2012-05-23

Helliwell's Lead Trimmed, Competition Stirs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   ACT – 052312-36

 

Attached Photo: Polewarczyk.jpg – Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (97NH) drives under Jeff White (50ME) in his runner-up effort in Sunday’s (5/20) Armed Forces 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway. (Photo by Eric LaFleche)

 

Waterbury, VT – Eight-time American Canadian Tour Champion Brian Hoar started off his title defense with convincing victories in 2012, beating out four-time Lee USA Speedway Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. by a collective car length in each of the first two events. The pair soared far above the field and looked to be gearing up for a two car battle for the 2012 ACT Championship. Last Sunday, May 20 at Oxford Plains Speedway it all changed.

 

After the ACT all-time win list leader Hoar notched the first two victories of the year, first-time winners dominated the next pair of events to carve their names into the 2012 title hunt. Helliwell shook off being second fiddle to Hoar and claimed the Spring Green 112 in commanding fashion for his first ACT win, and stole a point lead that Hoar had held for nearly three years. Coming into the Armed Forces 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, Helliwell had a comfortable 30-point lead over Hoar, who was still 19 points ahead of third place Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.

 

The storybook came unbound at Oxford when 2011 Rookie of the Year Ben Ashline rocketed to his first career ACT victory, vaulting himself from 14th to 7th in overall points, and leaving point leaders Helliwell and Hoar stuck in their own nightmare. Helliwell was forced to retire after having heating problems, leaving the #27NH car stranded on pit road in a puddle of water. Helliwell watched his point lead dwindle helplessly from the infield. Hoar tried to capitalize on the rare stumble, but struggled with tires all day and even went a lap down to a merciless Ashline before spinning out late in the race. He would eventually salvage a 13th place finish, Helliwell was credited with 30th place. 

 

This opened the door for ACT stars Joey Polewarczyk and fourth place Austin Theriault, who capitalized on the veteran’s troubles and finished second and fifth at Oxford respectively. Suddenly what looked like a two man race has turned into all out warfare from the American Canadian Tour’s top talents.  

 

Helliwell clings to a two-point margin over the hard-charging Polewarczyk. Hoar has fallen to third place, 11 points back. Theriault rides fourth, eight points off the heels of Hoar and is now the only driver on the Tour to finish in the top ten in all four races in 2012.  In a points system that awards 75 points for a win, there is no room for error for the ACT title contenders. 

 

The American Canadian Tour now takes some time off before heading to White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, June 23rd.  Many of the stars will be heading to Thunder Road in Barre, VT for the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic on Sunday, May 26. It will be the first race of the Vermont State Championship Series between Thunder Road and Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT. The four race series will feature the Northeast’s top late model talent vying to become the next Vermont State Champion. 

 

For more information head to www.acttour.com or contact us at media@acttour.com or call the ACT office at 1(802) 244-6963.

 

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Ray Junior Courtemanche apprend à la dure au Canadian Tire

   

 

Communiqué - Pour diffusion immédiate

 

 

Hors course au deuxième tour après une qualification prometteuse...

 

Montréal (Québec), le 23 mai 2012.- Toute l’équipe Bonzaï Racing se présentait les 19 et 20 mai pour la première fois au légendaire circuit routier anciennement connu sous le nom de Mosport, un ruban de 4 km de virages rapides et aveugles, tous en montée et descente. Le défi d’une première visite à cette piste, dans une série professionnelle comme la série NASCAR Canadian Tire (NCATS) où les vétérans ontariens se sentent parfaitement à l’aise, avait de quoi impressionner un Ray Junior qui trépignait tout de même de hâte de s’y lancer.

