-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor
The 2010 racing season started quite a while ago in this neck of the woods. Vivid, teeth-chattering memories of the opener at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut still swirl in this writer's head like so many windblown snowflakes that fell during the drive up Interstate 89 on the journey home that March night. New England has been racing for two solid months now, and even we wintry Vermonters have enjoyed one form of on-track action or another since the first Thunder Road practice in mid-April.
But for all intents and purposes, this weekend is the big beginning.
Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the most celebrated in motorsports, whether it's the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, or the grind of weekly short tracks around the country. For the first time this year, all three Vermont speedplants will be open this weekend, and -- along with the well-timed 90-degree weather -- we can all welcome the arrival of the summer racing season.
If you can't find something to do at a race track this weekend, well, you're not trying very hard.
***
Congratulations to Jerry Richards and the management at Devil's Bowl Speedway for such a successful opening event on the new asphalt. The crowd was one of the largest in the speedway's 44-year history, and the racing was competitive and exciting, with lots of side-by-side racing. Dave Pembroke and Mike Bruno put on a great show for the win, and Grant Folsom even did his part by getting upside down on the frontstretch in front of the packed grandstand.
We're looking forward to rest of the season at Vermont's fastest half-mile.
***
From the "Beating A Dead Horse Even Deader" file: Is it totally ironic that Patrick Laperle won the Série ACT-Castrol opener at Autodrome St-Eustache last weekend? Wasn't that the place where he decided after the season finale that he was so frustrated that he was done racing with ACT for a couple years?
What's so intriguing about Laperle is that he simply can't stay away, and that's only a good thing. He may butt heads with Donald Theetge or Tom Curley or whomever, but that's because Laperle has such an obvious fire-in-the-belly for competition and winning.
Last Saturday's win may have been as important for Laperle personally and mentally as it was for his career numbers. It also qualified him for the second annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. Patrick Laperle is back, folks.
Not that he ever really went anywhere anyway.
***
Here's a tip: If you're a betting person and you like dirt racing, put your money on Ryan Avery this year. Dude is cleaning house.
***
With low car counts and little growth over the past several seasons, officials at White Mountain Motorsports Park in New Hampshire disbanded the Super Street division over the winter and adopted the rulebook from Thunder Road's Tiger Sportsman class, creating the new Super Sportsman division for 2010.
Of the 15 drivers that raced in the inaugural feature on Saturday night, only one -- Gary Griswold -- has been a regular weekly competitor at White Mountain, and he finished 14th. The rest were Thunder Road regulars or drivers that plan to compete mainly on the four-race ACT Tiger Sportsman Series.
White Mountain is not only a beautful and scenic place to visit, it's a competitive, well-run race track that deserves good support divisions. (The headline Late Model class enjoyed a 26-car field with only a few outside visitors.) Here's hoping that the Super Sportsman field last weekend wasn't just a fluke.
***
Not only did Chris Donnelly win two features at Bear Ridge on Saturday, he won one the features using two different cars. While we're not totally sure how that's legal, we do marvel at it.
Donnelly finished second in the first leg of a two-segment feature at the season opener on May 15, but r rain postponed the second segment to last Saturday. In the interim, he was presented an offer he couldn't refuse and sold his only car. Donnelly found himself in a bind for the May 22 event, though, as his Wicked Racing Products business was the presenting sponsor and he wanted to compete in the event.
With a quick phone call, he borrowed a car from Tom Forward and drove from the rear to finish second in the second segment. With a low score of four points, Donnelly was declared the winner. Not sure we've ever seen anything like that before.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Brandon's Don Scarborough finished fifth in the Modified feature last Saturday, with Milton's Bill Sawyer third in the Sportsman race. Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax was third in the Renegades with Milton's Larry Underwood fifth.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Mike Bruno of Bomoseen took his second-straight Modified win on Friday night with Brandon's Don Scarborough fourth. Middlebury teen Hunter Bates won the Sportsman feature.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Chris Donnelly of Orford, N.H., swept both Sportsman Modified features on Saturday night, followed by Thornton, N.H.'s Ryan Avery and Jason Gray of East Thetford in the first race and Travis Shinn of Groton, N.H., and Fairlee's Adam Pierson in the second race. Bradford's Jason Horniak won the first Sportsman Coupe feature over East Corinth's Melvin Pierson and Topsham's Josh Harrington, while Pierson beat Chris Carbee of South Ryegate and rookie Shane Race of South Strafford in the second race. Newbury's Jeremy Hodge took his frist career Limited Late Model win over Will Hull of East Montpelier and Tyler Stygles of Bradford. Josh Sunn of White River Junction swept both Fast Four races, with Danville's Danny Doyle and Andy Johnson of Wilder finishing second and third once each. Bobby Bell of St. Johnsbury won the Hornet race over Bradford's Tom Placey and Mark Harran of St. Johnsbury, while Dawn Woodward of Corinth beat her neighbor, Melissa King, and St. Johnsbury's Misty Bell in the Hornet Queen race.
Big Daddy's Speedway (Rumney, N.H.): Tyler Stygles of Bradford won the Super Street featrue on Sunday, and Josh Sunn of White River Junction was the Mini Stock runner-up.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Rookie Dan Eastman of Thetford Center was third in the Sportsman Modifed feature on Friday and took over the point lead. Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Mini Stock feature, and Dakota Stender of Tunbridge won the Bandit feature.
Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Kevin Menard of South Royalton was sixth in the first of two Pro Stock features on Saturday, and Mendon's Chris Wilk was third in the second race. Jamie Hodgdon of Ascutney was the Pure Stock runner-up with North Springfield's Rory Merritt fifth. Bobby Prior of White River Junction was fourth in the Outlaw Mini feature. Ascutney's Tyler Lescord won the Bandit feature over Mike Parker of Bradford.
Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Dave Pembroke of Middlesex beat Bomoseen's Mike Bruno to win the "Thunder at the Bowl 100" Late Model event on Sunday, with Tracie Bellerose of Gorham, N.H., third. Don Miller of Wells won the Sportsman feature over Clifton Park, N.Y.'s Fred Proctor and Hunter Bates of Middlebury. Milton's Cody Benoit won the Renegade feature over Jon Miller of Malta, N.Y., and Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax, and Miton's Chad Brown beat Garry Bashaw of Lincoln and Russ Downing of Hartland to win the Bomber Warrior race. Andy Smith of South Glens Falls, N.Y., won the Duke Stock race.
Modified Racing Series: Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis was 15th in the East-West Showdown 100 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway on Friday, with uncle Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney 18th. Rowan Pennink of Huntington Valley, Pa., was the winner.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Josh King of Vernon was 17th in Saturday's Modified feature. Putney's Dana Shepard was ninth in the Super Street feature. Joe Rogers of Ludlow finished fifth in the Mini Stocks with Mike Metcalf of Westminster ninth.
PASS North Super Late Models: Steven Legendre of Danville finished eighth in Saturday's event at White Mountain Motorsports Park, and Milton's Scott Dragon was 15th. Johnny Clark of Hallowell, Me., was the winner.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Dan Sidney of St. Johnsbury won the Outlaw Sportsman feature with Davey Ofsuryk of Newport Center fourth. Michael Smith of St. Johnsbury was fourth in the Super Stock race, and Doug Duprey of St. Johnsbury was third in the Street Stocks. Howard Switser of West Burke was third in the Dwarf Car race with Anthony Young of Beecher Falls fourth.
Sprint Cars of New England: Sunday's event at Big Daddy's Speedbowl was cut short due to a racing accident.
Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Dallas Trombley of Rutland finished fourth in the Late Model feature on Friday night. Chris Wilk of Mendon was the Super Street winner with Russ Davis of Cavendish third. Pittsford's Kyle Davis won the Strictly Stock feature over David Greenslit of Waitsfield and Jacksonville's Kaitlin Stone.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Stacy Cahoon of St. Johnsbury was the Late Model runner-up on Saturday with Bernie Lantagne of McIndoe Falls third. Graniteville's Chip Grenier won the Super Sportsman feature over Derrick O'Donnell of Bradford and North Wolcott's Brendan Moodie.
***
THIS WEEK:
Friday, May 28
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 6:45pm (Regular Event)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 7:00pm (Regular Event)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:30pm (Regular Event)
Saturday, May 29
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Modified Racing Series)
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford -- 6:00pm (SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Regular Event)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 6:00pm (NEMA Midgets)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Regular Event)
White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. -- 5:00 (Regular Event)
Sunday, May 30
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 4:00pm (Granite State Mini Sprints)
Devil's Bowl Speedway, West Haven -- 2:00pm (Modified Tri-Track Series)
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:30pm (Modified Racing Series)
TOURING SERIES:
Granite State Mini Sprints: Sun., May 30 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. (4:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sat., May 29 -- Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. (5:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sun., May 30 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (1:30pm)
Modified Tri-Track Series: Sun., May 30 -- Devil's Bowl Speedway, West Haven, Vt. (2:00pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Sat., May 29 -- Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. (ABC/2:00pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sun., May 30 -- Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. (FOX/5:45pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sat., May 29 -- Concord Speedway, Concord, N.C. (7:00pm)
Série ACT-Castrol Edge: Sat., May 29 -- Autodrome Montmagny, Montmagny, Qué. (6:00pm)
Sprint Cars of New England: Sat., May 29 -- Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford, Vt. (6:00pm)
Showing posts with label Série ACT-Castrol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Série ACT-Castrol. Show all posts
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
ACT Invitational at NHMS Qualifiers
The following drivers have earned an invitation to compete in the American-Canadian Tour Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Sat., Sept. 18, 2010, by winning an ACT Late Model Tour event, Série ACT-Castrol event, or special qualifying event.
(#-Driver-Hometown-Qualifying Event-Date)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre, VT -- Thunder Road, 5/02
2. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA -- Oxford Plains Speedway, 5/16
3. Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, QC -- Autodrome St-Eustache, 5/22
(#-Driver-Hometown-Qualifying Event-Date)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre, VT -- Thunder Road, 5/02
2. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA -- Oxford Plains Speedway, 5/16
3. Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, QC -- Autodrome St-Eustache, 5/22
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Juice: We Need the Little Guys
-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor
Not having Eric Williams to watch on the track at the Merchants Bank 150 this weekend is a dose of reality. As the defending winner of the race, the Hyde Park driver certainly would have been considered a contender against the invading American-Canadian Tour teams, and as a controversial driver with a controversial fan base, Williams' character will surely be missed.
Williams' biggest issue in not being able to race this weekend was a lack of time while running the family business and building a Tiger Sportsman car for his son, Tucker, largely in part because he is struggling to find funding for his team and could not afford to take time off work to build his own race car. He realizes he's not the only one, too.
"I'd say that probably 75 percent of the guys running Late Models are going to find a bit of a struggle this year in terms of money," Williams said. "You've got your [Brian] Hoar teams and your other big teams that have enough money to have whatever they need, but the little guys -- and there's a lot of little guys -- are gonna have a hard time this year."
Tunbridge racer Doug Murphy, who stole his own share of headlines last year by running up front with likely the smallest Late Model budget under the ACT umbrella, said his pre-season practice session on April 13 may have been his only appearance of the year.
"I've got old tires and no money," Murphy said, leaning on the only open trailer left in the division. "I lost almost all of my sponsorship over the winter. The only way I was able to show up last year was by picking up my paycheck before I bought my pit pass and using that money to buy gas and two tires."
Murphy's thoroughly battered ride was among the fastest cars at the test two weeks ago, but he says that speed won't matter if there's no sponsorship: "If it comes down to making the choice between putting food on the table for my family and going to Thunder Road, well, there's not much of a choice to make there."
Middlesex veteran Dave Pembroke, who trounced the ACT teams to win both the Memorial Day Classic and Labor Day Classic events at Thunder Road last year, showed up with blank quarterpanels at the April practice and said he doesn't have any sponsorship names to put on them.
Even Milton's Jean-Paul Cyr has admitted that while he hopes to contend for his eighth ACT Late Model Tour championship this year, his schedule will depend solely on cash. "We'd like to run the whole schedule, but it all comes down to money and how we're doing [on the track]," Cyr said. "If we're doing well then we'll figure out how to keep going, but [money] will be tight all year."
