Therrien Bookends ACT Season with Last-Lap Pass for Win Sweet Claims First Tour Championship in Thompson Finale

Hinesburg, VT's Bobby Therrien (center) celebrates his second ACT win of the season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park's Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart. (T.J. Ingerson/VTMotorMag.com photo)

Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien (center) celebrates his second ACT win of the season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart. (T.J. Ingerson/VTMotorMag.com photo)

Thompson, CT – Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien used a last-lap pass of Dillon Moltz to score his second with of the season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart on Saturday, October 15, while Nick Sweet captured his first American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Championship with a fifth-place finish in the season finale.

 

Moltz and Therrien had both gotten around long-time leader Scott Payea with less than 10 laps remaining in the 75-lap event following a lengthy battle. Therrien first poked his nose underneath Moltz with just two laps to go, but the Waterford, CT driver was able to fend off the initial challenge.

 

As the two exited turn two for the final time, Therrien again looked underneath Moltz. The two then made slight contact as they entered turn three, and Moltz slid up the track just enough for Therrien to scoot by for the win, giving him a bookend on the year after previously triumphing in the season-opener at Oxford Plains Speedway.

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Lee USA Speedway 10/8 Race Report

lee1Lee, NH – Mother Nature was the big winner on Oktoberfest weekend at Lee USA Speedway, picking up her first win of the 2016 racing season due to heavy rains that resulted in a complete washout of Sunday‘s scheduled feature events.

 

“New Hampshire’s Center of Speed” had gone rain-free for the entire 2016 season, starting with annual American Canadian Tour (ACT) season opener back in April, and continuing through the entire 16-week Friday night regular season from late May through early September.

 

Unfortunately, the perfect season was not to be, and last Sunday’s feature event action fell victim to wet weather and was postponed to Sunday, October 23. A dozen feature events remain to be run to close out the 2016 season at the fast 3/8th’s mile speed plant.

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Sweet Repeat in Northfield Savings Bank 54th Vermont Milk Bowl

Nick Sweet of Barre drinks from the Milk Bowl after winning the 54th edition of the race for the second straight year, and the third time overall, at Thunder Road. (Alan Ward photo)

Nick Sweet of Barre drinks from the Milk Bowl after winning the 54th edition of the race for the second straight year, and the third time overall, at Thunder Road. (Alan Ward photo)

Barre, VT – Nick Sweet of Barre successfully defended his title in the Northfield Savings Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road, using a pair of wins in the three 50-lap segments to claim a two-point victory in the combined standings over Jason Corliss of Barre. It was the third Thunder Road Late Model Sportsmen Milk Bowl victory of Sweet’s career.

 

Corliss needed to finish within three positions of Sweet in the final race to earn the victory. He had a chance to move into fourth place, and claim the Milk Bowl crown, in the final laps of the third race, but couldn’t find his way through traffic and ended up in seventh place in the segment, and second place overall.

 

Trampas Demers of South Burlington finished in third place, and was followed in the top 10 by Cody Blake of Barre, Kyle Pembroke of Montpelier, 2016 King of the Road Scott Dragon of Milton, Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown, Scott Payea of Milton, Shawn Fleury of Middlesex, and Alex Labbe of St-Albert, Quebec.

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Polewarczyk on Pole for 54th Vermont Milk Bowl

Hudson, NH's Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (near left) will start on the pole for the 54th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank on Sunday, October 2, while Hinesburg, VT's Bobby Therrien (near right) will start second. (Alan Ward photo)

Hudson, NH’s Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (near left) will start on the pole for the 54th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank on Sunday, October 2, while Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien (near right) will start second. (Alan Ward photo)

Barre, VT – Former Milk Bowl winner Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, NH gave himself a head start on a second crown by earning the Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Pole Award at Barre’s Thunder Road on Saturday, October 1 for Sunday’s 54th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank.

 

The 2014 ACT Late Model Tour champion circled the ¼-mile high banks in 13.169 seconds during time trials, earning himself a $1,000 bonus from Booth Bros. and H.P. Hood in the process. Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien will start on his outside after turning a fast lap of 13.224 seconds.

 

Two-time and defending Vermont Milk Bowl winner Nick Sweet of Barre, VT will start third after winning the first of two 50-lap qualifying races. Sweet came out on top of a back-and-forth battle with former Milk Bowl pole sitter Trampas Demers, taking the lead for good on the race’s final restart with three laps remaining.

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Thirty-First to First for Eddie MacDonald at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

RPM 360 photo

RPM 360 photo

Eddie MacDonald continued his dominance at NHMS winning his fifth American Canadian Tour’s Bond Invitational 50 lap event on Saturday as part of the September  NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend. With the victory, Eddie Mac became the driver with the most wins at the “Magic Mike” posting his ninth win including three K&N Pro Series and one Super Late Model trips to Victory Lane.

 

Eddie Mac was second fastest in the early morning practice and following established procedure of starting the most dominant cars near the rear, the #17 EXIT Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy started 31st in the 39 car field. It did not take “the Outlaw” long to charge to the front despite the quagmire of cars in front of him powering into the 15th position by the second caution on lap nine. When racing resumed the Rowley, Mass. veteran continued his trek to the front scoring in the fourth spot on the grid on lap 22. The top three cars that started the race near the front were spread out as Eddie Mac had a lot of ground to cover as the laps dwindled down.

 

“I really had a fun time getting to fourth but the leaders were far ahead and even though I was gaining a little I knew we needed a caution if I was able to catch them and contend for the win,” said Eddie Mac. “Fortunately, we caught a caution on lap 35 so I started fourth on the outside but when the green flag waved the 07 in front of me didn’t go and I was shuffled back to sixth. But my car was so good I was able to regain my momentum and made it back to third when the caution flag flew on lap 45. My tires were used up but so were everyone’s and I figured I just had to go for it.”

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