The American Canadian Tour (ACT) will celebrate 25 years of Championship Stock Car Racing with one of its largest number of pre-season full season entered teams. The balance of veteran champions and new teams joining the US touring division represents five New England states and two provinces of Canada. ACT statistician Nick Bigelow said, “I have reviewed past seasons and this looks like the most diverse and best count ACT has had in the past half dozen seasons.”
A fourteen race schedule will carry teams from the shores of Connecticut at the historic Waterford Speedbowl to new tracks located as far north as Quebec City, (the newly renovated 5/8th mile Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix), and west to the newly paved 4/10th mile Albany Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY, just outside the New York capital city.
Veteran title chaser Brent Dragon from Milton, VT said, “This is a great schedule for those of us that like touring. New tracks are always interesting and with two new tracks on the schedule just undergoing renovations and paving (Albany-Saratoga and Riverside-Ste Croix), along with my favorite recently renovated half mile Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY, I hope this is the year I can finally win an ACT Championship.”
Continue reading ‘2010 Full Season Entries: 25th ACT Season Sees near Record Full Season Entry List’
TIRE NOTICE – Goodyear tires have been ordered and expected arrival is March 15. First advance sale for practice and set up tires will be Thursday night March 18 at the tire barn.
Waterford Speedbowl will have an open practice on Friday, March 26 and that there is a Late Model 50 Lap event opening Waterford for the season on Sunday, March 28.
Thunder Road Practice for All Divisions is Tues. April 13.
Continue reading ‘2010 Information’
The fifth season of the American-Canadian Tour saw the return of the Tour’s most accomplished driver. Robbie Crouch returned after running just part time in 1989. His 1990 championship was his fourth in the first five years of ACT racing. He also won championships in 1983 and 1984 on the NASCAR North Tour. With his four wins in 1990 he increased his career win total to 68, nearly three times more than any other driver at the time.
In the second season of the GM National Stock Car Series, consisting of ten events at seven different tracks across three Canadian provinces, Randy MacDonald edged out Crouch by 14 points for the title. For the second year in a row Dave Dion, running a limited schedule, won the ACT Showdown at Beech Ridge along with three other events in just 9 starts. Race winners included Crouch (4), 1989 Champion Russ Urlin (4), Dion (3), Dragon (3), Junior Hanley (2), Jean-Paul Cabana (2), Claude Leclerc, 1990 Rookie of the Year Steve Knowlton, MacDonald and Ralph Nason.
Below is a recap of Crouch’s 1990 season taken from the 1991 ACT Racing Guide:
Continue reading ‘25 Years of ACT Racing – 1990 – Robbie Crouch Returns’
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) announced today that all racing in the 2010 season will be done with electronic scoring. This will include weekly events at Thunder Road, both the ACT US and Castrol Tours, and the Bond Auto/WIX Tiger Sportsman Series.
“This is a real change from 50 years of how it has been done,” said Tom Curley, President of ACT and Managing Partner at Thunder Road. “I guess after 50 years it was inevitable that we needed to step up to the modern technology. I am sure Doc (Gordon Nielsen, Chief Scorer for Thunder Road, the former Catamount Stadium, and all the ACT Tours for over 35 years) would approve of this move at this time.”
With the high demands of three Tours and Thunder Road weekly, it has been increasingly difficult to find scorers. For some of the ACT senior scorers, as young as they are, having babies also necessitated this change.
Continue reading ‘ACT Racing Changes to Electronic Scoring in 2010′
Waterford Speedbowl Management has announced its Late Model division will compete on Goodyear tires in 2010. All competitors will berequired to compete on the designated Goodyear tire compound, beginning with the season opening Budweiser Blastoff event March 26-28.
The Goodyear model D2672 and D2882 tires will be introduced. This change helps the Speedbowl become congruent with the ACT Late Model tire program in place across New England and on the ACT’s U.S and Canadian tours. Goodyear tires will be available for purchase by Speedbowl Late Model teams at Budweiser Blastoff opening weekend and each week during the 2010 race season. The tires can also be mounted at the track. The Speedbowl’s Late Model division competes in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series as Division 2.