A recent Thunder Road press release indicated that "over fifty" Late Model teams are expected to attempt the Merchants Bank 150 on Sunday. Given the anticipation of the season's first race, a growing interest in the touring concept from teams in both the U.S. and Canada, and the enthusiasm of the locally-based regular Thunder Road teams, it's a safe bet that around 50 teams will in fact put on what should be a very competitive event. The official ACT/Thunder Road roster is larger this year than in recent years, and sponsorship appears to be solid across the board, but the stories of local racers like Williams, Murphy, and Pembroke do cause legitimate concern.
A bump from 13 ACT races last year to 14 this doesn't sound like much, but increased travel that includes an extra trip south to Waterford, Conn., a new drive southwest to Albany, N.Y., and the long hike north to Ste-Croix, Qué., could be all that some teams can handle. Thunder Road's weekly Late Model program was stronger last year than in recent seasons, averaging 24 to 26 cars each week, but if the smaller teams begin to start falling off the map then the whole program will be in trouble.
It's great for any series to have marquee drivers like Hoar, Cyr, Joey Polewarczyk, or Brad Leighton, but when racers like Pembroke at Thunder Road, Jeff White at Oxford, or Guy Caron at Twin State begin to worry about money -- the strong local racers that hold their own when ACT is in town -- that's when we all lose.
Keep an eye on the "little guys" this year. We need them now more than ever.
***
Monday I was walking the dog in shorts and a t-shirt. Wednesday morning I shoveled a foot of snow off my porch. By Friday I'll be back in shorts, and by Sunday night I'll be treating the second- and third-degree burns on my neck because I was too dumb to bring sunscreen to the track. Ah, racing season.
Despite the snow and wetness right now, Thunder Road officials have told VMM that they "don't expect to be roping anything off" in the parking lots this weekend due to mud and standing water.
Joey Polewarczyk might have said it best: "One thing I know about Thunder Road from all my years of going there is that I don't care if the forecast is for 100 percent chance of rain. We're all going to stand there under our umbrellas all day, but we're going to get that race in. Tom Curley and Ken Squier will make sure we get to race. They'll find a way to get it in, even if it takes all day and night."
Temperatures are expected to reach the high 70s and low 80s by this weekend aided by wind and sun, so everything should be good to go for race time.
But still, wouldn't it be kinda neat to see a Junkyard Warrior slide off the top of Turn 1 and into a snowbank?
***
I'm sorry, were you expecting the Capitals to sweep it in four games? #GoHabsGo
***
Looking briefly at the national levels, Québec native Derek White, who competed with the Série ACT-Castrol last year, will be racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Kansas Speedway this weekend, while Shelburne's Kevin Lepage will head to Richmond Int'l Raceway with the Nationwide Series.
David Stremme and Vermont's Latitude 43 Motorsports finished 27th in the Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend despite a mid-race crash, and will look to break back into the top-35 in owner points at Richmond. Stremme's average qualifying position in seven starts at Richmond is a solid 20.6. Latitude 43 ranks 37th in owner points, 162 markers behind 35th-place Front Row Motorsports' #38 car.
***
We're headed to Barre on Saturday morning for the annual Thunder Road car show and parade, then up to the track for practice. After that, we're taking a trip across the lake to Airborne Speedway for its season opener. Sunday morning, it's back to Thunder Road for the Merchants Bank 150. We're hoping to see y'all there, but make sure to keep an eye on the VMM blog, Twitter feed, and Facebook and YouTube pages for updates throughout the weekend!
***
THIS WEEK:
Friday, April 30
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:30pm (Season Opener)
Saturday, May 1
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 9:00am (Car Show -- Downtown Barre, practice at track at 1:00pm)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Season Opener -- Modified 50-lap Syracuse qualifier)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 10:00am (Car Show/Open Practice)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 10:00am (Car Show/Open Practice)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Season Opener/Modified Racing Series)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 2:00pm (Open Practice)
Sunday, May 2
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Car Show -- Downtown Barre, practice at track at 1:00pm)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (ISMA SuperModifieds)
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
TOURING SERIES:
ACT Late Model Tour: Sun., May 2 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (1:00pm)
ISMA SuperModifieds: Sun., May 2 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sat., May 1 -- Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. (6:00pm)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Sun., May 2 -- Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan. (12:30pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Fri., April 30 -- Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond, Va. (7:00pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sat., May 1 -- Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond, Va. (7:30pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sat., May 1 -- Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Me. (3:00pm)
VMM Editor
Not having Eric Williams to watch on the track at the Merchants Bank 150 this weekend is a dose of reality. As the defending winner of the race, the Hyde Park driver certainly would have been considered a contender against the invading American-Canadian Tour teams, and as a controversial driver with a controversial fan base, Williams' character will surely be missed.
Williams' biggest issue in not being able to race this weekend was a lack of time while running the family business and building a Tiger Sportsman car for his son, Tucker, largely in part because he is struggling to find funding for his team and could not afford to take time off work to build his own race car. He realizes he's not the only one, too."I'd say that probably 75 percent of the guys running Late Models are going to find a bit of a struggle this year in terms of money," Williams said. "You've got your [Brian] Hoar teams and your other big teams that have enough money to have whatever they need, but the little guys -- and there's a lot of little guys -- are gonna have a hard time this year."
Tunbridge racer Doug Murphy, who stole his own share of headlines last year by running up front with likely the smallest Late Model budget under the ACT umbrella, said his pre-season practice session on April 13 may have been his only appearance of the year.
"I've got old tires and no money," Murphy said, leaning on the only open trailer left in the division. "I lost almost all of my sponsorship over the winter. The only way I was able to show up last year was by picking up my paycheck before I bought my pit pass and using that money to buy gas and two tires."Murphy's thoroughly battered ride was among the fastest cars at the test two weeks ago, but he says that speed won't matter if there's no sponsorship: "If it comes down to making the choice between putting food on the table for my family and going to Thunder Road, well, there's not much of a choice to make there."
Middlesex veteran Dave Pembroke, who trounced the ACT teams to win both the Memorial Day Classic and Labor Day Classic events at Thunder Road last year, showed up with blank quarterpanels at the April practice and said he doesn't have any sponsorship names to put on them.
Even Milton's Jean-Paul Cyr has admitted that while he hopes to contend for his eighth ACT Late Model Tour championship this year, his schedule will depend solely on cash. "We'd like to run the whole schedule, but it all comes down to money and how we're doing [on the track]," Cyr said. "If we're doing well then we'll figure out how to keep going, but [money] will be tight all year."
A recent Thunder Road press release indicated that "over fifty" Late Model teams are expected to attempt the Merchants Bank 150 on Sunday. Given the anticipation of the season's first race, a growing interest in the touring concept from teams in both the U.S. and Canada, and the enthusiasm of the locally-based regular Thunder Road teams, it's a safe bet that around 50 teams will in fact put on what should be a very competitive event. The official ACT/Thunder Road roster is larger this year than in recent years, and sponsorship appears to be solid across the board, but the stories of local racers like Williams, Murphy, and Pembroke do cause legitimate concern.
A bump from 13 ACT races last year to 14 this doesn't sound like much, but increased travel that includes an extra trip south to Waterford, Conn., a new drive southwest to Albany, N.Y., and the long hike north to Ste-Croix, Qué., could be all that some teams can handle. Thunder Road's weekly Late Model program was stronger last year than in recent seasons, averaging 24 to 26 cars each week, but if the smaller teams begin to start falling off the map then the whole program will be in trouble.
It's great for any series to have marquee drivers like Hoar, Cyr, Joey Polewarczyk, or Brad Leighton, but when racers like Pembroke at Thunder Road, Jeff White at Oxford, or Guy Caron at Twin State begin to worry about money -- the strong local racers that hold their own when ACT is in town -- that's when we all lose.
Keep an eye on the "little guys" this year. We need them now more than ever.
***
Monday I was walking the dog in shorts and a t-shirt. Wednesday morning I shoveled a foot of snow off my porch. By Friday I'll be back in shorts, and by Sunday night I'll be treating the second- and third-degree burns on my neck because I was too dumb to bring sunscreen to the track. Ah, racing season.
Despite the snow and wetness right now, Thunder Road officials have told VMM that they "don't expect to be roping anything off" in the parking lots this weekend due to mud and standing water.
Joey Polewarczyk might have said it best: "One thing I know about Thunder Road from all my years of going there is that I don't care if the forecast is for 100 percent chance of rain. We're all going to stand there under our umbrellas all day, but we're going to get that race in. Tom Curley and Ken Squier will make sure we get to race. They'll find a way to get it in, even if it takes all day and night."
Temperatures are expected to reach the high 70s and low 80s by this weekend aided by wind and sun, so everything should be good to go for race time.
But still, wouldn't it be kinda neat to see a Junkyard Warrior slide off the top of Turn 1 and into a snowbank?
***
I'm sorry, were you expecting the Capitals to sweep it in four games? #GoHabsGo
***
Looking briefly at the national levels, Québec native Derek White, who competed with the Série ACT-Castrol last year, will be racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Kansas Speedway this weekend, while Shelburne's Kevin Lepage will head to Richmond Int'l Raceway with the Nationwide Series.
David Stremme and Vermont's Latitude 43 Motorsports finished 27th in the Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend despite a mid-race crash, and will look to break back into the top-35 in owner points at Richmond. Stremme's average qualifying position in seven starts at Richmond is a solid 20.6. Latitude 43 ranks 37th in owner points, 162 markers behind 35th-place Front Row Motorsports' #38 car.
***
We're headed to Barre on Saturday morning for the annual Thunder Road car show and parade, then up to the track for practice. After that, we're taking a trip across the lake to Airborne Speedway for its season opener. Sunday morning, it's back to Thunder Road for the Merchants Bank 150. We're hoping to see y'all there, but make sure to keep an eye on the VMM blog, Twitter feed, and Facebook and YouTube pages for updates throughout the weekend!
***
THIS WEEK:
Friday, April 30
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:30pm (Season Opener)
Saturday, May 1
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 9:00am (Car Show -- Downtown Barre, practice at track at 1:00pm)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Season Opener -- Modified 50-lap Syracuse qualifier)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 10:00am (Car Show/Open Practice)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 10:00am (Car Show/Open Practice)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Season Opener/Modified Racing Series)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 2:00pm (Open Practice)
Sunday, May 2
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Car Show -- Downtown Barre, practice at track at 1:00pm)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (ISMA SuperModifieds)
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
TOURING SERIES:
ACT Late Model Tour: Sun., May 2 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (1:00pm)
ISMA SuperModifieds: Sun., May 2 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sat., May 1 -- Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. (6:00pm)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Sun., May 2 -- Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan. (12:30pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Fri., April 30 -- Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond, Va. (7:00pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sat., May 1 -- Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond, Va. (7:30pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sat., May 1 -- Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Me. (3:00pm)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Juice: It's Head-Smashing Time
-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor
Laperle made it adamantly clear at the beginning of his career that he was going to do things his way, and to his credit, he has stayed one hundred percent true to that. Unfortunately for Laperle, Curley did the same thing twenty years earlier, and has stuck to his guns ever since.
The result? A total win-win for ACT fans.
There are spats between drivers here and there -- Brian Hoar vs. Mike Bruno in the 1990s, Hoar vs. Joey Polewarczyk last year, Cris Michaud vs. Brad Leighton the year before, and Laperle vs. Donald Theetge, well, forever -- but the rivarly between Laperle and Curley is a horse of a different color.
Curley, a fiercely independent Irishman from the Maine seacoast, is arguably the most
successful short track promoter in the history of northeastern racing, and is in the elite crowd of the Bob Harmons, the Rex Robbins, the Hugh Deerys, and the Humpy Wheelers of the world. He has been called a maverick, a rebel, and, by his own admission in a Stock Car Racing Magazine article some twenty-odd years ago, "a pain in the ass." It's his way or the highway.
Laperle, a very focused, very talented, very popular Frenchman from suburban Montréal, has been a house afire since virtually the first race he ever drove at Airborne Speedway in 1998. He has won races and championships almost everywhere he's been from Québec to Florida, and is without question the most controversial racer in these parts.
When you put the two together, it's a recipe for a sort of magical disaster. The magic is in watching Curley set rules in place and create an entertaining racing product, and in watching Laperle at times make that product his own personal stomping ground. The two are among the very best in their chosen fields. The disaster comes when they challenge each other -- and they've been doing that since the beginning -- and feelings get hurt.
