PASS North double header up next

Beech Ridge, Lee USA host the PASS traveling road show on Saturday,Tuesday   Naples ME (7/6) The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North schedule always heats up in July, and this week's double dose of Super Late Model racing is a must see for fans of the fastest full fender race cars in the east.   Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough Maine anchors the northern series and both the Super Late Models and Mods will be back on track at the Ridge this Saturday July 9 for the Southern Maine Motors.com 150.

 

Beech Ridge always brings out a packed field and the entry list already has a number of new or returning entries. Kellyyy Moore, Scott Mulkern, Bill Penfold, Ricky Morse, JT Thurlow and DJ Shaw will be racing with PASS, challenging the regulars for Beech Ridge supremacy. All the PASS North point contenders are expected to be in action, including a number of Beech Ridge Pro Series regulars.. Beech Ridge weekly racer Bill Rodgers stole the touring racer's thunder in the 2010 edition of this event, winning one for the home team.   The PASS Mod squad will be looking to end Andy Shaw's three race 2011 win streak; The Mods will go 40 laps at the Scarborough oval and their segment of the show is always exciting. Racing gets the green at 6:00 PM. The Beech Ridge Sport Series, Wildcat and Road Runner divisions complete the card.   The turn around for both divisions will be a quick one as they will all be back on track Tuesday July 12 for their annual trip to Lee USA Speedway. The third annual addition of the PASS Bastille 200 features all three PASS touring series, and the home track heroes always look forward challenging the touring PASS Sportsman drivers.   Mike Rowe and Johnny Clark battled it out in the 2010 edition of the PASS Bastille 200 with Rowe prevailing in the closing laps to win one of the season's most exciting races.   It's a great night of racing at Red and Judy MacDonald s beautiful Route 125 facility. Qualifying rounds kick off at 7:00 PM.   Ben Rowe's victory at Canaan Fair Speedway allowed the Turner Maine speed merchant to open up a twelve point gap over defending champion Johnny Clark, but its not a comfortable margin by any means. The month of July will go a long way to deciding the 2011 title, and there's a lot of great racing ahead for racers and fans alike.     Check out all the latest point standings, stories and photos at www.proallstarsseries.com. Find these two fine speedways at www.beechridge.com and www.leeusaspeedway.com .   Visit Saturday night's Beech Ridge sponsor Southern Maine Motors at www.southernmainemotors.com .

 

Brian Hoar PR - Lee USA race report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 4.17.11 For more information, visit www.RPMEnginesVT.com/motorsports or email TbarrettGWC@hotmail.com     Brian Hoar Opens Title Defense With Victory At Lee USA   LEE, N.H. – Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., earned his ACT Late Model Tour record 29th career victory on Sunday, winning the season-opening NH Governor's Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway.

 

The victory was the first at Lee for the seven-time ACT champion Hoar.   “It was a great run,” Hoar said. “I've got to thank that whole RPM Motorsports race team. The car was awesome. It really was. It was on rails all day.   “Obviously, it's big to win the (season) opener. I'm pumped.”   After settling into the Top-3 for most of the race, Hoar's No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge took the lead from Scott Dragon on Lap 117 and then held off the hard charge of second-year driver Brad Babb.   “I knew this was one of those long races, and watching (Babb at the end) just proves it. I mean, where did he come from?” Hoar said. “We made some adjustments before the race. It was very cold yesterday (during practice), and it was a lot different today with the sun out.”   Hoar started 18th after winning his qualifying race earlier in the afternoon. He cracked the Top-10 by Lap 16 and was sitting in the fifth position on Lap 32.   From there, the veteran racer was content to ride behind leaders Dragon and Wayne Helliwell until making his move shortly after the 100-lap mark.   “I was holding him back,” said Rick Paya, RPM Motorsports owner and crew chief for Hoar. “He wanted to go and I wanted him to ride. We talked about where we were going to ride, and it was all about strategy. Toward the end there, obviously we didn't have enough for (Babb), but it was enough to hold him off.”   Hoar has now won two ACT starts in a row, including a 100-lap non-points race in the Goodyear Speedweeks Cup at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway back in February.   Unofficially, Hoar emerged from the 2011 season opener at Lee USA Speedway with the points lead as he goes for a third straight Tour title and unprecedented eighth championship overall.   “It's very good to win the opener, of course,” RPM Motorsports owner Rick Paya said. “Brian was his old self there. He did a heck of a job.   “Overall, it was a great race.”   --30--

