ACT Returns to Quebec This Weekend with Big Money Up for Grabs
Waterbury, VT – The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) makes its second trip of the year to Quebec this Saturday, August 17 and Sunday, August 18. ACT is sanctioning events at both Vallée-Jct., QC’s Autodrome Chaudiere and Ste-Croix, QC’s Circuit Riverside Speedway as part of a weekend doubleheader with big prizes on the line.
The weekend begins on Saturday at 5:00pm with the second edition of the Bacon Bowl 200 at Autodrome Chaudiere. The inaugural Bacon Bowl was one of the biggest and most-attended stock car racing events of 2018 in Quebec. With $10,000 CAD again guaranteed to the winner, this year’s event is sure to be just as action-packed as last year.
Many of the racers who compete on Saturday will then load up and head to the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Ste-Croix for the Jean-Paul Cabana 125 on Sunday at 1:00pm. The event, which was rescheduled from its original June date due to rain, is the first ACT-sanctioned race at Circuit Riverside Speedway since 2015. The Jean-Paul Cabana 125 pays $5,000 CAD to the winner, making a total weekend payday of $15,000 CAD possible.
Although the events this weekend do not count for ACT points, several names familiar to Northeastern U.S. racing fans are heading to la belle province. Barre, VT’s Nick Sweet recently confirmed that he is making the trip. Sweet finished ninth in last year’s Bacon Bowl and aims to run for the win this year. He also hopes to complete the doubleheader at Circuit Riverside Speedway should all go well on Saturday.
Sweet has run a limited ACT Late Model schedule in recent years, but the 2016 ACT Champion is still fast almost every time he unloads. In July, he won a pair of 100-lap events at N. Woodstock, NH’s White Mountain Motorsports Park and finished second in the Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 at Thunder Road. Sweet is also in the thick of the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) championship hunt after a win last Sunday at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway.
Graniteville, VT’s Christopher Pelkey has officially committed to his second straight Bacon Bowl. Pelkey sits in the top-10 of both the ACT Late Model Tour and Thunder Road Late Model point standings after a recent hot streak. Saturday will be his third trip to Autodrome Chaudiere.
Berlin, NH’s Cody LeBlanc also has stated he will be in Quebec this Saturday. LeBlanc spent much of the year competing weekly at White Mountain Motorsports Park and still is in the top-10 in track points. However, his team has recently shifted gears towards ACT events with an eye towards a full ACT Late Model Tour schedule in 2020.
They’ll join a growing field of Quebec Late Model stars aiming to bring home the bacon. Some of the drivers who have confirmed their entry for either or both events include former Serié ACT Champion Dany Trepanier of St-Edouard, QC; current Autodrome Chaudiere Late Model point leader Samuel Charland of Victoriaville, QC; former CARS Super Late Model Tour Champion Raphael Lessard of St-Joseph de Beauce, QC; and local standout Christophe Paquet of St-Raymond, QC. Alex Guennette, Marc Begin, Michael Lavoie, Jean-Phillippe Bergeron, and Jeff Cote are among the others expected this weekend.
The ACT Quebec weekend opens with the Bacon Bowl 200 at Vallée-Jct.’s Autodrome Chaudiere on Saturday, August 17. Post time is 5:00pm for an event that also includes the NASCAR Super Trucks and NASCAR Sport Compact Elite classes. The pits open at 1:00pm and the grandstands open at 3:00pm. Admission is $38 CAD for adults and free for ages 17 and under.
The Jean-Paul Cabana 125 at Ste-Croix’s Circuit Riverside Speedway is scheduled for 1:00pm on Sunday, August 18. The card again includes the NASCAR Super Trucks plus a combination event for the NASCAR Sport Compact Elite and Sport Compact Amateur divisions. The pits open at 8:30am and the grandstands open at 10:00am. Admission is $40 CAD for adults and free for ages 17 and under.
For more information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com or www.autodromechaudiere.com.
Sources: Michael R. Stridsberg/American-Canadian Tour PR
(wmmp07051976.jpg): Barre, VT’s Nick Sweet is one of several top U.S. drivers heading to Quebec this weekend as part of an ACT doubleheader. (Alan Ward photo)