Remember, Laperle left racing full-time with ACT in 2005 and 2006 after repeated disagreements with Curley. He came back in 2007 and won the Série ACT-Castrol title, the ACT Late Model Tour title the next year, and nearly won the Castrol title again last season. When everything came to a head at St-Eustache last September, Laperle swore Curley off and said he'd be gone for two years, unless he felt like "smashing [his] head off a wall" again in 2010.
Apparently, it's already head-smashing time. We'll sit back and watch at Albany-Saratoga Speedway this weekend for anything that may or may not come out of the next chapter of Laperle vs. Curley.
***
Don't forget: If you can't make it to Albany-Saratoga Speedway this weekend (or even if you can!), follow VMM for raceday coverage of the ACT Late Model Tour opener, presented by RPM Racing Engines. We're here on the blog, but we're also on Twitter and Facebook!
***
How Hollywood-perfect would it be if Laperle was to win in ACT's first go at Albany-Saratoga this weekend?
History is a bit on his side, too. Of Laperle's 16 career ACT Late Model Tour wins, four have come in the series' first-ever appearance at a track: Lee USA Speedway in 2003, Twin State Speedway in 2004, and both Autodrome St-Eustache and Kawartha Speedway in 2007. He also won last year's Fall Foliage 300 in his first start at Airborne Speedway since the track was redesigned, and won the first-ever Coors Light 200 Showdown at Autodrome Chaudière in 2008.
***
Hey, if you haven't checked out the total facelift done on the new Big Daddy's Speedbowl in Rumney, N.H., you need to. Holy cow. Congratulations to Mike Rivers and his crew.
***
One more bit on Laperle -- We spoke with him again on Wednesday morning, and Laperle praised Curley and ACT for moving to electronic scoring this season. Laperle said that the decision to come back to ACT was helped largely because of the switch.
***
Kudos to both ACT and the Modified Racing Series on their decisions regarding the weather last weekend, for very different reasons.
Facing a total washout on Sunday, ACT and Lee USA Speedway called their event in southern New Hampshire off two days in advance. The result was a lot of travel, time, and money saved.
Up against the same thing in New York, the MRS troops tried to get their combination event with the Race of Champions Tour in at Albany-Saratoga, but were unable to do so. With nasty weather in the forecast on Friday, A-S management called Saturday's events off but played a wait-and-see game for the Sunday race, hoping the forecast would improve. It did, and they kept on schedule for Sunday and were even able to get a couple of heat races in. Unfortunately, the forecast is only a prediction, and the skies ultimately opened up anyway.
Valiant calls by both groups, we say. Pro All Stars Series officials have been blasted by fans and competitors for years over calling off events early due to unfavorable forecasts. They've also been blasted for waiting too long by the same groups of people. We're of the opinion that both ACT and MRS did the right thing -- an actually, so did PASS, having also been rained out at Speedway 95 in Bangor, Me., on Sunday -- by working with the options they had.
***
THIS WEEK:
Saturday, April 24
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 11:00am (Open Practice)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 11:00am (Open Practice)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- Tire Sale & Track Clean-Up Day
Sunday, April 25
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (ACT Late Model Tour/Modified Tri-Track Series)
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Car Show)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
TOURING SERIES:
ACT Late Model Tour: Sun., April 25 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
Modified Tri-Track Series: Sun., April 25 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Sat., April 24 -- Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala. (2:30pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sun., April 25 -- Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala. (1:00pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sat., April 25 -- Orange County Speedway, Rougemont, N.C. (7:00pm)
VMM Editor
It seemed like it was only a matter of time. Patrick Laperle coming back to the American-Canadian Tour, that is. After all, it seemed like it was only a matter of time for his falling out with Tom Curley last September.
Laperle made it adamantly clear at the beginning of his career that he was going to do things his way, and to his credit, he has stayed one hundred percent true to that. Unfortunately for Laperle, Curley did the same thing twenty years earlier, and has stuck to his guns ever since. The result? A total win-win for ACT fans.
There are spats between drivers here and there -- Brian Hoar vs. Mike Bruno in the 1990s, Hoar vs. Joey Polewarczyk last year, Cris Michaud vs. Brad Leighton the year before, and Laperle vs. Donald Theetge, well, forever -- but the rivarly between Laperle and Curley is a horse of a different color.
A battle like this gives fans something new to cheer for -- The rebellious cog upsetting the dictator's machine.
Curley, a fiercely independent Irishman from the Maine seacoast, is arguably the most
successful short track promoter in the history of northeastern racing, and is in the elite crowd of the Bob Harmons, the Rex Robbins, the Hugh Deerys, and the Humpy Wheelers of the world. He has been called a maverick, a rebel, and, by his own admission in a Stock Car Racing Magazine article some twenty-odd years ago, "a pain in the ass." It's his way or the highway. Laperle, a very focused, very talented, very popular Frenchman from suburban Montréal, has been a house afire since virtually the first race he ever drove at Airborne Speedway in 1998. He has won races and championships almost everywhere he's been from Québec to Florida, and is without question the most controversial racer in these parts.
When you put the two together, it's a recipe for a sort of magical disaster. The magic is in watching Curley set rules in place and create an entertaining racing product, and in watching Laperle at times make that product his own personal stomping ground. The two are among the very best in their chosen fields. The disaster comes when they challenge each other -- and they've been doing that since the beginning -- and feelings get hurt.
Remember, Laperle left racing full-time with ACT in 2005 and 2006 after repeated disagreements with Curley. He came back in 2007 and won the Série ACT-Castrol title, the ACT Late Model Tour title the next year, and nearly won the Castrol title again last season. When everything came to a head at St-Eustache last September, Laperle swore Curley off and said he'd be gone for two years, unless he felt like "smashing [his] head off a wall" again in 2010.
Apparently, it's already head-smashing time. We'll sit back and watch at Albany-Saratoga Speedway this weekend for anything that may or may not come out of the next chapter of Laperle vs. Curley.
***
Don't forget: If you can't make it to Albany-Saratoga Speedway this weekend (or even if you can!), follow VMM for raceday coverage of the ACT Late Model Tour opener, presented by RPM Racing Engines. We're here on the blog, but we're also on Twitter and Facebook!
***
How Hollywood-perfect would it be if Laperle was to win in ACT's first go at Albany-Saratoga this weekend?
History is a bit on his side, too. Of Laperle's 16 career ACT Late Model Tour wins, four have come in the series' first-ever appearance at a track: Lee USA Speedway in 2003, Twin State Speedway in 2004, and both Autodrome St-Eustache and Kawartha Speedway in 2007. He also won last year's Fall Foliage 300 in his first start at Airborne Speedway since the track was redesigned, and won the first-ever Coors Light 200 Showdown at Autodrome Chaudière in 2008.
***
Hey, if you haven't checked out the total facelift done on the new Big Daddy's Speedbowl in Rumney, N.H., you need to. Holy cow. Congratulations to Mike Rivers and his crew.
***
One more bit on Laperle -- We spoke with him again on Wednesday morning, and Laperle praised Curley and ACT for moving to electronic scoring this season. Laperle said that the decision to come back to ACT was helped largely because of the switch.
***
Kudos to both ACT and the Modified Racing Series on their decisions regarding the weather last weekend, for very different reasons.
Facing a total washout on Sunday, ACT and Lee USA Speedway called their event in southern New Hampshire off two days in advance. The result was a lot of travel, time, and money saved.
Up against the same thing in New York, the MRS troops tried to get their combination event with the Race of Champions Tour in at Albany-Saratoga, but were unable to do so. With nasty weather in the forecast on Friday, A-S management called Saturday's events off but played a wait-and-see game for the Sunday race, hoping the forecast would improve. It did, and they kept on schedule for Sunday and were even able to get a couple of heat races in. Unfortunately, the forecast is only a prediction, and the skies ultimately opened up anyway.
Valiant calls by both groups, we say. Pro All Stars Series officials have been blasted by fans and competitors for years over calling off events early due to unfavorable forecasts. They've also been blasted for waiting too long by the same groups of people. We're of the opinion that both ACT and MRS did the right thing -- an actually, so did PASS, having also been rained out at Speedway 95 in Bangor, Me., on Sunday -- by working with the options they had.
***
THIS WEEK:
Saturday, April 24
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 11:00am (Open Practice)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 11:00am (Open Practice)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- Tire Sale & Track Clean-Up Day
Sunday, April 25
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (ACT Late Model Tour/Modified Tri-Track Series)
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Car Show)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
TOURING SERIES:
ACT Late Model Tour: Sun., April 25 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
Modified Tri-Track Series: Sun., April 25 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Sat., April 24 -- Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala. (2:30pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sun., April 25 -- Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala. (1:00pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sat., April 25 -- Orange County Speedway, Rougemont, N.C. (7:00pm)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Laperle Returning to ACT at Albany-Saratoga
Albany-Saratoga 100 coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines
MALTA, N.Y. -- Come Sunday, Patrick Laperle's self-imposed exile from the American-Canadian Tour will be over before it ever really started.
Laperle, the 2008 ACT Late Model Tour champion and 2007 Serie ACT-Castrol champion, defected from ACT last September after a falling out with series president Tom Curley, threatening to leave the series for "two years".
A controversial move by Laperle at Autodrome St-Eustache in his native Quebec at the 2009 Serie ACT-Castrol finale left him penalized by Curley and ACT, effectively costing him his second Castrol title by just a single point to Donald Theetge. Laperle skipped the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road the following week -- a race he had won three times in the previous four years -- and the ACT Late Model Tour season finale at Oxford Plains Speedway in October.
Tuesday night, though, he told Vermont Motorsports Magazine that he'll be at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., for the ACT Late Model Tour season opener on Sunday.
Laperle said he has little interest in racing with Curley, but feels competing this weekend is something he owes to his family team.
"I don't want to go," he said. "I haven't talked to Tom and I don't want to. My brothers Eric and Daniel want to test the car, and we're usually pretty good at new tracks, so we're going."
The Albany-Saratoga 100 is the first event for ACT at the newly-paved track. Laperle has previously won inaugural ACT events at Lee USA, Twin State, St-Eustache, and Kawartha.
"It's a track nobody has really been to, and we'll probably have a good chance to win," he said. "Beyond this weekend, I'm racing a dirt modified once at Granby this year, but other than that... when, where, we don't know.
"But we're going to Albany this weekend. We're not doing it for Tom Curley. We're doing it for us."
MALTA, N.Y. -- Come Sunday, Patrick Laperle's self-imposed exile from the American-Canadian Tour will be over before it ever really started.Laperle, the 2008 ACT Late Model Tour champion and 2007 Serie ACT-Castrol champion, defected from ACT last September after a falling out with series president Tom Curley, threatening to leave the series for "two years".
A controversial move by Laperle at Autodrome St-Eustache in his native Quebec at the 2009 Serie ACT-Castrol finale left him penalized by Curley and ACT, effectively costing him his second Castrol title by just a single point to Donald Theetge. Laperle skipped the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road the following week -- a race he had won three times in the previous four years -- and the ACT Late Model Tour season finale at Oxford Plains Speedway in October.
Tuesday night, though, he told Vermont Motorsports Magazine that he'll be at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., for the ACT Late Model Tour season opener on Sunday.
Laperle said he has little interest in racing with Curley, but feels competing this weekend is something he owes to his family team.
"I don't want to go," he said. "I haven't talked to Tom and I don't want to. My brothers Eric and Daniel want to test the car, and we're usually pretty good at new tracks, so we're going."
The Albany-Saratoga 100 is the first event for ACT at the newly-paved track. Laperle has previously won inaugural ACT events at Lee USA, Twin State, St-Eustache, and Kawartha.
"It's a track nobody has really been to, and we'll probably have a good chance to win," he said. "Beyond this weekend, I'm racing a dirt modified once at Granby this year, but other than that... when, where, we don't know.
"But we're going to Albany this weekend. We're not doing it for Tom Curley. We're doing it for us."
Friday, April 9, 2010
ACT Invitational Increases Starting Field, Distance, Purse at NHMS
LOUDON, N.H. -- The American-Canadian Tour went big in 2009 with its inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In 2010, it'll go even bigger.
ACT announced on Friday that the second annual ACT Invitational will see an increase in its starting field, race distance, and purse on September 18.