 

Austin Theriault PR: Lee USA Speedway Race Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 4.17.11 For more information, visit www.RPMEnginesVT.com/motorsports or email TbarrettGWC@hotmail.com     Austin Theriault: ACT Late Model Tour Lee USA Speedway Race Report     Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, finished eighth in the ACT Late Model Tour season-opening NH Governor's Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday, April 17. It was Theriault's best career finish at Lee USA and it came in his Tour debut with RPM Motorsports. Theriault started 23rd after qualifying for the 30-car field through the consolation round and moved into the Top-10 just after the 100-lap mark. Theriault's RPM teammate Brian Hoar won the event.

 

WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 57 Varney Insurance Ford   WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour NH Governor's Cup 150 WHERE: Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (.333-mile oval) STARTED: 23rd FINISHED: 8th   ACT Late Model Tour NEXT RACE: May 1, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval)   ********************   AUSTIN, TALK ABOUT YOUR DEBUT WITH RPM AT LEE USA SPEEDWAY.   Coming out with RPM, I know it's a great experience to learn a lot from Brian and Rick. My goal was just to come out with a Top-10. Top-10s lead to Top-5s, and Top-5s lead to wins – but we'll just take it one race at a time. I'm pretty pumped up for the season.   HOW WAS YOUR CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACE?   There was a lot of side-by-side racing. I was pretty surprised. There were a lot of wrecks, too.   In the middle of the race, you can't really judge your car. It will just free right up, and that's something that we have to learn. Next time we come here, we'll just have to make sure to start out a lot tighter at the beginning of the race.   DID YOU THINK YOU HAD MORE THAN AN 8th-PLACE FINISH IN THE CAR?   We had a pretty good car. We unloaded (for practice on Saturday) and we were decent. We just kept working on it and working on it.   The car just kept getting stronger and stronger. Toward the middle of the race, I thought we had a Top-5 car. We were coming. We passed quite a few cars. But that final caution came out, and the car just got a little too free.   All in all, I'm not disappointed at all. I think we can learn a lot from this experience.   RICK PAYA, RPM MOTORSPORTS OWNER RICK, IT WAS A GREAT DAY FOR THE ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE.   It's very good to win the opener, of course, and to have both of our cars in the Top-8 was pretty awesome. The first time out for Austin, I think he did a helluva job.   We made a lot of progress with Austin and his team, and our guys are spot on right now. We just picked up where we left off from last year. I'm pretty excited about the year.   --30--

 

BRENT DRAGON PR - Lee USA Speedway Race Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 4.17.11 For more information, visit www.BrentDragon.com or email TbarrettGWC@hotmail.com   Brent Dragon: ACT Late Model Tour Lee USA Speedway Race Report   LEE, N.H. – Brent Dragon opened the season with an 11th-place finish in the ACT Late Model Tour NH Governor's Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday, April 17. After being caught up in a Lap 46 accident, Dragon's Avery Motorsports crew made extensive repairs to the No. 55 Beverage Mart/Furniture World of VT Chevrolet and rallied to salvage a long afternoon. The start was the 187th ACT Late Model Tour start of Dragon's career, tops among all drivers in series history.

 

WHO: Brent Dragon, Milton, Vt. TEAM: Avery Motorsports No. 55 Beverage Mart/Furniture World of VT/Charlesbois Freightliner Chevrolet   WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour NH Governor's Cup 150 WHERE: Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (.333-mile oval)   STARTED: 4th FINISHED: 11th   ACT Late Model Tour NEXT RACE: May 1, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval)   ********************   BRENT, WHAT HAPPENED ON LAP 46?   I don't really know what happened. We got turned around, and then we tore the nose off the car. It still drove good. We drove back up to, I think, a Top-10 finish or close to it.   It tore the front nose cone off of it. It didn't really hurt anything other than that.   IT SEEMED LIKE A FRUSTRATING DAY ALL THE WAY AROUND.   Yeah, a little bit. We had a really good car. I think we could have finished in the Top-5 easy enough.   It started off pretty good. We had a really good car in the race. I was just sort of riding, trying to save some tires for the end of the race, and then we ended up getting turned around. We definitely had a Top-5 car easily, so we'll just have to go get them next week.   --30--

