May 30, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, PASS, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Danville, VT’s Tyler Cahoon celebrates his first Thunder Road Late Model win in the 54th Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic on Sunday, May 29. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, VT – Tyler Cahoon made his first career Thunder Road Late Model win count on Sunday, May 29, holding off a late charge from Scott Dragon for the victory in the 54th Annual Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic.
The Danville veteran took the lead from Matt White on lap 6 of the 100-lap event, just prior to the second and final caution for Brian Tarbell’s hard encounter with the turn one wall. Cahoon pulled out to a big lead in the middle stages, but had to fend off Dragon in the closing laps to secure the win. The former Street Stock Champion became the third driver in the last four years to score his first Thunder Road Late Model victory in the event.
Dragon settled for second, followed by former Memorial Day Classic winner Jason Corliss in third. Trampas Demers took fourth, while Nick Sweet made a late charge to finish fifth. Brooks Clark, John Donahue, Kyle Pembroke, White, and Cody Blake rounded out the top-10.
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May 25, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News
photo by RPM 360
By: Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald dominated the field in a late race charge to post a second place finish in the American Canadian Tour’s fifth race of the season at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut on Saturday, May 21. The Rowley, Mass. veteran, driving the EXIT Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy through lapped traffic chased winner Joey Polewarczyk over the final ten laps of the 100 lap feature to just fall short at the checkered flag. The finish was costly as the Freddie Paterson owned Chevy crashed heavily into the front stretch wall.
“We were very happy with the second place run but the car took a big hit and will need some serious repairs before we race again at Devil’s Bowl,” said Eddie Mac surveying the damage. “I guess the 1vt lost an axle and put down a lot of oil on the track and when I drove off four on the final lap the car just hit the oil and sent it straight into the wall. It was a hard hit but I’m alright but I can’t say the same for the car. But we will get it fixed and be ready for the next race.”
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May 25, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard finally got to return to a track that she loves to race at, running the American Canadian Tour 100 at the New London/Waterford Speedbowl this past weekend. She was able to make her way through the field to bring her Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels sponsored car home in the 12th position. “To start 22nd and to finish 12th is a gain,” Emily said, “and 12th is not really where I would like to be, but since this is our first time coming to New London/Waterford in a late model, but I would say we had a pretty good day.”
Having past experience driving her Allison Legacy car at the 1/3 mile track, Packard had high hopes going into practice that the team would have her car handling pretty good for her quickly, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. She and the team worked for most of the first practice getting the car up off the track and getting the car to drive off the corners. “We struggled a little bit in the first practice getting the car off the track,” said Packard. “By the time we got to the second practice we finally got it off, so that it wasn’t hitting. Once we did that we were able to adjust to get speed.”
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May 21, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
CTWaterford, CT – Hudson, NH’s Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. returned to American Canadian Tour action and victory lane at New London-Waterford Speedbowl with his win in the first event of the Southern New England Tripleheader on Saturday, May 21. Polewarczyk claimed his third straight New London-Waterford Speedbowl ACT win dating back to the last two times the tour visited the track in 2010.
The 2014 ACT Tour Champion started from the third position and, after a brief battle with Scott Payea, took over the lead for good on lap 18. Polewarczyk distanced himself from the remainder of the field on a couple of long green flag runs, but Eddie MacDonald worked his way free from traffic and managed to close the gap to a car length with just two laps remaining in the 100 lap event.
MacDonald couldn’t get to Polewarczyk’s back bumper but still managed to create a wild finish as his axle broke coming off of turn four, sending him hard into the front stretch wall and sending the remainder of the field scrambling. His momentum allowed him to limp across the start finish line just ahead of third place finisher Payea.
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May 20, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News
for Race #1 of the Southern New England Triple-header
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard is no stranger to the New London/Waterford Speedbowl, having raced her Allison Legacy cars there early on in her racing career and even has a win there. This weekend the 19-year old driver is set to wheel her 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels car around the 1/3 mile oval for the first race in the American Canadian Tour Southern New England Triple-header. “It’s been four or five years since I last raced at Waterford,” said Emily. “It’s one of my favorite tracks, and I have always wanted to go there in a late model and now we get the opportunity, so I am really excited.”
Earlier this year ACT announced the addition of the Southern New England Triple-header, which also includes races at Seekonk Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, so the local drivers from those three tracks can showcase their talent against the ACT tour regulars. A separate point fund has been set-up and at the conclusion of the race at Thompson, someone will be crowned the Triple-header Champion. The East Montpelier native and her team are planning to run all three races and chase that championship starting this weekend.
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May 19, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Thunder Road
Waterbury, VT – Thunder Road International Speedbowl announces the continuation of a thirty-seven thousand ($37,000.00) point fund program for their weekly competitors’ 2016 season. Started in 2014, the three divisions – ACT Late Models, Bond Auto Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks – have enjoyed one of the largest weekly point funds in the country.
The Thunder Road Late Model Champion is awarded $7,500.00 at the end of the season. The top 15 positions in both the Late Model and Tiger divisions battle throughout the race season for positions in the point standings. The Late Models receive a total payout of $25,000.00; the Tiger division has a total of over $7,500; the 4-cylinder Street Stock division has a point fund through 20 positions that will pay over $4,400.00 in post season awards.
“Thunder Road has been known for paying some of the best weekly purses around the country, and certainly some of the best point funds. When I was racing the purse for Late Models was around $6,000 on the quarter mile. When you added in the year-end point fund, together it really helped with the expenses to race at the level we raced at. I think the same thing applies to the two other divisions,” said former three time-track champion and current ACT race director, Cris Michaud.
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