The field will be increased from 36 starters in 2009 to 43 this year. Ten laps will be added, bringing the distance to 60 laps around the 1.058-mile speedway, and the prize purse has been increased throughout the field, from just over $65,000 to more than $73,000. The 2010 ACT Invitational winner will receive a minimum of $4,000; inaugural winner Eddie MacDonald won $3,500.
The race distance was increased to offer race teams the choice to make a pit stop. A mandatory caution period will take place between laps 28 and 38, and teams will be allowed -- but not required -- to change tires and make adjustments.
"This format really sounds like a lot of fun," said Milton driver Brent Dragon in an ACT press release. "I think it will certainly add some strategy to the race and make for some tough decisions about whether to pit or not."
ACT also anounced that over 60 teams will be invited to test and "audition" for a starting spot in the Invitational in August; 2009 "At Large" invitees Nick Sweet and Brandon Watson both finished on the podium.
Like 2009, all 14 ACT Late Model Tour events and all 11 Serie ACT-Castrol Edge events will be Invitational qualifying races that award the winner an automatic starting berth in the race. Also like 2009, four special events will award starting berths: the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic (May 30) and CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 100 (June 24) at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, the TD Bank 250 at Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway on July 18, and the third annual Coors Light 200 Showdown at Autodrome Chaudiere in Quebec on August 28.
In addition, the 2010 track champions and/or point leaders at Thunder Road, Oxford Plains, Lee USA (N.H.) Speedway, Twin State (N.H.) Speedway, White Mountain (N.H.) Motorsports Park, Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway, Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl, Capital City (Ont.) Speedway, and Kawartha (Ont.) Speedway. Each point leader or champion will receive a $400 bonus for competing at NHMS, and a $400 bonus will be paid for each qualifying race win.
"The great success we had with the inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last year has given us the confidence to invite several more teams to make up the starting field for this year's race," said ACT president Tom Curley. "We will soon be announcing another great promotion for all the fans that attend weekly affiliate ACT tracks and all touring events during the upcoming season."
ACT announced on Friday that the second annual ACT Invitational will see an increase in its starting field, race distance, and purse on September 18.
The field will be increased from 36 starters in 2009 to 43 this year. Ten laps will be added, bringing the distance to 60 laps around the 1.058-mile speedway, and the prize purse has been increased throughout the field, from just over $65,000 to more than $73,000. The 2010 ACT Invitational winner will receive a minimum of $4,000; inaugural winner Eddie MacDonald won $3,500.
The race distance was increased to offer race teams the choice to make a pit stop. A mandatory caution period will take place between laps 28 and 38, and teams will be allowed -- but not required -- to change tires and make adjustments.
"This format really sounds like a lot of fun," said Milton driver Brent Dragon in an ACT press release. "I think it will certainly add some strategy to the race and make for some tough decisions about whether to pit or not."
ACT also anounced that over 60 teams will be invited to test and "audition" for a starting spot in the Invitational in August; 2009 "At Large" invitees Nick Sweet and Brandon Watson both finished on the podium.
Like 2009, all 14 ACT Late Model Tour events and all 11 Serie ACT-Castrol Edge events will be Invitational qualifying races that award the winner an automatic starting berth in the race. Also like 2009, four special events will award starting berths: the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic (May 30) and CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 100 (June 24) at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, the TD Bank 250 at Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway on July 18, and the third annual Coors Light 200 Showdown at Autodrome Chaudiere in Quebec on August 28.
In addition, the 2010 track champions and/or point leaders at Thunder Road, Oxford Plains, Lee USA (N.H.) Speedway, Twin State (N.H.) Speedway, White Mountain (N.H.) Motorsports Park, Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway, Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl, Capital City (Ont.) Speedway, and Kawartha (Ont.) Speedway. Each point leader or champion will receive a $400 bonus for competing at NHMS, and a $400 bonus will be paid for each qualifying race win.
"The great success we had with the inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last year has given us the confidence to invite several more teams to make up the starting field for this year's race," said ACT president Tom Curley. "We will soon be announcing another great promotion for all the fans that attend weekly affiliate ACT tracks and all touring events during the upcoming season."
Centre For Speed Brings ACT Late Model Division to Maritimes in 2011
SHEDIAC, N.B. -- Nearly a year's worth of rumors and talks were confrimed Friday: the American-Canadian Tour Late Model division is headed to the Canadian Maritimes. The Centre For Speed -- a 3/8-mile oval in Shediac, New Brunswick near the city of Moncton -- will introduce the division into weekly competition in 2011.
"The time is right for our race facility and race teams to join forces with what has become the most successful form of weekly and touring racing in the northeastern United States and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario," said Centre For Speed general manager Tim Wile. "We are happy and excited to be the first organization in the Maritimes to introduce this very successful type of Late Model racing to our region."
The Centre For Speed will become the 11th weekly track to utilize some or all of the ACT Late Model rulebook, joining Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, New Hampshire's White Mountain Motorsports Park, Twin State Speedway, Lee USA Speedway, and -- new in 2010 -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine, Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut, Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts, and Ontario's Kawartha Speedway and Capital City Speedway. The ACT Late Model Tour and Serie ACT-Castrol also use the rulebook in the U.S. and Canada.
"We designed the ACT Late Model division with a high priority on weekly racing as a base to our business model," said ACT president Tom Curley. "The philosophy was, and continues to be, to provide a cost-efficient for race teams, tracks, promoters, and fans. We now have over 400 teams who use the ACT rules and we continue to enjoy expansion. We are eager to work with the Centre For Speed on this expansion project."
"The time is right for our race facility and race teams to join forces with what has become the most successful form of weekly and touring racing in the northeastern United States and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario," said Centre For Speed general manager Tim Wile. "We are happy and excited to be the first organization in the Maritimes to introduce this very successful type of Late Model racing to our region."
The Centre For Speed will become the 11th weekly track to utilize some or all of the ACT Late Model rulebook, joining Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, New Hampshire's White Mountain Motorsports Park, Twin State Speedway, Lee USA Speedway, and -- new in 2010 -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine, Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut, Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts, and Ontario's Kawartha Speedway and Capital City Speedway. The ACT Late Model Tour and Serie ACT-Castrol also use the rulebook in the U.S. and Canada.
"We designed the ACT Late Model division with a high priority on weekly racing as a base to our business model," said ACT president Tom Curley. "The philosophy was, and continues to be, to provide a cost-efficient for race teams, tracks, promoters, and fans. We now have over 400 teams who use the ACT rules and we continue to enjoy expansion. We are eager to work with the Centre For Speed on this expansion project."
Thursday, April 1, 2010
YEAR OF THE DRAGON: Brent Dragon Sets Sights on First ACT Championship
(From team press release)
MILTON, Vt. -- The goal is simple for a driver who carries a surname synonymous with stock car racing in the region. Brent Dragon wants to win the ACT Late Model Tour championship in 2010.
"It's been that way for the last 25 years it seems," Dragon said recently.
This year, though, there is even more optimism coming from the Dragon race shop than in offseasons past. For starters, Dragon finished the 2009 season as one of the hottest Late Model drivers in New England, winning three times after June 1 and finishing fifth in the final ACT standings.
Dragon, who has been on the tour since its inception 18 years ago, has three times been the ACT bridesmaid. He's started more ACT races than any driver in history and owns nine career victories on tour. The son of Beaver Dragon and nephew of Bobby Dragon, Brent believes that last year's strong finish could lead to this year finally being his year.
"This will be the first year in about six years that we haven't started with a new car," Dragon said. "We were really good from about midseason on last year, and we have our notes to go back to this year."
Those notes should translate into a stout race car. With a chance to win both the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway and the prestigious Milk Bowl at Thunder Road International Speedbowl, as well as being one of the first invitees to the inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September, Dragon was among Late Model racing's elite performers a year ago.
To help his No. 55 team clear the hurdle and finish the job with more wins and that elusive championship, Dragon's employed the help of noted northeast crew member Buster Bean. Though it's not full-time help at the shop, Dragon believes delegating responsibility to crew members other than just himself will pay off.
"We already have a good tire guy in Steve More, too, so Steve's moved into the crew chief role for us now," Dragon said. "Buster's going to work with us and help us on that end if we have questions.
"I used to do everything myself, but it's just gotten to a point where it's harder to do that. It started to work better with Steve taking over some of that responsibility last year. We're looking forward to having Buster now and Steve as the crew chief and then all of the same guys back again on the crew."
Dragon plans to run the complete 14-race ACT schedule, as well as open Late Model events like the Oxford 250 and the Milk Bowl, as well as the Showdown at Chaudiere (Que.) 200 and the ACT Invitational at NHMS. Toss in select ACT Castrol Series races north of the border, and Dragon expects a busy summer to top out with 22-24 races.
But the most important of the races on such a tight schedule are the first ones. The ACT Late Model Tour features five races in less than a month's time from April 18-May 16.
"You've absolutely got to start the year off right," said Dragon, a three-time Late Model champion at the old Airborne Speedway. "We always seem to start off slow, and it always seemed to be because we were starting off the year with a new car -- and you've really got to start off those first two or three races really good.
"I haven't. I haven't done that for years. We always seem to get going later in the year -- but hopefully because we finished so strong last year and we're bringing back the same car with all those notes to work from, we should be pretty close (to a winning setup) when we get to the track."
Get off on the right foot, and Dragon could finally hoist that ACT championship trophy high overhead.
(Photo by Leif Tillotson)
MILTON, Vt. -- The goal is simple for a driver who carries a surname synonymous with stock car racing in the region. Brent Dragon wants to win the ACT Late Model Tour championship in 2010."It's been that way for the last 25 years it seems," Dragon said recently.
This year, though, there is even more optimism coming from the Dragon race shop than in offseasons past. For starters, Dragon finished the 2009 season as one of the hottest Late Model drivers in New England, winning three times after June 1 and finishing fifth in the final ACT standings.
Dragon, who has been on the tour since its inception 18 years ago, has three times been the ACT bridesmaid. He's started more ACT races than any driver in history and owns nine career victories on tour. The son of Beaver Dragon and nephew of Bobby Dragon, Brent believes that last year's strong finish could lead to this year finally being his year.
"This will be the first year in about six years that we haven't started with a new car," Dragon said. "We were really good from about midseason on last year, and we have our notes to go back to this year."
Those notes should translate into a stout race car. With a chance to win both the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway and the prestigious Milk Bowl at Thunder Road International Speedbowl, as well as being one of the first invitees to the inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September, Dragon was among Late Model racing's elite performers a year ago.
To help his No. 55 team clear the hurdle and finish the job with more wins and that elusive championship, Dragon's employed the help of noted northeast crew member Buster Bean. Though it's not full-time help at the shop, Dragon believes delegating responsibility to crew members other than just himself will pay off.
"We already have a good tire guy in Steve More, too, so Steve's moved into the crew chief role for us now," Dragon said. "Buster's going to work with us and help us on that end if we have questions.
"I used to do everything myself, but it's just gotten to a point where it's harder to do that. It started to work better with Steve taking over some of that responsibility last year. We're looking forward to having Buster now and Steve as the crew chief and then all of the same guys back again on the crew."
Dragon plans to run the complete 14-race ACT schedule, as well as open Late Model events like the Oxford 250 and the Milk Bowl, as well as the Showdown at Chaudiere (Que.) 200 and the ACT Invitational at NHMS. Toss in select ACT Castrol Series races north of the border, and Dragon expects a busy summer to top out with 22-24 races.
But the most important of the races on such a tight schedule are the first ones. The ACT Late Model Tour features five races in less than a month's time from April 18-May 16.
"You've absolutely got to start the year off right," said Dragon, a three-time Late Model champion at the old Airborne Speedway. "We always seem to start off slow, and it always seemed to be because we were starting off the year with a new car -- and you've really got to start off those first two or three races really good.
"I haven't. I haven't done that for years. We always seem to get going later in the year -- but hopefully because we finished so strong last year and we're bringing back the same car with all those notes to work from, we should be pretty close (to a winning setup) when we get to the track."
Get off on the right foot, and Dragon could finally hoist that ACT championship trophy high overhead.
