Английская Википедия:American Canadian Tour

Материал из Онлайн справочника
Перейти к навигацииПерейти к поиску

Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Infobox motorsport championship The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) is an independent regional stock car racing series based in the northeastern United States, and Eastern Canada. The American-Canadian Tour was founded in 1979, conducts professional races across New England and Quebec. After starting with a pair of non-point events at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina, the ACT Tour will open its 45th season in April 2023 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.

History

In 1979, television and radio journalist Ken Squier and his business partner Tom Curley formed the North Tour sanctioned by NASCAR for late-model Sportsman-type cars. With sponsorship from companies like Coors, Molson, Skoal, STP, Valvoline and General Motors, the North Tour visited the short track showplaces of the northeastern United States and Canada: Thunder Road in Vermont, Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine, Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, Thompson Speedway in Thompson, Connecticut, Sanair Super Speedway in Saint-Pie, Quebec, Cayuga Speedway in Ontario, and Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Southern stars Butch Lindley, Bill Dennis, Harry Gant, Tommy Ellis, and L.D. Ottinger were frequent visitors to NASCAR North Tour events, along with national icons Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt.[1]

As a means of transitioning toward a more modern type of race car, Curley formed the independent American-Canadian Tour in 1986, making a total changeover from the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman to the Super Late Model and Pro Stock cars used throughout the country. In 1987, Curley’s ACT aligned with Rex Robbins’ American Speed Association (ASA) of the Midwest and Bob Harmon’s All-Pro Series of the southeast, forming the Stock Car Connection. The SCC visited high-profile tracks in Cincinnati, OH; Milwaukee, WI; Nazareth, PA; and Nashville, TN; and saw visitors that included Darrell Waltrip, Mark Martin, Bobby and Davey Allison, and Rusty and Kenny Wallace, along with short track legends Dick Trickle, Butch Miller, Mike Eddy, Bob Senneker, Steve Grissom, and Bobby Gill.

With General Motors stepping up its commitment to ACT in 1989, the GM Motorsport National Stock Car Series was formed in Canada, offering large purses, even larger point funds, and coast-to-coast television coverage. Budweiser created the Bud Triple Crown as part of the GM Series, and paid Ontario’s Junior Hanley over $50,000 in 1991 and again in ’92 for sweeping the series. During Hanley’s ACT Championship years from 1991-93, the legendary Ontario driver earned more than $700,000 in winnings!

Файл:Stecroix depart.png
Can-AM 200, Circuit Riverside Speedway Ste-Croix 2011

The current American-Canadian Tour Late Models utilize a modern, cost-effective program that creates thrilling side-by-side action and has built one of the leading short track series in North America. Beginning in 1992 and taking center stage in 1996, the Late Models have introduced many innovative concepts used in several disciplines of short track racing.

ACT developed one of the first “spec” engine programs in 1999 as a cost-saving option for local and regional racers. After successful testing in the early 2000s, most teams, tracks and promoters both regionally and nationally have made the switch. The “spec” engine program expanded to include a Ford option in 2010 and added the popular GM ‘602’ in 2018. A similar cost-saving “spec” program exists with Koni and QA1 shock absorbers as well as a uniform Hoosier Racing Tire utilized by the Tour and its partner tracks and series.

Modern Day

For their efforts in the growth of stock car racing, both Squier and Curley have been inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame and the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame. In 2004, ACT founder Tom Curley was voted by more than 1,000 race promoters across the continent as the Auto Racing Promoter of the Year. In 2018 Ken Squier was ceremoniously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC for his contributions to the growth of the sport on a national, and international, level.

While Squier continues to visit Thunder Road, ACT lost its visionary leader in May of 2017 when a decades-long battle with COPD claimed Tom Curley. In November that year the American-Canadian Tour changed ownership for the first time in its storied history. Former racer Cris Michaud and Vermont businessman Pat Malone took charge of the sanctioning body after partnering to purchase Vermont’s Thunder Road earlier that season. The partnership would go on to purchase New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park in 2019.

In recent years the American-Canadian Tour has competed at tracks across New England, Quebec, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. Partnering with the Maine-based Pro All Stars Series (PASS), the two sanctioning bodies have been co-promoting events at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (CT) since 2020.

Competitors, officials, and fans alike are eagerly awaiting the 2023 season to begin. In its 45th consecutive year, the American-Canadian Tour schedule features thirteen point-counting events in New England and Quebec with highlights that include the return to Stafford Speedway, at least seven events worth $5,000-or-more to win and joining the region’s biggest weekends, including the 51st Spring Sizzler, the 50th Oxford 250 and the 61st Vermont Milk Bowl.

The American-Canadian Tour also returns as a permanent fixture in Quebec, Canada with the 10-race Serie ACT Quebec series in 2023. ACT-sanctioned weekly racing can also be found at Thunder Road International Speedbowl (VT), White Mountain Motorsports Park (NH) and Thompson Speedway (CT).

