Sweet Caps “Rollercoaster” Weekend with ACT International Win
Plattsburgh, NY – Nick Sweet showed why he’s one of the top American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model drivers in the Northeast on Sunday, July 19, capping a whirlwind two days by winning the ACT International at Plattsburgh, NY’s Airborne Park Speedway.
Barre, VT’s Sweet took the lead for the final time on lap 192 of the 200-lap event, beating out Alex Labbé on the final restart. The Thunder Road Late Model point leader will take home more than $10, 000 for the win after lap-leader money and contingencies. The victory was also a redemption for Sweet after finishing second in the event in 2014.
Sweet, whose wife is expecting their third child at any moment, didn’t decide to attend the event until midday on Saturday, July 18 but won the pole that evening with no practice time. His Eric Chase–owned #40VT team, which ran the same car that Jean-Paul Cyr drove at Thunder Road on Thursday, then had only one 20-minute session on Sunday morning after rain moved through the area.
“I never would have imagined this,” Sweet said. “We literally started working on this car Saturday morning. I had time to go get my car inspected and take a nap, and we just made it on time. I think the team morale right now is at an all-time high.
“What can you really say?” he added. “It’s almost surreal to think we’re sitting in Victory Lane right now after the rollercoaster ride we’ve had. My wife held on; she’s a champ. She’s a saint for letting me come race, but that’s why I married her.”
Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert got the jump on the initial start and led the first ten laps. Sweet then took the lead back following the first of 10 cautions before St-Denis, QC’s Patrick Laperle grabbed the top spot on the next restart on lap 51.
Sweet elected to change tires on a lap-78 caution, eventually re-inheriting the lead from Wayne Helliwell Jr. when the rest of the leaders took tires following a mandatory fuel stop just past halfway. After Sweet dominated the third quarter of the race, he and Labbé swapped the lead back and forth on a series of restarts, with the outside groove frequently being the preferred line.
Hebert’s spin on lap 182 gave Sweet the opportunity to get the jump on the outside, putting him down low for the final restart after a three-car tangle between Jonathan Bouvrette, Brooks Clark, and Charles Harvey. While Labbé was able to nose ahead for a circuit, Sweet made the inside work when he needed it most to get the win.
Labbé finished second followed by Helliwell. Canadian Jean-François Déry and New Yorker Brandon Atkins were fourth and fifth. Laperle, Brian Hoar, Dany Trepanier, Patrick Cliche, and Hebert completed the top-10.
Berwick, ME’s Joey Doiron once again proved a quick study in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models, winning the series’ inaugural event at Airborne. Doiron survived a rash of eight cautions in the first half of the event to dominate the second half, taking the lead for the final time from Milton, VT’s Brent Dragon on lap 111.
Patrick Laperle made a charge at Doiron following the race’s final restart on lap 117, but Doiron drove away in the final stages for the win. It was the second “inaugural win” of the season for Doiron, who also won PASS’s first-ever event at Thunder Road in May.
Brian Hoar muscled past Laperle in the final laps for second, followed by Dragon and Jeremy Davis. Glen Luce, point leader Mike Rowe, Bobby Therrien, Travis Benjamin, and Bobby Therrien completed the top-10.
The ACT Tour resumes its 2015 championship chase at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME on Saturday, July 25. It will be ACT’s second visit of the season to the 3/8 mile oval after being postponed from its original June 27 date. Post time for the 150-lap event is 7:00pm. Serié ACT will be back in action with the Montmagny 250 at Autodrome Montmagny on Saturday, August 1.
For more information contact the ACT offices at 802.244.6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com.
