Travis Stearns Scores First ACT Win in Labor Day Classic
Barre, VT – Travis Stearns of Auburn, Maine scored his first career American Canadian Tour victory in one of the biggest races on the 2013 schedule. The rookie held off eight-time ACT Champion Brian Hoar to claim the win in the 35th Annual VT Foodbank Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road on Sunday, September 1.
Two-time Thunder Road Champion Dave Pembroke led the entire first half of the 200 lap event, building a large lead through lap traffic before the second caution flag of the event flew on lap 116. Every lead lap car took advantage of the caution period to visit pit road for fresh right side tires. Hoar and Stearns were the first two cars back onto the race track claiming the first and second positions but starting 4th and 5th respectively on the ensuing restart. Pembroke stalled on the exit of pit road and could not get the car refired sending him to the tail of the field.
Stearns gained the advantage on the restart, getting around Hoar through the lapped traffic to take a lead he would never relinquish. Hoar slid back as far as fourth before mounting a comeback with 60 laps to go. He moved his way back into second with just under 50 laps to go and set his sights on Stearns. While Hoar got to his rear bumper with 15 laps remaining, Stearns protected the outside lane. Hoar couldn’t find the bite on the inside and came up a half car length short coming to the line as the two fishtailed to the finish.
Current ACT point leader, Wayne Helliwell, Jr. came from 17th to take third, Pembroke recovered to take fourth and two-time Thunder Road Champion Nick Sweet completed the top five. Current ACT runner-up Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Brooks Clark, Cody Blake, 2013 “King of the Road” Derrick O’Donnell and Jimmy Hebert earned top ten finishes.
The 200 lap event was completed in just 1 hour and eight minutes with 3 total cautions. Thirty of the 34 cars in attendance qualified for the main event.
Stearns becomes the 14th qualifier for the 5th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 21.
“Double-O” Joe Steffen of Grand Isle picked up his first Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen win of the season as he got around Randy Gonyaw on the final restart of the event. It was his 10th career Tiger victory. The duo was chased to the line by Mike Martin, Shawn Fleury and Brendan Moodie completing the top five.
Donnie Yates of Montpelier picked up the win in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks as he came from dead last on the 23 car field. He bested Gary Mullen, Tim Campbell, Kevin Dodge and Jennifer Getty.
The American Canadian Tour will be back in action with the non-point counting Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH on Saturday, September 21. They will then decide the 2013 ACT Champion at the Fall Foliage 200 finale at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY on Saturday, September 28.
The 2013 season will conclude for the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stocks with the 51st People’s United Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road on Sunday, October 6. Booth Bros./H.P. Hood qualifying day is scheduled for Saturday, October 5. It is a non-point counting event for the American Canadian Tour Late Models.
35th Annual VT Foodbank Labor Day Classic
Thunder Road – Barre, VT
Sunday, September 1, 2013
American Canadian Tour Unofficial Results
Pos. (Start) Driver, Hometown, Laps Completed
1. (5) #Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME, 200 Laps
2. (1) Brian Hoar, Williston, VT, 200 Laps
3. (17) Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH, 200 Laps
