Rolfe Holds Cyr Off for Oxford ACT Victory
Home track stock car favorite Ricky Rolfe of Albany Twp., ME held off a fast-closing Jean-Paul Cyr to win the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) New England Dodge Dealers 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway on Saturday. Cyr’s late charge was enough to bring him alongside Rolfe’s Race Basics/Swasey Excavation #51 Ford with less than ten laps remaining, but the former track champion won by about two car lengths.
“We lapped a lot of cars early, but when the field started to catch up, I had to try some new lines around the track,” said Rolfe. “We found that the upper groove was the place to be, and it worked.”
[Photo Gallery] by Leif Tillotson
Cyr recovered from a lap 49 spin with John Donahue to earn his podium finish. Both drivers spun in oil dropped on the track by another car, and were given their running positions back by race control during the caution period.
Rolfe earned a “+5” handicap to earn the pole starting position. Seven-time and defending ACT Late Model Tour Champion Cyr, of Milton, VT, started fifteenth in the field of 33 cars. Brent Dragon, also of Milton, VT, drove from 24th place to finish third. Rowley, MA driver Eddie MacDonald and Donahue, of Graniteville, VT, rounded out the top five.
Unofficially, the top ten was completed in order by Turner, ME’s Shawn Martin, Montreal driver Patrick Laperle, Quebec City’s Donald Theetge, Cris Michaud of Northfield, VT, and Ben Rowe of Turner, ME.
The ACT Late Model Tour victory was the second of Rolfe’s career, his first since 2002. Only two caution periods slowed the New England Dodge Dealers 150, which was completed in just over 54 minutes. Fifty Late Model cars from four U.S. states and two Canadian provinces attempted to qualify.
The ACT Late Model Tour travels to Barre, VT’s Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl for the 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 on Sat./Sun., May 3/4. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com.
UNOFFICIAL FINISH – New England Dodge Dealers 150
ACT Late Model Tour – Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, ME
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Pos.-(Start)-Car No.-Driver-Hometown (# – denotes rookie)
1. (1) 51 Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp., ME
2. (15) 32 Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT
3. (24) 55VT Brent Dragon, Milton, VT
4. (17) 17 Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA
5. (3) 26 John Donahue, Graniteville, VT
6. (2) 94 Shawn Martin, Turner, ME
7. (12) 91 Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, QC
8. (18) 80 Donald Theetge, Boischatel, QC
9. (7) 6 Cris Michaud, Northfield, VT
10. (8) 10NH Ben Rowe, Turner, ME
11. (9) 78 Ryan Nolin, Georgia, VT
12. (22) 11 Claude Leclerc, Lanoraie, QC
13. (29) 7VT Eric Williams, Hyde Park, VT
14. (4) 70 Scott Dragon, Milton, VT
15. (5) 9ON #Jonathan Urlin, London, ON
16. (21) 25 Shawn Knight, South Paris, ME
17. (30) 89 Scott Payea, Milton, VT
18. (25) 97 Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH
19. (10) 05 Ron Henry, New Gloucester, ME
20. (27) 56 Dale Verrill, Paris, ME
21. (32) 02NH Randy Potter, Groveton, NH
22. (16) 5ME Leon Heckbert, Wilton, ME
23. (13) 07 Scott Luce, Strong, ME
24. (28) 85 Dennis Demers, Shelburne, VT
25. (20) 7ME Glen Luce, Turner, ME
26. (14) 16 Joe Becker, Jeffersonville, VT
27. (19) 41VT Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville, VT
28. (23) 61 Tommy Ricker, Poland, ME
29. (26) 83 Alan Tardiff, Lyman, ME
30. (31) 18 Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT
31. (11) 15 Ben Ashline, Pittston, ME
32. (33) 86 Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME
33. (6) 03 Travis Adams, Canton, ME
Sources: Justin St. Louis/ACT LM Tour PR