Laperle, Watson Headed to New Smyrna's World Series

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Former American-Canadian Tour champion Patrick Laperle of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué. has filed an entry for the 44th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida's New Smyrna Speedway, Feb. 5-13. Laperle will race in the Crate/ASA-Type Late Model division, competing alongside fellow ACT driver Brandon Watson of Stayner, Ont., and former CVRA Modified competitor Dustin Delaney of Mayfield, N.Y.

Laperle won three of the first five features in the Crate/ASA division at last year's World Series, but was involved in a hard crash on Night 6, which ultimately led to him finishing second in points to champion David Wagner of Akron, Oh. Laperle went on to finish second in points in the Canadian-based Série ACT-Castrol later in the year with three wins, adding another victory on the U.S.-based ACT Late Model Tour at Airborne Speedway.

Watson, 16, is one of the hottest prospects in northeastern Late Model racing, having success in ACT, OSCAAR Super Late Models, and at Kawartha, Barrie, and Peterborough Speedways in Ontario; he finished third in the inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.

Delaney, who raced with the Champlain Valley Racing Association at Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven and Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y. as recently as 2008, finished eighth in NASCAR Camping World Series East points last year, with Vermont native Jamie Aube as his crew chief.

Eric Chase of Milton has finished in the top ten in points in each of the two previous World Series and was a feature winner in 2008, but confirmed on Monday that he will not return to New Smyrna this year.