 

ACT PR : ACT Looks for 9th Different Winner at Lee Opener

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   ACT-041611-20 Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour will look for its ninth different Lee USA Speedway winner in this Sunday’s (April 17) 2011 New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 season opener. No driver has been able to repeat in the eight events held at the 3/8ths mile speedway since 2003.

 

Three of the previous eight winners will attempt to change that fact on Sunday, as seven-time ACT Champion Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT (2005), ACT’s hottest driver at the end of 2010 Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. from Hudson, NH (2008) and defending NH Governor’s Cup winner Miles Chipman from Epping, NH (2010) have all filed entries. But that leaves over 40 other drivers aiming at their first career ACT win at Lee. Seven-time and defending ACT Tour Champion Brian Hoar (Williston, VT) is among them. He has only had two career starts at Lee but has finished inside the top ten both times with a 9th in 2009 and a 3rd last season. A win Sunday would make Lee his 12th different track with an ACT victory. Two veteran ACT competitors will attempt to break into victory lane and earn their first career top fives at the speedway. Milton, VT’s Brent Dragon and Shelburne, VT’s Jamie Fisher are the only two drivers to start all eight events at Lee, but neither has cracked the top five. Fellow veterans Mark Lamberton of Mooer’s Forks, NY and Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier, VT are among only 10 drivers with multiple top fives in ACT Lee competition. Lamberton earned back to back top fives in 2005 and 2006 including a podium finish. Laquerre picked up his second 5th place effort in the 2010 NH Gov. Cup. Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH leads the way for former Lee regulars as the multi-time track champion. Helliwell claimed nine feature wins at Lee in 2010 and earned a career best 6th in the ACT visit. He’ll be closely followed by Rochester, NH’s Jeffrey Labrecque, Jr. who turned a lot of heads with his own career best ACT, finish as the NH Governor’s Cup runner-up in 2010. Several drivers from the Série Castrol Edge will make their trip across the border for the season opener. 2010 Série Castrol Edge Champion Karl Allard of St-Felicien, Quebec will attempt to make his first start at the speedway. He will be joined by fellow Castrol Edge Champion (2006, 2009) Donald Theetge of Quebec City, QC, who has two career ACT starts at Lee. Also making the trek south are Quebecers Yvon “The Bullet” Bedard of St-Nicolas and Princeville’s Jimmy Cormier. The 2011 ACT Tour season is set to kick off this Sunday, April 17 with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee (NH) USA Speedway. General admission gates will open at 10:00am with post time at 1:00pm. -30-

 

HOAR PR : Lee USA Speedway Race Preview

 

THE STORY   Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., sets to embark on history this weekend when the ACT Late Model Tour opens the 2011 season with the NH Governor's Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H., on Sunday afternoon, April 17. Hoar owns seven ACT championships in his illustrious career to tie him with Jean-Paul Cyr for the all-time mark, and he is the series' career win leader with 28. His best career finish at Lee USA Speedway is third, which he did last summer after this event was rained out and postponed until June.

 

