ACT Drivers’ Favorite Tracks
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.
ACT Director of Competition – Dean Gallison, Middlesex, VT – Kawartha Speedway – “It’s just an awesome race track with great racing, great pits, and a great pit road. What else would a good short track racer want?”
#97NH – Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH – Oxford Plains Speedway – “It has so many different grooves so if your car is o.k., you can search for a different lane. You can make a good car great there.” Two (2) of his four (4) ACT career wins came at the Maine oval. The Pole’s Automotive team has an impressive 9.3 average finish in the 11 events they have competed in at the Oxford Plains Speedway. The Joe Sr. led team will try and get the first Ford Challenge team win in ACT Touring history, as they have made the switch to Ford in their quest for the ACT Championship in 2010.
ACT Director of Media and Statistician – Nick Bigelow, St Johnsbury, VT – Thunder Road – “I’ve been going there since before I can remember and I’ve never seen better racing anywhere else.”
#9QC – Yvon Bedard, St-Nicolas, QC – Autodrome Chaudiere – “It’s high banked so you don’t have to use the brakes much. You get to “mash the gas” there!” The long time veteran ACT campaigner has 6 starts with 3 top tens and two top fives. In 2008 the ‘Bullet’ led the 100 lap event, had a flat, and raced back late in the event to an impressive second place finish.
ACT Marketing and Public Relations – Marvin Galarneau, Winthrop, ME – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – “It’s a fantastic track, beautiful area, fan friendly and has great management.” Marvin has been a part of the Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont short track racing scene for over 40 years as a former flagger at the Oxford Plains Speedway, administrator, manager of Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH, and has been involved at Thunder Road in Barre, VT with the NEKC go kart series and now the ACT organization.
#18VT – Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT – Thunder Road – “I like running around the outside there.” The SD Ireland driver has become a fan favorite for his daring charges around the “outside rail” of the 18 degree high banked Thunder Road. The SD Ireland team was only one of two that participated in all the ACT US Tour events and all Thunder Road events in 2009.
#7ME – Glen Luce, Turner, ME – Oxford Plains Speedway – “I grew up there and am comfortable there. That’s where my best results are.” The K&K Excavating team has compiled 3 top tens in 9 starts with ACT, including 2 top five finishes. Glen also was runner up to Kevin Harvick in perhaps his greatest career event, Oxford’s TD Bank 250, when he started from the back of the 43 car field to eventually finish 2nd in 2008. With two full seasons of ACT US Tour racing under their belts and a change to an ACT Ford motor for 2010, this veteran is poised to make a serious run at the ACT Championship this season.
#37VT – Brian Hoar, Williston, VT – New Hampshire Motor Speedway – “I’ve always loved it there.” Brian finished 8th in the inaugural ACT Invitational in 2009. The RPM team was contending for the win before they had some tire issues late in the race. Many spectators felt they would be a serious threat to win the event. Brian won two pole awards in 2002 and 2006 while competing in the K&N Pro Series East. The RPM team are the defending ACT Champions and will attempt to tie the all time record of 7 titles during the upcoming Tour season.
ACT Director of Administration – Tina Gallison, Middlesex, VT – Thunder Road – “It’s what racing should be. It’s hometown, family oriented racing, and I look forward to every race there.” Tina has also visited all the various tracks as an official with ACT at both the US Tour and on the Castrol Series.
#51QC – Patrick Hamel, St-Edourad-de-Lotbiniere, QC – Riverside Speedway (Ste Croix, QC) – “It’s close to the shop and it’s a beautiful, long track. It’s fun to race there.” The 21 year old, in only his second season, is one of the rising new stars in Quebec racing. He has registered 2 top fives in just 2 starts, with an average finish of 2.5! The Hamel team also has had impressive runs at both Montmagny and Chaudiere, both located east of Quebec City.
#02NH – Randy Potter, Groveton, NH – Airborne Speedway –“I run well there and it’s a fun track. It’s a driver’s racetrack with lots of room.” The Pete Knights led team has accumulated 4 top tens in 9 starts, which includes 3 top fives including a second in last year’s Furniture World of Vermont Spring Green. Potter, a veteran of short track wars at some of the area’s toughest short tracks has also excelled at tracks like Kawartha, Oxford and Waterford.
