Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) will travel to Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY for the annual Spring Green Championship Stock Car race this Saturday night, May 14. The race began at Catamount Stadium in Milton, VT back in 1974 with 74 laps, and each year has added a lap. Upon the closing of Catamount in 1987, the race was moved to SANAIR Super Speedway in Ste Pie, Quebec for the 1988 edition. Robbie Crouch won his only Spring Green at SANAIR. 1989 was the only year there was no Spring Green race run. Returning in 1990, the race was moved to Airborne Speedway, which holds a record for most Spring Green events, with a total of twenty-two (22). The only other location of the event was three events held at Devil’s Bowl Speedway from its asphalt opening in 2012 thru 2014.
The Spring Green was an Open Competition for Late Models for the first 5 years when it was held at Catamount from 1974-1978. When the NASCAR North Tour was created in 1979, as the opening event of one of just a handful of touring series in the US and Canada at the time, the traditional season opener was the Spring Green at Catamount, until its closing in 1986.
duels with Jimmy Hebert (58VT) and Scott Payea (37VT) on his way to victory in the Merchants Bank 150. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, VT – Local racer Nick Sweet fended off Williamstown’s Jimmy Hebert on a trio of late restarts to win the 18th American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Merchants Bank 150 at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, May 8.
Sweet, driving the #40VT Mad Dog Motorsports Chevrolet in place of his familiar #88VT Buick, first took the lead from Brook Clark on lap 14 and dominated the middle stages of the race. But a series of late spins allowed Hebert to draw alongside, and the former Tiger Sportsman track champion nosed ahead following restarts on laps 133 and 143.
But the two-time Thunder Road “King of the Road” was able to come back each time, and he easily cleared Hebert on the race’s final restart with three laps to go. Sweet became the second three-time winner of the Merchants Bank 150.
Local Stars Looking to Make Noise at Thunder Road on Sunday. (Alan Ward Photo)
Barre, VT—With the 18th running of the Merchants Bank 150 rescheduled for Sunday May 8, there are plenty of local race teams with hopes of carrying the checkered flag around the high banked ¼ mile oval. The American Canadian Tour (ACT) race is expecting well over 40 Late Models trying to qualify for just 26 starting spots at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement”.
Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien currently holds the top spot in the ACT Points Championship race, with defending three-time Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. just 2 points behind. Barre’s Nick Sweet, Emily Packard of Berlin, VT and Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown, VT are all regular Competitors on the ACT Tour who started their racing careers at Thunder Road. Of this group, Sweet has had the most success earning the “King of the Road“ title in 2010, 2012, and finishing as the runner-up in 2015, to go along with his four feature victories last season. The 21 year-old Hebert has also won a track Championship on the high banks, claiming the Flying Tiger Sportsman Division in 2009, and the 19 year-old Packard who finished fourth in the ACT Points Championship last season would love to get her first ACT win at her home track.
Waterbury, VT –The dismal forecast for Sunday May 1 has forced Thunder Road Speedbowl to postpone the Merchants Bank 150. The race has been rescheduled for Sunday May 8, post time set for 2:00pm.
More than 40 ACT Late Model teams were expected to try and qualify including defending 2015 ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dover, NH, along with 2015 Merchants Bank champion Brad Babb and multi-feature winner Nick Sweet.
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.
Race began in 1974 at Catamount Stadium
Rescheduled for 