Brent Dragon Seeks Redemption At NHMS
ACT Tour Fixture Looks For Solid Run At Magic Mile On Saturday
MILTON, Vt. – When Brent Dragon heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a fourth time this weekend, he’s looking for the kind of result that matches his strong previous efforts at the 1-mile oval.
It’s not coincidence that Dragon, who has more ACT Late Model Tour starts than any driver in history, has competed in every Tour event at New Hampshire. He’s one of just 43 Late Model drivers across the northeast and Canada to be invited to participate in the 3rd annual ACT Invitational on Saturday.
Following a brief practice session in the morning, the green flag flies on the Invitational shortly after 5:30 p.m.
“I really like the track a lot,” said Dragon, who will bring his own Dragon Motorsports No. 55 Beverage Mart/Furniture World of VT/Charlesbois Freightliner Chevrolet this weekend. “It’s a completely different kind of racing than we have most weeks on the Tour, but it’s something that I definitely enjoy.”
Dragon finished 31st in the ACT Invitational a year ago, but his performance at New Hampshire goes well beyond his actual finishing position. As short-track racers have tried to find the right setups for their cars over the last few seasons, many have turned to Dragon to help get them in the ballpark.
In 2009, several drivers – including former Thunder Road International Speedbowl track champion Cris Michaud – had Dragon drive their cars during practice sessions at New Hampshire to help dial the car in.
This time around, however, Dragon has his sights set on rebounding from a disappointing trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in August. After needing a provisional to make the race, Dragon fought to a 37th-place finish in the 44-car field.
“It was a tough weekend right from when we unloaded to the last race,” Dragon said of the two-segment ACT All-Star Challenge. “We were just never able to get the car where it needed to be. We didn’t come down to test, and I think that hurt us. An hour of practice is not a lot of time to get it back and we never were able to get the car to where it felt comfortable all day. That’s the way we ended.”
Dragon headed back to his race shop and got to work on the No. 55, which is a different piece than the team brought to the track in August.
“We know what not to do, I guess,” Dragon said with a chuckle. “Maybe it will give us something to head for and we’ll have to talk to Jeff (Taylor) up at Distance Racing and see if he can get us back in line.”