Nick Sweet Earns First Career ACT Win in Merchants Bank 150
Barre’s own Nick Sweet earned his first career American Canadian Tour (ACT) stock car win in the 12th Annual Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Sunday, May 2. Sweet started from the 12th position after qualifying through a consi. He battled his way to the front, driving around Patrick Laperle and then Dave Pembroke for the lead. Sweet held off six-time and defending ACT Late Model Tour Champion Brian Hoar of Williston late in the event. Hoar took second followed by Laperle in third.
Pembroke led the majority of the first half of the race before battling Laperle just after the halfway point in the 150 lap event. Pembroke drove back around Laperle but then lost the battle with Sweet. Pembroke would hold on for fourth and Mark Lamberton took fifth. Craig Bushey, Joey Laquerre, Chip Grenier, Scott Payea and Mark Hayward rounded out the top ten.
The 12th Annual Merchants Bank 150 was the season opener for the 25th Season of American Canadian Tour racing and also the season opener of the 2010 Thunder Road season. With the win Sweet also earned the first invitation to the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 18.
The Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman feature went flag to flag with outside pole sitter George May of Barre taking the win. Mike Ziter of Williamstown took second followed by Barre’s Cody Blake in third. Joel Hodgdon and Josh Demers rounded out the top five while Eric Badore, Pete Ainsworth, Tony Rossi, David Finck and Bobby Therrien completed the top ten.
The Allen Lumber Street Stocks and the Junkyard Warriors ran two features. Mike MacAskill of Williamstown, VT took home the first feature win. He was followed to the line by Graniteville’s Travis Hull, Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick, VT, Jean Leblanc of Gorham, NH and William Hennequin of Morrisville rounding out the top five. The second feature saw Tim Campbell of Topsham take the checkers with Hardwick’s Greg Adams, Barre’s Ron Gabaree, Berlin’s Scott Weston and Joe Fecteau from Hardwick taking the top five.
In the Warriors Cabot’s Ken Christman earned the win in the first feature with Kevin Hebert and Tommy Elwood finishing in the top three. In the second feature Williamstown’s Kevin Wheatley took the win with Barre’s Kevin Dodge and Williamstown’s Brock Parrott rounding out the top three.
The American Canadian Tour will be back in action next Saturday, May 8 at Airborne Speedway for the Spring Green 100. Thunder Road International Speedbowl will continue the 2010 season Sunday, May 30 with the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic doubleheader with the Thunder Road Late Model 100 and Modified Racing Series 100. The Thunder Road Late Models will kick off their 2010 championship contention on Sunday, May 23 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Unofficial ACT Merchants Bank 150 Results
1. 88VT Nick Sweet
2. 37VT Brian Hoar
3. 91QC Patrick Laperle
4. 44VT Dave Pembroke
5. 16NY Mark Lamberton
6. 05VT Craig Bushey
7. 15VT Joey Laquerre
8. 9VT Chip Grenier
9. 89VT Scott Payea
10. 77NH Mark Hayward
11. 55NH Phil Scott
12. 97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.
13. 22VT Jean-Paul Cyr
14. 55VT Brent Dragon
15. 02NH Randy Potter
16. 2NH Tracie Bellerose
17. 18VT Jamie Fisher
18. 3NH Michael Kenison
19. 15ON Derek Lynch
20. 7ME Glen Luce
21. 41VT Pete Potvin III
22. 12VT Reno Gervais
23. 16VT Joey Becker
24. 04ME TJ Watson
25. 42MA Jeff Zuidema
26. 40VT Eric Chase
27. 1VT Tony Andrews
28. 42VT Matt White
29. 38VT Tyler Cahoon
30. 6VT Cris Michaud
Unofficial Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman Feature Results
1. 16 George May
2. 26 Mike Ziter
3. 99 Cody Blake
4. 36 Joel Hodgdon
5. 10 Josh Demers
6. 04 Eric Badore
7. 80 Pete Ainsworth, Jr.
8. 90 Tony Rossi
9. 37 David Finck
10. 4 Bobby Therrien
11. 68 Derrick O’Donnell
12. 55 Brian Delphia
13. 23 Matt Potter
14. 58 Jimmy Hebert
15. 31 Shawn Fleury
16. 18 Lance Allen
17. 50 Joey Roberts
18. 9 Ricky Roberts
19. 48 Tom Therrien
20. 1 Scott Coburn
21. 8 Mike Billado
22. 40 Shawn Powell
23. 00 Joe Steffen
24. 01 #Mike Martin
25. 60 Jeffrey Bousquet
26 06 Jeff French
Unofficial Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior Feature #1 Finish
1. 3ss Micheal MacAskill
2. 66ss Travis Hull
3. 83ss Bunker Hodgdon
4. 7ss Jean LeBlanc
5. 47ss William Hennequin
6. 77ss Dave Whitcomb
7. 13ss Markus Farnham
8. 43ss Jamie Davis
9. 59ss Scott Maynard
10. 70ss Paul Giacherio
11. 73ss Vern Woodard
12. 33ss #Thomas Placey
13. 2ss David LaFleche
14. 4jyw Ken Christman
15. 09ss Amanda Habel
16. 35ss #Keith Fortier
17. 63jyw Kevin Hebert
18. 05ss #Donnie Yates
19. 92ss Garry Bashaw
20. 88jyw Thomas Elwood
21. 71jyw Matt Monaghan
22. 17jyw Michael Devino, Sr.
Unofficial Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior Feature #2 Finish
1 34ss Tim Campbell, Sr.
2 38ss Greg Adams
3 9ss Ron Gabaree
4 04ss Scott Weston
5 75ss Joe Fecteau
6 29ss Gary Mullen
7 4ss Shawn Swallow
8 6ss Daniel Lathrop
9 18ss #Jayme Lee
10 31jyw Kevin Wheatley
11 8jyw Kevin Dodge
12 23jyw Brock Parrott
13 1jyw Chad Brown
14 03ss Lloyd Blakely
15 22ss Thomas Smith
16 51ss #Sid Sweet Jr.
17 07ss Eric Johnson
18 78ss #Alex Whitcomb
19 26ss Danny Doyle
20 25ss Jennifer Getty
21 23ss Kyle Hess
22 38jyw George Sanders
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ACT
http://www.acttour.com/article.php/20100502160705346