(Photo by Leif Tillotson)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
ACT Releases 2010 Castrol Series Schedule
WATERBURY -- The American-Canadian Tour announced a 12-race schedule for the Série ACT-Castrol, the Québec/Ontario-based sister series to the ACT Late Model Tour, on Tuesday. Included on the schedule is the "Can-Am Confrontation by the Seaway" at Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix, Qué., a 200-lap combination championship event for the Série ACT-Castrol and ACT Late Model Tour on August 14. The last point-counting combination event for the two series was at Autodrome St-Eustache in 2007.The 2010 Castrol schedule opens and closes at St-Eustache near Montréal, with a 100-lapper on May 22 and the annual St-Eustache 300 on September 26. The series will travel twice each to Autodrome Montmagny and Autodrome Chaudière, has a total of three each events at Riverside at St-Eustache, and will make single stops at Captial City Speedway in Ottawa, Ont. and the quirky Autodrome St-Félicien in the Lac St-Jean region of northern Québec. Dates have also been reserved for the TD Bank 250 at Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway on July 18 and the third-annual "Showdown at Chaudière" all-star race on August 28. A return to New Hampshire Motor Speedway is also expected for 2010, which would include several Série ACT-Castrol drivers.
Donald Theetge of Boischatel, Qué. beat Patrick Laperle by one point to win the Série ACT-Castrol championship in 2009. Trampas Demers of South Burlington competed in seven events in 2009 and finished 15th in points, while Milton's Brent Dragon became the first American-born driver to win a Castrol race when he took an event at Riverside in June. The 12-race slate for 2010 is the longest schedule for the series in three years, after a nine-event campaign this year and just eight races in 2008.
SÉRIE ACT-CASTROL 2010 SCHEDULE
#-Day-Date-Track-Location-Laps
1. Sat., May 22 -- Autodrome St. Eustache, St-Eustache (Montréal), Qué. -- 100
2. Sat., May 29 -- Autodrome Montmagny, Montmagny, Qué. -- 100
3. Sat., June 5 -- Autodrome Chaudière, Vallée-Jonction, Qué. -- 150
4. Sat., June 12 -- Capital City Speedway, Ottawa, Ont. -- 100
5. Sat., June 19 -- Riverside Speedway, Ste-Croix (Québec City), Que. -- 100
6. Sat., July 3 -- Autodrome Montmagny, Montmagny, Qué. -- 250
7. Sat., July 10 -- Autodrome St-Félicien, St-Félicien, Qué. -- 135
-- Sun., July 18 -- Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Me. -- 250 (non-points)
8. Mon., July 26 -- Riverside Speedway, Ste-Croix (Québec City), Que. -- 100
9. Sat., July 31 -- Autodrome St. Eustache, St-Eustache (Montréal), Qué. -- 100
10. Sat., Aug. 7 -- Autodrome Chaudière, Vallée-Jonction, Qué. -- 150
11. Sat., Aug. 14 -- Riverside Speedway, Ste-Croix (Québec City), Que. -- 200 (Castrol/Tour combo)
-- Sat., Aug. 28 -- Autodrome Chaudière, Vallée-Jonction, Qué. -- 200 (non-points)
12. Sun., Sept. 26 -- Autodrome St. Eustache, St-Eustache (Montréal), Qué. -- 300
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Juice: The Good, the Bad, and the Abhorrent
-by Justin St. Louis
It has been the craziest week in the history of auto racing. Ever. Okay, maybe not, but a lot went on. And thanks to my newfound love of the word "abhorrent" (it's one of those words you know exists, but don't realize it's missing from your life until you use it once, kinda like the way I feel about dirt racing after this year), we've got ourselves a column.
Here's a look at the week that was.
THE GOOD:
--The NASCAR Camping World Series East, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and ACT Invitational events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. I thought they were great. The two NASCAR events had a few too many cautions -- and for dumb stuff, like Jason Patison and Eric Curran wrecking each other for last place in the East race -- but the actual racing for the lead was very entertaining in all three events.
--Donny Lia was stellar in the Modifieds.
--Helping coach SPEED Channel's Bob Dillner on the iRacing Modified simulator in the infield media center on Saturday with driver Ryan Preece, not 15 minutes after Preece finished third in the WMT race. We ran Stafford Motor Speedway, the site of Preece's most recent WMT victory, and Dillner wasn't exactly, um, the smoothest guy. Not horrible, but not smooth. Preece got in the seat and beat Dillner's best lap by a half-second... on the first lap. And then it was my turn, and I felt pretty good about being only four tenths off Preece's best time. It's a helluva jump (or is it "Heluva Good!"?) from a four-cylinder Mustang five years ago to a, uh, digitally-created SK Modified at Stafford. But we got it done.
--The ACT Invitational was superlative, especially for a first effort. The 36 cars were all very classy-looking, the drivers were racy and ultra-respectful of each other on the track, and holy cow, the crowd got into it. ACT announcer Troy Germain is to be commended for his energetic introduction of each driver, and Tom Curley's idea to incorporate the presentation of the team battle flags onto the edge of the race track blew the crowd away. Many fans stood for the entire 50 laps.
--The tractor trailer shower setup things in the parking lots at NHMS were out-freaking-standing.
--The most interesting part of the huge crowd that stuck around after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Saturday to see the ACT race was listening to where the cheers came from during introductions. Some estimates had as many as 40,000 fans there, but it was probably more like 18,000 to 25,000 for the ACT Invitational. Every fan applauded every driver, but for each one there were patches of localized families and fans losing their minds for their favorite drivers. When Randy Potter was introduced, one 50-person section of the stands, most likely centered around Groveton, N.H., went crazy on the frontstretch. When T.J. Watson was up, his Maine-based fans went nuts over in Turn 1, or wherever they were. And the Milton fans cheered for guys like Brent Dragon, Scott Payea, Jean-Paul Cyr, and Eric Chase. It was very cool, and it also sent a message loud and clear to NHMS officials that there were a lot people there specifically to watch the ACT Invitational.
--Three words: Juan Pablo Montoya.
--Five words: Eddie MacDonald and Rollie Lachance.
--You gotta love Travis Adams' attitude. Adams spent the year chasing a dream for his father, the late Donnie Adams, and won his fourth-straight Oxford Plains Speedway championship. But his goals were two-fold: Adams wanted the title for his dad, but he also wanted to win the title so he would be invited to Loudon, N.H. for the ACT Invitational, just for the chance to race at NHMS. He tested at the track in August, although not very well, and then was scored 32nd in the race after a poor showing on Saturday. I went over to ask Adams a couple of questions about his race as he loaded his car to head back home to Maine, and he was clearly busy, but in his typical fashion, he spoke as he worked. After getting the answers I was looking for, I shook his hand and said, "I'm sorry your Loudon wasn't what you wanted." And Travis Adams stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eye, and said, "Yes it was." That's how important that race was to him, and to 35 other drivers. That moment was by far my favorite part of the weekend.
--Fred Neergaard, the NHMS Director of Communications, is a good man, and bent over backwards -- even when he didn't have to -- to help me out last weekend.
--Tony Stewart and Joey Polewarczyk chatted after the CWSE race on Friday night. And Stewart's obviously been paying attention since the Governor's Cup in June, because he asked Polewarczyk if he was ready for next weekend. Polewarczyk replied, "I'm not running Dover, we don't have the money for that," and Stewart said, "No, I know. I meant the Milk Bowl. That's a big deal."
--The post-race ACT Invitational press conference was truly the epitome of small-time racers in front of a big-time audience. Runner-up Nick Sweet and third-place finisher Brandon Watson were way out of their element speaking to a brightly-lit room full of people with cameras and tape recorders, but they performed as well in there as they did on the track. If you're a regular reader here at VMM, you've probably figured out by now that Sweet is a great interview because of his honesty and natural goofiness, and it was more of the same at NHMS, although instead of just me asking him questions, it was 40 people at once. Watson, all of 16 years old, was clearly uncomfortable and stared at the back wall or at the ceiling while answering questions, but both drivers said all the right things. Seth Leavitt of WCAX-TV asked Sweet to compare racing the mile at NHMS against the quarter-mile at Thunder Road, and Sweet gave his answer. Leavitt then asked Sweet, "Were you nervous?" and Sweet replied, "Right now I am. This is the hardest part." As winner Eddie MacDonald made his way to the head table, Watson's very proud mother rushed up to the middle of the room, where she inadvertantly set off a two-minute photo session by getting a shot of her boy with MacDonald. It was a very endearing moment, and certainly one that took some folks by surprise. The Q&A session with Watson and Sweet ended with a round of applause initiated by Neergaard, who was obviously enjoying the show. And when Sweet got up from the table, his straight-faced question "Can I have this bottle of water?" was enough to set the crowd off into a roar of laughter. MacDonald, of course, is no stranger to those types of events, and accorded himself in the way most professional athletes do with the media. But the presser was as special a moment as the race itself, in my opinion, and to be honest I'm not sure I expected it to go any differently.
--We weren't there to see it, but the efforts of Donald Theetge's team to literally rebuild the left-front corner of his wrecked car at Autodrome St-Eustache on Sunday. The knuckle-busting ultimately led to a Série ACT-Castrol championship for the group.
THE BAD:
--I arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway more unprepared to do my job than I have ever been at any race, ever, in nearly ten years of work. From my days on the ACT payroll when I forgot to bring a printer to a Canadian race, or from my days in high school freelancing for whatever newspaper would let me, or from my first "interview" with Matt Kenseth at the 2004 Oxford 250. I was simply a floundering idiot at NHMS as far as having my stuff together. You might not have noticed, but I sure did, and I know some VIPs did, too. I apologize to you all and to myself.
--Can anyone tell me who Richard Harriman, Chris Jones, Chris Lawson, and Nick Tucker are, or why I don't have a Truck ride?
--Speedway Motorsports Inc. should really consider contracting their long-time partner, Sylvania, into installing some lights around NHMS. The CWSE race was cut 26 laps short because of darkness on Friday night, and it was so bad that if there was a black car going down the frontstretch, well, I sure didn't see it.
--Polewarczyk's wreck in the CWSE race was an extremely hard hit, driver's door first into the Turn 1 wall. Polewarczyk admitted that he was dazed: "Everything went black."
--ACT teams running too much tire stagger, as much as three inches, and causing problems for themselves. There were a lot of cars affected, including Ben Rowe, who hit the wall in Turn 3 after his right-front tire blew out, Brian Hoar, who faded from second to eighth over the final five laps, early leader Joey Doiron, and winner Eddie MacDonald, who had a major blister on the right-rear tire of his car.
--The weather on Friday delayed everything at NHMS, which in turn cancelled our trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the Late Model championship event at the PASS North season finale.
THE ABHORRENT:
--Patrick Laperle's Castrol deal at St-Eustache. After listening to both Laperle and ACT's Tom Curley, it appears rather obvious to me that the Jacques Laperle car was used in the lap 273 yellow flag to aid the ailing Patrick Laperle car. It was totally wrong. But I'm also not sure I agree with Curley's decision to not open pit road, because that potentially could have had a negative effect on everyone else running the race, too. Luckily, it appears that it didn't. At the end of the day, I think Patrick Laperle took a chance he shouldn't have taken and he got burned for it.
--Because I was at NHMS, I again wasn't there to see it, but I'm hearing that Airborne Speedway top dogs Martin Roy and Patrick Dupree were disqualified from Sunday's non-points "Apple Bowl 100" at the track for illegal engine parts. Reportedly, Dupree was running unapproved titanium parts in his DIRTcar 'spec' engine, and Roy's issues went much farther than that. DIRTcar inspectors in fact traveled to Airborne on Monday to confirm the findings. That having been said, neither driver had any issues in technical inspection during the regular season, and they were both in the tech shed plenty of times.
