BARRE, Vermont — Eight-time and defending American-Canadian Tour (ACT) champion Brian Hoar took the lead from Wayne Helliwell Jr. on lap 129 and kept the wiley Granite State racer at bay to claim the 14th annual Merchants Bank 150 Sunday afternoon at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.

Hoar started second [...]]]> By Phil Whipple

BARRE, Vermont — Eight-time and defending American-Canadian Tour (ACT) champion Brian Hoar took the lead from Wayne Helliwell Jr. on lap 129 and kept the wiley Granite State racer at bay to claim the 14th annual Merchants Bank 150 Sunday afternoon at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.

Hoar started second on the 30-car grid, led for 18 laps early in the race before pitting for fresh right-side rubber during a caution flag period at lap 70. After restarting outside the top 15, Hoar charged his way forward with skill and slick moves. He regained valuable track position lost during the pit stop as other leaders eventually hit pit road for service. 

“He is awesome to race against,” Hoar said pointing to Helliwell. “He’s a good, clean driver. He got into me a couple of times, but he didn’t spin me out. I’ve been chasing this one a long time. Any win at Thunder Road is big, but this one is very special.”

Quebec veteran Patrick Laperle made an impressive late-race charge to claim third. “Irish” John Donahue and multi-time ACT champion Jean-Paul Cyr completed the top five. Finishing sixth through 10th Sunday was Trampas Demers (a great run for him), Luke Hinkley, Brooks Clark, Austin Theriault (who finished fifth Friday night at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., driving for NASCAR star Brad Keselowski) and

Six cautions slowed the race, the worst of which caused a red flag delay for just over 14 minutes. Twenty of the 30 drivers who started the Merchants Bank 150 finished on the lead lap.

A big crowd was on hand to witness this year’s season opener, despite frigid temperatures and strong, gusty winds that felt much more like snocross conditions than anything I’ve ever felt at a paved oval.

Those that endured the arctic air and wind chill saw a terrific race; full of twists and turns just ass the opener at Lee delivered just two weeks prior. We’re seeing a pattern developing here, and it looks like that “when to pit and take tires” strategy is enhancing how these races unfold. It certainly does add some excitement as teams employ the strategy they feel works best for them.

This was Hoar’s 35th career ACT win, first victory in this event and second win of 2012 after winning the season-opening NH Governor’s Cup 150 on April 15 at the Lee USA Speedway. Next up for the ACT warriors is a trip to Mike & Alayne Bruno’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT, next weekend.

Unofficial finish:
ACT Merchants Bank 150
Thunder Road International Speedbowl
Sunday, April 29, 2012

Pos. (Start) Driver, Hometown – Laps completed
1. (2) Brian Hoar, Williston, VT – 150 Laps
2. (9) Wayne Helliwell Jr., Dover, NH -150 Laps
3. (19) Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, QC – 150 Laps
4. (5) John Donahue, Graniteville, VT -150 Laps
5. (8) Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT – 150 Laps
6. (27) Trampas Demers, So. Burlington, VT – 150 Laps
7. (15) Luke Hinkley, Claremont, NH – 150 Laps
8. (4) Brooks Clark, Fayston, VT – 150 Laps
9. (23) Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, ME – 150 Laps
10. (3) Nick Sweet, Barre, VT – 150 Laps
11. (10) Scott Payea, Milton, VT – 150 Laps
12. (13) Brett Wheeler, Waterbury, VT – 150 Laps
13. (7) Joey Polewarczyk Jr., Hudson, NH – 150 Laps
14. (1) Dave Pembroke, Middlesex, VT – 150 Laps
15. (18) Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp, ME – 150 Laps
16. (29) Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT – 150 Laps
17. (25) Rowland Robinson, Jr., Birch Harbor, ME – 150 Laps
18. (6) Mark Lamberton, Mooers Forks, NY – 150 Laps
19. (20) Jamie Aube, No. Ferrisburg, VT – 150 Laps
20. (14) Glen Luce, Turner, ME – 150 Laps
21. (24) Brent Dragon, Milton, VT – 149 Laps
22. (17) Travis Fadden, North Haverhill, NH – 149 Laps
23. (11) Cris Michaud, E. Montpelier, VT – 148 Laps
24. (30) Eric Chase, Milton, VT – 148 Laps
25. (22) Phil Scott, Berlin, VT – 128 Laps
26. (26) Quinten, Welch, Lancaster, NH – 70 Laps
27. (28) Cody Blake, Barre, VT – 70 Laps
28. (16) Randy Potter, Groveton, NH – 70Laps
29. (12) Ben Ashline, Pittston, ME – 70 Laps
30. (21) Ben Rowe, Turner, ME – 69 Laps

