MONTMAGNY, QC – The Série ACT Castrol championship Late Model stock car racing series is geared up for its second event of 2008, the Montmagny 100 at Autodrome Montmagny Speedway, east of Québec City, on Saturday, May 31 at 1:30pm. With each of the series’ three past champions running partial schedules this year, the championship chase is wide open. Leading contenders include Karl Allard, Steven Boissonneault, Jean-François Déry, Alexandre Gingras, and rookie Johnathan Urlin.
Boissonneault, Urlin, and Allard were top-five finishers at the Série ACT Castrol season opener at
Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal two weeks ago. Boissonneault’s runner-up finish in the St-Eustache 100 tied a career-best effort since the Série ACT Castrol was formed in 2005. The Lyster, QC driver won the Série PROLAB Late Model Sportsman championship in 1999. Urlin, of London, ON, and St-Félicien, QC racer Allard waged an exciting battle for third place in the late stages of the St-Eustache 100, with Urlin coming out on top in his first career Série ACT Castrol start.
Déry and Gingras recovered from early accidents to earn top-ten finishes at the St-Eustache 100. Déry, of Québec City, won at Autodrome Montmagny Speedway in 2006 and earned a pair of runner-up finishes at the 3/8-mile oval last year. Val-Bélair, QC driver Gingras has yet to win at Montmagny, but has three top-five finishes in his last four starts at the track. Gingras and Déry finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 2007 Série ACT Castrol championship.
Other top contenders include long-time American-Canadian Tour veterans Claude Leclerc of Lanoraie, QC and Yvon Bédard of St-Nicolas, QC, 2007 Rookie of the Year Éric St-Gelais of St-Nicolas, QC, former Série ACT Castrol race winners Normand Lavigueur of Laval, QC and Martin Lacombe of Terrebonne, QC, and current rookies Patrick Hamel of St-Édouard-de-Lotbinière, QC and Spencer MacPherson of Carleton Place, ON.
The Montmagny 100 will be a two-segment, cumulatively-scored race. The Série ACT Castrol drivers will race the opening 50-lap segment with the winner earning one point, the second-place finisher earning two points etc. The finishing order of the first segment will be inverted to start the second 50-lapper, with points awarded in the same manner as in the opening round. The driver with the lowest overall score after the two 50-lap segments will be the winner.
Qualifying for the Montmagny 100 begins at 1:30pm on Saturday, May 31. Autodrome Montmagny Speedway is located on Chemin St-Leon in Montmagny, QC, east of Québec City. For more information call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.laserieactcastrol.com or www.acttour.com.