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl Late Model division changes to Goodyear Tire in 2010′
With the 2010 race season only a couple of months away, the ACT office has compiled an interesting survey of which tracks are the favorites of some veteran and new drivers, as well as several ACT staff members. (All stats are from ACT Late Model Tour or Série ACT Castrol events unless otherwise noted)
#89VT – Scott Payea, Milton, VT – Thunder Road – “Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a driver’s racetrack with two grooves and lots of excitement. The atmosphere there is the best.” The Ouellette Plumbing and Heating team, led by crew chief and team co-owner Chris Companion, has 12 top ten finishes in 16 tour starts, with an average finish of 6.6. They also have two wins.
#41VT - Pete Potvin III, Graniteville, VT – Waterford Speedbowl – “It has good speed, great corners that aren’t too tight with great banking.” The family run team, with Pete’s father as crew chief, has two starts at the ‘Bowl’ and have an average finish of 14th.
#21QC - Jean-François Déry, Quebec City, QC – Autodrome Montmagny – “It’s good to me!” The JF Dery team won the Red Bear 100 at Montmagny in 2009. JF has an impressive 6 top tens in 7 starts with 4 top five finishes. His career average finish at Montmagny is a remarkable 5.7.
Continue reading ‘ACT Drivers’ Favorite Tracks’
Meet Thunder Road Late Model Driver Chip Grenier
#9VT Grenier Motorsports Toyota Camry
Hometown: Graniteville, VT
Date of Birth: October 26, 1977
Chip lives with his wife Larissa and their two cats. He works as a foundation mason during the summer and a racecar
fabricator during the winter.
2009 Season: Chip competed on the ACT Tour full-time for the first time during the 2009 season. He earned four top tens in his 12 starts and earned ninth place in the final point standings. He also finished tenth in the 47th Annual Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl. At the 2009 ACT Banquet of Champions he received the 2009 ACT Tour Sportsmanship Award. Chip could also be seen every Thursday night at Thunder Road as the crew chief for Rich Lowrey.
Continue reading ‘Meet Thunder Road Late Model Driver Chip Grenier’
1989 CHAMPION – RUSS URLIN
We continue the countdown to the 25th Anniversary Season of American Canadian Tour racing with a review of the
1989 season. The 1989 season saw a changing of the guards on the ACT Coors Tour. With defending champion Robbie Crouch running a limited schedule, seven of the twenty-one events, the door was wide open for a new driver to step into the limelight. London, Ontario’s Russ Urlin, in just his sophomore season on the Tour, took advantage of the opportunity. He dominated the 1989 season winning the Coors Tour Championship, the GM National Stock Car Series Championship and the STP Canadian Challenge Championship. Below is a section from the 1990 ACT Media Guide recapping his dominant season:
“Russ Urlin became the first Canadian to win the American-Canadian Tour championship, a feat he accomplished with three races remaining on the 1989 schedule. This was the earliest that a championship had ever been decided. The 37 year-old London, Ontario resident picked up where five-time champion, Robbie Crouch left off, in dominating the Series.
Continue reading ‘25 Years of ACT Racing – 1989 Champion – Russ Urlin’
Race Basics Chassis and Bassett Racing Wheels have recently announced the renewals of their contingency programs with the American Canadian Tour (ACT) for the 2010 season. Both companies supported ACT teams competing on the U.S. based ACT Tour and the Quebec based Série ACT Castrol in 2009 and look forward to continuing their support in 2010.
2010 will be the twelfth season of partnership between Bassett Racing Wheels and the American Canadian Tour, dating back to 1999. Bassett will award certificates for their racing wheels to ACT competitors finishing in the runner-up position in each of the 26 touring events plus the top three in the year end standings for both tours. Their contributions to ACT teams will exceed the $1,200 mark. Bassett is based in Burlington, Wisconsin and sells a variety of different steel racing wheels.
