Brad Babb, a sophomore driver from Windham, ME, was penalized to the last car on the lead lap (9th) for using an unregistered tire.   Fulton Mountain of Barrington, NH would claim third, Helliwell held on for fourth and Scott Dragon faded to fifth late. Potter, sophomore driver Austin Theriault, Allard, Babb, and Mark Lamberton completed the top ten.   Milton, VT’s Brent Dragon managed an eleventh place finish after being involved in an accident with Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, NH and Craig Bushey of Fairfax, VT on lap 46. Polewarczyk and Bushey would retire from the event and settle for 26th and 24th respectively.   The event was completed in one hour and sixteen minutes with seven cautions. Nine cars finished on the lead lap. Hoar becomes the first qualifier for the third annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH on Saturday, September 24.   The American Canadian Tour continues its 2011 season on Sunday, May 1 with the 13th annual Merchants Bank 150 at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl.   American-Canadian Tour NH Governor’s Cup 150 Sunday, April 17, 2011 Unofficial Results Finish (Start) Driver, Hometown, Laps 1. (18) Brian Hoar, Williston, VT,  150 Laps 2. (25) John Donahue, Graniteville, VT, 150 Laps 3. (16) Fulton Mountain, Barrington, NH, 150 Laps 4. (8) Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH, 150 Laps 5. (1) Scott Dragon, Colchester, VT, 150 Laps 6. (2) Randy Potter, Groveton, NH, 150 Laps 7. (23) Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, ME, 150 Laps 8. (5) Karl Allard, Quebec, QC, 150 Laps 9. (30) Brad Babb, Windham, ME, 150 Laps 10. (22) Mark Lamberton, Mooers Forks, NY, 149 Laps 11. (4) Brent Dragon, Milton, VT, 149 Laps 12. (24) Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT, 149 Laps 13. (20) Rick Thompson, Jay, VT, 149 Laps 14. (3) Shawn Martin, Turner, ME, 148 Laps 15. (28) Dennis Spencer, Jr., Oxford, ME, 148 Laps 16. (15) Mike Bruno, Rutland, VT, 148 Laps 17. (12) Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME, 148 Laps 18. (27) Ray Parent, Tiverton, RI, 146 Laps 19. (19) Joey Laquerre, E. Montpelier, VT, 143 Laps 20. (11) Jimmy Cormier, Princeville, QC, 115 Laps 21. (14) Pat Floyd, Chester, NH, 101 Laps 22. (13) Chip Grenier, Graniteville, VT, 99 Laps 23. (10) Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT, 76 Laps 24. (6) Craig Bushey, Fairfax, VT, 46 Laps 25. (26) Donald Theetge, Quebec, QC, 46 Laps 26. (17) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH, 46 Laps 27. (7) Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp., ME, 44 Laps 28. (9) Aaron Fellows, Croydon, NH, 40 Laps 29. (29) #Dave Farrington, Jr., Jay, ME, 9 Laps 30. (21) Bobby Baillargeon, Kingston, NH, 3 Laps   Time of Race: 1:16:19 Margin of Victory: .319 sec. Cautions: 7 (laps 3, 9, 18, 28, 44, 46, 115) Leaders: Scott Dragon, 1-18; Randy Potter, 19; Dragon, 20-116; Brian Hoar, 117-150 Heat Winners: Jimmy Cormier, Pat Floyd, Brian Hoar, Travis Stearns   -30-

 

ACT NEWS : Sophomore Drivers Babb and Theriault Ready for 2011 ACT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                             ACT-030211-12 Waterbury, VT – After competing in one of the closest Rookie of the Year battles in American Canadian Tour (ACT) history, Windham, Maine’s Brad Babb and Fort Kent, Maine’s Austin Theriault are ready for 2011. The two finished just three points apart in the 2010 Rookie of the Year standings.

 

Babb came out on top of the standings and claimed the 2010 ACT Rookie of the Year honors after capturing his first career top five in the season finale at Waterford (CT) Speedbowl. With the help of his crew chief and father, Bobby, a former ACT competitor, he also earned an impressive sixth place in the 2010 ACT standings. Babb is in his senior year of high school, but has made time to work for his father’s logging company, snowmobile and prepare the car over the winter months. “We only have a couple small things left. If Lee (the 2011 season opener) was next week we’d be ready,” said Babb. The 18 year old has now seen nearly every track on the 2011 ACT schedule and credits the 2010 season for teaching him how to adapt to new tracks. He hopes to use that knowledge to better his 6th place effort in the 2010 standings and top his career high 5th place finish at Waterford last October. “We’d really like to finish in the top five in the standings and win a couple races, but we’ll see how everything goes before we set too high of goals,” said Babb. “I’m really looking forward to going back to White Mountain (Motorsports Park). We were going pretty good there before we broke (in 2010).” The White Mountain 150 was Babb’s only finish outside of the top 20 and the only event he did not finish. Fellow Maine resident, Theriault has joined forces with Rick Paya Motorsports (RPM) of Georgia, Vermont, during the off season. RPM has won the ACT Late Model Tour Championship the past two seasons with driver Brian Hoar. Theriault had a successful rookie season in 2010, earning his first career top five with a second at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. He also took second in the rookie standings and seventh in the overall standings. The 17 year old high school student took a break from his varsity wrestling schedule this winter to join his new team at the 2011 Goodyear Speedweeks Cup at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He started his sophomore season early with a respectable 13th place finish in the Cup standings with an 11th and 16th place effort in the two 100 lap events. “I’m really looking forward to this year. I’m still just grateful to be driving an RPM car,” Theriault said. “We’re still working on the team chemistry with a brand new car.” Babb will kick off his sophomore season and Theriault will continue his in the ACT season opening New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire on Sunday, April 17. -30-