THE FACTS   WHO: Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt. TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge CREW CHIEF: Rick Paya, Georgia, Vt.   BEST CAREER LEE USA SPEEDWAY FINISH: 3rd (June 2010) LAST RACE AT LEE USA SPEEDWAY: 3rd (June 2010)   WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour NH Governor's Cup 150 WHERE: Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (.333-mile oval) WHEN: 1 p.m., Sunday, April 17   ACT LATE MODEL TOUR NEXT RACE: May 1, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval) FINAL POINTS POSITION (2010): 1st (seventh championship)       DID YOU KNOW?   RPM Motorsports has won seven of the last eight ACT championships, including the last two with Brian Hoar behind the wheel. Brian Hoar sat on the pole for this race in 2009, his first race with RPM Motorsports. RPM Motorsports and Brian Hoar won one of the two ACT Goodyear Speedweeks Cup 100s at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., in February.       WHAT THEY'RE SAYING   BRIAN HOAR, Driver of the No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On opening the season this weekend at Lee USA Speedway: “I love the track. I always seem to run well there, and I can't wait to get back there. It's a really good track for our Late Model package.   “I like Lee. I've always liked Lee, even when I was there in the (NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) cars. The last couple of years, I've been really fast at Lee – but I don't totally feel vindicated there. I've led a lot of laps, but like last year, I just used it up by the end. I had nothing left for the leaders over the last 20 laps or so.”   On starting the championship chase with good finishes early in the season: “Obviously, it's not the end of the world if you have a bad race, but it's a helluva lot more fun to get off on the right foot. You've kind of got to plan on having a bad race or two at some point in the year, but the nice thing is if you can put those bad races off until the end – then you can build up a point lead and have some padding.   “I'm very confident we'll go down and be competitive right off (at Lee). I haven't gone there with (RPM Motorsports owner Rick Paya) yet and not had a great chance. I'm looking forward to what happens.”   On the track configuration at Lee USA Speedway: “I feel like it races like a bigger track. It's got real straightaways, serious braking in the corner where you really plant the nose, there's a wall all the way around the outside of the track, and you've got an inside groove. You kind of go from the outside to the inside getting into the turn and you really try to hold that apex.   “The other thing about Lee is that it races different than it practices. You may feel like you've got a good car in practice or qualifying, and then all of a sudden in the feature it's totally different The track is really old and it doesn't have a lot of grip. It loses grip quickly and then the cars really start sliding around.   “It almost acts like a progressive banked track. It certainly makes for an interesting race.”   RICK PAYA, RPM Motorsports owner and crew chief for the No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On racing at Lee USA Speedway: “I love it. It's a very challenging track. It's unique, so it's hard to get a handle on it. I really always look forward to going to Lee.   “It has an inside groove and an outside groove, especially as the tires start to wear out. The wall all the way around the track on the outside is intimidating for a lot of people. I like it. It's a challenging track from a setup standpoint.”       UP NEXT   The ACT Late Model Tour heads to the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Sunday, May 1 for the second race of the season... Brian Hoar last won at Thunder Road to close out the 1999 season. That year, Hoar won two of the five races contested on the quirky, historic .25-mile oval.       SOCIAL MEDIA   Follow Brian Hoar and RPM Motorsports on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Hoar-and-RPM-Motorsports-Racing/109279642461697 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-White-Checker/45527276443 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/GWCNewEngland

 

Dragon PR : Lee USA Speedway Race Preview

THE STORY   Brent Dragon of Milton, Vt., rolls on with the ACT Late Model Tour as it opens the 2011 season with the NH Governor's Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H., on Sunday afternoon, April 17. Dragon has competed on the Tour every year since its inception in 1992 and is fourth on the all-time series win list with nine career victories. Though he's never won at Lee USA, he does consider it one of his favorite stops on the circuit – in part because it reminds him so much of Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., where he won multiple Late Model track championships. Dragon will compete this weekend in a car fielded by Avery Motorsports, part of a joint effort with his own Dragon Motorsports team this season.

 