Continue reading ‘Race Basics and Bassett Renew ACT Contingency Programs for 2010′
Officials of the Goodyear Engineering and Racing Division and the American Canadian Tour (ACT) have announced that the final test of their new tire designed for a Limited Late Model was very successful.
Veteran racer Joey Laquerre from Barre, VT took his ACT Tiger Sportsman car to Hickory Speedway in North Carolina last week to assist with the test of the D2637 – 7.5” treaded tire designed for a Limited Late Model, or +/- 3000 lb ‘street stock’ division type race car. Laquerre originally tested the Goodyear D2635 tire for the ACT Sportsman division in 2008. He was instrumental in helping to get the modifications made resulting in a revolutionary tire for these kinds of race cars throughout the country. Laquerre also did extensive testing on the ACT Late Model tire in 2004, which led to present use by a dozen tracks, and both ACT Touring divisions in the US and Canada.
Continue reading ‘Goodyear ACT Limited Late Model Tire Test Successful’
Ford Racing announced an aggressive $35,000 contingency plan for the American Canadian Tour (ACT) for the 2010 campaign. The contingency program, tailored to support those teams that have chosen to compete in 2010 with the Ford powered S347JR engine in any ACT affiliate track weekly events, as well as the touring programs under the ACT sanction, is the largest contingency plan offered in the 25-year history of ACT.
“We want short track supporters across North America to know that we are very supportive of their efforts. Short tracks have been the backbone of stock car racing for over 50 years, and Ford recognizes their importance. We believe the contingency program that we have offered the ACT competitors and supporters reflects our support,” said Mike Delahanty, Program Manager-Sportsman Circle Track Racing for the Ford Racing Technology division of Ford Racing.
Continue reading ‘Ford Racing Announces $35,000 Contingency for 2010 ACT Teams’
2009 Série ACT Castrol Champion Donald Theetge and his brother Benoit finished fourth in the Fresh From Florida 200 on Friday, January 29. The first event on the 2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Challenge schedule was run around the Daytona International Speedway road course.
The Theetge brothers competed in the Street Tuner (ST) Class while driving the #77 Skunk2/Auto Frank et Michel Honda Civic Si for Compass360 racing. They finished 27th overall (out of 75 competitors) and fourth in the ST Class after completing 63 laps (220.5 miles) on the 3.5 mile road course. They finished the race in two hours and ten minutes with an average speed of 88.79 mph.
Continue reading ‘Série ACT Castrol Champion Donald Theetge Fourth at Daytona’
After handing out point fund checks for the 2009 season at the ACT Banquet of Champions, the ACT Late Model Tour has awarded over 4 million dollars in purses and point funds for its 198 point counting events over the past 18 seasons.
The ACT Late Model Tour was formed in 1992 and held eight events in its first season. The Late Model Tour was an opening act of sorts for the ACT Pro Stock Tour and ran 25 and 50 lap events. That changed after the 1995 season when the Late Models replaced the Pro Stocks as the headlining division.
Since then the ACT Late Model Tour has seen tremendous growth with more events, higher car counts and more competitive racing thanks to a rules package that has kept the cars cost effective. The Tour reached an all-time high during the 2009 season as they competed in the Inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the lone superspeedway in New England.
Continue reading ‘ACT Late Model Tour Breaks $4 Million Mark’
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) announced today that Bond Auto Parts, a family run business since 1956 with 37 locations throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, will become the title sponsor of the 2010 ACT 4 event series for the “Tiger Sportsman” division, known as the Bond Auto/WIX Tiger Sportsman Tour.
The Sportsman division is a Limited Late Model car, which has been a mainstay of Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT, the home of Bond Auto.