 

La seule pratique pour les voitures NCATS, le samedi midi, allait donc devenir l’unique occasion pour Ray Junior de découvrir les trajectoires idéales de ce parcours, car les erreurs se paye cher sur ce circuit à haute vitesse, en temps perdu ou en sortie de piste et dommages au matériel. Malheureusement, le moteur cafouillait toute au long de la pratique et ne tirait pas comme à l’habitude, ce qui condamna Ray Junior au bas de la liste des chronos, sans avoir pu rouler assez vite pour vraiment apprendre le circuit.

 

L’unique session de qualification avait lieu en fin d’après-midi samedi, avec un moteur pétant de santé. La tenue de route étant au rendez-vous, Ray Junior profitait des quelques dix tours de piste pour parfaire sa connaissance du tracé et remonter dans le classement pour le départ de la course de 51 tours (200 km).

 

Parti fort au feu vert, Ray entendait remonter graduellement le peloton sans trop solliciter les freins ou le moteur, pour se retrouver bien placé pour une poussée finale dans les 15 derniers tours. Mais malheur de malheur, la voiture partait en perdition dans le virage 2 et se retrouvait contre le mur, et pire encore, hors course. Comme Ray l’explique, le sort était plus que cruel : « tout le monde a travaillé d’arrache-pied pour me donner la meilleure voiture possible, puis le tout tourne au vinaigre. Nous avons souffert de problème de communications entre les francophones de l’équipe et notre chef d’équipe malheureusement unilingue anglais. Ceci aurait causé des malentendus lors de la préparation avant course et lors du choix de réglages entre la qualif et la course ».

 

Comme le dit l’expression, ce qui vous ne tue pas vous rend plus fort, et la réaction de Ray donne raison au dicton : « nous allons ré évaluer les méthodes de travail de l’équipe, notre façon de communiquer et de coordonner nos efforts, et rechercher une ou deux personnes clés pour augmenter la solidité technique de l’équipe, afin de se rapprocher du niveau des équipes plus aguerries ». De plus, l’équipe compte apporter des améliorations importantes à la voiture pour la prochaine ronde de la série. Ray Junior demeure positif : « nous apprenons à chaque sortie et améliorons la voiture. Je connais bien ICAR et nous serons bien prêts à remonter vers l’avant du peloton, je vous l’assure ».

 

Le cirque de la NCATS se présente à ICAR les 2 et 3 juin pour le Grand Prix ICAR Lucas Oil de Mirabel.Il s’agira de la deuxième course de la saison pour la NCATS, cette fois sur un circuit routier serré et technique où les spectateurs peuvent voir presque la totalité du parcours bien assis dans les estrades.

 

La course de dimanche passé, la Vortex Brake Pads 200, sera diffusée le mercredi 13 juin à 22h à TSN et RDS, en plus du dimanche 27 mai prochain (16h30) à TSN.

 

- - - - -

 

Pour information ou photos supplémentaires :

Félix Bégin, (514) 293-6081 ou  f.begin@bonzairacing.ca

 

 

            

 

 

Ci-dessous : Photo de Ray Jr Courtemanche, libre de droits,

pour utilisation média uniquement.

 

 

- 30 -

 

 


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Newberry, Bowman Lead Open Test on Michigan's New Pavement as 15 Drivers Top Track's ARCA Qualifying Record

For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 

 

(BROOKLYN, Mich.) - ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards newcomer Brennan Newberry and three-time race winner Alex Bowman led today's open testing speed charts at Michigan International Speedway, as 15 drivers posted lap times better than Cale Gale's ARCA qualifying record at the track from one year ago.

 

ARCA held the annual test to allow teams to prepare for the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan, scheduled for Friday, June 15. The race will be ARCA's 31st at the track since 1980, and will air live on SPEED at 5 p.m.

 

Newberry, driving the No. 92 Chevrolet for NTS Motorsports, posted an early afternoon lap of 37.083 seconds (194.159 mph), edging Bowman and the No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge by 0.009 second for the day's best time. Until today, Newberry had never driven an ARCA car or seen Michigan's two-mile oval. The 22-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif. has made 10 career starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series since 2010, and four in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this year.