American-Canadian Tour Champions (1979-2022)

Year Champion Hometown Tour Name Starts Wins Top 5s Top 10s
1979 Harmon 'Beaver' Dragon Milton, VT North Tour 27 9 23 24
1980 Harmon 'Beaver' Dragon Milton, VT North Tour 25 3 18 21
1981 Dick McCabe Kennebunkport, ME Molson Tour 27 7 19 23
1982 Dick McCabe Kennebunkport, ME Molson Tour 33 8 25 31
1983 Robbie Crouch Tampa, FL Stroh's Tour 27 8 17 19
1984 Robbie Crouch Tampa, FL Stroh's Tour 29 5 13 21
1985 Randy LaJoie Norwalk, CT Coors Tour 30 5 21 25
1986 Robbie Crouch Tampa, FL ACT Coors Tour 27 10 20 22
1987 Robbie Crouch Tampa, FL ACT Coors Tour 20 5 13 14
1988 Robbie Crouch Tampa, FL ACT Coors Tour 21 11 14 15
1989 Russ Urlin London, ON ACT Coors Tour 21 7 19 21
1990 Robbie Crouch Tampa, FL ACT Coors Tour 22 4 14 17
1991 Junior Hanley Oakville, ON American-Canadian Tour 21 7 12 16
1992 Junior Hanley Oakville, ON American-Canadian Tour 23 10 16 19
Dave Whitcomb Essex Junction, VT ACT LMS Series 8 1 4 5
1993 Junior Hanley Oakville, ON ACT GM Goodwrench Tour 21 12 16 17
Brian Hoar Willison, VT ACT LMS Series 6 3 4 6
1994 Mike Rowe Turner, ME American-Canadian Tour 16 4 10 13
Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT ACT LMS Series 6 1 3 5
1995 Brad Leighton Center Harbor, NH American-Canadian Tour 17 7 8 14
Lance Ferno Williamstown, VT ACT LMS Series 7 1 4 7
1996 Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT American-Canadian Tour 8 2 5 5
1997 Brian Hoar Williston, VT ACT Texaco-Havoline Series 8 2 6 6
1998 Brian Hoar Williston, VT ACT Texaco-Havoline Series 9 4 6 7
1999 Brian Hoar Williston, VT American-Canadian Tour 13 5 8 10
2000 Brian Hoar Williston, VT American-Canadian Tour 12 3 8 11
2001 Pete Fecteau Morrisville, VT ACT Dodge Tour 13 2 7 9
2002 Phil Scott Montpelier, VT ACT Dodge Tour 16 0 9 14
2003 Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT ACT Dodge Tour 16 4 11 12
2004 Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT ACT Dodge Tour 14 2 8 10
2005 Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT American-Canadian Tour 10 4 6 9
2006 Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT American-Canadian Tour 11 2 6 8
2007 Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, VT American-Canadian Tour 13 0 9 11
2008 Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC American-Canadian Tour 12 3 8 10
2009 Brian Hoar Williston, VT American-Canadian Tour 13 2 8 11
2010 Brian Hoar Williston, VT American-Canadian Tour 13 3 10 13
2011 Brian Hoar Williston, VT American-Canadian Tour 12 5 9 11
2012 Wayne Helliwell, Jr Dover, NH American-Canadian Tour 10 4 7 9
2013 Wayne Helliwell, Jr Dover, NH American-Canadian Tour 14 2 10 13
2014 Joey Polewarczyk Hudson, NH American-Canadian Tour 9 2 9 9
2015 Wayne Helliwell, Jr Dover, NH American-Canadian Tour 13 4 10 13
2016 Nick Sweet Barre, VT American-Canadian Tour 13 3 9 11
2017 Scott Payea Milton, VT American-Canadian Tour 9 5 8 9
2018 Scott Payea Milton, VT American-Canadian Tour 10 2 8 10
2019 Rich Dubeau Plainfield, NH American-Canadian Tour 10 2 8 9
2020 Jimmy Hebert Williamstown, VT American-Canadian Tour 9 2 7 9
2021 Ben Rowe Turner, ME American-Canadian Tour 12 1 6 11
2022 D.J. Shaw Center Conway, NH American-Canadian Tour 13 3 11 13

Série ACT Quebec

After a five year hiatus, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent international border closure, the Serie ACT Quebec series returns in 2023 for a 10-race schedule. Split evenly between Quebec bullrings Autodrome Chaudiere and Autodrome Montmagny, Serie ACT Quebec brings a permanent presence back to Canada for the ACT sanctioning body.

Year Champion Hometown Races
2007 Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC 12
2008 Alexandre Gingras Val-Belair, QC 8
2009 Donald Theetge Boischatel, QC 9
2010 Karl Allard Levis, QC 11
2011 Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC 12
2012 Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC 12
2013 Jean-François Déry Quebec City, QC 11
2014 Alex Labbé St-Albert, QC 8
2015 Dany Trepanier St-Edouard, QC 12
2016 Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC 8
2017 Jonathan Bouvrette Blainville, QC 6

See also

References

  1. ↑ Шаблон:Cite web

External links

Шаблон:American Canadian Tour late model racetracks Шаблон:NASCAR

Партнерские ресурсы
Криптовалюты
Магазины
Хостинг
Разное

Источник — http://wikihandbk.com/ruwiki/index.php?title=Английская_Википедия:American_Canadian_Tour&oldid=13107468