ACT Ready for Richmond Debut

After months of anticipation, the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) is ready for the inaugural Commonwealth Classic 65 at Richmond Raceway. Over the next few days, at least 38 ACT Late Model teams from the U.S. and Canada will make the trek to Virginia for the race on Saturday, March 30 at 1:00pm. Officials and fans will join them to see the long-running Northeast series take on the ¾-mile D-shaped speedway for the first time.

Everyone involved is excited about finally getting to race on the historic track. Richmond has hosted more than 200 events in NASCAR’s top-3 series along with events for the NTT IndyCar Series, the USAC Silver Crown Series, and the now-defunct International Race of Champions (IROC). Both Richmond Raceway and its predecessor, the ½-mile Richmond Fairgrounds Speedway, have been the site of some of the most famous moments in North American motorsports. ACT goes into Saturday’s event hoping to add at least one more moment to that list.

“We can’t wait to actually get to Richmond and get out on the track,” ACT managing partner Cris Michaud said. “The excitement for this event has been apparent from the moment we announced it. Drivers, crew members, car owners, everybody we talk to is thrilled to be heading down. We’re ready to show the fans of Richmond what ACT racing is all about, and we think they’re going to love it.”

The entry list is filled with racers that are familiar to Northeast racing fans. Some of them could end up being household names in Virginia by the end of the weekend. Five former ACT champions headline the drivers making the trek to Richmond this weekend. St-Denis, QC’s Patrick Laperle has five total championships between the ACT Late Model Tour and Série ACT. He’s also looking for his 45th ACT-sanctioned Late Model victory. Former ACT U.S. champions Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dover, NH; Joey Polewarczyk Jr. of Hudson, NH; and Nick Sweet of Barre, VT are joining Laperle in Richmond, as is 2017 Série ACT Champion Jonathan Bouverette of Blainville, QC.

A number of racers on the entry list also have track championships under ACT rules. Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien was the 2017 Late Model Champion at Thunder Road while E. Bridgewater, MA’s Ryan Kuhn captured the 2018 title at Seekonk Speedway. Rehoboth, MA’s Nicholas Johnson was also a 2018 champion at Thompson Speedway. Current ACT Late Model Tour standout Rich Dubeau of Lebanon, NH previously won Late Model championships at Canaan Fair Speedway and Claremont Speedway. All told, nearly one-third of the drivers in the field have a touring series or track championship in an ACT Late Model.

Still others are on the rise or have established themselves as top competitors in an ACT Late Model. Graniteville, VT’s John Donahue is one of the winningest Late Model racers in Thunder Road history, and his son Stephen already has Late Model wins to his credit at multiple tracks. Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert has been one of the top ACT Tour runners for nearly a decade and finished third in points this past season. Tom Carey III, Marcel J. Gravel, Mark Jenison, Boomer Morris, and Marc Begin are just some of the other entries who earned wins in an ACT Late Model in 2018.

All of these racers and then some are officially committed to be part of one of the biggest events in ACT’s 34-year history. For many of the drivers traveling to Richmond, it will be their first time at the track at all, never mind their first time racing there. As such, everyone from multi-time track and series champions to brand-new Late Model teams will begin Friday’s open practice day on equal footing. Regardless, they will ready to put on a great show for racing fans everywhere while potentially adding a huge accomplishment to their racing résumé.

The $5,000-to-win ACT Commonwealth Classic 65 on Saturday, March 30 is part of a huge card of action for the event’s inaugural edition. The Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models will run both open and crate-engine 75-lap events. Richmond Raceway will also host the Tour-type Modifieds, Mid Atlantic Street Stocks, and North East Mini Stock Tour with almost $165,000 in total posted awards.

Qualifying for the Commonwealth Classic begins at 1:00pm. General grandstand admission is $40 for adults and free for kids ages 12 and under. These tickets also include tunnel access for the Fan Zone and Walkway areas of the garage. Open practice for all divisions will be held from 11:00am to 5:00pm on Friday, March 29. The Fan Zone and Walkway will be open on Friday, but the grandstands will not.

