Former Bond Auto Invitational Winners Look to Hold Off Hungry Contenders
Includes Full Bond Auto ACT Invitational Roster
Waterbury, VT – Forty-three of the top American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model competitors from seven U.S. states and the Canadian province of Quebec will descend on Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) for the 7th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational Saturday, September 26. All four former winners of the Invitational will look to add another entry to the record books, but a number of drivers are in position to break into the “Magic Mile” winner’s circle for the first time.
Rowley, MA’s Eddie “The Outlaw” MacDonald is the clear top dog heading into the 50-lap, 52.9-mile event with nearly $80,000 in posted awards. MacDonald has three Invitational wins to his name, triumphing in 2009, 2011, and 2013. After a strong showing in the annual Test & Tune Session in August, MacDonald will go for a fourth win this year.
“It’s definitely going to be tough,” MacDonald said. “The competition has gotten tougher and tougher each year. Hopefully we can get the car so we can get through traffic and just be able to get close to the front and have a shot at the end.”
Dover, NH’s Wayne Helliwell Jr. and Hudson, NH’s Joey Polewarczyk Jr., who have been locked in a fierce battle for the 2015 ACT Tour Championship, will extend their rivalry to NHMS as they both seek a second Bond Auto Invitational win. “Joey Pole” won the second edition of the event in 2010, while Helliwell triumphed in 2014 and could become the first driver with back-to-back Invitational wins. 2012 winner Ray Parent of Tiverton, RI made steady improvement in the August test session and will also look for a second NHMS victory.
The former winners will have to contend with an elite group of ACT Late Model racers looking for their first Invitational triumph. Barre, VT’s Nick Sweet and St-Denis, QC’s Patrick Laperle both have a pair of runner-up finishes in the Invitational and are hungry to finally capture the top spot. Defending Série ACT Champion Alex Labbe finished fifth in the 2014 Invitational and already has four Série ACT wins in 2015.
A number of dark-horses were strong at the August test session and could pull off an unexpected Invitational win. Lempster, NH’s Guy Caron turned the fastest lap in August to emerge as a contender. Multi-time Claremont Speedway and Canaan Fair Speedway Champion Aaron Fellows was also fast in August and finished fourth in the 2013 Invitational.
Série ACT point leader Dany Trépanier is in the midst of his best season, while Tom Carey Jr. has finished in the top-10 in all four Invitationals he has competed in. Former Whelen Modified Tour NHMS winner Woody Pitkat will compete at the speedway in a Late Model for the first time but is a threat in any car he drives.
The 7th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway is Saturday, September 26. Forty-three of the top ACT Late Model drivers from the Northeast United States and Canada will run 50 green-flag laps as part of a tripleheader that includes the Camping World Truck Series and Whelen Modified Tour. The Invitational takes the green flag at 5:00pm.
For more information contact the ACT offices at 802.244.6963,media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com or www.nhms.com.
7th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational Driver Roster
Car # Driver Hometown
0NH Alby Ovitt Somersworth, NH
3VT Ricky Roberts Washington, VT
4NY Brandon Atkins Au Sable Forks, NY
5CT Dillon Moltz Waterford, CT
7NH Scott MacMichael Newbury, NH
8NH Guy Caron Lempster, NH
9NH Kyle Welch Newport, NH
10MA Tom Carey, Jr. New Salem, MA
11NY Josh Masterson Charlotte, VT
11RI Ryan Vanasse Warwick, RI
14CT Paul Charette Woodstock, CT
15NH Brad Babb Windham, ME
15VT Joey Laquerre E. Montpelier, VT
17MA Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA
17RI Ray Parent Tiverton, RI
19QC Dany Trépanier St-Edouard, QC
20CT John Lowinski-Loh Blackstone, MA
21QC Jean-François Déry Quebec, QC
23ME Dave Farrington Jr. Jay, ME
26NH Bucky Demers Cornish, NH
27NH Wayne Helliwell, Jr. Dover, NH
28ME Rowland Robinson, Jr. Steuben, ME
29NH Aaron Fellows Croydon, NH
30NH Rich Dubeau Plainfield, NH
31VT John Donahue Graniteville, VT
34NH Todd Davis Claremont, NH
38QC Gaetan Gaudreault Quebec, QC
40VT Nick Sweet Barre, VT
41QC Jonathan Bouvrette Blainville, QC
48QC Alex Labbé St-Albert, QC
49NH Matt Anderson Franklin, NH
54VT Mike Ziter Barre Town, VT
58VT Jimmy Hebert Williamstown, VT
61NH Ryan Olsen N. Haverhill, NH
66QC Gaetan Longtin St-Alexis des Monts, QC
68CT Jeff Rocco Wallingford, CT
77MA James Linardy Somerville, MA
83QC Martin Goulet Jr. Marcouche, QC
91CT Larry Gelinas Buxton, ME
91QC Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC
97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. Hudson, NH
98NH Walt Hammond Jr. Orange, NH
07MA Woody Pitkat Sturbridge, MA
Sources: Michael Stridsberg/ACT PR