Mar 22, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Barre, VT – Thunder Road International Speedbowl honored its 2014 Champions with the annual Banquet of Champions at the Barre Elks Club on Saturday, March 21. Derrick O’Donnell received the top honors for the second consecutive season in the Late Model division, while Nick Sweet also went back-to-back in claiming Vermont State Late Model Championship. Jason Woodard and Tommy Smith earned the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stock championships, respectively.
O’Donnell, of North Haverhill, NH, became the sixth driver in Thunder Road history to repeat as “King of the Road”, doing so in his first two years in the division. O’Donnell caught fire in the second half of the season, ending the year with seven straight podium finishes, including the third Late Model victory of his young career in mid-August. O’Donnell also finished runner-up in three of the biggest races on the 2014 calendar: the Vermont Governor’s Cup, the Labor Day Classic, and the Milk Bowl. (more…)
Mar 22, 2015 | Maine Racing News, PASS, Touring Series News
Ben Rowe Snaps Dry Spell With Peach Blossom Special Win At Anderson
WILLIAMSTON, SC (March 21) – 3-time Pro All Stars Series (PASS) National Champion Ben Rowe began his title defense in style with a thrilling win in Saturday night’s Peach Blossom Special for the PASS South Super Late Models at Anderson Motor Speedway. Rowe held off rookies Zane Smith and Jared Fryar to snap a winless streak dating back to November, 2013 when he won the North-South Shootout at Caraway Speedway.
“It was cat-and-mouse the whole race and on the restart I got out in front, I was just trying to keep the 77 [Smith] 2-3 car lengths behind,” said Rowe, after his 9th career PASS South Super Late Model win. “We stayed here till 8:30 last night working on a skip we had in the engine and I can’t thank my guys enough. It took me by surprise when [Smith] got up on the outside, but it’s tough. These kids are pretty fun to race with and coming to the checkers like that was pretty cool.” (more…)
Mar 19, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Touring Series News
photo by Eric Lafleche
Waterbury, VT – A trio of 21-and-under drivers are aiming to step up to the plate in 2015 and make their mark on the American-Canadian Tour (ACT). Emily Packard, Kyle Welch, and Brandon Atkins all experienced success during their first full seasons on the ACT Tour in 2014, and are looking to emerge as title contenders this season.
Of the three, Packard enjoyed the strongest overall 2014 season. After competing part-time on the ACT Tour in 2013, the then 17-year-old moved up to a full schedule last year and turned heads early. The East Montpelier, VT resident scored her first Tour podium finish in the second race of the year with a third-place effort in the Merchant’s Bank 150 at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT in late April.
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Mar 19, 2015 | Granite State Series, Touring Series News
photo from GSPSS
Lanpher Looks for Redemption at IceBreaker
Walpole, NH- Just weeks away from the start of the 2015 season, the title hunt is beginning to take shape for the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS).
A mix of veteran and young drivers have made the commitment to become the fourth champion in series history. Former Oxford 250 winner (1996), “Lightning” Larry Gelinas has announced his intentions of being crowned champion. The Buxton, ME driver set a torrid pace in the first half of the 2014 season, including five (5) top-5 finishes in the first five races, including a win at Hudson International Speedway, but back-to-back finishes outside the top-15 put a damper on Gelinas’ bid on the championship, ending the season with a third-place overall finish in the standings.
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Mar 19, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Touring Series News
photo by Eric Lafleche
Waterbury, VT – The 2015 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) schedule is shaping up to be one of the biggest in recent memory. The U.S. Tour will hold 13 point-counting events and three special events at 12 different tracks throughout the northeastern United States and Canada, featuring a variety of long-standing events, new tracks, and new alliances.
Four new races will grace the 2015 season, beginning with a 150-lap event at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME on Saturday, April 18 as part of a doubleheader with the Pro All Star Series (PASS). The race will be the first for ACT at Oxford since 2012, followed by a second 150-lap ACT event at the track on Saturday, June 27. ACT will also make its inaugural visit to the Thompson Speedway in Thompson, CT on Saturday, October 16, and Sunday, October 17 for a 100-lap race as part of the annual World Series of Speedway Racing. The Tour will return to Autodrome Chaudiere in Valleé-Jct., QC on Saturday, September 12 for a 200-lap event, which will be both a PASS doubleheader and a combination race with Série ACT. The Chaudiere event is one of three U.S./Canada combos on the calendar, joining the Spring Green 115 on Saturday, May 16 and the Fall Foliage 200 on Saturday, October 3, both at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY. This also marks the return of the Spring Green to Airborne after being held at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT in recent years.
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Mar 12, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
photo by Al Ward
Waterbury, VT– American Canadian Tour (ACT) fans attending the annual New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 opening events at the Lee USA Speedway are generally the real winners at the seacoast oval on opening day. Sunday, April 12 will be no exception. History shows that there are many surprises in opening events at the fast 3/8 mile oval.
In the ten years running the NH Governor’s Cup, there has only been one repeat winner. Eight-time ACT Champion Brian Hoar of Williston, VT won the title back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. In 2009, Hoar and teammate for the event Mike Olsen (N. Haverhill, NH) looked like runaway favorites until Goodyear tire issues took both teams out of winning contention while running in the first two spots during the first half of the event.
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