Mar 29, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
Eric LaFleche/Victory Lane Radio photo
Waterbury, VT – The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) kicks off its 25th season of Late Model competition on Sunday, April 10 with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway. A talented field is getting ready for the 13-race 2016 season, setting up a wide-open championship battle. Reigning ACT Late Model Tour Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. is set to defend his title, but a mix of new challengers and rising stars will fight him at every stop for the $10,000 top prize.
Dover, NH’s Helliwell and his Bernhardt Motorsports team put together one of the best seasons in ACT Late Model Tour history in 2015 en route to their third ACT Championship in four seasons. Helliwell captured four wins, including the NH Governor’s Cup at his home track of Lee, and finished in the top-10 in every event. Helliwell became the third driver to win at least three ACT Late Model championships, joining Brian Hoar (8) and Jean-Paul Cyr (7). A fourth championship would further solidify his place among the all-time great ACT drivers.
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Mar 26, 2016 | More Maine Racing News, NASCAR K&N, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
by Lanpher PR
Manchester teen making the jump to the NASCAR feeder system this season.
BY TRAVIS BARRETT – STAFF WRITER
MANCHESTER — Just months removed from winning the track championship at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Reid Lanpher is set to embark on a NASCAR career that will get its start at the sanctioning body’s development level.
Lanpher, of Manchester, has agreed to run at least five races this season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series for Connecticut car owner Ted Marsh. The first race for the 17-year-old driver will be at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 16.
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Mar 25, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, North East Mini Stock Tour
Lee, NH – Lee USA Speedway is readying for the 2016 season opener just two weeks from now on April 10, with the annual running of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model event. The traditional season-opener will also feature the NEMST Mini Stocks and Northeast Classic Lites doing battle at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“.
Last year’s running of the Governor’s Cup event saw longtime Lee USA regular and eventual 2015 ACT champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of nearby Dover take down his first career ACT win at Lee, with Maine racer Brad Babb and hometown hero Eddie “The Outlaw” MacDonald of Rowley, MA rounding out the podium.
Both Helliwell and MacDonald cut their racing teeth on the fast 3/8th’s mile oval back in the 1990’s, with feature wins and track championships coming early and often in their careers. “Junior” has taken home championship titles in the Late Model Sportsman, Late Model, and Supermodified ranks over the years, with the 2015 Governor’s Cup 150 win among his career highlights.
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Mar 22, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Seekonk Speedway
Alan Ward photo
Waterbury, VT – American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and Seekonk Speedway officials have announced an agreement with Propane Plus to sponsor the ACT Late Model Tour event at Seekonk on Saturday, July 16. The Propane Plus 150 will mark ACT’s return to the ¼-mile speedway for the first time since 2007.
The event is also the second leg of the ACT Southern New England Tripleheader. The three-race series begins at Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday, May 21, before traveling to Massachusett’s Seekonk Speedway for the Propane Plus 150. The Tripleheader concludes at Thompson Speedway on Saturday, October 15 as part of the World Series of Speedway Racing.
“We are excited to see Propane Plus become a part of this great race,” Seekonk Speedway Director of Business Development Ed St. Germain said. “Propane Plus has been a long-term supporter of short track racing and Seekonk Speedway, giving back in many ways and sponsoring many teams and programs over the years. We look forward to the Propane Plus 150 ACT race becoming an annual ‘must see’ event at Seekonk and the other tracks involved in the ACT Southern New England Tripleheader.”
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Mar 19, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Heather Aube photo
Waterbury, VT – The 25th season of the ACT Late Model Tour will see a number of exciting new events that showcase the best of Late Model racing in the Northeastern United States. Among the highlights of the silver anniversary is the debut of the Southern New England Tripleheader, which will pit the standouts of the ACT Late Model Tour against the best weekly Late Model racers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
The three race series will be contested at Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl and Thompson Speedway, along with Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway, which is located just outside of E. Providence, RI. In addition to awarding ACT Late Model Tour championship points at each event, a separate $7,500 point fund has been posted for local weekly competitors who run all three events.
“Going from Waterford, to Seekonk, and then to Thompson will be a great way to showcase the talent that we have down here versus the ACT talent from up north,” Seekonk Speedway Director of Business Development Ed St. Germain said. “We’ll be strengthening our own Late Model division with the top http://maineracing.com/16/wp-admin/post-new.phpcompetitors coming in from Thompson, Waterford, and ACT.” (more…)
Mar 16, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
Alan Ward photo
Waterbury, VT – The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) opens its 25th season of ACT Late Model racing, along with the 33rd season of racing at Lee USA Speedway, with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 on Sunday, April 10. The traditional ACT season opener often sets the tone for what to watch throughout the season, and the 2016 edition should be no exception.
ACT competition at the 1/3-mile speedway has historically been hard to predict. The previous 13 ACT Late Model Tour events at Lee have seen 12 different winners, with Brian Hoar’s back-to-back Governor’s Cup wins in 2011 and 2012 standing as the only repeat triumph. Former Lee USA Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH became the latest ACT winner at the track when he captured the 2015 Governor’s Cup, the first of his four wins en route to the 2015 ACT Championship.
Surprise performances at the event also abound, and performances by these drivers have frequently led to even bigger things for them. Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert was the surprise winner of the 2013 Governor’s Cup, which kick-started a breakout season that saw him finish third in ACT points. In 2015, Windham, ME’s Brad Babb scored a then career-best runner-up finish at Lee. Babb went on to win two races and finish third in the final 2015 standings.
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