Donahue Joins ACT Ford Blue Oval Cup Program

WATERBURY -- The American-Canadian Tour announced on Monday that Graniteville driver John Donahue has become the latest driver to join the new Ford Blue Oval Cup Challenge, a contingency program designed to reward teams using the newly introduced Ford Racing S347JR crate engine.

Donahue was very strong in 2009, finishing third in ACT Late Model Tour points. He scored a dominant win at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., in June and finished the championship season with five-straight top-four finishes. He was also fifth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September and picked up a win at the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Barre's Thunder Road in October.

"I have always been a Ford man, and it was driving me crazy hearing about all the good teams that have gone to a Ford motor program for the coming season," said team owner Kendall Roberts in an ACT press release. "I just had to get on the bandwagon. We plan to give Ford and our National Guard Ford Fusion the ACT title."

Donahue becomes the tenth driver in the Ford Blue Oval Cup program, joining ACT drivers Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Joey Laquerre, Glen Luce, and rookie Austin Theriault, Oxford Plains (Me.) Speedway driver Jeff Taylor, Lee USA (N.H.) Speedway racers Wayne Helliwell, Jr., and Mike Johnson, and Wiscasset (Me.) Raceway driver Jerry Williams.

ACT, Thunder Road Announce 2010 Rookie Classes

WATERBURY -- The American-Canadian Tour and Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre announced their 2010 freshman classes on Thursday.

Six drivers intend to compete for ACT Late Model Tour Rookie of the Year honors, led by multi-time track champion Aaron Fellows of Croydon, N.H. Fellows has been a standout in Late Model, Pro Stock, and Modified divisions at Twin State, Canaan Fair, and Monadnock Speedways for several years. He competed with ACT in events at Twin State and Thunder Road in 2009.

Like Fellows, 17 year-old Chris Riendeau of Ascutney leaves behind Twin State and Canaan Fair Speedways to chase the ACT Late Model Tour. Riendeau made his ACT debut at White Mountain Motorsports Park last June, and finished 15th at Twin State in September. Reindeau was a winner in Late Models at Twin State and Pure Stocks at Canaan last year, and also competed in open-wheel Modifieds.

Other drivers contesting the ACT rookie title are 18 year-old Wiscasset Raceway regular Dave Farrington, Jr., of Jay, Me., Beech Ridge Motor Speedway standout Bradley Babb, 17, of Windham, Me., 16 year-old Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Me., and Milton veteran Dave Paya, a regular at Thunder Road last season. Babb and Theriault each made their ACT debuts at Oxford Plains Speedway last October, finishing sixth and 18th, respectively.

Thunder Road's Late Model division will see hometown driver Cody Blake compete for rookie honors. Blake will drive a former Steven Legendre car owned by Mikeljon Mascitti.

The Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman class adds 2008 Street Stock champion Jason Corliss of Danville, 2005 Junkyard Warrior champion Mike Martin of Craftsbury Common, former Street Stocker Jason Allen of Northfield, former White Mountain Motorsports Park racer Alex Ferno of East Montpelier, and former Canaan Fair Speedway driver Brian Gosselin of Littleton, N.H. Corliss, Martin, and Allen each raced in a handful of Sportsman events last year, and Corliss finished second in the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl season finale.

Junkyard Warrior champion Donny Yates of North Montpelier jumps to the Street Stocks full-time in 2010, along with former Warrior racers Alex Whitcomb of Montpelier, Keith Fortier of Hinesburg, Jayme Lee of Barre, and Mike Gay of South Burlington.