Dover New Hampshire’s Wayne Helliwell Jr’s off season has been anything but down time as he launched a new website, racing apparel, and plans for an upcoming season of 50 plus races in 2012.
Helliwell’s launch of www.waynehelliwelljr.com features full coverage of both the Bruce Bernhardt owned No.27NH Late Model and the Witkum Brothers racing No.21 350 Small Block Supermodified teams. Helliwell joked, “It’s time to get with the program, it’s 2012 after all. I’m a little slow with all this technology stuff. We are really excited about the new site. It’s been something in the works for a while I hope everyone enjoys it. Josh (Holt of www.driverwebsites.com) Jason (Lubin) did a great job with the site. It has a great look to it. We tried to think outside the box and do something a little edgy with it. It turned out great.” The site features weekly press releases, finishing results, a store front where the new Late Model Punisher apparel can be purchased, the upcoming 2012 schedule, and much more.
The website isn’t the only off-track project Helliwell has been working on. Also new for 2012 is the ASI Race Wear (www.asiwear.com) “Punisher” themed Late Model shirts, long sleeve and sweatshirts.”We’ve been talking about doing a ‘real’ shirt for while now. We wanted to do something that no one has around here; something that people would really want. I don’t know where the punisher theme came from but I’m glad we did it. They turned out better than I could have imagined,” said Helliwell. The new apparel features the Bruce Bernhardt Motorsports No. 27NH Late Model machine and is available for purchase on the new website and trackside from the team.
Helliwell competed in his first full season of the American Canadian Tour (ACT) series in 2011. It was with consistency and strong finishes that took the team to a second place in series points along with a second Ford Blue Oval Challenge championship; winning the program put on by Ford Racing two years in a row. Plans for 2012 so far have 52 races on the calendar. The Bruce Bernhardt owned EKeys4Cars / Unique Ford team plans to race full time with the ACT series as well as run weekly at the newly NASCAR sanctioned Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, NH. ACT’s early season Sunday shows will allow the team to race more than half the season with both the series and the tracks weekly program. The first overlapping event comes on August 11th when the ACT series heads north of the border to Sanair Super Speedway in St-Pie,QC. “It just comes down to wanting to race every weekend; when the time comes it will be tough decision either way. We’ll see how it plays out. Whatever makes the most sense is the direction we will go in. It sounds like a lot of races but we did 48 in 2011 and I felt like we could have raced more” Helliwell said.
Helliwell’s weekly racing won’t stop with the Late Model as he plans to defend his 2011 Lee USA Speedway track championship. “We are excited to defend our title with the super. We’ve made some changes to make the car even better and I can’t wait to get started.” He will once again pilot the Ed and Bobby Witkum owned Scherbon Consolidated Inc 350 Small Block Supermodified. Wayne will compete in his second full season in the open wheeled division.
Heading into 2012, Wayne feels the Late Model team has unfinished business at hand. Visiting victory lane with the ACT tour is number one on their hit list, “I’m looking forward to getting back to these tracks a second time.” The team visited more than half the tracks on the ACT schedule for the first time in 2011. “We were good at places I didn’t expect to be; the Canada races, Devils Bowl (before we went in the mud bogging), and Beech Ridge. At the same time there were tracks I thought we would be better at and were not. We showed we can be consistent, now it’s time close the deal. We learned so much running with the series last year; I think it showed as the season progressed.” It’s the ACT tour opening event, the Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH they are looking forward to the most stating, “I can’t think of a better place I’d like to get my first tour win at, that’s home for us. We’re excited to get back there with the series.”
The Pelham, NH based Late Model team will start their season at Waterford Speedbowl in Waterford, CT during the multi day Budweiser Blastoff event. Helliwell took home a victory in 2011 at the Speedbowl during a test session of a brand new car. “It’s a good way to start the session for us; we are looking forward to going back.” said Wayne.
After a successful 2011 campaign Helliwell is quick to point out both teams have high expectations for the 2012. “You always strive to be better; sure last year was great but the past is the past. Both teams are more prepared than we’ve ever been. The season can’t start soon enough.”
Waynehelliwelljr.com
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