Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model teams will open the most ambitious schedule ever with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 lap championship event on April 19, 2009 at the Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire.
The excitement for the 2009 lid-lifter has reached an all-time high. Besides capturing an opening day victory, the winner of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 will become the first of thirty-six qualifiers for the inaugural ACT INVITATIONAL to be held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 19, 2009. It has brought out the most competitive field of racers to an ACT opening event in many years.
A record number of entries are expected for what has become a favorite stop for the touring regulars. ACT Tour Championship contenders, including Vermonters Brent Dragon, John Donahue, five-time ACT Champion Brian Hoar, 3-time Thunder Road Champion Cris Michaud, and former ACT and Thunder Road Champion Phil Scott have all entered the event. Former Lee USA competitor Ricky Wolf joins a strong group of Lee regulars with home track advantage including Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Bryan Kruczek and Jeremy Harclerode who have entered the opening event. The Lee regulars have tested the ACT Tour regulars at their home track in the past; they are expected to do the same on April 19th.
Cris Michaud finished third in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup last year and said, “Our team has always competed well at Lee, in fact, over the years we have been fortunate to finish in the top five nearly every time we have raced there. This year it would be special to win early and get the pressure off our team by securing a qualified spot the ACT INVITATIONAL. We are very excited about opening at Lee, it has become one of my favorite tracks, away from Thunder Road.”
There are a number of ‘outlaws’ who have entered the opening event at Lee. Donald Theetge from Quebec City, QC has entered the opener. Theetge, who ran the ACT Tour for the past two years will return to challenge for the ACT Serie Castrol Championship in Quebec in 2009. Theetge is a two-time former Champion of the Quebec series. The ‘King of the Outlaws’, Eddie MacDonald from Rowley, MA has also entered. MacDonald has made it clear that he is interested in winning one of the ACT Tour Qualifiers which will get him an invitation to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway event. MacDonald swept both legs of the Loudon weekend in 2008 while competing in the NASCAR Camping World East Series at the ‘magic mile’. The ‘outlaw’ also closed late in the 2008 edition of the 100-lap event to challenge eventual winner, Hudson, NH’s Joey Polewarczyk. This year the event will cover a distance of 150 laps. That should fit right into the strategy of the versatile star from Rowley, MA very well.
Opening day action at Lee USA has been a long tradition for the American Canadian Tour. When owners Red and Judy MacDonald first opened Lee back in 1987, it was the ACT Pro Stock Tour that thrilled opening day crowds. ACT brought the most competitive exciting short track racing in the region to area short tracks back then. Not much has changed since those opening years, and with the return of the ACT Late Model Tour Sunday, April 19, 2009, a new season of short track excitement will start their engines one more time. Post time for the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup is 1:00 pm. For additional information contact Lee USA Speedway at 987.462.4252.
For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963 or media@acttour.com