News

The Montmagny 100 stock car race for the American-Canadian Tour’s Serie ACT Castrol at Autodrome Montmagny Speedway in Quebec has been washed out for a third time by rains. The Montmagny 100, which had already been postponed on May 31 and June 29 by rain, was the third rainout of the weekend for ACT. The U.S.-based ACT Late Model Tour was rained out on Saturday at New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park, as was the Calkins Portables/WDEV Radio event at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl on Thursday.

The Montmagny 100 will now be run as part of a doubleheader weekend on August 23 and 24. Details will be forthcoming.

The Serie ACT Castrol will be back in action on Saturday, August 9 at Capital City Speedway in Ottawa, ON with the Toromont CAT 100. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com or www.laserieactcastrol.com.

Serie ACT Castrol Rained Out at Autodrome St. Eustache: 200/300 Doubleheader Scheduled for September

Rain has forced the postponement of the Serie ACT Castrol stock car race at Autodrome St-Eustache in St-Eustache, QC near Montreal on Saturday, July 26. The St-Eustache 200 was scheduled to be the fourth of nine events on the 2008 Serie ACT Castrol schedule. Twenty-six Late Model stock cars were on hand before the inclement weather swept in.

Officials from the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and Autodrome St-Eustache have announced that the St-Eustache 200 will now be part of a doubleheader weekend on September 20/21. The 200-lap event will run on Saturday, Sept. 20 with the 14th Annual St-Eustache 300 on Sunday, Sept. 21.

The Serie ACT Castrol returns to action on Sunday, August 3 at Autodrome Montmagny Speedway in Montmagny, QC. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com or www.laserieactcastrol.com.

5th Annual ACT Summer Sizzler at Kawartha Speedway: July 16/08

Excitement and anticipation ran through the pits as the drivers and crew started setting up for the American Canadian Tour 5th Annual Summer Sizzler 200. The rush was on in the heats, with everyone trying hard to qualify for the main event. Nearly 50 cars showed up to race, which meant four heats and a ‘B’ feature for those who didn’t qualify.

The #31 NAPA Late Model started thier heat from the six position but unfortunately could not advance to the 4th position needed to transfer straight to the feature. This meant we were moving on to the consi race for a second stab at it. We started deep in the field for the consi race but unfortunately missed the last qualifying spot by one position. This once again meant that we were not heading straight to the feature but rather the "B" Feature which was our last chance to get into the show.

We started the "B" Feature from the second position and wow what a race! Everyone was beating and banging to try and make it to the top 5 in order to transfer. We were running in second until another competitor shoved us into turn 3 spinning us into the inside wall. This caused us to have major heating issues as well as body work. We came in under yellow to get the car fixed and thanks to the hard work of our team, Patrick Laperle and his team, Trampas Demer's team, Sylvain Lacombe's team and Mike Kenyon from Brent Dragon's team, we were able to get back out on the track to finish the race. We restarted the rcae from the last position and were able to come back up to 4th which qualified us for the 200 lap feature.

We started the feature from the 30th spot but right from the beginning the car was a handful. Because of the previous wreck, the handling of the car changed drastically and we were just trying to stay out and improve our spot whenever we could. When it was all said and done, the team had come from 30th to 26th out of 36 cars.

Round 4 of the Serie ACT Castrol Held at Autodrome St. Felicien: July 9/08

Eighteen Serie ACT Castrol competitors made the hike this past weekend to Autodrome St. Felicien for Round 4 of the tour. The #31 NAPA Team was excited for this one as it was once again a brand new track for the entire team. The day started off with the car being loose everywhere and it seemed as if it just kept getting worse and worse.

Finally the team made a major change which turned the car around completely. We were actually starting to turn some fast lap times around the tricky 1/2 mile tri-oval. We felt the car was very competitive heading into the heat race and that showed as the NAPA Late Model won the heat race by a full straightaway length over 2nd place. We got the car ready for the semi-feature where we were starting from the second position. We were able to get a jump on the leader and once again lead from flag to flag awarding us with the semi-feature win.

