Babb Gets Redemption with Beech Ridge 150 Win

By admin August 9, 2015 ACT, ACT LM Tour, Beech Ridge

Scarborough, ME – Windham, ME’s Brad Babb got the upper hand in a battle two-time American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. to take his second ACT Tour win of the season in the Beech Ridge 150 at Scarborough, ME’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 8.

The 2012 Beech Ridge Pro Series Champion lost the lead to Helliwell on the race’s final restart on lap 142, but swung to the outside four laps later to regain the top spot. Babb then held off Helliwell and Eddie MacDonald to become the ninth different winner in as many ACT Late Model Tour events at Beech Ridge.

“I knew it was going to be tough on the restart being stuck on the bottom,” Babb said. “Wayne got by, and at that point I thought I was just going to try and hold on for second. But the car came back to me after a lap or two, and once I got to the outside of him, it was as good as it was all day.”

In addition to the win coming at Babb’s home track, it provided some redemption from the Tour’s previous event at Oxford Plains Speedway, when Babb made contact with Joey Polewarczyk Jr. and eventually spun while racing for the win.

“Winning any race is a big deal to me, but to win on a Tour like this…two years ago I never would have expected it,” Babb said. “To be able to do it twice in one year just means the world to me.”

Auburn, ME’s Travis Stearns led the first 60 laps from the pole before the race’s second caution on lap 60 when Travis Fadden spun while trying to remain on the lead lap. Babb got the nose up on the restart and eventually secured the top spot after running side-by-side with Stearns for nearly 20 laps.

Babb gradually pulled out to a straightaway advantage as Stearns and “Joey Pole” tussled for the second spot, with Helliwell and MacDonald eventually joining the battle as well. Pole finally gained the position on lap 127 and set to work trying to reel in Babb in hopes of a rematch from Oxford.

But with 10 laps to go, the lapped cars of Emily Packard and Dillon Moltz got together on the backstretch, sending Packard spinning right in front of Pole. Despite sliding sideways to try and avoid the spin, Pole struck Packard with his right front, forcing him to pit with a flat tire during the ensuing caution.

Helliwell assumed the second spot and snaked by two lapped cars on the restart to get to Babb’s rear bumper. Kyle Welch then spun in turn one with a flat left rear tire to bring out the fourth and final caution with eight laps to go and set up the final battle.

Helliwell finished second to unofficially retake the points lead by eight over Pole. MacDonald took third followed by Stearns and Rowland Robinson Jr. Dave Farrington Jr., Jeff White, Pole, Jimmy Hebert, and Welch rounded out the top-10.

Babb, Hebert, and Pole won the heat races. Mike Ziter and Derrick O’Donnell won the consolation races with Matt Anderson taking the last-chance B-Feature. Thirty-one cars attempted to qualify for the event.

The ACT Tour will travel north of the border to St-Croix, QC’s Circuit Riverside Speedway for the sixth annual Can-Am 150 on Saturday, August 8. The event is the second combination event of the year between the ACT U.S. Tour and the Quebec-based Série ACT.

For more information contact the ACT offices at 802.244.6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com.

ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
BEECH RIDGE 150
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Pos Start Pos Driver Car # Hometown Laps

  1. (6) Brad Babb (15NH), Windham, ME, 150 Laps
  2. (9) Wayne Helliwell Jr. (27NH), Dover, NH, 150 Laps
  3. (22) Eddie MacDonald (17MA), Rowley, MA, 150 Laps
  4. (1) Travis Stearns (16ME), Auburn, ME, 150 Laps
  5. (2) Rowland Robinson, Jr. (28ME), Steuben, ME, 150 Laps
  6. (18) Dave Farrington, Jr. (23ME), Jay, ME, 150 Laps
  7. (16) Jeff White (50ME), Winthrop, ME, 150 Laps
  8. (11) Joey Polewarczyk Jr. (97NH), Hudson, NH, 150 Laps
  9. (7) Jimmy Hebert (58VT), Williamstown, VT, 150 Laps
  10. (5) Kyle Welch (9NH), Newport, NH, 150 Laps
  11. (13) Derrick O’Donnell (60VT), N. Haverhill, NH, 149 Laps
  12. (4) Brandon Atkins (4NY), AuSable Forks, NY, 149 Laps
  13. (14) Dillon Moltz (5CT), Waterford, CT, 149 Laps
  14. (12) Bobby Therrien (5VT), Hinesburg, VT, 149 Laps
  15. (20) Ray Parent (17RI), Tiverton, RI, 149 Laps
  16. (3) Alby Ovitt (0NH), Somersworth, NH, 149 Laps
  17. (27) Emily Packard (9ME), E. Montpelier, VT, 149 Laps
  18. (10) Mike Ziter (54VT), Barre Town, VT, 148 Laps
  19. (8) Boomer Morris (13VT), Barre, VT, 148 Laps
  20. (21) #Rich Dubeau (30NH), Plainfield, NH, 148 Laps
  21. (15) Ryan Deane (54ME), Winterport, ME, 147 Laps
  22. (25) Jeremy Zullo (46NH), Claremont, NH, 146 Laps
  23. (23) Matt Anderson (49NH), Franklin, NH, 129 Laps
  24. (24) Dave Langlais (88ME), Shapleigh, ME, 62 Laps
  25. (17) Travis Fadden (16NH), No. Haverhill, NH, 59 Laps
  26. (26) Arthur Heino Jr. (07ME), Newport, NH, 49 Laps
  27. (19) Kyle Pembroke (27VT), Montpelier, VT, 5 Laps

Lap Leaders: Travis Stearns, 1-60; Brad Babb, 61-142; Wayne Helliwell Jr., 143-146; Babb, 147-150. (3 lead changes among 3 drivers)

Time of Race: 58:26 Margin of Victory: 0.363 seconds

Cautions: 4 (laps 5, 60, 140, 142)

Heat Winners: Brad Babb, Jimmy Hebert, Joey Polewarczyk Jr.

Consi Winners: Mike Ziter, Derrick O’Donnell

B-Feature Winner: Matt Anderson

Sources: Michael Stridsberg/ACT PR