--The cold weather at night at Loudon was atrocious. Go ahead and try to sleep in a pop-up camper when it's 74 below outside, I dare ya.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: On Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. beat Barre's Nick Sweet to win the inaugural ACT Invitational. Brandon Watson of Stayner, Ont. was third with Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Qué. fourth and Graniteville's John Donahue fifth.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Aaron Bartemy of Sheldon finished eighth in Sunday's Apple Bowl 100 for Modifieds. Milton's Bill Sawyer was the Sportsman runner-up, with Joey Roberts of Georgia sixth, Brad Bushey of Georgia ninth, and Joe Steffen of Essex Junction tenth. Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax was fourth in the Renegade feature with brother Dave Rabtoy of Swanton fifth.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney was eighth in Friday's Modified feature with Josh King of Vernon 12th. Dana Shepard of Putney was 13th in the Super Stock race, and Joe Rogers of Ludlow was 10th in the Mini Stocks. Vernon drivers Heath Renaud, Josh Houle, and Pat Houle finished second, fourth, and fifth in the four-cylinder Enduro, respectively.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Barney McRae of Milton finished 33rd in Friday's Heluva Good! 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
PASS North Super Late Models: Richie Dearborn of Hollis, Me. won Friday's season finale at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. over Ben Rowe of Turner, Me., Kelly Moore of Scarborough, Me., Travis Benjamin of Morrill, Me., and 2009 champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Me. Danville rookie Steven Legendre finished seventh.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Ben Bedor of Lyndonville was fifth in Saturday's Super Stock feature. Dean Switser, Jr. of Lyndonville was third in the Street Stocks with Andy Fecteau of Hardwick fifth. Toby Merchant of Concord was the Dwarf Car runner-up, and Johanna Christman of Cabot won the Angel feature.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): St. Johnsbury's Stacy Cahoon finished fifth in the Late Model feature on Friday to wrap up his second-straight track championship. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was the Strictly Stock runner-up, taking that division's championship, and Concord's Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini race, finishing second in the championship to Opie Thayer.
***
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, Sept. 26
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford -- 6:00pm (Final Event -- Championship Night, Enduro, Demolition Derby)
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Final Event -- Non-Winners Races)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 2:00pm (Final Event -- School Bus Race, Demolition Derby)
Sunday, Sept. 27
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Final Event -- Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl)
It has been the craziest week in the history of auto racing. Ever. Okay, maybe not, but a lot went on. And thanks to my newfound love of the word "abhorrent" (it's one of those words you know exists, but don't realize it's missing from your life until you use it once, kinda like the way I feel about dirt racing after this year), we've got ourselves a column.
Here's a look at the week that was.
THE GOOD:
--The NASCAR Camping World Series East, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and ACT Invitational events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. I thought they were great. The two NASCAR events had a few too many cautions -- and for dumb stuff, like Jason Patison and Eric Curran wrecking each other for last place in the East race -- but the actual racing for the lead was very entertaining in all three events.
--Donny Lia was stellar in the Modifieds.
--Helping coach SPEED Channel's Bob Dillner on the iRacing Modified simulator in the infield media center on Saturday with driver Ryan Preece, not 15 minutes after Preece finished third in the WMT race. We ran Stafford Motor Speedway, the site of Preece's most recent WMT victory, and Dillner wasn't exactly, um, the smoothest guy. Not horrible, but not smooth. Preece got in the seat and beat Dillner's best lap by a half-second... on the first lap. And then it was my turn, and I felt pretty good about being only four tenths off Preece's best time. It's a helluva jump (or is it "Heluva Good!"?) from a four-cylinder Mustang five years ago to a, uh, digitally-created SK Modified at Stafford. But we got it done.
--The ACT Invitational was superlative, especially for a first effort. The 36 cars were all very classy-looking, the drivers were racy and ultra-respectful of each other on the track, and holy cow, the crowd got into it. ACT announcer Troy Germain is to be commended for his energetic introduction of each driver, and Tom Curley's idea to incorporate the presentation of the team battle flags onto the edge of the race track blew the crowd away. Many fans stood for the entire 50 laps.
--The tractor trailer shower setup things in the parking lots at NHMS were out-freaking-standing.
--The most interesting part of the huge crowd that stuck around after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Saturday to see the ACT race was listening to where the cheers came from during introductions. Some estimates had as many as 40,000 fans there, but it was probably more like 18,000 to 25,000 for the ACT Invitational. Every fan applauded every driver, but for each one there were patches of localized families and fans losing their minds for their favorite drivers. When Randy Potter was introduced, one 50-person section of the stands, most likely centered around Groveton, N.H., went crazy on the frontstretch. When T.J. Watson was up, his Maine-based fans went nuts over in Turn 1, or wherever they were. And the Milton fans cheered for guys like Brent Dragon, Scott Payea, Jean-Paul Cyr, and Eric Chase. It was very cool, and it also sent a message loud and clear to NHMS officials that there were a lot people there specifically to watch the ACT Invitational.
--Three words: Juan Pablo Montoya.
--Five words: Eddie MacDonald and Rollie Lachance.
--You gotta love Travis Adams' attitude. Adams spent the year chasing a dream for his father, the late Donnie Adams, and won his fourth-straight Oxford Plains Speedway championship. But his goals were two-fold: Adams wanted the title for his dad, but he also wanted to win the title so he would be invited to Loudon, N.H. for the ACT Invitational, just for the chance to race at NHMS. He tested at the track in August, although not very well, and then was scored 32nd in the race after a poor showing on Saturday. I went over to ask Adams a couple of questions about his race as he loaded his car to head back home to Maine, and he was clearly busy, but in his typical fashion, he spoke as he worked. After getting the answers I was looking for, I shook his hand and said, "I'm sorry your Loudon wasn't what you wanted." And Travis Adams stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eye, and said, "Yes it was." That's how important that race was to him, and to 35 other drivers. That moment was by far my favorite part of the weekend.
--Fred Neergaard, the NHMS Director of Communications, is a good man, and bent over backwards -- even when he didn't have to -- to help me out last weekend.
--Tony Stewart and Joey Polewarczyk chatted after the CWSE race on Friday night. And Stewart's obviously been paying attention since the Governor's Cup in June, because he asked Polewarczyk if he was ready for next weekend. Polewarczyk replied, "I'm not running Dover, we don't have the money for that," and Stewart said, "No, I know. I meant the Milk Bowl. That's a big deal."
--The post-race ACT Invitational press conference was truly the epitome of small-time racers in front of a big-time audience. Runner-up Nick Sweet and third-place finisher Brandon Watson were way out of their element speaking to a brightly-lit room full of people with cameras and tape recorders, but they performed as well in there as they did on the track. If you're a regular reader here at VMM, you've probably figured out by now that Sweet is a great interview because of his honesty and natural goofiness, and it was more of the same at NHMS, although instead of just me asking him questions, it was 40 people at once. Watson, all of 16 years old, was clearly uncomfortable and stared at the back wall or at the ceiling while answering questions, but both drivers said all the right things. Seth Leavitt of WCAX-TV asked Sweet to compare racing the mile at NHMS against the quarter-mile at Thunder Road, and Sweet gave his answer. Leavitt then asked Sweet, "Were you nervous?" and Sweet replied, "Right now I am. This is the hardest part." As winner Eddie MacDonald made his way to the head table, Watson's very proud mother rushed up to the middle of the room, where she inadvertantly set off a two-minute photo session by getting a shot of her boy with MacDonald. It was a very endearing moment, and certainly one that took some folks by surprise. The Q&A session with Watson and Sweet ended with a round of applause initiated by Neergaard, who was obviously enjoying the show. And when Sweet got up from the table, his straight-faced question "Can I have this bottle of water?" was enough to set the crowd off into a roar of laughter. MacDonald, of course, is no stranger to those types of events, and accorded himself in the way most professional athletes do with the media. But the presser was as special a moment as the race itself, in my opinion, and to be honest I'm not sure I expected it to go any differently.
--We weren't there to see it, but the efforts of Donald Theetge's team to literally rebuild the left-front corner of his wrecked car at Autodrome St-Eustache on Sunday. The knuckle-busting ultimately led to a Série ACT-Castrol championship for the group.
THE BAD:
--I arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway more unprepared to do my job than I have ever been at any race, ever, in nearly ten years of work. From my days on the ACT payroll when I forgot to bring a printer to a Canadian race, or from my days in high school freelancing for whatever newspaper would let me, or from my first "interview" with Matt Kenseth at the 2004 Oxford 250. I was simply a floundering idiot at NHMS as far as having my stuff together. You might not have noticed, but I sure did, and I know some VIPs did, too. I apologize to you all and to myself.
--Can anyone tell me who Richard Harriman, Chris Jones, Chris Lawson, and Nick Tucker are, or why I don't have a Truck ride?
--Speedway Motorsports Inc. should really consider contracting their long-time partner, Sylvania, into installing some lights around NHMS. The CWSE race was cut 26 laps short because of darkness on Friday night, and it was so bad that if there was a black car going down the frontstretch, well, I sure didn't see it.
--Polewarczyk's wreck in the CWSE race was an extremely hard hit, driver's door first into the Turn 1 wall. Polewarczyk admitted that he was dazed: "Everything went black."
--ACT teams running too much tire stagger, as much as three inches, and causing problems for themselves. There were a lot of cars affected, including Ben Rowe, who hit the wall in Turn 3 after his right-front tire blew out, Brian Hoar, who faded from second to eighth over the final five laps, early leader Joey Doiron, and winner Eddie MacDonald, who had a major blister on the right-rear tire of his car.
--The weather on Friday delayed everything at NHMS, which in turn cancelled our trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the Late Model championship event at the PASS North season finale.
THE ABHORRENT:
--Patrick Laperle's Castrol deal at St-Eustache. After listening to both Laperle and ACT's Tom Curley, it appears rather obvious to me that the Jacques Laperle car was used in the lap 273 yellow flag to aid the ailing Patrick Laperle car. It was totally wrong. But I'm also not sure I agree with Curley's decision to not open pit road, because that potentially could have had a negative effect on everyone else running the race, too. Luckily, it appears that it didn't. At the end of the day, I think Patrick Laperle took a chance he shouldn't have taken and he got burned for it.
--Because I was at NHMS, I again wasn't there to see it, but I'm hearing that Airborne Speedway top dogs Martin Roy and Patrick Dupree were disqualified from Sunday's non-points "Apple Bowl 100" at the track for illegal engine parts. Reportedly, Dupree was running unapproved titanium parts in his DIRTcar 'spec' engine, and Roy's issues went much farther than that. DIRTcar inspectors in fact traveled to Airborne on Monday to confirm the findings. That having been said, neither driver had any issues in technical inspection during the regular season, and they were both in the tech shed plenty of times.
--The cold weather at night at Loudon was atrocious. Go ahead and try to sleep in a pop-up camper when it's 74 below outside, I dare ya.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: On Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. beat Barre's Nick Sweet to win the inaugural ACT Invitational. Brandon Watson of Stayner, Ont. was third with Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Qué. fourth and Graniteville's John Donahue fifth.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Aaron Bartemy of Sheldon finished eighth in Sunday's Apple Bowl 100 for Modifieds. Milton's Bill Sawyer was the Sportsman runner-up, with Joey Roberts of Georgia sixth, Brad Bushey of Georgia ninth, and Joe Steffen of Essex Junction tenth. Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax was fourth in the Renegade feature with brother Dave Rabtoy of Swanton fifth.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney was eighth in Friday's Modified feature with Josh King of Vernon 12th. Dana Shepard of Putney was 13th in the Super Stock race, and Joe Rogers of Ludlow was 10th in the Mini Stocks. Vernon drivers Heath Renaud, Josh Houle, and Pat Houle finished second, fourth, and fifth in the four-cylinder Enduro, respectively.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Barney McRae of Milton finished 33rd in Friday's Heluva Good! 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
PASS North Super Late Models: Richie Dearborn of Hollis, Me. won Friday's season finale at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. over Ben Rowe of Turner, Me., Kelly Moore of Scarborough, Me., Travis Benjamin of Morrill, Me., and 2009 champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Me. Danville rookie Steven Legendre finished seventh.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Ben Bedor of Lyndonville was fifth in Saturday's Super Stock feature. Dean Switser, Jr. of Lyndonville was third in the Street Stocks with Andy Fecteau of Hardwick fifth. Toby Merchant of Concord was the Dwarf Car runner-up, and Johanna Christman of Cabot won the Angel feature.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): St. Johnsbury's Stacy Cahoon finished fifth in the Late Model feature on Friday to wrap up his second-straight track championship. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was the Strictly Stock runner-up, taking that division's championship, and Concord's Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini race, finishing second in the championship to Opie Thayer.
