RPM Motorsports: ACT Invitational
Brian Hoar NH Motor Speedway Race Preview
Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., for the fourth annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational on Saturday, September 22. Hoar, a former track record holder at New England’s largest speedway, will join 42 other drivers from the ACT Late Model Tour, ACT Castrol Series and weekly Late Model divisions from across the northeast and Canada for the 50-lap All-Star event. Hoar finished fifth in the event last season in the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger, just one month removed from winning the only ACT Late Model Tour points race ever contested at The Magic Mile. The race is part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 weekend at the track and is one of four races to be held as part of the Saturday program.
THE FACTS
WHO: Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger
CREW CHIEF: Rick Paya, Georgia, Vt.
BEST CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (August 2011)
MOST RECENT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 5th (September 2011)
WHAT: 4th annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational
WHERE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (1.058-mile oval)
WHEN: Saturday, September 22 – Practice, 8 a.m.; Race, 4:30 p.m.
ACT Late Model Tour
LAST RACE: September 2, Labor Day Classic 200, Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (1st)
NEXT RACE: October 6, Fall Final 200, Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. (.500-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 2nd
DID YOU KNOW?
Brian Hoar held the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East track qualifying record at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (127.414 mph) for eight years after becoming the first driver in series history to crack the 29-second barrier in qualifying.
Brian Hoar trails Wayne Helliwell Jr. by eight points in the ACT Late Model Tour standings heading into the season finale next moth. The RPM Motorsports driver cut 36 points out of his deficit over the two previous races.
Brian Hoar has more championships (8) and race wins (37) than any driver in ACT Late Model Tour history. RPM Motorsports owner and crew chief Rick Paya also has a record eight ACT championships.
Brian Hoar has won four ACT Late Model Tour races this season – the first two on the schedule and the two most recent races, at Riverside Speedway in Quebec and Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Vermont.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
BRIAN HOAR, Driver of the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger, On how special it is is to compete at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “I’ve got three big races coming up, and they’re three of the biggest of the year. I think in terms of prestige, this one has quickly jumped up to Milk Bowl and Oxford 250 prestige in a lot of ways. It’s a premium event on a really big stage. It’s got a gigantic crowd – the biggest we race in front of by far. It’s just a huge, huge event.
“Is it as big as the Milk Bowl? Not to Vermonters, not to Barre fans, but that’s been around for 50 years now. That’s the only thing this doesn’t have is the history, but when this thing is 50 years old it will. Oxford 250 has history, too, and we’re just in the early part of that history for this race.
“We’re running on the most premier, nicest racing facility in all of northeastern North America, and that’s pretty awesome.”
On how the competition level has been raised at New Hampshire: “New Hampshire’s such a big track, when we first went there a lot of guys were intimidated by the speed and the size of the place. Not to mention, you’ve got to learn the tricks of the trade to get quicker at New Hampshire.
“No question, the whole field has gotten better. We saw it last year, just going from the August race to the September race. More cars were better prepared to race. It’s also hard when you only go once a year. It’s not about just turning fast laps, but racing there. With that experience, everyone’s gotten better.”
On his recent test session at New Hampshire: “We were really pleased with the test. We went there, and our goal was not to have the fastest time of the day – we’ve kind of gone down there in the past to see how fast we can make the car and how quick we can go. But what I’ve found is that what you need to go fastest is different from what you need to be fast in the race.
“We worked on getting the car to drive a certain way while we were there, and we did that.”
RICK PAYA, Owner and crew chief of the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge Charger, On what winning at New Hampshire last August meant: “This is our Daytona 500. This win is going to be one of our pride and joys. Brian and I have always talked about what a special place this is to win.”