Lap Leaders: Dave Pembroke (1-21), Brian Hoar (22-40), Jean-Paul Cyr (41-109), Wayne Helliwell Jr. (110), Nick Sweet (111), Helliwell (112-116), Patrick Laperle (117), Helliwell (118-128), Hoar (129-150)
Time of Race: 1:13:55(red flag 14:21)
Margin of Victory: .279 seconds
Cautions: 6 (laps 21, 65, 70(red), 109, 116, 128)
Heat Winners: Joey Polewarczyk Jr, Cris Michaud, Brett Wheeler, Glen Luce
Consi Winners: Mark Lamberton, Ben Ashline, Brian Hoar
B-Feature Winner: Quinny Welch

With the 2012 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) season opener in the books, we can catch our breath and reflect on some of the stories other than Brian Hoar’s victory over Lee veteran Wayne Helliwell Jr.

After finishing second to Hoar in final ACT points last season, Helliwell has his sights set on the [...]]]> By Phil Whipple

With the 2012 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) season opener in the books, we can catch our breath and reflect on some of the stories other than Brian Hoar’s victory over Lee veteran Wayne Helliwell Jr.

After finishing second to Hoar in final ACT points last season, Helliwell has his sights set on the throne which Hoar has occupied since 2009. It took quite an effort for him to reach the podium at Lee Sunday.

“We threw everything we had at the car in practice Saturday,” the Dover, NH, native explained. “We took the car back home last night and made several changes to the setup. The car was good on a short run, but definitely wasn’t good on a long run. It got way too loose; I don’t think I’ve ever spun out on my own here.

“We didn’t go down a lap, lucky for us, and the car came right back once we put tires on it,” Helliwell added. “I had to be on my game during those restarts and try to get the jump on Brian, but our cars were just too equal for me to get by on the outside. I’m just ecstatic to come out of here with a second place finish. The car is in one piece, and we can get ready for the next race.”

Third-place finisher Austin Theriault has certainly arrived among top ACT contenders; just listening to him in post-race interviews shows how far he has matured in a few short years. One year ago, the well-spoken teenager from Fort Kent was a teammate to Hoar on the RPM Racing squad. Back with the family-backed team based in a shop adjacent to Crazy Horse Racing, Theriault is a young man with clearly-defined goals and a detailed plan to reach them.

“I’ve had a lot of fun and learned a lot racing with these guys on this tour,” Theriault said. “I wanted this thing to stay green; I didn’t like all those cautions at the end. Our car was awesome on the long runs, but it was a dog on the restarts. It took about 10 laps for the tires to start coming in and having some grip.

“I think we would have had something for them today if it wasn’t for those late-race cautions. We’ll take the third place finish and move on. I’m hoping for a good year.”

It was interesting to have the top three from last year’s point standings on the podium in the 2012 opener. Will we see these three dominate when summer arrives, or will Polewarczyk and others jump into the mix? You can bet on one thing – these guys aren’t giving up the top spots without a fight.

Aside from what happened during the race itself, a ton of other stories emerged at Lee, as well. Like the heroic effort by veteran racer Barney McRae and others to rebuild Spencer MacPherson’s machine after a hard crash in Saturday’s practice session. The car was taken to a shop 40 minutes away (Dave’s Race Cars), thrashed on all night, and put back together by Sunday morning.

“Our goal now is to get this thing into the race,” McRae said before Sunday’s practice round. After hauling over seven hours from central Ontario to race, everybody pitched in to help ensure the No. 31ON had a fighting chance. Sadly, MacPherson failed to qualify for the Governor’s Cup 150.

For the last few years, several Maine-based Late Model drivers have ventured south to Lee in April to try their hand at the ACT opener. Aside from the third-place Theriault, six other drivers from the Pine Tree State made the show.

Nine-time Oxford Plains Speedway Pro Stock division champion Jeff Taylor passed the most cars in qualifying, putting him the pole for the feature. Taylor, son of recent Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Conrad Taylor, led the first nine laps and hung on for a solid sixth place finish.

