Thunder Road Sportsman Champion will compete as a Tour rookie in 2008
Thunder Road Sportsman Champion will compete as a Tour rookie in 2008
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Nick Sweet |
Champion stock car driver Nick Sweet has filed an entry for the 2008 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) season. Sweet, 23, won the NAPA Tiger Sportsman championship at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in his hometown of Barre, VT in 2007, and has purchased a potent Late Model car built by Richard Moody Racing of Maine and formerly driven by Ben Rowe. Sweet will contest the full 12-race ACT Late Model Tour schedule as a rookie, with support from Saint J Auto Group in St. Johnsbury, VT.
“As a rookie, I can’t ask for a better situation that the one I’m in right now,” he said. “My father, Shayne, and my crew are taking a big chance on me this year, and Saint J Auto is taking a big chance, too. We’ll learn a lot and we’ll definitely give our best effort.”
Sweet has been a quick study, taking 13 victories at five northeastern tracks in ACT’s NAPA Tiger Sportsman and Allen Lumber Street Stock divisions. He won Rookie of the Year titles in both classes, was the recipient of the Dr. G. R. Nielsen Rookie Achievement Award in 2003, and was recently voted by members of the regional media as one of the top three drivers in competition in 2007.
“People may expect us to do well because of our past success,” said Sweet. “That’s okay, but I can’t promise results. We haven’t set goals yet, we just want to learn and become competitive. Ben Rowe and Richard Moody have offered their advice, and that will help. I’m just going be like a sponge, soaking up all the
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Sweet’s title-winning NAPA Tiger Sportsman car at Thunder Road in 2007 (Dave Heath photos) |
knowledge and seat time that I can. Racing with ACT is so tough and unpredictable, we could end up not qualifying for a single race, or we could win a few. We’re just going to see what happens.”
“I can’t wait to see what Nick Sweet will accomplish on the American-Canadian Tour,” said ACT President Tom Curley. “He has shown tremendous potential, and he has great role models to learn from in Scott Payea, Jamie Fisher, Roger Brown, and many other drivers that have come through our system. They started in the Street Stocks and Sportsmen and have become very successful Late Model racers.”
Sweet will make his ACT Late Model Tour debut at Lee USA Speedway, a 3/8-mile oval on the New Hampshire seacoast, when the season begins on Sunday, April 20. Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT is expected to begin defense of his fifth consecutive ACT championship alongside top contenders Brent Dragon, Randy Potter, Joey Polewarczyk, and Donald Theetge. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com.
Sources: ACT LM Tour PR