The #31 NAPA Late Model rolled out onto the track in the 6th starting spot for the Autopro 150 Feature race. With 150 laps ahead of us, we were ready to stay out of trouble and be there at the end to battle for the win. At one point during the race, we had fallen back to 10th but were able to work our way up to 2nd for a few laps. While running in 4th with around 20 laps to go, unfortunately two lapped cars got together infront of us and we had no where to go. This ended our night which was going great.

The team is now getting the car ready to run at Kawartha this Sunday for the ACT Summer Sizzler 200 where we hope our luck will turn around.

Série ACT Castrol Heads to St-Félicien on Saturday, Montmagny Rescheduled:
Wednesday, July 02 2008
The Série ACT Castrol stock car series travels north to Autodrome St-Félicien in St-Félicien, QC for the AUTOPRO 150 on Saturday, July 5 at 6:00pm. The race marks the first time the Castrol cars have visited the scenic Saguenay/Lac St-Jean region in two years.
Hometown driver Karl Allard owns a pair of Série ACT Castrol victories at the Autodrome St-Félicien half-mile tri-oval, including the most recent event in July 2006. Allard leads the 2008 Série ACT Castrol point standings after two events with a best finish of third in the Coors Light 100 at Autodrome Chaudière last month.

Alexandre Gingras of Val-Bélair, QC, currently fifth in Série ACT Castrol standings, is also a former winner at Autodrome St-Félicien and is expected to be a factor in the AUTOPRO 150. He will be joined by Jean-François Déry, Dany Ouellet, Jacques Poulin, Martin Lacombe, veterans Yvon Bédard and Claude Leclerc, and rookies Patrick Hamel and Spencer MacPherson, along with many others. Racing action begins at 6:00pm on Saturday, July 5.

The previously rained-out Montmagny 100 at Autodrome Montmagny Speedway in Montmagny, QC has been rescheduled for Sunday, August 3 at 1:00pm. The Montmagny 100 has been postponed twice by inclement weather, on May 31 and again on June 29. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.laserieactcastrol.com or www.acttour.com.

Round 1 of the Late Model Summer Shootout Series Held at Kawartha Speedway: June 23/08

This past weekend, the #31 NAPA Late Model team travelled down the road to Kawartha Downs and Speedway for the first race of the Late Model Summer Shootout Series. This Series is held between two tracks, Kawartha Speedway and Capital City Speedway. It is a 6 race series that features some of the best Late Model racers from Ontario battle it out for the championship.

The day started off not too bad as the car was working well. As the practice sessions came to an end we had the NAPA Late Model working well and were ready to hit the track for the first race. We started from the 9th position and had to make it to the top 5 in order to transfer to the semi. A mid race collision with another competitor almost ruined our chances of making the semi but luckily we were able to hang on and end up in the 4th position.

We headed out for the semi and by this point the car had started to tighten up as we had a bad push in the front sending us from our 2nd starting position back to 9th. We ran down the laps and finished the race and came in to work on the car. We got it ready for the feature and were rolling onto the track in the 2nd starting position, a great spot to start the race from. The green flag flew and we took the early lead. After falling back to third and running strong there, we had a problem with our sway bar which forced us to enter the pits and go down several laps.

The team was able to fix the car but unfortunately we werent on the lead lap anymore. We headed back out onto the track to salvage what we could. Thanks to the hard work from the entire team, we were able to come home with a 16th place finish.

The Série ACT Castrol was back in action at Autodrome Chaudière on Saturday night, and what a wild race it was. At a track that looks and feels like a cross between Vermont’s Thunder Road and New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park (and, thanks to the cows off Turn 3, sometimes smells like the Devil’s Bowl Speedway dirt track in southern VT), the Castrol drivers were, shall we say, a little trigger-happy.

Seventeen yellow flags may have slowed the action, but the actual racing itself was spectacular. No less than six drivers were within an arm’s reach of the Coors Light 100 victory when the checkered flag fell, and the race-long, side-by-side battle of eventual 1-2 finishers Donald Theetge and Yvon Bédard was as good as you’ll see anywhere.

