ACT Returns to Riverside This Saturday for Leavitt Memorial Race
Waterbury, VT — The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) heads back to the North Country of New Hampshire this Saturday, July 11 for the Gardiner & June Leavitt Memorial Race at Groveton, NH’s Riverside Speedway. The 150-lap event is the first trip to Riverside for the ACT Late Model Tour and comes just as the heat of summer is catching up to the scorching on-track action.
Another strong field is expected for Saturday’s event as the region’s Late Model stars try to tame the tight quarter-mile bullring. With the top of the point standings currently a who’s-who of ACT, the stars will be out in force as they take aim at both the win and valuable championship points.
“(Riverside) can really make or break a season,” Dover, NH’s Wayne Helliwell Jr. “Anything can happen there. You also have their top-10 local teams that are actually pretty fast. It’s such a tight place with the wall all the way around it that you can get tangled up easily. If we get a good car count, it could really hurt someone that’s running for points. There’s a lot of things to take into consideration. You need to have some good give-and-take, and sometimes, like Tom (Curley) used to preach, sometime you just have to give a guy a break.”
After two events, Helliwell and everyone else is chasing Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert. The veteran is more determined than ever to capture that elusive first ACT championship. A win and a third-place finish to open the season show that his Hebert Excavation team has the speed to match their drive.
However, just three points behind Hebert is one of the most decorated racers in ACT history. Helliwell, a three-time ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dover, NH is three points out of the overall lead coming off a victory at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. Although Helliwell has not completed a full ACT season since his last championship in 2015, it hasn’t taken long for him to vault back onto the list of potential contenders.
“So far, so good,” Helliwell said. “I feel good health-wise, and the car has responded well between the two races. I was extremely surprised with how well the car worked at Oxford. That gives us high hopes moving forward.”
They’ll be challenged by a herd of potential contenders. Defending ACT Champion Rich Dubeau of Plainfield, NH, and Rookie of the Year Ryan Kuhn of E. Bridgewater, MA aren’t far behind the leaders. While Kuhn hasn’t raced at Riverside with ACT, he attended their Late Model event last weekend to gain needed experience. Current rookies Derek Gluchacki of Dartmouth, MA, Tom Carey III of E. Salem, MA have run well to start their first full season with the Tour.
ACT juniors Dylan Payea and Christopher Pelkey both have top-10 runs so for this year that they can build on. Eight-time White Mountain Motorsports Park Quinny Welch has also filed an entry and will take advantage of a night off at his home turf to take on the giants of ACT. Part-time Rhode Island ACT racer Jason Larivee Jr. will make his first visit to Riverside Speedway this weekend. Track regulars such as Corey Mason, Shawn Swallow, and Mike Kenison who frequently attend ACT events may also be sighted when the gates open on Saturday.
The event itself is a tribute to the late Gardiner and June Leavitt. Gardiner was a top competitor on the ACT Pro Stock Tour and NASCAR North Tour for many years, and both he and June were staples of the Northeast racing community right up until their passing.
The ACT Late Model Tour travels to Groveton, NH’s Riverside Speedway on Saturday, July 11 at 6:00pm for the Gardiner & June Leavitt Memorial 150. They’ll be joined by the track’s Flying Tigers, EKeys4Cars Formula Fours, White Mountains Community College Bone Stocks, and Lil Rascals Dwarf Cars. The front gates open at 2:00pm. Admission is $20 for adults, $14 for seniors/military, and free for kids ages 12 and under. Attendance is limited to 50% of capacity per state guidelines.
Sources: ACT PR
ACT makes its first visit to Riverside Speedway in two years with the Gardiner & June Leavitt Memorial 150 this Saturday, July 11. (Daniel Holben photo)