ACT’s Young Champions Leads 29 Car Roster to New Smyrna Speedway

Series Release

2014 American Canadian Tour (ACT) Champions Alex Labbe, (21 years old), of St-Albert, Quebec and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (Pole), (25 years old), from Hudson, New Hampshire, have both been celebrated by their peers for their championship runs last season. They now lead twenty-nine (29) teams from eight (8) different states and the province of Quebec to the New Smyrna Speedway World Series of Asphalt Racing on Sunday-Tues, February 15-17, 2014.

The ACT teams will open competition with a 100-lap event on Sunday, February 15, 2015 immediately following the season opening event for the NASCAR K&N Series at New Smyrna Speedway. Races on Monday and Tuesday nights for the American Racer Cup will take place at the New Smyrna Speedway. Each 100-lap feature will provide a separate winner. The overall combination of points on Monday and Tuesday will determine the winner of the American Racer Challenge Cup. The total purse and prize money posted for the three ACT events is over $55,000.00.

Quebec has the most teams entered with seven (7), featuring, in addition to Labbe, former ACT Champions Patrick Laperle of Montreal and Donald Theetge from Quebec City. The always tough Quebec team will also feature Jean-Pierre Ouimet, Martin Latulippe, Daniel Descoste, and Brandon White. Following the ACT events, Labbe, Theetge, and Latulippe plan to compete in the Super Late Model division events for the remainder of the World Series week of racing.

New Hampshire and Massachusetts will each send five teams on the mid-winter southern trip. ACT US Champion Joey Pole is the defending champion of ACT’s first trip to New Smyrna in 2011.

“I can’t think of a better way to start the defense of our Championship in 2015 than to grab the win in the American Racer Challenge Cup again. Even though these races are not point races for our upcoming season, it is a great way to get an early feel for the season. It is not going to be easy, last time at New Smyrna I only won by a point over Brian (eight-time ACT Champion Brian Hoar), and it looks like this year is really packed with talented teams”, said Pole.

Two-time ACT title holder Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, Kyle Welch from Newport, Aaron Fellows from Croydon and Luke Hinkley of Claremont will make up the balance of a very potent New Hampshire team.

The surprise for the 2015 trip was the number of Massachusetts teams which will be represented on the Florida trip. Massachusetts is tied with New Hampshire with five teams. One of the favorites to win any ACT event is Eddie MacDonald from Rowley, MA. The Rollie Lachance-led team has three (3) New Hampshire Motor Speedway Bond Auto ACT Invitational victories, (2) Oxford 250 titles, and the Freddy Petersen-owned team won the Thunder Road 52nd annual Milk Bowl last October. Veteran NASCAR racer Tom Carey, Jr. of New Salem, MA, will join the Falconi race team at New Smyrna, and long-time ACT competitor Jimbo Linardy from Somerville, MA will return to New Smyrna. Pete Yetman of Peru, and Eddie Leclerc from Taunton, round out the Massachusetts field.

The State of Vermont will send four (4) teams to Florida. Top five point teams in the 2014 ACT standings included Jimmy Hebert (2nd), of Williamstown, and Emily Packard (4th), from E. Montpelier. They have both proven to be skilled long track racers. “I really am looking forward to heading south. New Smyrna fits my style. I love Airborne (1/2 mile in Plattsburgh, NY) and the mile at New Hampshire. I hear New Smyrna is a little like a big Lee USA, and since that was my first win in ACT racing, I hope that is a good omen for our chances,” said Hebert.

Long time veteran and former winner at NSS, Eric Chase of Milton, VT, and 2014 rookie Josh Demers, E. Montpelier, a Thunder Road Speedbowl regular, make up the balance of the Vermont team.

The Pine Tree State of Maine, sends a trio of young talented racers of ACT racing. Rowland Robinson, Jr., from Steuben will join Travis Stearns of Auburn, driving for Richard Green Racing, and Bradley Babb from Windham will take over the wheel in the Joey Laquerre Late Model at the American Racer Challenge Cup.

The state of Connecticut will be represented by the Rocco brothers. Twins Keith of Berlin and Jeff of Wallingford will both make the trek south. Both are well known throughout Connecticut for their Modified success at Waterford Speedbowl, Thompson Speedway and Stafford Speedway. Keith is also a multi-time Late Model Champion at Waterford.

Three additional states will send single team representatives.

Rhode Island sends ACT veteran Ray Parent from Tiverton. Parent finished third in his ACT Championship bid in 2014, won his first ACT point event on the ½ mile at Airborne Park Speedway, and is the 2012 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Invitational winner. “This is our second trip to New Smyrna Speedway. The first trip in 2011 was our first race with ACT and we knew we needed to get competitive real quick to race the season with the ACT Late Model teams. It turned out to be a decision I have never regretted. I am really looking forward to the three races down South,” said Parent.

The 2014 Rookie of the year was Brandon Atkins from Au Sable, New York. This 18 year-old is one of the new young faces of ACT racing. Atkins conducted a test session at New Smyrna a year ago; however, this will be his first competitive effort at the super fast ½ mile.

A surprise entry makes up the eighth state represented. One of the newly appointed NASCAR “Drive for Diversity” team members, Dylan Smith from Concord, North Carolina, has entered the American Racer Challenge Cup. Smith started his career at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Barre, VT in an ACT Late Model.

There will be three events of 100 laps each on Sunday-Tuesday, February 15-17, 2015. Teams will draw for starting positions in the heat races and will use the unique ACT plus/minus system for feature line ups on Sunday and Monday. The second leg of the American Racer Challenge Cup on Tuesday will be lined-up based on an inversion from the first leg finish on Monday. (ACT’s plus/minus rewards driver’s points for each position gained in the heat races. Drivers who improve their position in the heats get a “plus” value, while drivers how lose spots in the heats get a “minus” value. These values decide the feature starting line-up).

ACT Roster for New Smyrna Speedway
Car #   Driver                               Hometown
1CT      Keith Rocco                     Berlin, CT