Crazy Horse Racing Shines In ACT Field
Nine CHR Teams Invited To Race At New Hampshire Motor Speedway
SOUTH PARIS, Maine – No matter how you do the math, the numbers add up for Crazy Horse Racing when it comes to the fifth annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., this weekend.
A total of nine Crazy Horse Racing teams will take the green flag in the 43-car field on Saturday, September 21. From full-time ACT Late Model Tour teams and to local short-track teams with multiple wins this season, the nine drivers and teams headed to NHMS this weekend have been part of a strong second half of 2013.
“As a company, we’re really excited and happy to have our teams going to Loudon, because they had to do well to get invited,” said Crazy Horse Racing owner Mitch Green. “It’s important because it means our people performed well enough during the year to get some attention and get invited to one of the crown jewels of (ACT Late Model Tour racing).”
Three ACT Late Model Tour teams with Crazy Horse backing are among the invitees: Richard Green Racing’s Travis Stearns and teammates Luke Hinkley and Todd Davis. Aaron Fellows, Quinny Welch and Josh Masterson represent some of the best weekly competitors in the region, while ACT Castrol Series drivers Dany Trepanier and Jonathan Bouvrette also have spots in the ACT Invitational. Rookie Taylor Martin will make her NHMS debut on the oval Saturday.
Stearns won the most recent ACT Late Model Tour event, the Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road, while Bouvrette won the final ACT Castrol Series race of the 2013 season.
“It’s not that they’re overhauling, but they’re figuring out how to make them work better here over the last couple of months,” Green said of the cars. “I’ve been really, really pleased with everybody’s performance going into the off-season. Everybody’s been working really, really hard to get their cars working in the right direction.
“When you look and see nine cars out of 43 – more than 20 percent of the field – that tells me that all the hard work by these guys paid off in the performances. They’re running really well right now, and they’ve learned a lot through hard work. That’s a credit to all the teams.”
Green will be on hand Saturday to serve as crew chief for Taylor Martin, the 16-year-old Late Model rookie from Windham, N.H. She finished 11th in the Subway Fresh Fit 150 at Canaan Fair Speedway last month – her first and only career Late Model start to date.
“For the most part, all of these guys are interested in how to run well (at New Hampshire) and being able to run well there. That’s most important to me,” Green said. “It’s about having a good time and representing themselves well. They all have different goals – we have some guys that can potentially win it, some who’s expectations are to run well, and some who’s expectations are just to go there and learn.”
Practice for the Bond Auto ACT Invitational begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, with the starting grid set by a “staggered handicap.” The green flag is scheduled to fly at 4:45 p.m.
Roughly an hour later, when the checkered flag has fallen on the all-star event, Green is certain of one thing.
“I think the cars that we have – they all meet their goals, have a good experience and represent themselves, Crazy Horse and the ACT Tour well,” Green said.
CRAZY HORSE CARS IN THE FIFTH ANNUAL BOND AUTO ACT INVITATIONAL
11vt – Josh Masterson, Bristol, Vt. Finished second in final Late Model standings at Devil’s Bowl Speedway as a rookie, making NHMS debut this weekend.
16me – Travis Stearns, Auburn, Maine. Labor Day Classic 200 winner, sixth in ACT standings.
19qc – Dany Trepanier, St-Edouard, Que. Back-to-back Top-5 finishes in final ACT Castrol standings, finished 12th in Invitational in 2012.
20nh – Taylor Martin, Windham, N.H. Has 9 Legends wins at NHMS this season, finished 11 in Late Model debut at Canaan Fair Speedway.
29nh – Aaron Fellows, Croydon, N.H. Finished second in Subway Fresh Fit 150, among fastest in testing at NHMS this month.
31nh – Luke Hinkley, Claremont, N.H. Two Top-10 ACT finishes this season, two prior Invitational starts.
34nh – Todd Davis, Claremont, N.H. Ranks 11th in ACT standings, three Top-10 finishes this season.
41qc – Jonathan Bouvrette, Blainville, Que. Won the 2013 ACT Castrol finale 200-lap event at St. Eustache, finished career-best fourth in final series point standings.
78nh – Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H. Multi-time White Mountain Motorsports Park track champion, finished fourth in the Invitational two years ago.
Sources: Travis Barrett/ Crazy Horse Racing PR