“Restructured” American-Canadian Tour Stock Car Schedule Gives Racers Options in 2008
A completely redesigned championship format will be used for the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model stock car racing season in 2008. A diverse slate of twelve events at seven speedways in the northeastern United States and Canada will comprise the schedule, while also giving race teams several options during the course of the April-to-September campaign.
The ACT driver and owner championships will be decided using the best ten results for each individual during the 12-race season, thus giving teams the benefit of dropping their two worst outings of the year. ACT President Tom Curley says that offering teams options like this will help raise the level of competition across the board.
“ACT – and the short track racing industry as a whole – is in a restructuring phase right now, and we are listening to what our racers are saying,” Curley explained. “The times have changed, and we want to meet the current demands of our race teams and the fans that support them. We feel we have a schedule that is regionally attractive, but also one that does not require an overwhelming budget or too much weekly travel.
“With the 10-race championship decided in a 12-race season,” Curley continued, “teams will, in a sense, not be penalized for a bad finish. Because we draw such huge fields of cars at tracks like Thunder Road, Oxford, Lee USA, White Mountain, and others, our drivers will not have to scramble and play ‘catch-up’ as much if they fail to qualify for an ACT race; they can drop their worst two events of the season. There are many scenarios that could develop, and there is the great potential for a very exciting point battle. We entertained the idea of a format similar to this last season, but felt that the timing was better for 2008. We are confident that our new schedule and format will be a favorite for both teams and fans.”
The ACT Late Model Tour season kicks off at the high-banked, 3/8-mile Lee USA Speedway on the New Hampshire seacoast on Sunday, April 20 with a 100-lap event. Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway hosts the first of its three 150-lap races on April 26, while Barre, VT’s Thunder Road will hold the 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 on May 4. Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY presents the 34th Annual Spring Green 100 on May 17, followed by Thunder Road’s Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 100 on May 25.
ACT returns to Waterford Speedbowl in southern Connecticut on Saturday, June 7 for the first time in four years. “Rocket” Roger Brown won in the series’ debut at the 3/8-mile oval in 2004. The Tour then travels back to Oxford Plains Speedway on June 21 before the ¼-mile White Mountain Motorsports Park bullring in North Woodstock, NH hosts a 150-lap event on June 28. Kawartha Speedway in Fraserville, Ontario returns for the second straight season with the Summer Sizzler 200 on a new date, Sunday
Also new to the American-Canadian Tour schedule for 2008 is the first-ever “ACT Showdown at Chaudière” – a non-points all-star invitational event for the Top 10 drivers competing on the ACT Late Model Tour and Canada’s Série ACT Castrol, Saturday, September 6. Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jct., QC will present the “Showdown,” paying $5,000 to the winner and a healthy $1,000 for the last-place finisher. The 35th Annual TD Banknorth 250 on Sunday, July 20 at Oxford Plains Speedway will again be a non-points “open competition” event for ACT-type Late Model cars.
Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT wrapped up his fifth consecutive and seventh overall ACT Late Model Tour Championship in 2007, and will reportedly try for an unprecedented sixth-straight in 2008. Other lead contenders include veterans Brent Dragon and Randy Potter, young guns Brown, and Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk, and 2007 ACT runner-up Scott Payea.
For more information on the American-Canadian Tour, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com.
|
|
2008 AMERICAN-CANADIAN TOUR SCHEDULE |
|
||
Driver and Owner Championships/Point Fund based on best 10 events during season
Sources: ACT LM Tour PR