A tip of the hat goes to rookie drivers Patrick Hamel and Spencer MacPherson, who each showed the veterans that their presence is not to be taken lightly. MacPherson ran as high as fifth before a flat tire relegated him to 14th place, and Hamel marched from 24th starting position, then recovered from a crash with Stéphane Descoste to earn sixth place.

The pit area will open to race teams at 9:00 am, with practice sessions beginning at 10:30 am. Qualifying heats will begin at 1:00 pm. Autodrome Montmagny Speedway is a high-banked 1/3-mile asphalt oval, located on Chemin St-Leon in Montmagny, QC, east of Québec City.

The Série ACT Castrol will be in action next at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jct., QC on Saturday, June 14 at 6:30 pm. Karl Allard of St-Félicien, QC and 2007 Série ACT Castrol Champion Patrick Laperle of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC are tied for the series’ championship point lead after the opening event at Autodrome St-Eustache last month. For more information, call (802) 244-6963, or visit www.laserieactcastrol.com or www.acttour.com.

Round 1 of the Serie ACT Castrol Held at Autodrome St. Eustache: May 19th

The 2008 Serie ACT Castrol Championship opened up this past Sunday with the first race of the season at Autodrome St. Eustache. 25 ACT Late Models showed up to battle on this very tough flat race track. This was a new experience for the #31 NAPA Late Model team as we had never raced here before but were very excited about starting our hunt for that championship. We headed out for the first practice and stayed out the entire time as the driver needed to get as many laps as possible to get used to the track. The car was slightly tight and the crew made some adjustments to free it up. We went back out for the next practice still trying to dial both the car and driver into the track and get them set up. After the third practice we had the car handling good but just needed to make a slight change to get the car perfect.

In our 10 lap heat race we finished 6th out of 9 which put us in a position to draw for where we would start in the 100 lap feature event; we drew number 17. The dark clouds were now starting to roll in and the skies werent looking the greatest. We rolled out onto the track for the feature in 17th. The green flag flew and just as quickly, so did the yellow as there was a wreck heading into turn 1. It was a close call but the #31 car was able to avoid it. After the race started to get some green falg laps run, we had worked our way up to the 7th spot when on a restart, another competitor was shoved from behind into our drivers door which spun us into the infield. The race stayed green which put us far behind. The impact had bent something in the car as it was a handfull to drive.

The crew worked hard on pit road as we came in a couple of times during the race to make some adjustments. By the end of the race, we were still running but far off the pace and still managed to salvage a 15th place out of it. Thanks to the hard work from the crew, were were able to make the best of what we had. The next race for the Serie ACT Castrol is Saturday, May 31st at Autodrome Montmagny where we will back in full force to fight for the win.

The #31 NAPA Team competed in the 50-lap Harvest Equipment Mother’s Day Special at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Barre Sunday evening. With 28 Late Models in attendance, there was plenty of competition. The entire team worked hard right from the start. We hurried to unload so that we could get the car ready and send it through tech inspection. This way we would be able to get out for the first practice session. Things were looking okay as the driver was getting some track time and the team was tweaking on the racecar to get it closer. Practice sessions finished and it was time to get the car ready for our heat race. We rolled out for the heat race in last spot, 9th. The green flag dropped but we couldnt do anything to advance our position. We finished in 9th place but were right there with the pack. The team decided to change a gear for the feature race to see if that helped us at all. Because of our finish in the heat race, we had to start from the 27th spot on the starting grid for the final. This however turned out not too bad as the driver was able to gain valuable experience on how to drive this extremely tough track which will help us for the next time we go back. The team faired out well in the feature, we came from 27th to 15th in 50 laps. Big thanks to Mike, Cindy, Casey, Dave, and Ross as all should be proud of our performance this weekend!