#80QC – Donald Theetge, Boischatel, QC – Riverside Speedway (Ste Croix, QC) – “I have won lots of races there; it’s fast and wide and you can pass on the outside. It should be even more fun with all the improvements they are making.” Donald is a two time and defending Série ACT Castrol Champion. His Frank et Michel Honda team has won four times and has an impressive 3.5 average finish over his touring career at the 5/8ths mile oval.
ACT Vice President and General Manager – Darla Hartt, Waterbury, VT – Thunder Road – “It’s where I saw my first race as a teeny bopper and I used to get kisses on the cheek from Dave Dion and Joey Kourafas! Why wouldn’t it be my favorite with those memories?”
#51ME – Ricky Rolfe, Albany TWP, ME – Oxford Plains Speedway – “That’s my home track.” Ricky is a noted builder of chassis
with Race Basics, a division of Crazy Horse Racing, and driving for Mark Brackett of Brackett Mechanical. He joined a full season effort on the ACT Tour in 2009. Ricky has 2 ACT career wins, both at Oxford Plains, and has 5 top five finishes in 11 starts at OPS during his Late Model career.
#38VT – Tyler Cahoon, St. Johnsbury, VT – White Mountain Motorsport Park – “I’ve had so much experience at WMMP, that’s the track I know the best.” Tyler was a very successful Late Model campaigner at White Mountain and pulled off his first top ten in ACT Tour racing at his ‘home track’ in 2009. Under the leadership of one of the most knowledgeable crew chiefs – his brother Patrick – and with the positive support of his long time racing family, White Mountain just might be the ‘breakout’ for this dedicated race team in 2010.
#48QC – Karl Allard, St-Félicien, QC – Kawartha Speedway – “I like tracks where you can pass in the outside groove. It’s more satisfying to pass somebody on the outside.” Karl has two career ACT starts at the 3/8ths mile Ontario oval. He finished 3rd in the 2008 and 4th in the 2009 Summer Sizzler 200.
#55VT – Brent Dragon, Milton, VT – Thompson Speedway – “I’ve only raced there three times, but it’s a lot of fun.” Brent raced the fastest short track in New England in the former Pro Truck series, and is a strong lobbyist to try and get the ACT Late Model Tour to appear at Thompson Speedway. With the ACT presence at Waterford Speedbowl, and affiliation with Seekonk, Thompson certainly looks like a possibility as ACT continues to grow throughout the Northeast.
#26VT – John Donahue, Graniteville, VT – New Hampshire Motor Speedway/ Thunder Road. NHMS: “I like the speed.” The Kendall Roberts owned team finished 5th in the inaugural ACT Invitational in 2009. Roberts entered his cars at all US Tour events and also the majority of Thunder Road weekly events in 2009. Donahue said, “The competition at TR changes every week, and that is what makes it such a challenge.” The 26 team has enjoyed 9 top tens in 17 starts on the tour at TR, and that does not include the 2009 Milk Bowl win. John has his name in the record books at Thunder Road with 3 weekly wins, 13 Tiger Sportsman wins, and two Tiger Sportsman titles.
#9VT – Chip Grenier, Graniteville, VT – Thunder Road – “That’s where my loyal fans are.” (Many of the avid fans on Thunder Road’s infamous “Bud Hill” have kind of adopted Chip Grenier throughout his race career, starting with the ranks of 4 cyl, Tiger Sportsman, and more recently Late Models …the avid group on Bud Hill seem to have a pretty select process of doing this as not many ‘make the cut’.) Chip was named the 2007 Thunder Road Late Model Rookie of the Year, and has accumulated three wins at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” during his brief career. He has also garnered 3 top ten finishes in 9 tour starts at Thunder Road.
ACT President – Tom Curley, Scarborough, ME – Sanair Super Speedway – “It was the ultimate cure for my gambling addiction!”
Sources: ACT PR