25 Years of ACT Racing – 1990 – Robbie Crouch Returns
The fifth season of the American-Canadian Tour saw the return of the Tour’s most accomplished driver. Robbie Crouch returned after running just part time in 1989. His 1990 championship was his fourth in the first five years of ACT racing. He also won championships in 1983 and 1984 on the NASCAR North Tour. With his four wins in 1990 he increased his career win total to 68, nearly three times more than any other driver at the time.
In the second season of the GM National Stock Car Series, consisting of ten events at seven different tracks across three Canadian provinces, Randy MacDonald edged out Crouch by 14 points for the title. For the second year in a row Dave Dion, running a limited schedule, won the ACT Showdown at Beech Ridge along with three other events in just 9 starts. Race winners included Crouch (4), 1989 Champion Russ Urlin (4), Dion (3), Dragon (3), Junior Hanley (2), Jean-Paul Cabana (2), Claude Leclerc, 1990 Rookie of the Year Steve Knowlton, MacDonald and Ralph Nason.
Below is a recap of Crouch’s 1990 season taken from the 1991 ACT Racing Guide:
“At the beginning of the 1990 season, Robbie Crouch’s name was not often tossed around as a potential threat to win the ACT Championship. Sure, the Tampa, Florida native had won the title five times previously, but with a three year-old car purchased two weeks before opening day, a relatively inexperienced crew and the lack of a major sponsor, the odds just seemed too long.
Perhaps it was the lack of early season pressure that allowed Crouch and his team to mold themselves into championship contenders. Historically, the “Tampa Tornado” has been a slow starter, needing several races under his belt to secure top finishes. No such requirement was necessary in 1990, as the Rent-A-Wreck Buick team posted three top three finishes in the first five events.
As the calendar pages flew by, Crouch remained among the top drivers in the season long point standings. The dog-days of summer approached and Crouch began to make his move.
His first win in two years came at the refurbished Airborne International Raceway in Plattsburgh, NY. Crouch spun with another car early in the 100 lap event, bringing out a caution, which relegated him to the rear. It was obvious the call did not please Crouch, as he moved through the field like a man possessed. He took over the lead on the 64th circuit after dogging pacesetter, Randy MacDonald, for several laps. Not only did the Buick driver win the event, but he took over the top position in the points.
One month later, at Scotia Speedworld in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Crouch would return to the Winner’s Circle, winning both GM Motosport races, Friday’s 100 lapper and Sunday’s 200. His advantage in the ACT standings would last for a single race, as MacDonald and Jean-Paul Cabana continued to battle with Crouch for the lead. The GM Series points were just as close and MacDonald reassumed the prime position after the “massacre at Ste-Croix.”
Crouch’s fourth and final win of the year came in front of a standing room only crowd at Barre, Vermont’s Thunder Road Speedbowl. He became the first driver in the Vermont Milk Bowl’s 27 year history to win the Monza-style race four times. It was Crouch’s first Milk Bowl victory without winning at least one of the 50 lap segments. With only two events remaining in the 22 race schedule, Crouch trailed MacDonald by a single point.
The American-Canadian Tour’s first visit to the new half-mile oval at Mosport Park would help decide several titles, including Crouch’s 1990 ACT championship. With so many years of stock car competition under his belt, Crouch knew what had to be done in the GM Motorsport 200. He was the pursuer, he could be relaxed, he’d let the others make the mistakes. A strong second place finish moved him into the lead for good.
A third place finish at Beech Ridge’s Rowell Insurance finale gave Crouch his sixth ACT championship by 17 points over young MacDonald.”
1990 QUICK FACTS
Largest purse…………………………………………………$56,750, St-Felicien 200
Number of Drivers on Tour……………………………………………………………133
Number of Events……………………………………………………………………………22
Number of Race Winners………………………………………………………………..10
Winner of Most Races…………………………..…Robbie Crouch, Russ Urlin, 4
Number of Race Leaders…………………………………..123 among 30 drivers
Most Laps Led…………………………………………………413, Randy MacDonald
Most Top 5 Finishes………………………………………………..14, Robbie Crouch
Most Top 10 Finishes…………17, Crouch, MacDonald, Cabana, Bezanson
Longest Race……………………………………………………Sanair 200, (178 Miles)
Most Money Won………………………………………………………$94,136, Crouch
1990 FINAL POINT STANDINGS
1. Robbie Crouch 2253
2. Randy MacDonald 2236
3. Jean-Paul Cabana 2143
4. Buzzie Bezanson 2053
5. Bill Zardo, Sr. 1985
6. Claude Leclerc 1949
7. Kevin Lepage 1928
8. Steve Knowlton# 1907
9. Dan Beede 1869
10. Derek Lynch 1798
Sources: ACT PR