 

"Obviously, the track is very smooth and fast," he said. "I've never been in an ARCA car before and never saw the track until today, so it was very rewarding to run so well here. I'm really not too surprised by our lap times today. The car felt so good right off the trailer. We had to make adjustments on it, but nothing drastic.

 

"We plan to come back and race and I think we'll be just as strong. My job will be to drive my tail off it, get everyone excited on this family-owned team, and see where it leads us. Hopefully, we'll get to run a few more."

 

Bowman had led the three-hour morning session at 191.266 mph, creating a buzz that more drivers would surpass Gale's qualifying mark of 189.623 mph over the five-hour afternoon period. Drivers and teams delivered after the mid-day break, as five topped 193 mph and four others drove above 192 mph. In all, 15 drivers turned laps in over 190 mph and beat Gale's time - which continues to stand as the official ARCA lap record at Michigan.

 

Bowman suffered from a flat right front tire after his fast lap and hit the Turn 4 wall, one of two incidents in that area. He did not sustain any injury in the crash, and learned something about car care in the process.

 

"We had a tire go down; it happens," said Bowman, who has won two Menards Pole Awards in 2012. "We'll be really good when we come back. I do think we'll need to keep an eye on the right front tire wear at these speeds. It's just something I think we're going to have to look out for."

 

Below Newberry and Bowman were the following drivers, in order from third to 15th: Joey Coulter, Brennan Poole, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher, Jared Marks, Kyle Larson, Matt Lofton, John Blankenship, Aleks Gregory, Brandon Miller, Dylan Kwasniewski, Clay Rogers, and Kevin Swindell.

 

Larson, 19, and Kwasniewski, 16, tested cars for Eddie Sharp Racing. Neither have raced in the ARCA Racing Series, and both currently compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Kwasniewski, of Las Vegas, leads the West point standings, and Larson, of Elk Grove, Calif., is third in the East division.

 

The full speed charts are below.

 

Morning

 

2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards

Michigan Int'l Speedway, Brooklyn MI, 5-22-12

RainEater Wiper Blades 200

May 22, 2012 / 12:11 PM

POS

NO

DRIVER/HOMETOWN

TEAM & CAR

TIME

SPEED

1

22

Alex Bowman/Tucson AZ

Cunningham Motorsports Dodge

37.644

191.266

2

16

Matt Lofton/Roxboro NC

Coulter Motorsports Chevrolet

37.714

190.911

3

55

Kevin Swindell/Germantown TN

Venturni Motorsports Toyota

37.801

190.471

4

61

Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL

Coulter Motorsports Chevrolet

37.879

190.079

5

33

Dylan Kwasniewski/Las Vegas NC

ESR Chevrolet

37.990

189.524

6

6

Kyle Larson/Elk Grove CA

ESR Chevrolet

38.101

188.971

7

25

Brennan Poole/The Woodlands TX

Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet

38.236

188.304

8

92

Brandon Miller/San Diego CA

NTS Motorsports Chevrolet

38.478

187.120

9

25A

Brennan Poole/The Woodlands TX

Venturini Motorsports Toyota

38.682

186.133

10

92A

Brandon Miller/San Diego CA

NTS Motorsports Chevrolet

38.885

185.161

11

66

John Blankenship/Knoxville TN

Venturini Motorsports Toyota

39.007

184.582

12

82

Sean Corr/Goshen NY

Empire Racing Ford

39.401

182.736

13

15

Ryan Reed/Bakersfield CA

Venturini Motorsports Ford

39.599

181.823

14

12

Jared Marks/Napoleon OH

TMR Dodge

39.622

181.717

15

35

Nelson Canache/Caracas Venezuela

Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet

39.878

180.551

16

7

Kent Schenkel/Huntington IN

Shenkel Racing Dodge

40.074

179.668

17

82A

Sean Corr/Goshen NY

Empire Racing Ford

40.458

177.962

18

45

Clay Rogers/Troutman NC

Chevrolet

41.228

174.639

19

88

Buster Graham/Lafayette LA

Team BCR Ford

41.691

172.699

20

28

Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI

Buckley Racing Chevrolet

42.691

168.654

21

18A

Chris Brown/Mt. Washington KY

Dodge

44.866

160.478

22

09

Charles Evans Jr./Pasadena TX

Team BCR Ford

45.397

158.601

 