“We are really happy to be able to support this ACT division, which will appear in several markets that we service,” said Mark Mast, Vice President of Marketing for Bond. “Our employees have been great fans of ACT and Thunder Road over the years, as well as all the regional race tracks. This series of 100 lap events for the popular ACT Tiger Sportsmen seemed like a great fit for some of our marketing needs, and allows us to show support for the racers that have always supported our Bond Auto locations.”
Continue reading ‘Bond Auto Announces ACT 2010 ‘Tiger’ Sportsman Tour’
The Kendall Roberts-owned Vermont National Guard team of veteran driver John Donahue filed the first full season entry for the American Canadian Tour (ACT) 2010 season. There was plenty of excitement following the recent 2009 Banquet of Champions, and ACT headquarters received the Donahue entry 24 hours after the entry forms were sent this week.
“We are very excited about taking a run for the title this year,” said car owner Kendall Roberts. “We really came together as a team around TD Bank 250 time last season when Dale Shaw started giving us a hand, and John and the team have been very busy getting things freshened for the 2010 season. Everyone is excited about our new car, and we still get charged up about weekly racing at Thunder Road. We will be ready as soon as spring gets here,” concluded Roberts. The Donahue team is only one of three teams that ran the entire ACT US Tour and a full weekly schedule at Thunder Road in 2009. Jamie Fisher of Shelburne, VT and Eric Chase of Milton, VT were the other drivers to tackle both schedules in 2009, and are expected to do the same in 2010.
Continue reading ‘Donahue Files First Full Season Entry for 2010 ACT Tour/Allard First to File Full Season for the Series ACT Castrol’
American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model stock car Champion Brian Hoar of Williston was honored for his sixth career ACT Late Model Tour Championship on Saturday, January 16 at the Sheraton-Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in South Burlington, VT. Hoar currently holds the record for the most career wins in ACT Late Model Tour history with 25, including back-to-back wins at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and Waterford Speedbowl in 2010. These wins, plus 11 top tens in 13 starts, helped Hoar edge out runner-up Scott Payea. Hoar was joined by over 500 teams, fans and officials as he celebrated his first championship with new car owner Rick Paya. Paya also has previous ACT Tour championships as a crew chief and car owner with Jean-Paul Cyr.
The 41st Annual MacTavish Award was given to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) for their contribution to Northeast stock car racing. The prestigious MacTavish Award is named for legendary New England racer Don MacTavish who was killed in 1969 while racing at Daytona International Speedway. In 2010, NHMS hosted the first annual ACT Invitational, which invited 36 of the best Late Model competitors from around the region. It was the showcase event for ACT Late Model competition during the 2010 season.
Continue reading ‘Hoar, Cyr and NHMS Honored at ACT/Thunder Road Banquet of Champions’
The 25 years of American Canadian Tour racing in review continues with a look at the 1988 season. The 1988 season saw another dominating performance from Robbie Crouch, who won a record third consecutive ACT Coors Tour Championship and set the record for the most wins in a season at 11. Ironically the 1988 season also saw the first ACT Coors Tour win for Junior Hanley who would eventually match Crouch’s three straight titles and set a new record of 12 wins, all in the 1993 season. The following is an excerpt from the 1989 souvenir racing guide:
“1988 saw Robbie Crouch win 11 races (a new record) on his way to an unprecedented fifth title. Crouch outdistanced first year runner Russ Urlin of London, Ontario, Jean-Paul Cabana, Ricky Craven, and Paul Richardson for the championship.
Four drivers broke into victory lane for the first time on the Coors Tour in 1988. Urlin, Junior Hanley, and ASA regulars Butch Miller, and Ted Musgrave. Urlin picked off three wins, while the other three each garnered one victory. A strong contingent of rookie drivers vied for the Bosch/BFCP rookie title which Urlin won over STP Most Improved driver Tom Quinney, and Dan Beede. Over ten competitors raced for the title, with seven of them finishing in the top twenty in the final point standings.
