Beech Ridge Next for American Canadian Tour
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) will return to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway with the most diverse group of racers of the 2009 championship campaign. ACT point leader Scott Payea holds a slim 23-point lead over Hudson, New Hampshire’s Joey Polewarczyk (Joey Pole). Five-time ACT Champion and former NASCAR Busch East star Brian Hoar sits in third and is looking for his first win in 2009. Hoar comes off a strong outing in last week’s TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford, ME. Hoar finished 4th after leading the “250” in the second half of the richest one-day Late Model stock car race in America. ACT veterans Randy Potter from Groveton, New Hampshire and John Donahue from Graniteville, Vermont round out the top five, separated by only 79 points just past the half-way mark in the 2009 season.
“I had a blast racing the last two weeks. The 200-lap race at Kawartha was a solid outing for us, and leading the “250” for a while and ending up with a 4th has our team ready to come into form for the second half. We finally feel we are ready to challenge Scott and Joey and make a run for the 2009 ACT title. I am anxious to get to Beech Ridge. It is always fun to go to new tracks and with the momentum we feel we now have, this kind of neutral track should fit our program very well,” said Hoar.
The entry list is impressive for the first ACT event at Beech Ridge in over 15 years. Former ACT Champion on the ACT Pro Stock TOUR, and current Pro Series point leader at Beech Ridge, Mike Rowe of Turner, Maine will catch a ride in the David Avery Chevrolet usually driven by son Ben Rowe. “I tested the #10 car at Oxford last week and got around pretty good, but had to give up the seat in the “250” when Ben got there in time,” said Mike Rowe. “ This week I get a chance to drive it again and I am excited. This should be a lot of fun and I know the competition will be first-class after watching the “250” last weekend. These ACT guys are going to really enjoy racing at the `Ridge,” continued Rowe.
Other drivers ready to tackle the 1/3rd mile at Beech Ridge are Oxford regulars Travis Stearns and Shawn Knight, both coming off very impressive runs in last week’s TD Banknorth 250. Rising star Aaron Ricker, a Beech Ridge regular, has been impressive in all his ACT starts and has entered the event.
Veteran Brad Leighton, winner of two ACT events in 2009 will return to his home roots. Leighton started his stock car career at Beech Ridge in the 1980’s and has been one of the Northeast racing scene’s biggest stars over the past two decades. “This is going to be a lot of fun for me to go back to Beech Ridge with this group of racers. I remember some of the great battles we had in the old days on this track, and racing with this mixture of Late Model veterans and new teams reminds me a lot of how much fun it was back then. Thankfully, I have no pressure to have to win to get into the ACT Invitational at Loudon — (Leighton is an invitee because of his wins at the season opener at Lee USA and his recent win at the Summer Sizzler 200-lap event at Kawartha Downs Speedway in Ontario earlier this month)— I can concentrate on winning the Beech Ridge 150 lapper which would be real thrill for me since I started my racing career here. Can’t wait!”, said Leighton.
The last ACT Late Model winner at the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway was Williamstown, Vermont’s Pat Corbett in 1993. The new generation of drivers from all over the New England region, along with familiar former Pro Stock and NASCAR Busch East teams, look to enter the record books Saturday, July 25th at one of New England’s oldest and most historic speedways.
Post time for the ACT 150 is 6:00 pm.
For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963 or media@acttour.com.
Sources: ACT Tour PR