This past Friday was the first points night for Capital City Speedway. The #31 NAPA Late Model Team was in full attendance and ready to take off where we had left at the end of 2007. Things started off great. The car was very fast and the crew was adjusting that little bit to make it perfect. There was a good number of people in the stands and a solid field of Late Models. The first heat rolled around and we started from the back of the field. We were able to work our way past a few cars and stay out of trouble. The starting grid was inverted for the second heat which placed us towards the front. We were able to get out front and stay there for the remainder of the heat race grabbing ourselves a win! Things were looking great heading into the feature. We rolled onto the track once again from the back, ready to go racing for the 25 lap feature event. Unfortunately, the track had changed since the last race and loosened up the car quite a bit. We still managed to get by some of the competition and hang on for a 6th place finish. Big thanks to the crew for getting the car ready and tweaking it at the track. We will get 'em next time!

This weekend, the team travelled down to Oxford Plains Speedway for our first race of the season. With Oxford being a new track and this being our first race in the ACT Tour, we had alot to learn in a very quick time.

The day started off great. We were running competitive lap times from the start and were adjusting the car to improve it for the race. Near the end of our practice sessions, we put our new tires on to scuff them for our heat race. We started the heat race in second place but quickly fell to the back fighting an extremely loose racecar. We adjusted for this and went out for our consi race. Once again the car was very loose and the team could not pin-point the problem.

Right before our last chance race, Rick Gonyea from the #40 team of Eric Chase gave us some advice; telling us to put our old tires back on just to see if the new tires were what was causing our handling issue. The team quickly bolted the old tires back on the car and we headed out onto the track. The car improved greatly and was now driveable. Unfortunately this was too late as we started deep in the field and had to finish in the top four to advance.

The team worked extremely hard all weekend long to get the #31 NAPA Late Model into the show but unfortunately our struggle with the new tires held us back. We did however gain valuable experience about the track, the tires, and the car which we will take with us back to Oxford later in the season.

We dug through some archives here at American-Canadian Tour headquarters, and it appears as though one year ago this week, this very ACTion News column space was reserved for a few pre-season predictions. (Like that little disclaimer in all the insurance ads, note that these are merely the cabin-fever-induced musings of a writer that happens to get some print every now and then. Please don’t take these predictions as Gospel, because, frankly, it’s just a shot in the dark.)

Last year’s first prediction: Phil Scott would either win the Thunder Road Track Championship of fail to finish inside the Top 5. Wrong on both accounts – The Sailing Senator ended the season strong in fifth place overall, with an exciting win on VT ACE Hardware Dealers Night in August.

The second prediction: Dwayne Lanphear would win “a feature or two” and finish inside the Top 10 overall at Thunder Road. Lanphear won a feature, but finished the season in a three-way tie for 13th overall with Kip Stockwell and Shawn Fleury.

Third prediction: Robbie Crouch would return to health in time for Oxford Plains Speedway’s TD Banknorth 250. Correct! And we’re glad for it.

Fourth prediction: Joel Hodgdon would be the NAPA Tiger Sportsman Rookie of the Year at Thunder Road. Correct! Wow, we’re on a roll, here…

Final prediction: Jean-Paul Cyr would not win his fifth consecutive ACT Late Model Tour championship. Well, our streak was over, but at least Cyr’s continued with yet another dominating performance to take the Tour title.

All that said, let’s take another stab at some predictions. Round one: Donald Theetge will win an ACT Late Model Tour event outside his native Canada. Theetge was impressive at the season finale at Oxford, taking a third-place finish, and was strong at Airborne Speedway, White Mountain Motorsports Park, and Seekonk Speedway. Up north, he won at Ste-Croix on the Tour and was very good at Kawartha Speedway, and scored twice at Autodrome Montmagny with the Série ACT Castrol. Expect big things from the Frenchman this year, starting with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday, April 20.