THE FACTS   WHO: Brent Dragon, Milton, Vt. TEAM: No. 55 Furniture World of VT/Beverage Mart/Charlesbois Freightliner Chevrolet CREW CHIEF: Donnie Avery, Ashland, N.H.   BEST CAREER LEE USA SPEEDWAY FINISH: 6th (3 times) LAST RACE AT LEE USA SPEEDWAY: 7th (June 2010)   WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour NH Governor's Cup 150 WHERE: Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (.333-mile oval) WHEN: 1 p.m., Sunday, April 17   ACT LATE MODEL TOUR NEXT RACE: May 1, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval) FINAL POINTS POSITION (2010): 3rd       DID YOU KNOW?   Brent Dragon owns 187 career ACT Late Model Tour starts, the most in series history. The last time Brent Dragon competed in an ACT-sanctioned race in a car fielded by an owner other than himself was in 1995, when he drove for Ellery Packard. Brent Dragon has more starts, Top-10 finishes (123) and laps completed (21,669) than anybody in ACT history. An avid bowhunter in the offseason, Brent Dragon has entered Maine's annual moose permit lottery in 2011.       WHAT THEY'RE SAYING   BRENT DRAGON, Driver of the No. 55 Furniture World of VT/Beverage Mart/Charlesbois Freightliner Chevrolet, On racing at Lee USA Speedway: “I like Lee a lot. It reminds me a lot of the old Airborne (Speedway) track.   “It's the way the track is pretty well worn out. The cars change a lot throughout the race. You've just got to be ready for that, that's the big thing. They really change from the start to the finish of the race. After you've been going there a few years you start to figure that out. I think it's why the locals always seem to have huge advantage over us when we go there.”   On driving for Avery Motorsports for the first time: “I'm pretty excited about it. I feel like we've had a lot of time to really get both of the cars ready.   “It's going to be different just driving for somebody else. I'll try and treat it as if it were mine – that's the only way to approach it. You still have to go out and finish every race. That's what it's going to take to be in it for the championship at the end of the year.”   On the importance of getting off to a strong start in 2011: “You've got to start off good. It makes the season go a lot better, that's for sure. People are chasing you. It's so hard to make up ground when it's the same guys week after week.   “Early in the year, there are so many cars you can make up points. Later in the year, though, it's always the 10 or 12 guys that travel everywhere. That just makes it so hard to make up ground.”       UP NEXT   The ACT Late Model Tour heads to the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Sunday, May 1 for the second race of the season... Thunder Road has always been a good track for Brent Dragon, who is a four-time race winner at the historic quarter-mile. Most notably, Dragon won the 2006 Milk Bowl at Thunder Road.       SOCIAL MEDIA   Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-White-Checker/45527276443 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/GWCNewEngland

 

Theriault PR : Lee USA Speedway Race Preview

 

 

THE STORY   Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, makes his official ACT Late Model Tour debut with RPM Motorsports when the 2011 season begins with the NH Governor's Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H., on Sunday afternoon, April 17. Theriault left his family-owned team during the offseason to drive for the seven-time ACT championship organization, and this will be his first points race with RPM after competing in two non-championship events at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in February. Theriault has competed twice at Lee USA Speedway in a Late Model; once in this event last season and once in a weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event at the .333-mile facility.

 

THE FACTS   WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 57 Varney Insurance Ford CREW CHIEF: Mickey Green, West Paris, Maine   BEST CAREER LEE USA SPEEDWAY FINISH: 9th (June 2010) LAST RACE AT LEE USA SPEEDWAY: 9th (June 2010)   WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour NH Governor's Cup 150 WHERE: Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (.333-mile oval) WHEN: 1 p.m., Sunday, April 17   ACT LATE MODEL TOUR NEXT RACE: May 1, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval) FINAL POINTS POSITION (2010): 7th (second in Rookie of the Year standings)       DID YOU KNOW?   Austin Theriault has been attending flight school this spring in Frenchville, Maine, near his hometown in Fort Kent. RPM Motorsports has won seven of the last eight ACT championships. Austin Theriault posted his first Top-10 finish on the ACT Late Model Tour in this event last season.       WHAT THEY'RE SAYING   AUSTIN THERIAULT, Driver of the No. 57 Varney Insurance Ford, On his impressions of Lee USA Speedway: “It was a cool track. As a new driver, everything there was new, but we went out and we got a Top-10. I really like the track. It seems to suit my driving style. I remember as the race went on, we got better and better. I don't know if it was me or the car getting better and better.   “Being back at tracks we've seen before, that is going to be the key thing for us this year.”   On the importance of qualifying better in 2011: “That will be a big step for us (qualifying). Don't get me wrong, the cars were great last year. But I think we'll unload off the trailer better this year and be closer to where we want to be right off. (Team owner Rick Paya) has setups down pat. We wont' be scrambling from track to track every week, and that will really help our qualifying.   “But whose to say we won't have times where the car doesn't unload well? I'm sure at times that will happen, but I can tell you I'm pretty pumped for all of the packages Rick has for me.”   On the track configuration at Lee USA Speedway: “It's a unique track. It's a fun track, too. You can pass pretty easily there as the race goes on, as the track gets a little slicker. Drivers usually like a track they can pass on.”   RICK PAYA, RPM Motorsports owner, On racing at Lee USA Speedway: “I love it. It's a very challenging track. It's unique, so it's hard to get a handle on it. I really always look forward to going to Lee.   “It has an inside groove and an outside groove, especially as the tires start to wear out. The wall all the way around the track on the outside is intimidating for a lot of people. I like it. It's a challenging track from a setup standpoint.”       UP NEXT   The ACT Late Model Tour heads to the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Sunday, May 1 for the second race of the season... Austin Theriault garnered significant attention in his Thunder Road debut in June of 2010, qualifying for the VT Governor's Cup there and finishing seventh in his first race on the quirky quarter-mile track. ACT president and Thunder Road owner Tom Curley called it at the time “the most impressive Thunder Road debut since Dave Dion.”       SOCIAL MEDIA   Follow Austin Theriault on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/atracing Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-White-Checker/45527276443 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/GWCNewEngland

