Apr 26, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
photo by RPM 360
After posting the fastest time in practice on Saturday, Eddie MacDonald hoped to repeat his 2014 win in this year’s American Canadian Tour Exit Realty Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday. When the checkered flag waved Eddie Mac crossed the stripe for a frustrating eighth place finish.
“We made an adjustment late Saturday that really helped us in the short run but killed us in the long run,” said the driver of the Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy. “The car was pretty fast on Saturday and we thought the change would help the car in the late stages of the race but it didn’t turn out that way. It was pretty frustrating knowing I didn’t have the car to win it. With all our family and friends here, it would have been great to win it on our home track.”
Eddie Mac posted a plus one in his qualifying heat to start 13th in the 32 car field scheduled to go 150 laps around the 3/8ths of a mile oval owned and operated by Eddie’s parents Judy and Red MacDonald who are celebrating their thirtieth year operating the track. The American Canadian Tour’s Governor’s Cup had to be rescheduled from an earlier date due to weather concerns. When the green flag finally dropped to open the Lee USA season, Eddie Mac was comfortable riding the Freddie Peterson owned #17 near the middle of the pack to conserve tires. ACT rules do not allow teams to change tires unless damaged.
(more…)
Apr 26, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
photo by Rich Hayes
Lee, NH – Lee USA Speedway swung open the gates Sunday afternoon to drop the green flag on the 2016 season with the annual running of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model event. The traditional season-opener also featured the NEMST Mini Stocks and Northeast Classic Lites doing battle at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“.
Many special guests were on hand for the season-opening activities, including New Hampshire’s Governor Maggie Hassan, and legendary local rocker Charlie Farren, who sang the national anthem before the afternoon’s main event.
The Northeast Mini Stock Tour got the honor of being the first feature that took to the fast 3/8th’s mile for the new season, with Zach Audet claiming a convincing victory in the 50-lap feature event. 2014 Lee USA Late Model Sportsman champ Niko Maniatis came up just short for the second straight year scoring runner-up ahead of Haywood Herriot.
(more…)
Apr 26, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
photo by RPM 360
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – Seems a mid-week decision to run the 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels car at Lee USA Speedway this past Sunday was the right call for Emily Packard and her team as she posted a sixth place finish in the Governor’s Cup 150. “I think us working together (with the Polewarczyk’s) again this weekend was a great way to keep the momentum going for the season,” said Packard. “The more fun we have together and the more we work together and get use to each other the better we are going to be and that showed in this weekend’s results with our sixth place finish.”
On Saturday, taking advantage of an entire day to practice, the team spent much of the day working the set-up of the car, while Emily logged laps, providing feedback to the crew on the adjustments that would help to make the car better. “Saturday we started the off the day not quite where we wanted to be on the time sheet. We were running too soft in the springs and we were bottoming out bad, combined with running on old tires,” said the 19-year old. “The guys kept making small adjustments to the car throughout practice, making sure not to go too far. Finally, they gave me some new tires and got me up off the track and we were second fast on the sheet in the fourth practice of the day.” In the last practice, Emily found herself to be eighth on the time sheet as she ran lap after lap to see how the car would change under a long green flag run. “I decided that there was a half hour of practice left, let’s put some older tires back on and go run a 50 lap run,” said Packard. “So we did, and we were able to get a feel for how the tires would hold up, and we found that there wasn’t too much fall of as far as our lap times went.”
(more…)
Apr 25, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, More Maine Racing News
Credit Photos: Mary Taylor petespicks.smugmug.com
By Lisa and Richard Maguire
Wiscasset Speedway opened the gates for the first show of the season last Saturday. The stands were packed by show time, and fans enjoyed the spring weather while watching the action on Maine’s fastest oval track. On the schedule were the division one group of racers, which include: Super Streets, Thunder 4 Mini’s, ServPro of Biddeford Saco Prostock, and New England Four Cylinder Prostock’s. Additionally, it was season opener for the Amsoil Nelcar Legends at Wiscasset, who made their first of nine appearances.
Starting off the racing action was a thirty-five lap Spotlight Race featuring the New England Four Cylinder Prostock’s. Starting on the pole was heat winner, Connor Wenners of the #4. Racing off the start was Wenners and the #98 of Kamren Knowles, 2015 season NEFCP champion. The #24 of Jeff Prindall quickly moved to third. In the mix was Ryan Hayes of the #38.
(more…)
Apr 25, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
photo by RPM 360
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – After leaving the American Canadian Tour season opener last weekend with the car relatively unscathed, Emily Packard and the 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels team made a mid-week decision to add the Governor’s Cup 150 to their season schedule. “After Oxford we talked it over and decided that we would benefit from running the Lee race,” said Packard. “Last week was a learning curve, and we believe that running this week would help us to continue to gel and work towards getting the car more comfortable for me.”
The 19-year old returns to the 3/8 mile track for only the third time in her late model career, where she has had two top-15 finishes. This year she hopes to better her best finish of twelfth, and is looking for a top-5 finish. “Last year I finished fifteenth,” Packard said. “Hopefully, this year I can finish in the top-5, and if not, at least a top-10 would be great. I like running Lee, I am really glad that we decided to add this one to our race schedule this season. Although I haven’t had the success at Lee USA Speedway that I would like, I feel confident going into this race that we are going to have a really great car, so I am excited to be racing this weekend.” (more…)
Apr 21, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway
Oxford American Racer Three Stars Announced.
(Heather Aube Photo)
Waterbury, VT – The American Racer Three Star program will continue in 2016. The program is designed to recognize three teams in no particular order of performance that had outstanding races at ACT US tour events. There are no specific criteria for deciding who might receive the award of a free American Racer Tire (value $125.00), but a special effort by a team, exceptional race, just plain old hard luck, or other accepted reason to give the award is used to decide the recipients.
The three stars are chosen by officials and they will receive certificates for use of a free American Racer tire at a future Tour race of their choosing during 2016.
The awarding of the stars does not allow for anybody in the top three to receive the recognition. That being said, both eventual winner Bobby Therrien, and second place competitor Roland Robinson, JR certainly deserve credit for their outstanding and sometimes dominant runs at OPS. There efforts at Oxford certainly made for some speculation from the “rail-birds” at what kind of exciting season the 2016 year will be. Big congratulations to both teams for what was first class efforts.
(more…)