Number two: It seems nearly impossible to have a NAPA Tiger Sportsman rookie crop as strong as the Class of 2007, but this year’s group may be as good or even better. Allen Lumber Street Stock grads Josh Demers, Mike Ziter, and Bobby Therrien, White Mountain front-runner Cody Blake, and dirt champion Dan Eastman should be great additions to the division. The only unknown is greenhorn Chris Lacey, but he has a proven car underneath him with the former Jeff French ride. Our forecast: Cody Blake for Rookie of the Year, but barely. Blake is the only driver with V8 experience, having run a full season of Strictly Stocks at White Mountain. Demers, Eastman, and Lacey each got a taste of it at the Chittenden Milk Bowl last year, and Ziter and Therrien proved to be quick studies in the Street Stocks last year, but it looks for now like 16 year-old Blake has the advantage. Keep an eye on that battle throughout the year.

Prediction three: Bunker Hodgdon has the tools to repeat a Bobby Therrien-like rookie season. Hot off his Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior championship, Hodgdon will run for Rookie of the Year honors in the Street Stock division, and will pilot Therrien’s title-winning car from a year ago. Not only that, car owner Arny Hill hasn’t lost a title in a couple years, winning with Eric Badore in 2006. Momentum, skill, good equipment… could be interesting. We won’t put the pressure on ol’ Bunker and actually say “He’s gonna win it all,” but we also wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in contention.

Predicition four: Spencer MacPherson will win at least once in ACT competition as a Série ACT Castrol rookie. MacPherson made his first four Castrol starts last year and was impressive in all of them, landing on the podium at Montmagny. We’ll even go so far as to guess a top-five points finish for the teenager.

Prediction five: If you think we’re going to flat-out bet against Jean-Paul Cyr for the ACT Late Model Tour title here, you’re crazy. It didn’t exactly work out well last year, if you’ll recall. What we will do is say this: he will have a tough row to hoe to get that sixth-straight and eighth-overall championship. Scott Payea proved last year that he drank whatever’s in the Milton, VT water – like his cross-town rival in Cyr, or the legendary Dragon family, or the dozens of other successful racers from the community – and he can get the job done. Patrick Laperle has filed a full-season entry, and that alone will raise everyone’s game. Randy Potter and Joey Polewarczyk are prime candidates to bring the Tour’s championship trophy to New Hampshire for the first time. We already spoke about Donald Theetge. This is a prediction piece, though, so we’ll predict Cyr as the champion again – but only after the “Pick 10” feature comes into play. As only the best ten finishes out 12 events count toward the championship, Cyr may have a bad race that he’ll be fortunate to get rid of as the points are tallied. It’s going to be a very exciting season as points go, and a lot of people are holding their breath over the Pick 10 option.

The Leatherworks Pub & Restaurant in Carleton Place have teamed up with Spencer MacPherson for the 2008 season in an effort to bring more attention to both the restaurant and Spencer's racing. "I think it is great that we will be able to work with a restaurant like the Leatherworks" said MacPherson. "Hopefully together, we can bring more business to the restaurant and also more attention to our racing."

The #31 NAPA team will be hosting some NASCAR Parties in partnership with the Leatherworks throughout the 2008 season. The first party is scheduled for Sunday, April 6/08 at the Leatherworks in Carleton Place. The cost is $10 per person and includes a finger food buffet. There are three televisions that will all be tuned in to watch the Samsung 500 from Texas Motor Speedway as well as a 50/50 draw and some door prizes.

This will be a great opportunity to get together with friends and fellow race fans to watch the race in a fun environment. You can get your tickets at The Leatherworks, Carleton Auto Parts, and MacPherson's Auto Centre. You can also contact Spencer MacPherson for tickets at spencer@spencermacpherson.com. There is limited seating so get your tickets soon.

Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards: Up and Coming Stock Car Racer of the Year Nominees

TORONTO, ON – An important aspect of the Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards presented by Castrol is the program’s ability to shine a light on the future stars of Canadian motorsports. Since being launched in 2002, well-known drivers like Pete Shepherd Jr., Jason Hathaway, Derek Polack and Tyler Brown have received the prestigious ‘Up and Coming Stock Car Racer of the Year’ award, as voted by the readers of Inside Track Motorsport News.

