2015-11-19

Payea Returning to ACT with RPM Motorsports

Payea Returning to ACT with RPM Motorsports

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                             ACT111915-145

 



<<ATTACHED PHOTO (tr06201337.JPG): Scott Payea (#89VT), seen here before a Thunder Road Late Model event in 2013, will return to the ACT Tour in 2016 with RPM Motorsports. (Alan Ward/Big Al's Photos photo)>>

 

Waterbury, VT – RPM Motorsports has announced that former American-Canadian Tour (ACT) standout Scott Payea will join the team for the 2016 ACT Tour season. Milton, VT's Payea returns after two years off from racing to compete for the Tour championship behind the wheel of the RPM Racing Engines Ford with car owner and crew chief Rick Paya.

 

Payea previously competed on the ACT Tour for six seasons beginning in 2005. He was the ACT Rookie of the Year in 2005 and finished runner-up in points for three straight years from 2007-2009, losing the 2008 championship to Patrick Laperle by a single point. Payea also won five Tour events, including two victories in the Merchants Bank 150 at Barre, VT's Thunder Road as well as wins at White Mountain Motorsports Park, Waterford Speedbowl, and Airborne Park Speedway.

 

He then competed weekly at Thunder Road from 2011 through 2013, finishing in the top-10 in points each year. Payea retired from racing at the end of the 2013 season to spend more time with his family, but after two seasons on the sidelines, he jumped at the unexpected chance to return.

 

"I went to a few races to watch with my son, and I found out that there's no middle ground for me," Payea said in an RPM Motorsports press release. "I either wanted to be out there on the track or not there at all, so I didn't go too often. In the back of my mind I was hoping I would get another shot, but I never expected to have a car owner like Rick call me and want me to drive."

 

Payea joins a team which has won eight ACT Tour Championships and nearly 40 ACT Late Model races with drivers including Jean-Paul Cyr, Brian Hoar, Nick Sweet, and Austin Theriault. RPM Motorsports recently won the final two races of the 2015 ACT season at Airborne Park Speedway and Thompson Speedway with Brian Hoar at the controls. But Hoar announced in Victory Lane at Thompson that he was stepping away from racing to spend more time with his own family, creating the opportunity for Payea to return to the driver's seat.

 

"The announcement of Rick Paya and his RPM team bringing Scott Payea back to the 2016 ACT Tour can prove to be a game-changer," ACT President Tom Curley said. "We know the kind of credentials that the RPM team brings to any organization, and Scott certainly proved what an outstanding racer he had become before he made the decision to spend some time with his young family. That decision alone shows the character of Scott Payea. This team will be strong beginning with our opening event at Lee USA Speedway in April. Teams that love to compete, like early contenders Wayne Helliwell Jr. and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., will be happy to have this kind of quality competition joining us on the 2016 ACT campaign."

 

The 2016 ACT U.S. and Série ACT schedules are expected to be released by Thanksgiving. For more information contact the ACT offices at 802.244.6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com. For more information on RPM Motorsports call 802.524.7406or visit www.motorsports.rpmenginesvt.com.

 

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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 19.11.15 0 comments

PASS South Ready For Mason-Dixon Meltdown At Hickory This Weekend

PASS South Ready For Mason-Dixon Meltdown At Hickory This Weekend




-       For Immediate Release

 

CHARLOTTE, NC (November 18) – Top short track racers from across the country are making their way south as they prepare for this weekend's Mason-Dixon Meltdown 200 at the legendary Hickory Motor Speedway.  This Saturday's 200 lapper at Hickory also doubles as the 2015 season finale for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model division.  The South's longest running and most prestigious short track championship will be decided between points leader Tate Fogleman and challengers Zane Smith, Matt Craig, and Jody Measamer.

Although not in reach of the championship, Nashville, NC's Jeff Batten is on the verge of completing his strongest season yet in PASS South Super Late Model racing.  In only his second season racing Super Late Models, Batten sits fifth in points.  But, that was a goal he and his team really did not fill was attainable this year.

"It's awesome that we're in the top five in points right now, but we really hadn't been points racing due to me missing a couple of races because of my work schedule," said Batten, driver of the Batten Ceramic Tile/Digital Repair/Hutson Insurance Chevrolet #49.  "Hopefully we can get out of Hickory with a top five and end the season on a good note and carry some momentum to the offseason."

            Following in the footsteps of his Uncle John, himself a longtime PASS South competitor and former track champion at Kenly, NC, Jeff Batten struggled at the start of the 2015 season.  But, an uptick in performance late in the year has Batten optimistic for a good finish in the Mason-Dixon Meltdown.

            "Hickory is a good track for us," said Batten.  "We always seem to have good speed, but we just don't have the finishes to show for it.  Hopefully we've got that turned around this weekend and we get the finish we need, to show for the speed we've had lately."

            Another driver hoping to make his mark in PASS Super Late Model racing is Texas newcomer Derek Scott, Jr.  Scott was the fastest qualifier for the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway in April.  After starting 7th, Scott quickly made his way into the lead on lap 17, before eventually fading to a ninth place finish due to mechanical problems.