 

ACT PR : LEE GOVERNOR'S CUP BRINGS OUT THE BEST OF ACT TEAMS

For Immediate Release                                        ACT – 041211-18           Waterbury, VT – Everybody likes opening days in any sport. The American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model teams are no different. It doesn’t matter if you are running for points or not, new teams and veteran teams all look forward to opening a new race season.

 

The list of entrants for the ACT opening event at the Lee USA Speedway New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 is long and impressive. Upwards of fifteen new teams will experience their first opening day race with ACT in 2011. The returning corps of veteran championship teams is deep and come from a diverse section of northern weekly and touring facilities.   “Things have certainly changed since we all started this Late Model thing back in the mid-nineties. It was really an off-shoot of Thunder Road and Airborne teams with an occasional ‘outsider’ joining us in the beginning,” said 7-time ACT Champion Brian Hoar from Williston, VT. “Today, we have teams from nearly every state in New England and a couple provinces of Canada, many of whom have won various championships in their careers. What is really neat is the quality of the new teams that seem to join us each year. Seeing so many new faces at this past February’s New Smyrna Speedway races was an indication that there is a lot of interest in ACT Late Model racing. It is an exciting thing to be a part of,” concluded Hoar.   Sunday, April 17, 2011 will have the following past tour, series and track champions bidding for a starting spot in the opening event of 2011:   Jamie Fisher             Shelburne, VT           Thunder Road Champion Wayne Helliwell, JR    Dover, NH               Lee USA Champion Jean Paul Cyr           Milton, VT                ACT 7x Champion Brian Hoar               Williston, VT             ACT 7x Champion Donald Theetge        Quebec City, QC       Serie ACT Castrol Champion Ricky Rolfe              Albany Twnshp, ME  Oxford Plains LM and Pro Stock Champion Brent Dragon           Milton, VT                Airborne Champion Quinny Welch           Lancaster, NH          White Mountain Champion JR Baril                   Haverhill, MA            Lee USA Champion Mark Lamberton       Moors Forks, NY       Airborne Champion   The list of top contenders to grab the checkers on opening day gets even more impressive when you add in Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (Pole), Hudson, NH; John Donahue, Graniteville, VT; Glen Luce, Turner, ME; Randy Potter, Groveton, NH; and Joey Laquerre from Barre, VT.   Over forty (40) teams are expected to attempt to qualify for the annual lid-lifter for the American Canadian Tour at the Lee USA Speedway on Sunday, April 17, 2011. In the eight previous events held at Lee, there have been no repeat winners. Miles Chipman who raced Lee on a regular basis in 2010 is the defending champion of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup event.   The hottest driver in ACT competition, Joey Pole (2008 winner) said, “I really want to be the first repeat winner and keep my momentum up from the end of last year.” [Pole won the New Hampshire ACT Invitational, the People’s Bank Milk Bowl, the finale at Waterford Speedbowl last October, and the Goodyear Cup at the New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks at Daytona this past February.]             “When Miles (Chipman) won last year it really sent a message that weekly guys from all the tracks we visit have become very competitive against those of us that only get to race at tracks once or twice a year. Also, this year there are a lot of very good new teams that have joined the tour. Once they get used to tour-type racing, the competition is going to get tougher and tougher. A win at Lee will really help our team get focused on our primary goal which is to win the ACT title this year. It would be a dream come true to beat guys like Brian (Hoar) and Jean (Cyr), but really there should be at least six or eight teams that will be in the hunt for the championship this year. I can’t wait to get started and I know how important an opening day win can be toward our goal of winning the ACT title,” concluded Pole.   The opening of the 2011 season will take place on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH. Gates open at 10:00pm and post time is scheduled for 1:00.       For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963, www.acttour.com, or media@acttour.com.                                             -30-