Afternoon

 

2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards

Michigan Int'l Speedway, Brooklyn MI, 5-22-12

RainEater Wiper Blades 200

May 22, 2012 / 5:01 PM

POS

NO

DRIVER/HOMETOWN

TEAM & CAR

TIME

SPEED

1

92

Brennan Newberry/San Diego CA

NTS Motorsports Chevrolet

37.083

194.159

2

22

Alex Bowman/Tucson AZ

Cunningham Motorsports Dodge

37.092

194.112

3

61

Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL

Coulter Motorsports Chevrolet

37.129

193.918

4

25A

Brennan Poole/The Woodlands TX

Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet

37.249

193.294

5

15

Ryan Reed/Bakersfield CA

Venturini Motorsports Ford

37.299

193.035

6

17

Chris Buescher/Prosper TX

Roulo Brothers Racing Ford

37.324

192.905

7

12

Jared Marks/Napoleon OH

TMR Dodge

37.399

192.519

8

6

Kyle Larson/Elk Grove CA

Chevrolet

37.471

192.149

9

16

Matt Lofton/Roxboro NC

Coulter Motorsports Chevrolet

37.493

192.036

10

66

John Blankenship/Knoxville TN

Venturini Motorsports Toyota

37.498

192.010

11

32

Aleks Gregory/Baton Rouge LA

Win-Tron Racing Toyota

37.567

191.658

12

92A

Brandon Miller/San Diego CA

NTS Motorsports Chevrolet

37.651

191.230

13

33

Dylan Kwasniewski/Las Vegas NV

ESR Toyota

37.729

190.835

14

45

Clay Rogers/Troutman NC

Chevrolet

37.777

190.592

15

55

Kevin Swindell/Germantown TN

Venturni Motorsports Toyota

37.829

190.330

16

32A

Brandon McReynolds/Mooresville NC

Win-Tron Racing Toyota

38.052

189.215

17

99

Brandon Davis/Huntington Beach CA

Roulo Brothers Racing Ford

38.058

189.185

18

35

Nelson Canache/Caracas Venezuela

Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet

38.219

188.388

19

82

Sean Corr/Goshen NY

Empire Racing Ford

38.817

185.486

20

23

Spencer Gallagher/Las Vegas NV

Gallagher Racing Chevrolet

39.224

183.561

21

88

Buster Graham/Lafayette LA

Team BCR Ford

39.473

182.403

22

18

Trevor Edwards/Shepherdsville KY

Dodge

39.889

180.501

23

7

Kent Schenkel/Huntington IN

Schenkel Racing Dodge

39.952

180.216

24

28

Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI

Buckley Racing Chevrolet

41.327

174.220

25

18A

Chris Brown/Mt. Washington KY

Dodge

41.804

172.232

26

09

Charles Evans Jr./Pasadena TX

Team BCR Ford

43.175

166.763

 

 

 

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will visit Elko Speedway in Minnesota for the first time on Saturday, June 2, in the Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care. In 60 seasons, the tour has hosted races in 28 states, and Minnesota will be the 29th. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live audio coverage from the race, which will begin at 8 p.m. Central.

 

2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards' 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

 

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series visited Alabama's Mobile International Speedway for the first time. In June, the first event at Minnesota's Elko Speedway will give ARCA a race in a 29th state.

 

Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.

 

CONTACT:

Griffin Hickman, ARCA

 

Don Radebaugh, ARCA 

 


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