Continue reading ‘25 Years of ACT Racing: 1988 – Crouch Dominates for Fifth Title’
NASCAR, ACT & PASS teams have already announced plans to participate in the 11th Annual Busch Sport Scene Snowmobile Ride for Charity in Rangeley, Maine on February 6, 2010. Event organizer and Busch Sport Scene publisher George ‘Soup’ Campbell wants all teams from the leading full-bodied stock car & modified racing tours in New England to know they are welcome to join the event too.
“This growing charity event has always been open to everyone, race fans and teams alike, from everywhere and anywhere,” Campbell said. “But this year a special invitation is being put forth to the teams and officials from all the regional tours. We would like to see even more racers from around the region come see what the event is all about and join the fun this year.”
NASCAR Team members who present their 2009 or 2010 NASCAR license will get $5 off the price of their ride credential / event pass on the day of the event. PASS and ACT Teams are now being offered the same discount. All ACT, PASS, WMT & MRS team members that present either their 2009 or 2010 licenses will receive $5 off their ride credential or event pass that evening. The ride credential is good for all related activities through out the day.
Continue reading ‘Modified Racing Series & Whelen Modified Tour Teams Invited to Participate in Busch Sport Scene Charity Ride’
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) has announced that the total point fund awards for the 2009 season will total over $85,000. The annual Banquet of Champions will be held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in So. Burlington, VT on January 16, 2010.
The ACT TOUR will honor the 2009 Championship team of Brian Hoar and owner/crew chief Rick Paya, who also owns RPM Engines in Georgia, VT. Hoar will celebrate his sixth American Canadian Tour title, and car owner, Rick Paya, will also celebrate his sixth ACT title, having won previous titles as crew chief and then owner of the only seven-time ACT winner in its 25-year history, Jean-Paul Cyr. The RPM team will receive $10,000 first place point money at the annual festivities for their efforts during the 2009 thirteen (13) race campaign.
“This past year was a whole lot of fun for RPM racing. We kind of struggled at the beginning of the season, but most of that was trying to figure out what each of us (Hoar and Paya) needed to be successful,” said Rick Paya. “Working with Brian was great, especially after we got things sorted out over the initial few weeks. We kind of entered the deal hoping to get immediate results, but I think our team is better off having to go through the learning curve we experienced. We really are excited about being together for next season, and winning the 25th anniversary title of ACT would be pretty meaningful for Brian and our entire team,” concluded Paya. Both Paya and Hoar have been supporters of the ACT Late Model program since its inception in 1992.
Continue reading ‘American Canadian Tour Pays Out $85,000 Point Fund for 2009′
While the second season of American Canadian Tour racing saw various changes in the rulebook, the outcome was the same as the Inaugural 1986 season. The 1986 saw firsts, like the creation of the Stock Car Connection, a combination series with the American Speed Association (ASA) and the ACT Tour, and lasts, like the final race at Catamount Stadium. Below is another excerpt from the 1989 souvenir program:
“A whole new look for ’87 – sleek, classy, fast fiberglass machines. Lighter weights, 9:1 engines, all 105” wheelbase, made for the transition to the SCC-type (Stock Car Connection) cars in preparation for the six combination races.
Beaver Dragon jumped out of the box, scoring a win at the first-ever Coors Tour event at Lee USA. Eventual Bosch/BFCP Rookie of the Year Paul Richardson, won event #2 at Catamount, garnering a $1,000 bonus from the New Champions program for breaking into the Winner’s Circle. Jean-Paul Cabana, looking at retirement at the end of ’87(Note: Jean-Paul didn’t cut back on his racing schedule until the 1992 season), showed that he hadn’t forgotten the way to victory lane by putting his Olds in victory lane 4 times including the VT Milk Bowl and the last ever Late Model event to be held at Milton, Vermont’s Catamount Stadium, the New England 300. It was history in the making, as Cabana had won the first ever main event at the same track in 1965.
Continue reading ‘25 Years of ACT Racing: Crouch Rolls to Fourth Championship’
