Rowe Snaps Long ACT Winless Drought at Oxford as Hebert Locks up First Title
Belanger Overwhelms Field in Flying Tiger Oxford Open
American Canadian Tour
Oxford, ME — Turner, ME’s Ben Rowe and Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert took home the glory of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) season finale at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, October 18. Rowe broke a long ACT dry spell with his victory in the Lee’s Family Trailer Sales & Service 150 while Hebert’s third-place finish clinched his first ACT Late Model Tour championship.
For Rowe, it was the multi-time Pro All Star Series champion’s first win in an ACT-sanctioned event since 2006 — a drought of more than 14 years. Hebert, meanwhile, finally claimed a title after having finished second or third in the ACT standings four different times during his career.
Stark, NH’s Jamie Swallow Jr. set the early tempo, snatching the lead from polesitter Marcel J. Gravel amidst a trio of early cautions. Once the field got going, Swallow checked out, putting several seconds between himself and a raging battle that included Ryan Kuhn, Rowe, Tom Carey III, D.J Shaw, Derek Gluchacki, and others.
Waterbury, VT — The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) is slated to descend on Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway this Saturday, October 17 at 1:00pm for the final event of the 2020 racing season. The Lee’s Family Trailer Sales & Service 150 for the ACT Late Model Tour and Oxford Open for the ACT Flying Tigers send off the 35th season of ACT competition with a bang.
Despite a season with unique challenges never before seen in ACT’s long history, the finale is still brimming with excitement and intrigue. Late Model stars like Jimmy Hebert, D.J. Shaw, Ben Rowe, Dylan Payea, and Derek Gluchacki are ready for 150 more laps to decide who will end the campaign on a high note. They’ll be joined by Flying Tiger standouts Jason Woodard, Cameron Ouellette, Colin Cornell, and more in an encore trip to the famous 3/8-mile oval.
Christopher Jr., Pitkat Book Big Paydays on Sunoco World Series Saturday
Thompson, CT — Wolcott, CT’s Mike Christopher Jr. and Stafford, CT’s Woody Pitkat took it to the bank with a pair of big victories at the 58th Annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing on Saturday, October 10. Christopher passed Chase Dowling with 10 laps remaining to win the $5,000 top prize in the Budweiser Modified Open 75 while Pitkat copped a $4,800 total winner’s purse for dominating the ACT-type Late Model Open at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
It was the first career victory in a Tour-type Modified for Christopher, whose late uncle Ted is the all-time winningest driver at Thompson Speedway. Christopher and his Tommy Baldwin Jr.–owned team combined a fast car with a well-played midrace strategy to come on strong and top the 31-car field on a busy Saturday at the Sunoco World Series.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Title on the Line at Sunoco World Series
Thompson, CT — The 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship will be decided this Sunday, October 11 with the Sunoco World Series 150 at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. The final race of the 58th Annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing will tie a bow on the tour’s 36th season with two modern greats battling for the title.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule took several unexpected turns this year due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Several venues had to be dropped while new ones were added in a constant shuffle. Despite it all, the season draws to a close with two familiar sights: a trip to Thompson for the Sunoco World Series, and Justin Bonsignore and Doug Coby in the hunt for a championship.
Local Divisions Returning to Thompson for 58th Annual Sunoco World Series
Thompson, CT — Some of New England’s top weekly competitors will arrive at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park looking to chase more than $16,000 in purses as part of the 58th annual Sunoco World Series on October 9-11.
The Sunoco Modifieds, Twisted Tea SK Light Modifieds, Sam Adams Limited Sportsman and Mini Stocks will all hit the high-banks for their second races of the season. Although it looked like divisions might remain dark for the season, a new agreement with the American-Canadian Tour and Pro All Star Series leasing the track in the summer allowed these divisions to return and chase a lucrative payout to close the oval season at Thompson.
The World Series is well-known as the top short-track racing weekend in the New England region, and with 19 divisions set to compete again this year, fans won’t want to miss the action over three days in Connecticut.
Sunday October fourth, the Granite State Pro Stock Series made its annual trek to Russ Conway’s Oktoberfest at Lee USA Speedway and for the second year in a row Derek Griffith bested all comers.
Under a picture perfect sky the teams of the GSPSS assembled at one of the traditional events in New England to contest a 100 lap affair. Practice was smooth for most and all looked to be well until it was time for The Crazy Horse Fast Time Challenge. Due to a tight schedule and a short turn around from practice, time trials were canceled and heat races were lined up based on final practice speeds.
Heat number one was won by Dylan Estrella who was making his first start of the season. He beat Rusty Poland to the line and would redraw pill number one and start the main event on the pole.
Barre, VT — Barre’s Nick Sweet reigned in the Pro All Star Series (PASS) Super Late Models for the third straight year on Vermont Milk Bowl Weekend as part of Mekkelsen RV Milk Bowl Friday on October 2. Sweet snatched the lead from point leader D.J. Shaw of Center Conway, NH with 29 laps remaining and pulled away late to win the Prelude to the Milk Bowl 150 at Barre’s Thunder Road.
After starting 11th in the 21-car field, Sweet was content to run mid-pack in the early going. Polesitter Travis Benjamin of Morrill, ME set the early pace but surrendered the lead to Shaw following the first caution at lap 18 for Allan Wilson’s turn-one spin.
Granite State Pro Stock Series Headed to Lee for Oktoberfest
As the 2020 racing season winds down, the action for the Granite State Pro Stock Series heats up. October fourth, the series will headline the Sunday portion of the annual Russ Conways Oktoberfest at the Lee USA Speedway.