2019 ACT Commonwealth Classic Entry List

       CAR#    DRIVER                             HOMETOWN                         TEAM

1     4NY       Brandon Atkins               AuSable Forks, NY                Northline Utilities Dodge Charger

2     5MA     Tommy Carey III             Warwick, MA                        Brookside Equiment Sales/Lyon Auction Chevy Monte Carlo

3     5VT       Bobby Therrien              Hinesburg, VT                       Therrien Motorsports Chevy Impala

4     6MA     Nicholas Johnson           Rehoboth, MA                      Propane Plus/Lins Propane Trucks Ford Fusion

5     9QC      Mathieu Kingsbury        Blainville, QC                        DuroKing/Dynamitage Piche Ford Fusion

6     10ME    Jesse Switser                   Whitfield, NH                        Laflamme's Landscaping

7     13VT     Boomer Morris               Barre, VT                                K. Bellevance/Classic Auto Chevy Impala

8     15MA   Jake Johnson                   Rehoboth, MA                      Daffodil's Gift Shop/Lin's Propane Trucks Chevy Monte Carlo

9     15NY     Gerard Giordano Jr.       Freeport, NY                         K-1 Logistics Chevy Impala

10   18QC    Jean-Philippe Bergeron Saint-Donat, QC                   Prolon Controls/JC Perreault Chevy Impala

11   19NH    Bryan Kruczek                Newmarket, NH                   Little Webb's Fuel/Sunoco Chevy Camaro

12   20VT     Blair Bessett                    Barton, VT                             Eric Johnson Ent./Sanborn Machine Chevy SS

13   21ON    Alexandre Tardif            Notre Dame des Pins, QC   Gestion Roy Electrique Ford Fusion

14   22RI      Mark Jenison                  Warwick, RI                           Jenison Motorsports Ford Mustang

15   26VT     John Donahue                Graniteville, VT                     Donahue Motorsports Chevy Monte Carlo

16   27NH    Wayne Helliwell Jr.        Dover, NH                              E Keys 4 Cars/Unique Ford Ford Fusion

17   28VT     Stephen Donahue          Graniteville, VT                     Donahue Motorsports Chevy Monte Carlo

18   29MA   Joshua Hedges               New Bedford, MA                Chuckran Auto Parts/NLaro Photo Toyota

19   30NH    Rich Dubeau                   Plainfield, NH                        Upper Valley Equipment Rental Toyota Camry

20   32NH    Jeff Marshall                   Gilman, VT                             Knudson Salvage/Fadden Automotive Chevy Monte Carlo

21   37QC    Marc Begin                      St-Philibert, QC                    Begin Auto Parts Chevy Impala

22   38VT     Tyler Cahoon                  Danville, VT                           Berlin Optical Expressions/P&H Transportation Chevy Impala

23   40VT     Nick Sweet                      Barre, VT                                Mansfield Heliflight Chevy Impala

24   41QC    Jonathan Bouvrette      Blainville, QC                        Globocam/DLGL Chevy

25   48QC    Alex Guenette                Terrebonne, QC                   Larue Industrial Snow Blower Chevy SS

26   58VT     Jimmy Hebert                 Williamstown, VT                 Hebert Excavation/Lowrey's Auto Chevy SS

27   64VT     Chris Pelkey                    Graniteville, VT                     Vermeer Chevy

28   72MA   Ryan Kuhn                       East Bridgewater, MA         Everetts Auto Parts/Berniers Liquors Chevy SS

29   72VT     Scott Coburn                  Barre, VT                                Coburn Motorsports Chevy Impala

30   77MA   Jimmy Linardy                Malden, MA                          Kayem Hot Dogs Chevy SS

31   81CT     Tyler Chapman               Quaker Hill, CT                     B&W Paving/Advance Resources Chevy Impala SS

32   83QC    Martin Goulet Jr.           St. Calixte, QC                       Goulet Motorsport Chevy Impala SS

33   86VT     Marcel J. Gravel             Wolcott, VT                           Gravel Motorsports Toyota Camry

34   91QC    Patrick Laperle               St-Denis, QC                          FRAMECO Ford Fusion

35   97NH    Joey Polewarczyk Jr.      Hudson, NH                           Pole's Automotive/Headman Headers Ford Fusion

36   00MA   TJ Moreshead                 Seekonk, MA                        T. Moreshead Landscaping/Miller Chiropractic Chevy Impala

37   04MA   CJ McLaughlin                 Bellingham, MA                   SciAps/Eagle Leasing Trailers Chevy SS

38   04NH    Shawn Swallow               Lancaster, NH                       North Conway Incinerator/Central Paving Chevy Impala 

as of 03.26.19