***
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, Sept. 26
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford -- 6:00pm (Final Event -- Championship Night, Enduro, Demolition Derby)
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Final Event -- Non-Winners Races)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 2:00pm (Final Event -- School Bus Race, Demolition Derby)
Sunday, Sept. 27
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Final Event -- Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Laperle Furious Over ACT Ruling
ST-DENIS, Qué. -- File this one under "No Big Surprise". Patrick Laperle is mad.Following a highly controversial Série ACT-Castrol season finale at Autodrome St-Eustache on Sunday, Laperle says he is likely done racing with the American-Canadian Tour for a while. Laperle entered the St-Eustache 300 finale trailing rival Donald Theetge by 33 points for the championship, but found himself in the catbird seat when Theetge was involved in a wreck near the race's halfway point.
Laperle led 189 laps before suffering a flat tire, at the same time that his cousin, Jacques Laperle, running in sixth place at the time, stopped on the track on lap 273 to bring out a caution flag.
The Laperle teams claim that Jacques Laperle's car also had a flat tire, while ACT officials disagree. According to ACT officials, a member of Patrick Laperle's team violated the ACT rulebook by leaving his pit during the race to have a conversation with Jacques Laperle's team at the other end of the infield pit road, just one lap prior to the yellow flag. ACT President Tom Curley viewed the move as "abhorrent", "detrimental", and "dishonest", disqualified the Jacques Laperle car from the race, and penalized the Patrick Laperle car one lap for the pit road violation.
The pit road also remained closed, ACT says, because the caution period was very quick, opening only after the field was realigned, the call came from the race control booth to cross cars over double-file, and the green flag was displayed at the restart. Patrick Laperle pitted to change his flat tire when the pit area opened, losing another lap in the process.
"I knew if I came to pit road to change my tire while it was closed I would lose a lap, so I stayed on the track," said Patrick Laperle, who disagrees. "They were supposed to be double-file, but they were single-file on the restart, and Tom Curley says he doesn't want to look at the video." (In a video of the restart posted on JournalSport.ca, some cars are running double-file at the restart, including front-row starters Jonathan Urlin (#4) and Sylvain Lacombe (#3), as well as some cars in the middle of the pack. Click here to view the video.)
Laperle thinks Curley is playing favorites. "I don't know what it is, but I think he likes Theetge and not me," Laperle said. "There was a press conference in Québec City before the season started and they had Theetge, but I won the U.S. championship and they didn't invite me, no one talked about that. And [Curley] brought Theetge to Loudon for the test early this year and not me. He never talked to me in the pits all year from the first race at Vallée-Jonction (in June) until two weeks ago (at Thunder Road). All of a sudden on Labor Day, surprise, Tom is in our trailer telling a story. I don't get it."
As of now, Laperle says his primary ACT car is for sale, his sponsor, Normand Girard of JPN Racing, has pulled the plug on funding any future efforts with ACT racing, and the car will likely be purchased before the week is out. He said he wanted to race at the Milk Bowl at Thunder Road this weekend to try to become the first driver in history to win the event three consecutive years, but is "afraid I might do something stupid if I go race there."
Laperle's brother and crew chief, Eric, said Curley told him in the heat of the moment at St-Eustache that "ACT would rather lose one team (Laperle's) than a group of drivers that would leave if we won."
The Laperles feel targeted by Curley, drawing comparisons between past controversial incidents with drivers Junior Hanley, Randy LaJoie, and Ralph Nason. "It's been that way all year long, it's been that way for many, many years," said Eric Laperle.
"If that's the way [Curley] wants to treat people, I'll leave," said Patrick Laperle. "We're not a bunch of idiots, we're not just a piece of meat to throw around. I'm done, I've had enough for now. I don't think I'll be racing ACT for a while, maybe like two years I'll come back. I lost Julio (Miglioli, a former sponsor) because of something like this (in 2006), now I've lost Normand except for the Pro Stock when we race that.
"I say that I'm done, but I might have regret and come back next year. But then I'll probably want to smash my head off a wall if I do."
Curley: Laperle Strategy "Abhorrent"
WATERBURY -- Vermont Motorsports Magazine spoke with American-Canadian Tour President and Série ACT-Castrol race director Tom Curley about the controversy at Autodrome St-Eustache on Sunday, which ultimately led to Donald Theetge clinching the Castrol championship by one point over Patrick Laperle.Curley explains the situation on lap 273, when Jacques Laperle drew a yellow flag, allegedly to aid his cousin, Patrick Laperle, who had a flat tire while leading the race and was certain to overtake Theetge for the championship at the time: "The press release explains it all. Jacques Laperle intentionally stopped his car in the power lane in the middle of the backstretch. As soon as the yellow was up, he peeled out and joined the end of the field. There was no crash, and there was no clean-up, it was very quick. We crossed the cars over for the restart and when the field came down, when the last car went by and took the green flag, the pits were opened up. Laperle and Laperle came down, and Patrick changed his tire, which is when he went a lap down. It's not our responsibility to change the tire, that's the team's responsibility, and that's why he lost a lap."
Curley on Laperle's post-race one-lap penalty: "It's clearly obvious to anybody but Laperle fans what the situation was. Patrick Laperle was riding around with a flat tire, about on the rim, and he was penalized for a crew member's infraction of the ACT rulebook. Patrick Laperle's team was in pit stall number one on the frontstretch, and one of the crew members was clearly sent to the backstretch, 30 pits away, to have a conversation with Jacques Laperle's team one lap prior to the yellow. According to ACT rules, the crew is not allowed to leave its pit stall during a race."
Curley on Laperle's apparent decision to have cousin Jacques Laperle intentionally draw a yellow flag: "The irony is that there are many strategies Patrick Laperle could have used, and I've explained this to them, that would have avoided this, and had he used one of them, he would have lost maybe one lap, if that. He would have been shown the same courtesies as everyone else in that situation. Frankly, I think the actions of his team were abhorrent.
"We're not idiots in this business, and I know a lot of you think we are, but we're not. We've been around a long time and seen a lot of races, and it was clear what was going on with the Laperle cars. If the fans can't determine what's fair play and what's not, I guess that leaves it up to us as officials. I think [Laperle's] actions were detrimental to the sport, they were dishonest, and there were other options they could have used."
Curley on allegations of favoring Donald Theetge for the championship: "At the time I obviously had no idea Donald Theetge could recover from that wreck and finish the race. His car was completely demolished, even the shock tower was sheared off the car. But his crew totally rebuilt the left-front of that car in 50 laps, they did a tremendous job. And then we ended up having that horrow-show scenario with everything that happened after Theetge's crash, and it came down to one point in favor of either driver, depending on the scoring recheck.
"As things played out, if Patrick Laperle had raced with honesty and respectfulness, he would have been the champion. Would he have won the race? I don't think so, the guys up front were very strong, and even with the new tire I don't think he could have passed them. But he certainly could have finished fourth or fifth and won the championship over Theetge by a wide margin.
"Laperle had a lot of options. If option number one works and option number two works, but option number three doesn't, why do it? They chose option number three. I can't explain that."
BREAKING NEWS: Theetge is ACT Castrol Champion
Laperle loses by one point after penalty
WATERBURY -- Donald Theetge has officially been named the 2009 Série ACT-Castrol championship, but not before a set of unprecedented circumstances determined that outcome.
At Sunday's season finale, the St-Eustache 300 at Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal, Theetge entered the race with a 33-point edge over Patrick Laperle to lead the championship standings. Theetge was involved in a wreck just past the halfway point, sending him to the pits for major repairs on the suspension of his car. Meanwhile, Laperle led 189 laps in the race before a tire began to go flat.
That's when things become, as the official ACT-issued press release puts it, "bizarre." This is the explanation from the release, posted at 12:35pm on Tuesday:
"[Laperle] was leading around lap 268 when he appeared to have a tire going flat. Maintaining the lead but slowing dramatically until lap 270, Laperle knew he was in trouble. Sylvain Lacombe took over the lead on lap 270 and was then passed by eventual winner Jonathan Urlin of London, Ontario. Laperle started going back through the field. At this point there was not much question that he would have to pit under green flag conditions unless he could catch a ‘lucky’ caution flag.
On lap 273 Laperle’s cousin, Jacques Laperle, racing in only his second ACT Castrol event of the season, was running sixth on the lead lap. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, Jacques Laperle stopped his car under green in the outside lane on the backstretch, bringing out a yellow. The Jacques Laperle team claimed that they had a flat tire. ACT officials observed that the tire was not flat. Jacques Laperle was disqualified from the event for his actions of intentionally bringing out a yellow."
The infractions did not end there, however.
The ACT release continues: "Following a timing and scoring re-check of several positions which was requested by the Patrick Laperle team, there was a scoring adjustment on the Daniel Descoste finishing position. There was also a procedural penalty issued to the Patrick Laperle team by ACT officials for violation of the ACT rules and procedures. A Patrick Laperle crew member left their pit stall and entered the pit stall of cousin Jacques Laperle, just prior to the alleged ‘flat tire’ on the backstretch. Patrick Laperle was issued a one-lap penalty for this infraction. Under ACT rules and procedures the driver is responsible for the conduct of his team. Patrick Laperle finished the event in 8th position, the first car two laps down.
With only 17 of the 33 cars that started the event finishing, Donald Theetge managed to complete the race in 18th position. The final results awarded Theetge the Championship by a single point."
According to eyewitnesses, the pits were kept closed during the lap-273 caution period, thereby not allowing Patrick Laperle to come to pit road to change his flat tire. As the pace car turned off the speedway for the subsequent restart, the pits were then opened. Laperle entered the pits to change the flat tire as the green flag came out, losing the second lap during the process. A video posted on the French-language website, JournalSport.ca, shows a clip of the final restart, and shows Laperle (orange #91) on pit road and his team changing the tire.
Jonathan Urlin of London, Ont. was the winner of the race, taking the $5,000 top prize and the first Série ACT-Castrol victory of his career. Sylvain Lacombe, Karl Allard, Jean-François Déry, and Brandon Watson completed the official top-five finishers.
WATERBURY -- Donald Theetge has officially been named the 2009 Série ACT-Castrol championship, but not before a set of unprecedented circumstances determined that outcome.At Sunday's season finale, the St-Eustache 300 at Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal, Theetge entered the race with a 33-point edge over Patrick Laperle to lead the championship standings. Theetge was involved in a wreck just past the halfway point, sending him to the pits for major repairs on the suspension of his car. Meanwhile, Laperle led 189 laps in the race before a tire began to go flat.
That's when things become, as the official ACT-issued press release puts it, "bizarre." This is the explanation from the release, posted at 12:35pm on Tuesday:
"[Laperle] was leading around lap 268 when he appeared to have a tire going flat. Maintaining the lead but slowing dramatically until lap 270, Laperle knew he was in trouble. Sylvain Lacombe took over the lead on lap 270 and was then passed by eventual winner Jonathan Urlin of London, Ontario. Laperle started going back through the field. At this point there was not much question that he would have to pit under green flag conditions unless he could catch a ‘lucky’ caution flag.
On lap 273 Laperle’s cousin, Jacques Laperle, racing in only his second ACT Castrol event of the season, was running sixth on the lead lap. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, Jacques Laperle stopped his car under green in the outside lane on the backstretch, bringing out a yellow. The Jacques Laperle team claimed that they had a flat tire. ACT officials observed that the tire was not flat. Jacques Laperle was disqualified from the event for his actions of intentionally bringing out a yellow."
The infractions did not end there, however.
The ACT release continues: "Following a timing and scoring re-check of several positions which was requested by the Patrick Laperle team, there was a scoring adjustment on the Daniel Descoste finishing position. There was also a procedural penalty issued to the Patrick Laperle team by ACT officials for violation of the ACT rules and procedures. A Patrick Laperle crew member left their pit stall and entered the pit stall of cousin Jacques Laperle, just prior to the alleged ‘flat tire’ on the backstretch. Patrick Laperle was issued a one-lap penalty for this infraction. Under ACT rules and procedures the driver is responsible for the conduct of his team. Patrick Laperle finished the event in 8th position, the first car two laps down.
With only 17 of the 33 cars that started the event finishing, Donald Theetge managed to complete the race in 18th position. The final results awarded Theetge the Championship by a single point."
According to eyewitnesses, the pits were kept closed during the lap-273 caution period, thereby not allowing Patrick Laperle to come to pit road to change his flat tire. As the pace car turned off the speedway for the subsequent restart, the pits were then opened. Laperle entered the pits to change the flat tire as the green flag came out, losing the second lap during the process. A video posted on the French-language website, JournalSport.ca, shows a clip of the final restart, and shows Laperle (orange #91) on pit road and his team changing the tire.