 

ACT PR: ACT OPENER AT LEE TO HAVE PLENTY OF NEW NAMES

NEW HAMPSHIRE’S MILES CHIPMAN TO DEFEND TITLE   For Immediate Release                                        ACT – 040811-17           Waterbury, VT – The officials at the American Canadian Tour (ACT) based in Waterbury, VT have seen the largest influx of new teams to begin the 2011 season in its history.

 

“This is a good sign that things are improving in spite of the recessionary issues we have been facing over the past couple years. Also, just as in 2008, the spike in the price of fuel apparently does not seem to be having much effect with the enthusiasm to get the season open. We actually think we might have benefitted during the 2008 fuel increase, as many fans attended the regional and weekly short tracks, rather than taking expensive, long distance vacation trips,” said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour.   Over 40 race teams have entered the opening New Hampshire Governor’s Cup event on Sunday, April 17, 2011, including defending Governor’s Cup winner Miles Chipman, from Epping, NH. Chipman stunned the ACT regulars with an impressive win at his home track a year ago. Along with the familiar stars of the ACT, there are many new teams that will be racing the popular Late Model cars during the 2011 campaign.   “We have had entries from a couple of former NASCAR Busch East drivers, Mike Bruno, from Rutland, VT and Tom Carey Jr., from New Salem, MA. Former Lee regulars JR Baril, Jeffrey Labreque Jr., and Katrina Canney have all filed entries for the Governor’s Cup event. Rookie drivers Kyle DeSouza from Fairhaven, MA, the 2010 Devil’s Bowl Speedway champion Hunter Bates from Pittsford, VT, and Daniel Khilall, a youngster, but seasoned quarter midget driver from Jersey City, NJ will race his first ACT event at Lee USA,” said Nick Bigelow, Media Director and statistician for ACT.   The state of Maine will send two successful veteran teams to Lee. Dennis Spencer Jr. from Oxford and Shane Green from neighboring South Paris both plan to run the full ACT US schedule beginning at Lee USA.   Ray Parent from Tiverton, RI, a former Pro Stock racer at the Seekonk Speedway, and Peter Yetman, former Thompson, CT Late Model racer from Peru, MA will each make their second ACT appearances at the opening event. Parent and Yetman were two of the twenty-eight teams to travel to New Smyrna Speedway during Daytona Speedweeks to compete in the first ever Florida visit by the ACT Late Models last February. Quebec City veterans Donald Theetge and Yvon ‘The Bullet’ Bedard will also make Lee their first official event of 2011, having competed in the Goodyear Cup race at New Smyrna along with Parent. Aaron Fellows from Croydon, NH will join half the Florida field of racers to get his northern racing underway for 2011.   “This just might be the largest opening day field of cars we have had at Lee. It certainly is the most diverse mix of racers from throughout the region we have ever seen at an opening event. The number of new teams that will compete in weekly and touring events this season is a gratifying tribute to the teams, promoters, and officials who have helped develop ACT Late Model racing in the region over the past decade. If the results at Lee are anything close to how exciting the racing was in Florida it will be a great way to start the 2011 season,” said Curley.   The winner of the Governor’s Cup will also win the first coveted spot for the ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will take place during the NASCAR ‘Chase’ weekend September 16-18, 2011. The gates open for the Lee USA Governor’s Cup at 10:00 and post time for 150 green flag laps is 1:00 pm.     For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963, www.acttour.com, or media@acttour.com.                                             -30-