This year’s list of nominees features six racers who have already made a mark on their sport despite their young ages. Canadian motorsports fans are able to cast their votes online at http://www.insidetracknews.com/ until midnight on Friday, March 14 to help determine the overall winners in this and 11 other categories.

Spencer MacPherson admitted to being “kind of shocked” to learn that he’d been nominated for the ‘Up and Coming Stock Car Racer of the Year’ award. The 19-year-old from Carleton Place, Ont. was a standout in his sophomore year racing in the Late Model division at Ottawa’s Capital City Speedway.

Over the course of the 2007 season, MacPherson made the trip to victory lane on five occasions. In the final point standings, he fell just shy of the overall division title, losing the championship by a mere five points to eventual winner Rick Rump.

Progressing up the racing ladder, MacPherson took part in four contests on the highly competitive American-Canadian Tour (ACT) in ‘07, rolling up three top-10 finishes. His best result was a third at Autodrome Montmagny.
“The Late Model field at Capital City may not be very big but there are a lot of strong runners there. Next year, we would like to run more events in the ACT, we will probably do the full Castrol (Quebec) ACT Series plus run a couple of events in the U.S.”

We now have the Port City Late Model back at the garage and have started the assembly process to get the car race ready. The car came back from RLD Industries where they did a great job on the powder coating. It is looking like new again and has already had some major components installed. The first thing to be done was to install the brake and fuel lines. After that was completed we were able to get working on the pedal assemblies, fuel cell, front suspension and some other smaller parts. Next came the engine. With all of the holes drilled for everything from last year, it made installing the engine a lot easier. By the end of the first big day of work, the car was actually looking like a car and not just a bare frame. Over the last few days, we have been working on the seat installation, the rear end (which is now in the car), and some suspension components. Thanks to the great help from Casey, Hayden, and Deacon, we have a great start to the completion of the race car. Stay tuned for more information on the car and our upcoming season.

RACE TIME RADIO SET TO INTERVIEW FAST CANADIAN STOCK CAR RACER: Feb 6/08

Race Time Radio is a well known and very popular race talk show that is aired every Monday night between 8:00 and 9:00 pm. They provide the fans, sponsors, and racing community with up to date information on what is happening in the racing world. On Monday, February 11, 2008, Race Time Radio will be talking with the young and talented Canadian Stock Car racer; Spencer MacPherson. The youngster, who had great success in the 2007 season was on Race Time Radio last year after winning the "Monster Jam Late Model Race" at Capital City Speedway in Ottawa.

"I feel privileged to talk with the guys again," said MacPherson. "I enjoyed the conversation we had last time on the radio and with all that we are planning to do this upcoming season, I am really looking forward to talking about it with them. I learned a lot in my rookie season last year and feel that we will be a strong competitor wherever we go." The 19 year old ran four ACT Castrol events in 2007 finishing in the top ten in three of those events. He also finished a close 2nd in the Capital City Speedway points championship for 2007. Spencer is planning on running the complete Serie ACT Castrol in 2008 as well as the Oxford 250 and the Milk Bowl.

To listen to this interview, visit www.racetimeradio.com . To learn more about Spencer go to www.spencermacpherson.com . It is being aired live on Monday Feb. 11/08 at 8:00pm.

ACT Quebec Series-Canadian ACT racers Patrick Laperle and Spencer MacPherson have been nominated by Inside Track Motorsport News, one of Canada’s leading auto racing magazines in the 6th annual Readers’ Choice Awards presented by Castrol.

Laperle, the 2007 Série ACT Castrol Champion, is up for Canadian Stock Car racer of the Year against stiff competition from both asphalt and dirt surfaces, from the eastern Maritimes to western Alberta.

