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ACT TOUR ACTION!
Doubleheader Weekend - May 17/18!  34th Annual Furniture World of VT Spring Green 100 @ Airborne Speedway, Sat., May 17 @ 5:00 pm!  Série ACT Castrol season opener @ Autodrome St-Eustache, Sun., May 18 @ 1:30 pm!
     
ACTion News 5/07/08

ACTion News – Wednesday, May 7, 2008
-by Justin St. Louis

Must be even Mother Nature is a race fan.  She put up a fuss all day on Saturday during the Thunder Road Merchants Bank Car Show and wiped out half of the afternoon practice, but kindly stepped aside to let the 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl’s 49th season opener – go on as planned.

Scott Payea served notice that he is definitely ready to wrestle the American-Canadian Tour championship away from Jean-Paul Cyr by taking the Merchants Bank 150 checkered flag for the second year in a row.  After three events, Payea now leads the point standings by five markers over Patrick Laperle.  In perhaps a bit of a surprise to some, John Donahue sits third ahead of Cyr and Brent Dragon.  Donahue, by the way, drove from 30th to finish 9th in the 150.

The Tour cranks back up on Sat., May 17 at Plattsburgh, NY’s Airborne Speedway for the 34th Annual Furniture World of VT Spring Green 100.


Some Cool Stuff... Check It Out!

Check out these cool features online!

The Burlington (VT) Free Press has posted a slideshow with audio clips from Thunder Road's 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 on their website.  Click here to see it.

Also, Série ACT Castrol Champion Patrick Laperle was voted the #3 Canadian Stock Car Racer of the Year by the readers of Inside Track Motorsport News, earning more than 17% of the votes.  Ontarians Brandon Watson and Spencer MacPherson, who each tested the ACT Late Model Tour waters at Oxford Plains Speedway two weeks ago, finished first and third, respectively, in the "Up And Coming Canadian Stock Car Racer" poll.  Also of note, Laperle received an honorable mention in the "Overall Canadian Racer of the Year" category behind internationally respected road racer Ron Fellows, and former ACT regular Langis Caron received honorable mention in the category of "Most Deserving for Induction into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame" along with Fellows and former Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve.  Congratulations to all!  Click here to visit the ITMN website, then click on the "Breaking News" blog link to read more.


ACT Driver Payea Doubles Up at 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150

BARRE, VT – Late Model stock car driver Scott Payea of Milton, VT earned his third career American-Canadian Tour victory in the 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl on Sunday afternoon.  Payea waged a race-long battle with defending Thunder Road Track Champion Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, VT, finally taking the lead for good on lap 129.  Payea won the Merchants Bank 150 last year, as well.

           

Payea, 26, started the race from the outside pole position and led the first 46 laps before Pembroke, who started fifth, took over.  Pembroke led – if only by two car lengths – for the next 54 laps before Payea nosed his Ouellette Plumbing & Heating/AC Sports #89 Ford Fusion ahead on lap 110.  Pembroke led two more laps after a late restart before Payea moved in front to stay.

           

ACT Castrol Series Champion Patrick Laperle of Montreal paseed Pembroke late for the runner-up position.  Former ACT Late Model Tour Champion Phil Scott of Montpelier, VT finished fourth, just ahead of seven-time and defending ACT Late Model Tour Champion Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT.


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