Jonathan Urlin of London, Ont. was the winner of the race, taking the $5,000 top prize and the first Série ACT-Castrol victory of his career. Sylvain Lacombe, Karl Allard, Jean-François Déry, and Brandon Watson completed the official top-five finishers.
ACT CASTROL: Announcement Expected Soon
WATERBURY -- ACT officials are expected to release the official finish of Sunday's Série ACT-Castrol season finale, the St-Eustache 300, at "around 12:30" today, according to ACT Media Director Nick Bigelow.
A controversy stemming from the event reportedly involving Patrick Laperle, which resulted in a scoring recheck, has delayed the results of the event by two days. The race finish will also determine the 2009 Série ACT-Castrol champion.
Donald Theetge entered the race with a 33-point lead over Laperle.
A controversy stemming from the event reportedly involving Patrick Laperle, which resulted in a scoring recheck, has delayed the results of the event by two days. The race finish will also determine the 2009 Série ACT-Castrol champion.
Donald Theetge entered the race with a 33-point lead over Laperle.
ACT CASTROL: Who is the Champion?
ST-EUSTACHE, Qué. -- Confusion hangs in the air over the Série ACT-Castrol championship battle. The Canadian sister series to the ACT Late Model Tour ran its final event of 2009 on Sunday night -- the annual St-Eustache 300 at Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal -- hyping a close title chase between bitter rivals Patrick Laperle and Donald Theetge.And as of early Tuesday morning, no champion has been announced. The ACT website is also not functional as of 3:00am Tuesday, due to a bandwidth issue.
A short press release on the front page of the website on Monday named Jonathan Urlin of London, Ont. as the winner of the St-Eustache 300 over Sylvain Lacombe and Karl Allard, but other than noting that a scoring recheck is currently under way, little else was made official by Waterbury, Vt.-based ACT.
According to the official French-language ACT website, Theetge is the unofficial champion over Laperle by a single point, 725-724. Theetge entered the race with a 33-point cushion over Laperle, but reportedly encountered problems after crashing early in the St-Eustache 300. Laperle dominated by leading many laps, but faded with a leaking tire late in the race.
Vermont Motorsports Magazine has learned that an official announcement is expected from ACT some time on Tuesday, and will post information as it becomes available.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
ACT Invitational: 28 Teams on Invite List for NHMS Event
LOUDON, N.H. -- Six names have been added to the list of drivers invited to the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway later this month.ACT released 22 names last week following a two-day "Test & Tune" session at the 1.058-mile superspeedway that were invited to compete at the race. On Tuesday, Maine drivers Ricky Rolfe, Shawn Martin, and Joey Doiron, Connecticut racer Timmy Jordan, and Vermonters Jamie Fisher and Eric Chase were added to the list.
Fisher, of Shelburne, is a former track champion at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre, and both he and Milton driver Chase are veteran competitors there and on the ACT Late Model Tour. Chase also made his NHMS debut in a NASCAR Camping World Series East event in June.
The list of 28 drivers invited to the ACT Invitational is as follows:
Car No.-Driver-Hometown-Invite Berth
9ON Brandon Watson, Stayner, Ont., Kawartha Speedway At-Large Invitee
10NH Ben Rowe, Turner, Me., ACT Late Model Tour At-Large Invitee
11VT Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, Thunder Road Champion
11RI Ryan Vanasse, Warwick, R.I., Seekonk Speedway Point Leader
14VT Phil Scott, Montpelier, Thunder Road At-Large Invitee
14ON Sean Kennedy, Dunrobin, Ont., NHMS Qualifier Winner
17MA Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., NHMS Qualifier Winner
18VT Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, ACT/Thunder Road At-Large Invitee
21QC Jean-François Déry, Québec, Qué., NHMS Qualifier Winner
26VT John Donahue, Graniteville, NHMS Qualifier Winner
35CT Bruce Thomas, Groton, Conn., Waterford Speedbowl Point Leader
37VT Brian Hoar, Williston, NHMS Qualifier Winner
40VT Eric Chase, Milton, ACT/Thunder Road At-Large Invitee
44VT Dave Pembroke, Middlesex, NHMS Qualifier Winner
47CT Tim Jordan, Plainfield, Conn., Waterford Speedbowl At-Large Invitee
48QC Karl Allard, St-Félicien, Qué., Série ACT-Castrol At-Large Invitee
51ME Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp., Me., ACT Late Model Tour At-Large Invitee
55VT Brent Dragon, Milton, NHMS Qualifier Winner
55NH Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H., NHMS Qualifier Winner
71ON Dan McHattie, Cavan, Ont., Kawartha Speedway Point Leader
73ME Joey Doiron, Berwick, Me., ACT Late Model Tour At-Large Invitee
80QC Donald Theetge, Boischatel, Qué., NHMS Qualifier Winner
89VT Scott Payea, Milton, NHMS Qualifier Winner
91QC Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, Qué., NHMS Qualifier Winner
94ME Shawn Martin, Turner, Me., Oxford Plains Speedway At-Large Invitee
97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Hudson, N.H., NHMS Qualifier Winner
02NH Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H., ACT Late Model Tour At-Large Invitee
04ME T.J. Watson, Cundy’s Harbor, Me., NHMS Qualifier Winner
Monday, August 31, 2009
PHOTOS: NHMS Test Day 2 & Thunder Road VSECU 100
The marquee at New Hampshire Motor Speedway touts the ACT Late Model Test & Tune session on Wednesday morning. Click here for a 95-photo gallery of the NHMS test and Thunder Road's final Thursday night event of its 50th season. All photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM unless otherwise noted. All photos used with permission.
Dragon Wins ACT Showdown at Chaudière
VALLÉE-JONCTION, Qué. -- Brent Dragon of Milton won the second annual Coors Light 200 Showdown at Chaudière, a non-points all-star event for top U.S.- and Canadian-based ACT teams, on Sunday.ACT Late Model Tour point leader Scott Payea, also of Milton, and top Série ACT-Castrol driver Karl Allard of St-Félicien, Qué. traded the lead several times over the first 91 laps before Dragon took command. Dragon led the final 109 laps, and led the U.S. group to its second "team" victory in the two years of the event.
Payea finished second, with Randy Potter of Groveton, N.H. third. Castrol point leader Donald Theetge of Boischatel, Qué. was the top Canadian in fourth place, while Graniteville's Pete Potvin, III had a career day with a fifth-place showing.
The Showdown was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was pushed back by rain to Sunday afternoon.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Coors Light 200 Showdown at Chaudière
Autodrome Chaudière, Vallée-Jonction, Qué.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown-(Team)
1. Brent Dragon, Milton (USA)
2. Scott Payea, Milton (USA)
3. Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H. (USA)
3. Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H. (USA)
4. Donald Theetge, Boischatel, Qué. (CAN)
5. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville (USA)
6. Brian Hoar, Williston (USA)
7. Karl Allard, St-Félicien, Qué. (CAN)
8. Jean-François Déry, Québec, Qué. (CAN)
9. Joey Doiron, Berwick, Me. (USA)
10. Chip Grenier, Graniteville (USA)
11. Patrick Cliche, St-Jean-de-Chrysostome, Qué. (CAN)
12. Jacques Poulin, East-Broughton, Qué. (CAN)
13. Yvon Bédard, St-Nicolas, Qué. (CAN)
14. Dany Ouellet, La Pocatière, Qué. (CAN)
15. Brooks Clark, Fayston (USA)
16. Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp., Me. (USA)
17. Patrick Laperle, St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué. (CAN)
18. Claude Leclerc, Lanoraie, Qué. (CAN)
19. John Donahue, Graniteville (USA)
20. Alexandre Gingras, Québec, Qué. (CAN)
21. Patrick Hamel, St-Édouard-de-Lotbinière, Qué. (CAN)
22. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H. (USA)
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Theetge Wins ACT Castrol Event at Riverside
From ACT press release
STE-CROIX, Qué. -- Donald Theetge won the Riverside 150 Série ACT-Castrol event at Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix, Qué. on Saturday night. Theetge, of nearby Boischatel, Qué., beat Sylvain Lacombe and Patrick Hamel, the only other drivers on the lead lap.
Patrick Laperle had a stellar run through the field, moving from 25th starting position into the lead by lap 22. Laperle broke the rear end in his car on lap 99, however -- his second of the day, as he also broke a rear end in qualifying -- and was forced to retire from the race. He finished 20th, unofficially.
Jacques Poulin finished fourth one lap down, followed on the same lap by Karl Allard, Dany Ouellet, Patrick Cliche, and Éric St-Gelais. The top ten was completed by Stéphane Descoste and David Michaud, who were two laps down.
Theetge's victory was the 14th of his ACT Castrol career, breaking him out of a tie with Lacombe to take over first place on the series' all-time win list. Theetge will also take over the point lead from Laperle, unofficially.
STE-CROIX, Qué. -- Donald Theetge won the Riverside 150 Série ACT-Castrol event at Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix, Qué. on Saturday night. Theetge, of nearby Boischatel, Qué., beat Sylvain Lacombe and Patrick Hamel, the only other drivers on the lead lap.Patrick Laperle had a stellar run through the field, moving from 25th starting position into the lead by lap 22. Laperle broke the rear end in his car on lap 99, however -- his second of the day, as he also broke a rear end in qualifying -- and was forced to retire from the race. He finished 20th, unofficially.
Jacques Poulin finished fourth one lap down, followed on the same lap by Karl Allard, Dany Ouellet, Patrick Cliche, and Éric St-Gelais. The top ten was completed by Stéphane Descoste and David Michaud, who were two laps down.
Theetge's victory was the 14th of his ACT Castrol career, breaking him out of a tie with Lacombe to take over first place on the series' all-time win list. Theetge will also take over the point lead from Laperle, unofficially.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Laperle to Make Road Course Debut at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
MONTRÉAL, Qué. -- Patrick Laperle will make his road racing debut on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series AUTOPRO 100 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal on Sun., August 30. Laperle, of nearby St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué., will drive a car owned by Harvey Ambrose and normally piloted by Derek Lynch of Warkworth, Ont.Laperle is a three-time winner of the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl and is the defending champion of the ACT Late Model Tour. He is the current point leader on the Québec/Ontario-based Série ACT-Castrol.
"I've got a Formula 1 game for my PlayStation, but that's it," laughed Laperle, noting his limited road course experience. "I drove around the track [Thursday] in a street car for the first time, and that track is so narrow the Formula 1 guys that raced there must be crazy. I'm excited for the race, that's for sure."
Laperle will have a busy weekend beginning Friday, Aug. 28 with inspection and his first practice laps at the track in the race car. Saturday will be a day of practice and qualifying for the event, followed that night by the Coors Light Showdown of Champions ACT all-star race at Autodrome Chaudière some 160 miles northeast of Montréal. The pit area opens at 6:00am on Sunday morning at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the day of the AUTOPRO 100.
Laperle has taken delivery of the car already, and is hoping to get practice laps prior to the event at another road course.
"We're going to try to get some practice at St-Eustache or Sanair before the race," Laperle said. "The biggest thing to learn is downshifting in the turns. It will be a lot of work, but a lot of fun."
Laperle's effort in the AUTOPRO 100 will be sponsored by the Québec Dodge Dealers Association, who is also a presenting sponsor of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 for the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve that weekend. The deal was put together by Stock-Car Montréal, the promotional group owned by International Speedway Corp. that is holding the event.
"We are now able to fulfill a wish that has been brought up many times by a great number of Québec stock car fans," said event promoter François Dumontier in an official press release. "Evidently, Patrick has a lot of admirers, and we quickly realized that it would be proper to give him the opportunity to showcase his racing skills in the biggest race event of the summer."
"We responded to the proposal from Stock-Car Montréal, and decided to sponsor Patrick Laperle because we believe in his ability, and because he is a fan favorite across Québec," said David Dumont, president of the Québec Dodge Dealers Association. "The Dodge Dealers of Québec and their employees are also stock car fans, and you can rest assured that they will follow with enthusiasm the performances of Patrick in the Dodge Avenger at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve."
(Photo by Marc Patrick Roy)
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