MacPherson, an 18 year-old Série ACT Castrol rookie and podium finisher in 2007, is in the running for Up and Coming Canadian Stock Car Racer of the Year. MacPherson finished in the Top 10 in three of his four Castrol starts, including a third-place run at Autodrome Montmagny in June. He was also the points runner-up (with five victories) at Ottawa’s Capital City Speedway. He faces young drivers from both the blacktop and dirt worlds in a geographical stretch that matches Laperle’s competition.

To vote for Laperle and MacPherson, visit www.insidetracknews.com and follow the link for the Readers’ Choice Awards, or click the link posted on www.acttour.com .

SPENCER MACPHERSON NOMINATED BY INSIDE TRACK AS UP AND COMING STOCK CAR DRIVER: JAN 19/08

Well now, once again the Ottawa area has been well represented in the nominations for Motorsports drivers of the year by Inside Track News one of Canada's leading Motorsports publications. If you remember last year it was drag racer Derek Malcolm from this area nominated as Drag Racer of the Year, well this year young gun Spencer MacPherson of Carleton Place, Ontario has been nominated as most promising up and coming stock car driver in Canada. So now we need all of our stock car family to get on the web and vote for Spencer, you have to realize that it is a vote on competition and there are drivers from right across Canada nominated. Spencer has been quite a success story since we took over the speedway and has turned into one of the good late model drivers at the speedway. Finishing second in the Kenyon Racing Products Capital City Speedway points championship and winning the 100 lap $5000. to win Waste Management Monster Jam race. Spencer also ran a number of ACT Late Model events out of town and did quite well at all of them, as well as a few events at Kawartha Speedway. Spencer was also given the opportunity to drive a ASA late Model when Charlie Price gave him the nod for a number of races at Adirondack, New York. A young man who like many, cut his teeth in racing Go-Karts, then moving up to the ranks of Thunder Car, Limited Late Model and today a full tilt ACT Late Model car. Spencer is also one of the more popular drivers at the track with his own cheering section each and every race night at the speedway. This is quite an honor as it is done by writers of our sport from a different part of the country, which in it self is quite an accomplishment, just to be nominated says a lot of Spencer. So now its up to us, Inside Track Motorsports writers have nominated one of our drivers we now have to put that computer to work and vote for Spencer MacPherson. We have included the link below which will take you to the Inside Track Web Site where you can go on line and cast your ballot. There are a number of other categories also which you may want to cast a vote also. www.insidetracknews.com

ACT:Show Your Support! Vote Now!

Two of the American-Canadian Tour’s Canadian Late Model racers have been recognized by Inside Track Motorsport News, a leading auto racing magazine in Canada, and have been nominated for the 6th annual Readers’ Choice Awards presented by Castrol.

Patrick Laperle, the 2007 Série ACT Castrol Champion, is one of just six drivers in the country nominated for Canadian Stock Car Racer of the Year. The St-Denis, QC driver overcame a life-threatening blood infection early in the season to post two victories, four runner-up finishes, and eleven Top 10s in twelve starts on the Série ACT Castrol, and also won a pair of ACT Late Model Tour events – the Summer Sizzler 200 at Ontario’s Kawartha Speedway, and the 44th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl (his second such win in three years) at Vermont’s Thunder Road.

Laperle is in the running for Canadian Stock Car Racer of the Year with NEWALTA Late Model Champion Barry Bischoff of Calgary, Alberta; Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Champion Mario Clair of Drummondville, QC; NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, QC; OSCAAR Outlaw Late Model Champion Derrick Tiemersma of Newmarket, ON; and CARQUEST Maritime Champion Shawn Tucker of New Brunswick.

Eighteen year-old Spencer MacPherson of Carleton Place, ON is nominated for the Up and Coming Canadian Stock Car Racer of the Year award. MacPherson was a rookie on the Série ACT Castrol, where he finished third at Autodrome Montmagny in June and ran to three Top 10 finishes in just four starts. He also won five feature events and finished second in points at Capital City Speedway in Ottawa, ON, and was a Top 10 finisher in select events at New York’s Adirondack Int’l Speedway.