Yet it was a younger Maine native that had folks excited during the Governor’s Cup 150. Ben Ashline, of Pittston, won Rookie-of-the-Year honors on the ACT circuit in 2011. This year, he looks like a five-year veteran running among the big guns. Ashline started third and finished fifth, but his late-race charge and aggressive moves were amazing. When others were running out of steam, Ashline wanted more.

I’ve followed Ben pretty closely the last few seasons at Oxford, and am certainly aware of the mark he made in ACT during his first full season. I hope for more strong runs like we saw Sunday from Ben “The Kid” Ashline as this season starts to unfold.

Taking a look at how the rest of the Maine teams fared at Lee, we see two-time Oxford champion Shawn Martin finishing 11th; Ricky Rolfe in 19th; Glen Luce finishing 24th; and Ben Rowe a disappointing 25th. The reason I say disappointing for Rowe is this; the man had the fastest, best-handing machine at Lee. He led from lap 73 to lap 118 and ended up caught up in somebody else’s mess and parked at lap 132. A tough break for David Avery’s team, they had one of the hottest rockets in the entire pit area.

I was bummed when Joey Polewarczyk Jr. got into the back of Eddie MacDonald coming off turn 2 on lap 130. When he got sent to the rear, it handed Hoar a golden opportunity. Sure, he had to earn that win by keeping Helliwell at bay, but we would have seen a different outcome had Joey not spun Eddie Mac. I just wonder if Eddie asked crew chief Rollie Lachance if he was high after leaving him out on old rubber with 20 to go? The surface at Lee chews tires like Darlington, and I’ll bet he won’t ever do that again.

Bottom line: this race had more twists and turns than U.S. Route 2 between St. Jay and Mount-peculiar, and more surprises than a blind date with a shemale. Oh well, life would be boring if we knew what to expect every day.

On a sad note, one of my longtime media colleagues suffered a tough loss late last week. Speed51.com reporter Mike Twist lost his father, and on behalf of everybody associated with NERacer.com, our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike and his family. Racing becomes secondary during these times; it is indeed family and friends that get us through what can often be a difficult and harsh world. Godspeed, Mr. Twist.

LEE, N.H. – Eight-time and defending American-Canadian Tour champion Brian Hoar held off a hard-charging Wayne Helliwell Jr. to claim his second straight victory in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 Sunday afternoon at the Lee USA Speedway.

Hoar inherited the lead on lap 130 when second-place Joey Polewarczyk Jr. spun [...]]]> By Phil Whipple

LEE, N.H. – Eight-time and defending American-Canadian Tour champion Brian Hoar held off a hard-charging Wayne Helliwell Jr. to claim his second straight victory in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 Sunday afternoon at the Lee USA Speedway.

Hoar inherited the lead on lap 130 when second-place Joey Polewarczyk Jr. spun leader Eddie MacDonald coming off turn 2. With several late-race cautions, Hoar had to sweat as Helliwell, and eight-time champion here at Lee, applied the pressure in a big way.

“This is the same car we’ve run here the last four years,” Hoar said in Victory Lane. “That was nervewracking, running side-by-side with Wayne. He’s the best there is here, and it’s awesome to win. I didn’t think we had the car today, it was a little too free. The guys made some great changes, and here we are in Victory Lane. It’s a great way to start the new season.”

Maine native Austin Theriault started 19th on the 28-car grid and drove to a solid third place finish. Polewarczyk recovered from being sent to the rear to claim fourth, while Ben Ashline was fifth.

Finishing sixth through 10th in the Governor’s Cup 150 was Jeff Taylor, MacDonald, Jean-Paul Cyr, Jeff Lebrecque and Ray Parent. Eight cautions slowed the pace, while the feature was completed in 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Ten of the 28 starters finished on the lead lap, with Hoar’s margin of victory over Helliwell a mere .366 seconds. More details on the race and expanded quotes from the top three will be posted Monday.

Next up for the ACT warriors is a trip to the famed Thunder Road International Speedbowl (Barre, VT) for the annual Merchants Bank 150. Hoar is now the first two-time winner in 10 editions of the Governor’s Cup 150.