ACT INTERNATIONAL 500
ACT LATE MODELS
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Pos Start Pos Driver Car # Hometown Laps
1. (1) Nick Sweet (40VT), Barre, VT, 200 Laps
2. (9) Alex Labbé (48QC), St-Felicien, QC, 200 Laps
3. (10) Wayne Helliwell Jr. (27NH), Dover, NH, 200 Laps
4. (6) Jean-Francois Dery (21QC), Quebec, QC, 200 Laps
5. (7) Brandon Atkins (4NY), AuSable Forks, NY, 200 Laps
6. (8) Patrick Laperle (91QC), St-Denis, QC, 200 Laps
7. (18) Brian Hoar (37VT), Williston, VT, 200 Laps
8. (12) Dany Trepanier (19QC), St-Edouard, QC, 200 Laps
9. (19) Patrick Cliché (5QC), Levis, QC, 200 Laps
10. (2) Jimmy Hebert (58VT), Williamstown, VT, 200 Laps
11. (15) Jeff White (50ME), Winthrop, ME, 200 Laps
12. (25) Jonathan Bouvrette (41QC), Blainville, QC, 200 Laps
13. (5) Joey Polewarczyk Jr. (97NH), Hudson, NH, 199 Laps
14. (20) Ray Parent (17RI), Tiverton, RI, 199 Laps
15. (4) Donald Theetge (80QC), Boischatel, QC, 199 Laps
16. (3*) DJ Shaw (5VT), Ctr. Conway, NH, 197 Laps
17. (23) Gaetan Gaudreault (38QC), Quebec, QC, 197 Laps
18. (16) Claude Leclerc (11QC), Lanoraie, QC, 197 Laps
19. (21) Charles Harvey (77QC), Terrebonne, QC, 195 Laps
20. (11) Dillon Moltz (5CT), Waterford, CT, 195 Laps
21. (14) Brooks Clark (68VT), Fayston, VT, 189 Laps
22. (22) Brandon White (99QC), Kahnawake, QC, 176 Laps
23. (17) Travis Stearns (16ME), Auburn, ME, 157 Laps
24. (24) Aaron Fellows (29NH), Croyden, NH, 112 Laps
25. (13) Emily Packard (9ME), E. Montpelier, VT, 55 Laps
*Started at rear due to driver change.
Lap Leaders: Nick Sweet, 0; Jimmy Hebert, 1-10; Sweet, 11- 50; Patrick Laperle, 51-84; Wayne Helliwell Jr., 85-105; Sweet, 106-160; Alex Labbé, 161-162; Sweet, 163-170; Labbé, 171-184; Sweet, 185-191; Labbé, 192; Sweet, 193-200. (11 lead changes among 5 drivers)
Time of Race: 1:44:45 Margin of Victory: 0.155 seconds
Cautions: 10 (laps 8, 48, 78, 102, 157, 159, 168, 178, 182, 188)
Heat Winners: Patrick Laperle, Alex Labbé, Wayne Helliwell Jr.
Consi Winner: Jean-Francois Dery
PASS SUPER LATE MODELS
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Laps Completed
1. Joey Doiron (73), Berwick, ME, 200 Laps
2. Brian Hoar (37VT), Williston, VT, 200 Laps
3. Patrick Laperle (91QC), St-Denis, QC, 200 Laps
4. Brent Dragon (55VT), Milton, VT, 200 Laps
5. Jeremy Davis (09), Tamworth, NH, 200 Laps
6. Glen Luce (7L), Turner, ME, 200 Laps
7. Mike Rowe (7), Turner, ME, 200 Laps
8. Bobby Therrien (5X), Hinesburg, VT, 200 Laps
9. Travis Benjamin (17), Morrill, ME, 200 Laps
10. Ben Rowe (4n), Turner, ME, 200 Laps
11. DJ Shaw (60), Ctr. Conway, NH), 199 Laps
12. Matt Matheson (2M), Geary, NB, 198 Laps
13. Raphael Lessard (71), St-Joseph Beauce, QC, 192 Laps
14. Tate Fogleman (8F), Durham, NC, 101 Laps
15. Bryan Kruczek (00), Newmarket, NH, 79 Laps
16. Mark Lundblad Jr. (28), Ctr. Conway, NH, 73 Laps
17. Joey Polewarczyk Jr. (97NH), Hudson, NH, 57 Laps
18. Derek Ramstrom (35), W. Boylston, MA, 37 Laps
19. Donald Theetge (80), Boischatel, QC, 36 Laps
Sources: Michael Stridsberg/ACT PR