4. (2) Dave Pembroke, Middlesex, VT, 200 Laps
5. (18) Nick Sweet, Barre, VT, 200 Laps
6. (14) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH, 200 Laps
7. (8) Brooks Clark, Fayston, VT, 200 Laps
8. (3) Cody Blake, Barre, VT, 200 Laps
9. (11) #Derrick O’Donnell, N. Haverhill, NH, 200 Laps
10. (16) Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown, VT, 200 Laps
11. (10) #Jason Corliss, Barre, VT, 200 Laps
12. (7) Cris Michaud, E. Montpelier, VT, 200 Laps
13. (4) Trampas Demers, S. Burlington, VT, 199 Laps
14. (20) Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT, 199 Laps
15. (26) Scott Payea, Milton, VT, 199 Laps
16. (24) Kyle Pembroke, Montpelier, VT, 199 Laps
17. (21) Brent Dragon, Milton, VT, 199 Laps
18. (28) Ben Lynch, Huntersville, NC, 199 Laps
19. (22) Lance Allen, Barre, VT, 198 Laps
20. (29) Josh Demers, Montpelier, VT, 197 Laps
21. (12) Rowland Robinson Jr., Steuben, ME, 164 Laps
22. (19) Brett Wheeler, Waterbury, VT, 160 Laps
23. (15) Glen Luce, Turner, ME, 154 Laps
24. (27) #Emily Packard, E. Montpelier, VT, 138 Laps
25. (13) Eric Chase, Milton, VT, 119 Laps
26. (25) #Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg, VT, 116 Laps
27. (6) Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT, 109 Laps
28. (9) Chip Grenier, Graniteville, VT, 75 Laps
29. (30) Ray Parent, Tiverton, RI, 36 Laps
30. (23) Jay Laquerre, Barre, VT, 34 Laps
Lap Leaders: Dave Pembroke, 1-116; Travis Stearns, 117-200
Time of Race: 1:08:03
Margin of Victory: .256 seconds
Cautions: 3 (laps 37, 116, 139)
Heat Winners: Trampas Demers, Jason Corliss, Brooks Clark, Derrick O’Donnell
Consi Winners: Brent Dragon, Jean-Paul Cyr
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen Unofficial Results
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Joe Steffen (00) Grand Isle, VT
2. Randy Gonyaw (22) S. Barre, VT
3. Mike Martin (01) Craftsbury Common, VT
4. Shawn Fleury (31) Middlesex, VT
5. Brendan Moodie (94) Wolcott, VT
6. Chris Roberts (9) Washington, VT
7. John Lambert (2) Northfield, VT
8. Mike Billado (8) Essex, VT
9. Jason Allen (29) Barre, VT
10. #Cameron Ouellette (90) Barre, VT
11. Scott Coburn (1) Barre, VT
12. Eric Badore (04) Milton, VT
13. Jason Woodard (68) Waterbury Ctr., VT
14. #Daniel Lathrop (6) Hyde Park, VT
15. Jeffrey Bousquet (60) Worcester, VT
16. Mike Ziter (26) Williamstown, VT
17. George May (16) Barre, VT
18. Darrell Morin (71) Essex Jct., VT
19. Doug Crowningshield (14) Barre, VT
20. Christopher Pelkey (64) South Barre, VT
21. Adam Pierson (85) Bradford,VT
Allen Lumber Street Stocks Unofficial Results
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Donnie Yates (05) N. Montpelier, VT
2. Gary Mullen (29) Tunbridge, VT
3. Tim Campbell, Sr. (71) W. Topsham, VT
4. Kevin Dodge (8) Barre, VT
5. Jennifer Getty (25) Cambridge, VT
6. Tommy Smith (50) Williamstown, VT
7. Jaden Perry (02) Hardwick, VT
8. #Patrick Tibbetts (48) Barre, VT
9. Jamon Perry (62) Hardwick, VT
10. Bunker Hodgdon (83) Wolcott, VT
11. Michael Gay (3) S. Burlington, VT
12. Marvin Johnson (19) Essex Jct., VT
13. #George Butler (9) Randolph, VT
14. Thomas Merchant (38) Eden Mills, VT
15. Derrick Mann (53) Duxbury, VT
16. Keith Fortier (35) Hinesburg, VT
17. Will Hennequin (47) Morrisville, VT
18. Jamie Davis (43) Wolcott, VT
19. Alan Maynard (10) Fairfax, VT
20. #Tyler Austin (5) E. Calais, VT
21. Alex Perkins (55) White River Jct., VT
22. Kyle Streeter (37) Waitsfield, VT
23. Kyle Chapin (78) Hardwick, VT
DNS #Tommy Elwood (88) Morrisville, VT
DNS David Whitcomb (77) Morrisville, VT
Sources: Thunder Road Speedbowl PR
Photo:Travis Stearns of Auburn, ME celebrates his first career ACT win in the VT Foodbank Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road. (Photo by Alan Ward).