The 2009 version of the American Canadian Tour will show fans a major change
from recent years. You would have to go all the way back to 2000, and the
end of the Brian Hoar era, to find an ACT champion running for the 2009
title. Hoar will be looking for his sixth (6th) ACT title while driving for
veteran car owner and crew chief Rick Paya. Paya helped lead all time ACT
champion Jean Paul Cyr to seven championships, and knocked off 5 in a row
between 2003 and 2007. Canadian star Patrick Laperle took home the honors in
2008. Laperle was the first Canadian ever to win an ACT Late Model crown.
Laperle also won the ACT SERIE Castrol championship in his home province of
Quebec in 2007. Neither Cyr nor Laperle will contend for the 2009 ACT
Championship, which presents a 'wild west – winner take all' opportunity for
many veterans and skilled young teams to challenge for the title in 2009.
Without question the coming season presents the greatest mix of veteran
teams looking for their first titles, with a crop of young talent that is
eager for their own breakout. Veteran Dave Whitcomb of Essex, Jct., VT will
rejoin the TOUR in 2009 trying for his second ACT championship. Whitcomb won
the original Late Model title in 1992, and has been a mainstay at Thunder
Road weekly racing, winning the King of the Road title in 1995.
Joining Whitcomb are veterans Brent Dragon, form Milton, VT and Randy Potter
from Groveton, New Hampshire. Dragon and Potter are early favorites to take
their first ACT TOUR titles. Both have multiple weekly track championships
to their credit. Dragon is a perennial favorite at Airborne Raceway in New
York, and Potter has numerous wins at White Mountain Motorsports Park and
put on a dominating performance opening day in 2007 at the Oxford Plains
Speedway.
The top of the standings will likely see the two biggest rising stars at
ACT, Scott Payea of Milton, VT who missed out on winning the 2008 ACT title
by a single point, after leading the standing for the majority of the
season. Payea and his Chris Companion led team know how to win and have
extra incentive to take the honors in 2009. Payea has shown strength at
Thunder Road, (a two time Merchants Bank 150 opening day winner), and at
Oxford Plains Speedway with several top three trips around Maine's tricky
4/10th mile oval. Joey Polewarczyk (Pole) was a two-time winner in 2008, and
certainly has every incentive to win the ACT championship before moving on
to other levels of racing in his career. Joey Pole, at 19 years old, now has
the experience and talent to compete against the veterans, and to use the
ACT title as a stepping-stone to other racing opportunities.