May 17, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News
Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. Returns
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) returns to the New London-Waterford Speedbowl (NLWS) this Saturday night for the first time since 2010. The opening of the first round of three races for the newly created ACT Southern New England ACT affiliate Late Model tracks will take place for ACT touring teams and the weekly Late Model teams from New London-Waterford Speedbowl, Seekonk Speedway, and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park this Saturday night, May 21. The three track alliance was put together after last season to help support the ACT fender type divisions that have been introduced to over a dozen tracks throughout the Northeast over the past decade.
“We are all looking forward to this triple-header series in Connecticut and Massachusetts. It has been in the planning process for a few years, and ACT is pleased to see the interest and growth of our full body kind of racing in the region. The talent level has improved dramatically over the years at our affiliate tracks, and of course, there will be the important ‘home track advantage’. The 100 laps at the Speedbowl should be a great event at one of the best tracks in the East for competitive Late Model racing,” said Tom Curley, President of ACT.
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May 17, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Not one of her original planned races this season, Emily Packard and her Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels team decided to add the Spring Green 116 race, but a tough outing at Airborne Park Speedway would result in a 20th place finish. “Not the outcome we had hoped for,” said Packard. “The car was pretty good throughout a majority of the race, but it just went bad towards the end of the final run. I still feel like we are headed in the right direction, unfortunately, the last couple of finishes just don’t reflect how good a car we have had.”
As the 19-year old rolled out for the first practice of the day, it only took a couple of laps to realize that the team needed to get the car up off the track to keep it from bottoming out. Fixing the initial issue, the team spent the rest of the three practices working on the car, getting it comfortable for her to drive. “Unfortunately, the car was so tight in practice,” said Packard. “We spent two practices loosening up the car, and by the third practice it was still tight, but was a little better than it had been.”
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May 17, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Plattsburgh, NY – Eddie MacDonald beat the best of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and the weather to boot on Saturday, May 14, passing Nick Sweet in the closing laps to win the 42nd Spring Green 116 at Plattsburgh, NY’s Airborne Park Speedway.
Rowley, MA’s MacDonald had worked from his 13th starting position into the top-5 when a rain shower just past the halfway point threatened to halt the event. But the rain eventually passed, and MacDonald made his move during the final green flag run, getting to the outside of Sweet with 11 laps remaining as the two worked through lapped traffic. MacDonald cleared Sweet a lap later and powered to his sixth career ACT Late Model Tour win.
Alex Labbe started on the pole and assumed the lead after an early back-and-forth battle with Brandon Atkins. Fellow Quebecer Patrick Laperle eventually reeled Labbe in on lap 36, with Sweet right behind.
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May 16, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
By: Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald staged an impressive door-to-door battle in the closing laps with Nick Sweet to capture his first win in the American Canadian Tour event at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y. in the Spring Green 116 on Saturday, May 14. Eddie Mac powered the Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy to the lead on lap 107 and held on to the lead to post his sixth ACT win of his career.
“This is really a great win and to do it against Nick and Patrick (Laperle) is one of those races you remember forever,” beamed the veteran racer. “We had so many things go our way today, especially the weather. At the halfway mark the rain came and I thought our day might be done with a sixth place run but the officials kept us out there for 25 minutes to keep the track dry. It was a great call on their part and gave us the opportunity to win it.”
Eddie Mac started the 116 lap race on the half-mile oval in 13th place after an even rating in the heat with the winner saying, “I was a little concerned after the heat because we started in third place and didn’t pass a car. The handling wasn’t great so I didn’t know what to expect. However the car didn’t change for the worse and actually got a little better after the rain break and I was able to drive it to the front. I think the leaders fell off a bit and that helped me as well as the lapped cars.”
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May 13, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – After a tough finish to a good run at Thunder Road, Emily Packard and the 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels team are prepared to head to Airborne Park Speedway this weekend for the Spring Green 116. “The car had some damage, but the guys fixed it up this week,” said Emily, “and we are ready to see what we can do this weekend at Airborne.”
This year the American Canadian Tour returns to half-mile track for the Egglefield Ford Spring Green 116 presented by Interstate Batteries, where Packard brought her Northstar fireworks sponsored car home in fifteenth place last year. This race was not originally on the schedule for the East Montpelier driver, but having kept the damage to a minimum last weekend the team decided to make the necessary fixes to the car and ready it to race this weekend. In addition to the car being set-up by last year’s winner, Joey Polewarczyk Jr, Emily and the team enter this weekend’s race riding the momentum from their good runs so far this season and high confidence that they will have another great showing at the track. “I am excited to return to Airborne this weekend,” said the 19-year old. “This is our only race at this track this season, so I am looking forward to going out and have a good race, as well as to continue to gel as a team and hopefully have a top-5 finish. Our finishes don’t reflect the how good a car we have had so far in the first three races, but my confidence remains high knowing that we are continuing to run well and that we are heading in the right direction.”
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May 13, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Bobby Therrien working his way through the field at Oxford Plains Speedway. (Alan Ward photo)
42nd ACT Spring Green 116 Saturday
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour heads west to Airborne Park Speedway for the annual Spring Green Championship Stock Car race this Saturday night, May 14. The forty second (42nd) running of the historic event will begin with one of the largest contingents of front runners in the 30-year history of the sanctioning organization. Bobby Therrien from Hinesburg, VT holds a slim 12-point lead over a rebounding Nick Sweet, after the Barre, VT native’s spectacular win at the Merchants Bank 150, held at Thunder Road on May 8. Only twelve (12) points separate the top 2 teams after the first three events of the 2016 campaign. Just twenty-two (22) points separate the top five teams heading into the weekend at Airborne.
Therrien has led the chase by slim margins for the ten thousand dollar ($10,000.00) ACT Championship point check since his dominant win at the opening event held at the Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, ME in April. He followed that win up with a solid performance at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire in the rain dated New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 the following week. This past weekend at the Merchants Bank 150 Therrian, a former Thunder Road Flying Tiger Champion, raced home to a sixth place (6th) finish to keep the Therrien-Duto team at the top of point battle heading to Plattsburgh, NY and the annual Spring Green 116.
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