Former Bond Auto Invitational Winners Look to Hold Off Hungry Contenders

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Waterbury, VT – Forty-three of the top American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model competitors from seven U.S. states and the Canadian province of Quebec will descend on Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) for the 7^th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational Saturday, September 26. All four former winners of the Invitational will look to add another entry to the record books, but a number of drivers are in position to break into the “Magic Mile” winner’s circle for the first time.

 

Rowley, MA’s Eddie “The Outlaw” MacDonald is the clear top dog heading into the 50-lap, 52.9-mile event with nearly $80,000 in posted awards. MacDonald has three Invitational wins to his name, triumphing in 2009, 2011, and 2013. After a strong showing in the annual Test & Tune Session in August, MacDonald will go for a fourth win this year.

 

“It’s definitely going to be tough,” MacDonald said. “The competition has gotten tougher and tougher each year. Hopefully we can get the car so we can get through traffic and just be able to get close to the front and have a shot at the end.”

 

Dover, NH’s Wayne Helliwell Jr. and Hudson, NH’s Joey Polewarczyk Jr., who have been locked in a fierce battle for the 2015 ACT Tour Championship, will extend their rivalry to NHMS as they both seek a second Bond Auto Invitational win. “Joey Pole” won the second edition of the event in 2010, while Helliwell triumphed in 2014 and could become the first driver with back-to-back Invitational wins. 2012 winner Ray Parent of Tiverton, RI made steady improvement in the August test session and will also look for a second NHMS victory.

The former winners will have to contend with an elite group of ACT Late Model racers looking for their first Invitational triumph. Barre, VT’s Nick Sweet and St-Denis, QC’s Patrick Laperle both have a pair of runner-up finishes in the Invitational and are hungry to finally capture the top spot. Defending Série ACT Champion Alex Labbe finished fifth in the 2014 Invitational and already has four Série ACT wins in 2015.

 

A number of dark-horses were strong at the August test session and could pull off an unexpected Invitational win. Lempster, NH’s Guy Caron turned the fastest lap in August to emerge as a contender. Multi-time Claremont Speedway and Canaan Fair Speedway Champion Aaron Fellows was also fast in August and finished fourth in the 2013 Invitational.

 

Série ACT point leader Dany Trépanier is in the midst of his best season, while Tom Carey Jr. has finished in the top-10 in all four Invitationals he has competed in. Former Whelen Modified Tour NHMS winner Woody Pitkat will compete at the speedway in a Late Model for the first time but is a threat in any car he drives.

 

The 7^th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway is Saturday, September 26. Forty-three of the top ACT Late Model drivers from the Northeast United States and Canada will run 50 green-flag laps as part of a tripleheader that includes the Camping World Truck Series and Whelen Modified Tour. The Invitational takes the green flag at 5:00pm.

 

For more information contact the ACT offices at 802.244.6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com or www.nhms.com.

7^th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational Driver Roster  

Car #      Driver                                   Hometown        

0NH       Alby Ovitt                            Somersworth, NH

3VT        Ricky Roberts                     Washington, VT

4NY        Brandon Atkins                 Au Sable Forks, NY

5CT         Dillon Moltz                        Waterford, CT

7NH       Scott MacMichael            Newbury, NH

8NH       Guy Caron                           Lempster, NH

9NH       Kyle Welch                          Newport, NH

10MA    Tom Carey, Jr.                   New Salem, MA

11NY      Josh Masterson                Charlotte, VT

11RI       Ryan Vanasse                    Warwick, RI

14CT      Paul Charette                    Woodstock, CT

15NH     Brad Babb                           Windham, ME

15VT      Joey Laquerre                   E. Montpelier, VT

17MA    Eddie MacDonald             Rowley, MA

17RI       Ray Parent                          Tiverton, RI

19QC     Dany Trépanier                 St-Edouard, QC

20CT      John Lowinski-Loh           Blackstone, MA

21QC     Jean-François Déry          Quebec, QC

23ME     Dave Farrington Jr.          Jay, ME

26NH     Bucky Demers                   Cornish, NH

27NH     Wayne Helliwell, Jr.         Dover, NH

28ME     Rowland Robinson, Jr.   Steuben, ME

29NH     Aaron Fellows                   Croydon, NH

30NH     Rich Dubeau                       Plainfield, NH

31VT      John Donahue                   Graniteville, VT

34NH     Todd Davis                          Claremont, NH

38QC     Gaetan Gaudreault         Quebec, QC

40VT      Nick Sweet                         Barre, VT

41QC     Jonathan Bouvrette        Blainville, QC

48QC     Alex Labbé                          St-Albert, QC

49NH     Matt Anderson                 Franklin, NH

54VT      Mike Ziter                           Barre Town, VT

58VT      Jimmy Hebert                    Williamstown, VT

61NH     Ryan Olsen                         N. Haverhill, NH

66QC     Gaetan Longtin                 St-Alexis des Monts, QC

68CT      Jeff Rocco                           Wallingford, CT

77MA    James Linardy                    Somerville, MA

83QC     Martin Goulet Jr.              Marcouche, QC

91CT      Larry Gelinas                      Buxton, ME

91QC     Patrick Laperle                  St-Denis, QC

97NH     Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.     Hudson, NH

98NH     Walt Hammond Jr.           Orange, NH

07MA    Woody Pitkat                     Sturbridge, MA