Official finish:
ACT NH Governor’s Cup 150
Lee USA Speedway – Lee, N.H.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
1. Brian Hoar, Williston, VT
2. Wayne Helliwell Jr., Dover NH
3. Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, ME
4. Joey Polewarczyk Jr., Hudson, NH
5. Ben Ashline, Pittston, ME
6. Jeff Taylor, Farmington
7. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass.
8. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT
9. Jeffrey Lebrecque Jr., Rochester, NH
10. Ray Parent, Tiverton, R.I.
11. Shawn Martin, Turner, ME
12. Randy Potter, Groveton, NH
13. Karl Allard, St. Felicien, QC
14. Quinny Welch, Lancaster, NH
15. Todd Patnode, Richmond, NH
16. Luke Hinkley, Claremont, NH
17. Eric Chase, Milton, VT
18. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT
19. Ricky Rolfe, Albany Township, ME
20. Donald Theetge, Boichatel, QC
21. Brent Dragon, Milton, VT
22. James Linardi, Somerville, Mass.
23. Mike Kenison, Lancaster, NH
24. Glen Luce, Turner, ME
25. Ben Rowe, Turner, ME
26. Derek Lynch, Warkworth, ONT
27. Nick Sweet, Barre, VT
28. Mark Lamberton, Moorers Forks, NY

After an unusually mild winter that left northern New England’s snow-based industry in a world of pain, it’s time to end the suffering and hopefully lift everyone’s spirits with the start of a new season of racing.

Red and Judy MacDonald are putting a spring polish on their fabulous facility, as the [...]]]> By Phil Whipple

After an unusually mild winter that left northern New England’s snow-based industry in a world of pain, it’s time to end the suffering and hopefully lift everyone’s spirits with the start of a new season of racing.

Red and Judy MacDonald are putting a spring polish on their fabulous facility, as the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) gets set to kick things off with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 this Sunday, April 15, at the Lee USA Speedway.

Lee is perhaps the best possible place to kick off a new season, with multiple racing lines and a smooth surface as drivers shake off the cobwebs while dialing in their new or rebuilt machines. From the first time I visited Lee in 1992 to see the old ACT Pro Stock tour, I knew Red and Judy had a very racy oval.

What makes this coming Sunday’s version of the ACT opener so special is the tremendous talent and depth in the field. There are an amazing 13 teams already entered with weekly or touring series championships under their belts. With a combined 48 titles between them, “depth in the field” isn’t just hype, it’s actually true. These guys are good!

Top-ranked Late Model teams from across the northeast converge on Tom Curley’s ACT circuit each spring to do battle, and race fans are the real winners. Eight-time ACT champion Brian Hoar; four-time Lee champion and 2011 ACT runner-up Wayne Helliwell Jr., who many feel is a legitimate threat to unseat Hoar from the throne; young Maine-based star Austin Theriault; a re-focused Joey Polewarczyk Jr.; Groveton, NH-based veteran Randy Potter, another pilot many feel will be a title contender in 2012; and many others too numerous to mention will all be at Lee this weekend.

Once again, ACT appears to have a strong mix of veterans and new faces in 2012. We can be delighted that Quebec natives Donald Theetge and Karl Allard have filed entries, bringing their great skills down from north of the border.

Hoar is the defending winner of the Governor’s Cup 150. The skilled multi-time champion from Williston returns with Rick Paya’s RPM team again in 2012 with sights set squarely on securing their ninth title. Hoar will be a factor when we get down to the final 20 laps on Sunday, as well, I suspect. While he doesn’t often get the credit he deserves; Hoar’s ability to drive an ill-handling car up into the top five is unreal.

Since Lee USA was added to the ACT schedule back in 2003, there have been nine different winners in nine races. With his championships there and momentum from 2011, Helliwell is the odds-on favorite to become the event’s first two-time winner.

Previous winners of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup include Patrick Laperle (2003); DJ Kennington (his only ACT start, 2004); Cris Michaud (2005); Jean-Paul Cyr (2005); Maine native Ben Rowe (2006); Joey Polewarczyk Jr. (2008); Brad Leighton (2009); and Miles Chipman (2010).

Over 50 drivers attempted to qualify for one of 30 starting positions last April at Lee. As for my own personal experience with ACT at Lee, I was there in 2008, 2009, missed 2010 because it was rained out in April and run in July, and was there in 2011 to see Hoar jump-start his eighth title run with a victory. I feel Lee provides the most side-by-side racing on the entire ACT schedule, with the exception of an equally-racy Oxford Plains Speedway.

The 2012 New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 is a must-see race for Late Model fans. This year’s version should deliver just the excitement we all need after a cold, windy March that was kind of a slap in the face to winter enthusiasts. Spectator gates open at 10 a.m. Sunday, with qualifying races getting under way at 1:15 p.m.