ACT Young Guns Look to Challenge in 2014
Waterbury, VT –The best group of young talent in nearly 30 years has emerged to challenge some of the biggest stock car racing stars in the Northeast during the 2014 American Canadian Tour (ACT) upcoming season.
“Having this many talented young teams is exactly what ACT racing was designed for. All these teams have come out of weekly tracks and are now testing the longer distance events. ACT tries to create schedules that will still allow teams to race at their “home tracks” during the height of the race season. We have lots of events scheduled in early Spring and later in the Fall. Watching these new young teams develop has become one of the most fun parts of the business for me. There is nothing more exciting than to see a young racer win his/her first major event!!”, said Tom Curley, long-time promoter of ACT racing.
The new campaign is led by two former Rookie of the Year contenders, Jimmy Hebert from Williamstown, VT and Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, VT. There is a great deal of excitement about the depth of talent in the field as the 2014 campaign begins at Lee USA’s Governor’s Cup 150 on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Hebert is the defending champion of the Governor’s Cup. He also won a second event on the mile at the Sanair Super Speedway in St Pie, Quebec a year ago. Therrien is led by veteran crew chief Pete Duto and his Fast One/Subway race team. Defending ACT Rookie of the Year Therrien handily won a 150-lap feature at the White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, NH during his inaugural touring year in 2013.
One of the most consistent racers during last year’s 16-race season was Mooresville, North Carolina’s Ben Lynch. Lynch finished an impressive 5th in points with eight (8) top ten finishes during the campaign in 2013. Joining the generation of young talent for the coming season on the ACT traveling circuit will be Travis Stearns from Auburn, ME driving the Mickey Green-prepared, Richard Green entry. Stearns also garnered his first win in his rookie season during 2013, winning the prestigious Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road, beating a stellar field of regular Thunder Road teams and ACT teams.
Part-time tour contenders making first-time, full efforts in 2014 are Emily Packard, a Thunder Road weekly regular in 2013, and Brandon Atkins from Ausable, New York. As first-time touring and part-time participants in 2013, both received high marks from the veterans at ACT and were able to get many laps of experience last season. Both were impressive enough to be invited to the Bond ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2013.
“I think it is great that we are getting so many good young teams into the ACT system”, said (8) eight-time ACT Champion Brian Hoar. “These kids have very good equipment and it is fun to race with them. It is gratifying to know that there is a pool of talented depth keeping ACT Late Model racing healthy in the region,” concluded Hoar.
The ACT opening event at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH will take place with a full practice on Saturday, April 12 and a 150-lap feature event on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Qualifying will begin at 1:00 on Sunday.
For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963, or visit media@acttour.com, www.acttour.com, or www.leeusaspeedway.com.
Sources: ACT PR