For the first half of the season it was Ray Christain III dominating the point standings. The Uncasville CT driver suffered a parts failure at the Sept. race at Claremont Motorsports Park and was involved in a hard crash at the last event in Waterford CT. Christain III now sits 26 points behind Hudson NH’s Joey “Pole” Polewayczyk with Angelo Belsito forty points behind Pole. All three drivers have entered to compete at Lee and gather all the points they can.
Derek Griffith is the defending winner of this race and comes in as the hottest driver in the northeast. In his last three starts, Griffith has won two races carrying a $10,000 winners check at each and finished second at the prestigious Star Classic. Griffith will look to keep his hot streak going at Lee this weekend.
Lutz Takes Sunoco World Series Win as Bonsignore Secures Modified Title
Thompson, CT — Miller Place, NY’s Craig Lutz ended the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season on the highest of highs with his second win of the year at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Sunday, October 11. Lutz swiped the lead from Jon McKennedy with seven laps remaining and hung on to win the 150-lap event at the 58th Annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing as Holtsville, NY’s Justin Bonsignore secured his second series championship.
The 26-year-old Lutz earned his fourth career Whelen Modified Tour win and first at the historic Thompson Speedway. For the 32-year-old Bonsignore, the title was the capstone on a 2020 season where he finished no worse than fifth at any event.
Six-time champion Doug Coby, who was the only driver who could catch Bonsignore entering the Sunoco World Series, started on the pole and led the first 30 laps. Chelmsford, MA’s McKennedy then surged ahead of him entering turn three and paced the field unto the fourth caution flag at lap 73 for Dave Sapienza’s spin.
The NASCAR Cup Series Will Make its 50th Visit to “The Magic Mile” on July 18, 2021
New England race fans can mark their calendar for the 2021 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
LOUDON, N.H. – The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule includes a July 18 visit to “The Magic Mile.” The Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 will be the historic 50th visit by NASCAR’s premier series to New Hampshire Motor Speedway and once again serve as the season’s last race prior to NASCAR’s mid-summer break.
“The Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 has been quite a show these past few years with finishes that literally had everyone on their feet,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “The 2021 season is sure to bring a fresh new energy to the sport as a whole, and we’re looking forward to welcoming New England race fans to ‘The Magic Mile’ on July 18 for more of the exciting racing action they’ve come to expect at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.”
Five Decades In The Making: NASCAR Introduces Three New Tracks,
Two New Layouts to 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule
Historic Slate Includes Three New Road Courses and First Dirt Race in Half A Century
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 30, 2020) – NASCAR today announced the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, a historic slate that includes the introduction of three new racetracks – and new layouts at two iconic venues – to the sport’s top level.
Not since 1969 has NASCAR added this many new venues to its premier series schedule.
The 36-race slate includes races at three new road course layouts, and the first Cup Series dirt race in more than 50 years.
The road course at Circuit of the Americas (May 23) joins the schedule for the first time, Road America (July 4) returns for the first time since 1956 and, after a thrilling debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020, the Cup stars will race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in 2021 (Aug. 15).
The Granite State Pro Stock Series made a triumphant return to the New London Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday evening and it was Seekonk Massachusettes Dave Darling coming out on top of a stacked field.
Under race day perfect skies, the GSPSS kicked off the show with The Crazy Horse Racing Fast Time Challenge. Twenty two cars took time and it was Angelo Belsito setting the GSPSS Speedbowl track record with a time of 14.681 seconds. Jake Matheson and Dave Darling would complete the top three in time trials with Belsito and Matheson leading a pair of heat races to the green flag.
In both heats it would be the outside pole sitter who would get the jump and lead all the laps. Darling in heat one and point leader Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk in heat two would take convincing wins and head to the redraw with the rest of the top four out of each heat.
ROUP 2 w/ AMSOIL DOMINATOR STRICTLY SHOOTOUT Full results and race report coming soon
AMSOIL DOMINATOR STRICTLY SHOOTOUT (50 laps) *Emerson started 13th – first shootout win*Kyle Hewins drew pole position and took $300 payoff to start at the rear (27th) * unofficial race winner (#5 Jason Gammon) failed post race tech inspection – unapproved carburetor spacer – and was issued a 5 pos penalty
(Halifax, NS – September 26, 2020) Nicholas Naugle (Dartmouth, NS) picked up his first career Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Series victory by winning the Toromont Cat 150 at Riverside International on Saturday. The race was slowed by just one caution on lap 136. Greg Proude (Springvale, PE) led every lap leading up to the singular caution but was unable to regain the lead from Naugle after the restart and finished second. Hometown hero Donald Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) gave the locals something to cheer about with a third place finish. Brothers Chris and Kyle Reid (Sydney, NS) rounded out the top five. The race took just 44 minutes to complete.
Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials set the starting grid for the Toromont Cat 150 feature. Naugle started on the pole after winning heat race number one. Proude and Chris Reid also won their respective heat races.
Big-Block Supermodifieds Return To Thompson For World Series
NAPLES, ME (September 25) – Officials from the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) and American-Canadian Tour (ACT) announced today that the Big-Block Supermodifieds of ISMA will be returning to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the 58th Annual World Series Of Speedway Racing. The ISMA Supermodifieds are one of 19 divisions that will be racing at Thompson as part of the World Series from Friday, October 9th through Sunday, October 11th. The breathtaking Big-Block Supermods will compete for 50 laps and will join the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season finale, along with the PASS Super Late Models on the final day of racing.
