Apr 27, 2015 | Lee Speedway, 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 2015 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“.
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 Cris King leading early and often before 6-time winner and 2014 NEMST champion Toby Wells finally worked his way past and took over the top spot.
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Apr 27, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Photos by Rich Hayes
Eddie MacDonald staged a familiar battle with eventual winner Wayne Helliwell in the Governor’s Cup 150 at their home track Lee USA Speedway on Sunday May 26 to post a third place finish in an exciting duel. The Grimm Construction/Hancock Electric Chevy started third on the grid after winning the heat to score a +2 rating.
Twenty-seven cars took the green flag under stormy skies that dictated the early race strategy for Eddie Mac saying, “We were riding around comfortably in sixth place when a little rain began to fall around lap 25. It looked like heavy rain would arrive shortly so we decided to go get some spots in case the race ended at the halfway mark. I used up a lot of the car racing on the outside for position. No one was out there so the little bit of rain really hurt the tires. Of course the rain never came but we committed early instead of saving tires for the end. We did what we needed to do and that’s just racing.” (more…)
Apr 27, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Eric LaFleche/VLFPhotos.com photo
Lee, NH — Wayne Helliwell Jr. came out on top of a battle with fellow home track driver Eddie MacDonald to win the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH.
Helliwell took the lead from MacDonald for the final time on a lap 117 restart following a caution for defending champion Joey Polewarczyk Jr.’s spin entering turn 3. The Dover, NH driver then held off McDonald and Maine youngster Brad Babb on two ensuing restarts to win his first Tour race at the 3/8-mile oval and eighth overall.
“We were able to cool our tires down and just crowd (MacDonald) down on that restart,” said Helliwell, who unofficially assumed the point lead following the event. “That helped us get the momentum and the drive up off the turn. Once we got to the lead, we were able to just keep the car on the bottom and roll around.
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Apr 10, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Lee, NH – Although the season-opening American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model event had to pushed back two weeks due to the heavy snows Mother Nature piled on the Lee USA Speedway this winter, all systems are go to open the 2015 season on the rescheduled date of April 25 at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“.
The Northeast Classic Lites and North East Mini Stock Tour will also be taking to the fast 3/8th’s mile as part of the opener, and the pre-season touring series action continues with the second annual Bullring Bash for the Tri-Track Open Modified Series along with the NEMST and the North East Street Stock Tour on May 17. (more…)
Mar 26, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Waterbury, VT –The never-ending winter of 2015 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 11 and Sunday, April 12.
“We have waited in hopes that we would start to get some relief from the massive amount of snow we received this past winter in our region,” said Bill Callen, manager of the Lee USA Speedway. “We wanted to get things opened up in time for our ACT opening event, but that is going to be impossible with the amount of snow that still is at the Speedway. We know that fans and teams have always enjoyed coming to Lee for the first event of the season, but unfortunately we still have snow drifts from the frontstretch up over the grandstands! We just don’t believe we can get things prepared appropriately in the next two weeks. The best thing for all concerned was to give some early notice, as many teams and fans travel from Quebec, Maine and Vermont to our traditional ACT openers.”
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Mar 24, 2015 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
photo by Alan Ward
Waterbury, VT – The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) will compete in three 150-lap events on three completely different tracks in all three northern New England states to open the 2015 season. The New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150, set for Sunday, April 12, is the traditional opening event for ACT teams held yearly at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH. Teams will then travel to Oxford Plains Speedway (OPS) in Oxford, ME a week later, followed by their annual visit to Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT.
The fast Lee 3/8th-mile oval might statistically favor multi-time Lee champion and two-time ACT champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr., but he has tried eight times to date with a best finish of second in last year’s event, and is long overdue for a win. There is also favorite Eddie MacDonald, who is on a roll with five consecutive wins in recent outings, going back to the Thunder Road Milk Bowl last October. McDonald captured the NH Governor’s Cup last year in his ninth try at his home track. Defending 2014 ACT Champion Joey Polewarczk, Jr. (Pole) is also considered a favorite, but his only win at Lee USA came in a 100-lap opening race back in 2008. (more…)
