Apr 14, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway
Dave Brown Photo
Waterbury, VT – The opening race of 2016 racing season will have several young guns looking to make a good first impression competing against the top Late Model drivers in the Northeast.
The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and Pro All Stars Series (PASS) head to Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway Sunday, April 17 for the first ACT/PASS doubleheader of the 2016 season, featuring 100 laps for the ACT Late Models and 150 laps for the PASS North Super Late Models. The event is the 67th season opener for the historic 3/8-mile speedway.
Vermont’s Emily Packard, Brandon Atkins of New York and New Hampshire’s Kyle Welch and Ryan Olsen look to be contenders at several tracks this year wheeling late models on the American Canadian Tour. The 21-year-old and under group has had various success the last two racing seasons and all look to carry the ACT checkered flag in 2016.
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Apr 14, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway
Wayne Helliwell Jr. (27NH) on his way to an ACT win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Pelham NH (4/14/2016) When Dover New Hampshire’s Wayne Helliwell Jr. rolls out Bruce Bernhardt’s familiar 27NH at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway Sunday, the three – time and defending American-Canadian Tour champions will carry a new name on the quarter panels of their Ford Fusion.
Rydemore Heavy Duty Truck Parts, a Fitchburg Massachusetts-based reseller of used, remanufactured and new medium and heavy duty truck parts, originally signed on for the postponed Lee USA Speedway ACT season opener and the sponsorship will remain in place for the PASS/ACT doubleheader at Oxford on Sunday April 17th.
Said team owner Bernhardt, “It’s great to have Rydemore on board for Oxford. Our quarter panels were going to be blank to kick off the season, so they stepped up at just the right time. It’s a one race deal, but Wayne and I hope that a solid performance at Oxford might lead to more Rydemore support down the road.” The Helliwell/Bernhardt combination plans to compete in all thirteen ACT series points races, with an eye on a fourth series title. (more…)
Apr 14, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway
photo by RPM 360
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Emily Packard and the 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels team is ready to get this season rolling this weekend at Oxford Plains Speedway. For the second straight year, thanks to the New England weather, the American Canadian Tour kicks off at OPS and Packard and the team are more focused and better prepared this season than ever. After announcing back in March the partnership with Joey Pole Racing to maintain her cars for a minimum of 9 races, the Polewarczyk’s have spent the last few weeks making a number of changes to her race car to prepare for this event. “The first couple of laps on Sunday are going to be exciting,” said Packard, “I am going to be focusing on shaking the car down and getting used to the new set-up.”
“It’s been an adjustment not having the car here in our shop,” Packard said, “but the guys (Joe Sr. and Joey Jr.) have kept me updated, texting and sending pictures as they make progress on the car. They have made a bunch of changes, and I am really looking forward to getting the car out on to the track to see how it handles.” Last year, in her first visit to the track, Packard qualified in the 20th starting position, and spent the race calculating her moves around cars towards the front. Eventually, the laps would run out as she challenged for a top three, and settled for a fourth place finish. On the second trip back to the track, Packard went in to the race with a high level of confidence from her earlier season finish here and raced her way to a sixth place finishing position when the checkers fell.
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Apr 13, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, Maine Racing News, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway, PASS, Touring Series News
photo by RPM 360
By: Dick Casey
The real race for Eddie MacDonald begins Sunday morning in Bristol, Tennessee when the team will race to Charlotte Airport in No. Carolina to catch a plane to Boston Mass. then drive to Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine in time to run in the ACT 100 later that afternoon. The beat the clock schedule is due to Eddie Mac running in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“It will be a crazy couple of days so we are hoping everything falls into place so we can arrive at Oxford for the last practice,” said Eddie Mac. “We did a lot of work on the Hancock Electric/Exit Realty Chevy so we hope to get some practice in to just check things out. Rollie has a pretty good set up for Oxford but there is always something that needs attention.”
Exit Realty Beatrice Associates has signed on again this year and will sponsor the #17 Ma. for the entire season with Eddie Mac saying, “Having Exit Realty on board for the full season is a huge benefit for our race team since we hope to try to compete in all the ACT races. We look forward to working with Derek Beatrice again this season. He helped us out last year in the ACT, K&N, and Cup races and we really appreciate all Exit Realty has done for us and will continue to do this season.
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Apr 13, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, Maine Racing News, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway, PASS, Touring Series News
ACT & PASS set to open 2016 racing season at Oxford. (Eric LaFleche Photo)
Waterbury, VT – With Mother Nature postponing the first event for the second consecutive year, the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) is ready to open the 2016 racing season at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. The event, scheduled for Sunday April 17, will be one of four doubleheader combination races with the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) in 2016.
The two largest touring series in the Northeast will also run twin bills at White Mountain Motorsports Park (WMMP) in North Woodstock, NH on July 23, a second event at Oxford Plains Speedway on August 27 and the final combined event at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, ME on September 17 & 18.
“The first ACT/PASS doubleheader was a success by every measure,” Oxford Plains Speedway President Tom Mayberry said. “The event saw strong car counts, one of the biggest Opening Day crowds at Oxford in years, and great racing across the board. We’re excited to once again have both series open the Oxford Plains Speedway season.”
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Apr 5, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Waterbury, VT –The unique Winter-Spring of 2016 has forced officials of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and the Lee USA Speedway to postpone the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10.
More than 40 ACT Late Model teams were expected to try and qualify for 28 starting spots, including defending event and 2015 ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dover, NH, along with recent SERIE Que Champions Dany Trepanier and Alex Labbe. Former Lee Governor’s Cup Champion, Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA was also ready to begin the season at his home track.
The make-up date for Lee is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24 with a post time of 1:00pm.
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