MacPherson is up against IMCA dirt modified racer Steve Arpin of Fort Frances, ON; MMRA Baby Grand Western Champion Michael Kipp of Alberta; Castrol Ontario Sportsman Series driver Matt Robblee; CARQUEST Tour driver Craig Slaunwhite of Halifax, Nova Scotia; and youngster Brandon Watson of Stayner, ON, who made his ACT Late Model Tour debut at Kawartha Speedway.

www.insidetracknews.com

ACT Releases 2008 Schedules

The American Canadian Tour has released the schedules for 2008 for both the ACT Tour and the Série ACT Castrol. Stay tuned to our website for our schedule which should be coming out soon.

2008 AMERICAN-CANADIAN TOUR SCHEDULE
# DAY DATE TRACK LAPS
1 Sun 4/20 Lee USA Speedway 100
2 Sat 4/26 Oxford Plains Speedway 150
3 Sun 5/04 Thunder Road 150
4 Sat 5/17 Airborne Speedway 100
5 Sa/Su 5/24-25 Thunder Road 100
6 Sat 6/07 Waterford Speedbowl 100
7 Sat 6/21 Oxford Plains Speedway 150
8 Sat 6/28 White Mtn Motorsports Park 150
9 Sun 7/13 Kawartha Speedway 200
** Sun 7/20 Oxford Plains Speedway - TD Banknorth 250 250
10 Sun 8/31 Thunder Road 200
** Sat 9/06 Autodrome Chaudière - "ACT Showdown at Chaudière" 200
11 Sat 9/13 Oxford Plains Speedway 150
12 Sa/Su 9/27-28 Thunder Road 150
** - Non-ACT Championship events
(schedule subject to change)
Driver and Owner Championships/Point Fund based on best 10 events during season

2008 SÉRIE ACT CASTROL SERIES
# DATE DAY TRACK

1 MAY 18 SUN ST- EUSTACHE 100
2 MAY 31 SAT MONTMAGNY 100
3 JUN 14 SAT CHAUDIERE 100
4 JUL 05 SAT ST- FELICIEN 150
no points July 13 KAWARTHA 200
no points July 19 OXFORD 250 WEEKEND
5 JUL 26 SAT us bonus ST- EUSTACHE 200
6 AUG 09 SAT OTTAWA 100
7 AUG 16 SAT CHAUDIERE 150
8 AUG 23 SAT us bonus MONTMAGNY 250 250
no points Sep 06 ACT SHOWDOWN AT CHAUDIERE
9 SEP 21 SUN ST- EUSTACHE 300
subject to change

CCS Press Release: OH WHAT A PARTY, BANQUET 2007 AN OVERWHELMING GOOD TIME - NOV 25/07

I think it is very safe to say that everyone attending the 2007 Capital City Speedway Awards Banquet had a good time with out question, and by the way many stayed until the very end, encouraging the band to play well past quitting time says it all. Yes the complete sell out, packed house said it all to begin with, but the great time that was seen on the awards stage and continued on too the dance floor indicated to everyone just how great time was being had by all. The night kicked off with a feast fit for a king, the awarding of this past seasons champions and a dance and party that was made so much fun by the great band "Hyrd Guns". Many awards where already known from the points standings but those that where not made the night filled with excitement as one after another of the voted on awards where presented with the last and the one with the most prestige being kept to the last, the driver of the year award which was presented to Frank Johnston was excepted with one of the most humble speeches most have ever heard. Best appearing crew went to the Napa Auto Parts Team of Ross and Spencer MacPherson, Rookie of the year in Late Model was Sean Kennedy the driver of the Waste Management Car, the same in Thunder Car went to Todd Musker, Erin Joyce in Legends and Matt Mould in Mini Stock. The Advertiser of the Year award went to Orville Hartwick of Stittsville Trailer Sales, and company which lost there business do to a massive fire last winter but never hesitated in their support of the track during a time when much more was of greater importance. Yes the 2007 banquet will be hard to out do, but we certainly will try as question will now have to be asked, if the growth continues where do we move, so we can fit all in.