            "Experience is the key to a good quality race and we got that at Hickory this Spring," says Scott, driver of the Derek Scott's Auto Park Chevrolet #01.  "The transmission had issues and we lost power steering in the last 30 laps at Hickory in April.  So we're definitely looking forward to getting back there this weekend."

In addition to Batten, Scott, and the PASS South championship contenders a great group of drivers have pre-entered for this weekend's Mason-Dixon Meltdown at Hickory.  Former 3-Time PASS National Champion and former Mason-Dixon Meltdown winner, Ben Rowe, will be joined by his father and newly crowned PASS North Champion, Mike Rowe, in team cars out of the Richard Moody Racing stables.  Georgia's Kyle McCallum and Maine's Trevor Sanborn will be teammates for the Woodman Racing team, who will also be supporting the efforts of Rhode Island's, Kyle Desouza.  Vinnie Miller will be driving a team car to that of championship contender Zane Smith for Crooks Racing, while Northwest legend Garrett Evans will be making his first ever start at Hickory.  Two drivers with a lot of laps at Hickory, Jimmy Doyle and Brandon Setzer, will be back looking for their first PASS South wins, along with rookie Walker Yates and veterans Clay Rogers and Brandon Ward.  And, Connecticut's John-Michael Shenette and Maine's Mike Hopins will be making their first trips to North Carolina to attempt their first PASS South start.

Action begins on Friday, November 20 at Hickory Motor Speedway with open practice for all divisions from 2-5 PM. OnSaturday, November 21, practice will begin at 11 AM with qualifying starting at 1:30 PM for the PASS South Super Late Models, PASS Pro Late Models, USAC Eastern Midgets, and Legends Cars, and feature racing at 3 PM.

Entry forms and the complete weekend schedule for this weekend's Mason-Dixon Meltdown at Hickory Motor Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America's premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the legendary AIM Recycling Oxford 250 Presented By Kenny U-Pull at Oxford Plains Speedway and PASS South's Easter Bunny 150 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway.  For technical information concerning all PASS divisions please send questions to passracing@roadrunner.com.  For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or alandietzpass@live.com.  And, don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

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Scott Payea Returning to American-Canadian Tour in 2016 with RPM Motorsports


      Scott Payea Returning to American-Canadian Tour in 2016 with RPM Motorsports
            Veteran racer making comeback with eight-time ACT Late Model Tour championship team  

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                               RPM-111915-2  
         GEORGIA, VT – Scott Payea is back.  The veteran Late Model stock car driver has joined champion car owner and crew chief Rick Paya for a full-season schedule on the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) with RPM Motorsports in 2016.  The pairing marks a new era for the RPM team and a return to the driver's seat for the Milton, VT racer after a two-year hiatus.
          Scott Payea was a top ACT contender for several years before taking a break to spend time with his young family.  Payea was an immediate force upon joining ACT in 2005, finishing third in the first start of his career.  He went on to claim the Rookie of the Year title that season and was the championship runner-up three straight years in 2007-09, winning five ACT races during that time.  Payea scaled back from touring in 2010 to race locally at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT before hanging up his helmet at the end of 2013.
         Engine builder, crew chief, and RPM Motorsports owner Rick Paya has played a part in hundreds of short track victories during his career, and has won a total of eight ACT championships with drivers Jean-Paul Cyr and Brian Hoar.  The RPM team won the last two ACT Late Model Tour races of 2015 with Hoar behind the wheel, but, somewhat ironically, it was Hoar's recent decision to step away from racing and spend more time with his own family that opened the door for Scott Payea to return. 
         "Scott wasn't really on anyone's radar because he hasn't raced in the last couple of years, but he was always on mine," Rick Paya said.  "Scott was my first choice to drive the car after Brian left.  I called him out of the blue, and I think I took him by surprise.  I'm really excited that he said yes."
          Scott Payea admitted that he was shocked by both the phone call and Rick Paya's confidence in his abilities as a driver. 
"I was walking home from the park with my kids a few weeks ago when my phone rang," Scott Payea said.  "Rick and I talked a couple of times, and I went to the race shop told Rick I thought it would be great if we could work something out, but he said, 'No, it's a done deal, you're my driver.'  That was pretty amazing." 
          Scott Payea said that attending races and being on the sidelines over the last two years was more difficult than he had anticipated.  He also did not anticipate that he would have the opportunity to drive for RPM Motorsports. 
           "I went to a few races to watch with my son, and I found out that there's no middle ground for me," he said.  "It was hard.  I either wanted to be out there on the track or not there at all, so I didn't go too often.  In the back of my mind I was hoping I would get another shot, but I never expected to have a car owner like Rick call me and want me to drive." 
         The RPM Motorsports team expects to use the first few events in 2016 as a time to jell and come together as a group, but given Payea's rookie impact in 2005, and RPM's 2009 ACT championship in its first season with Hoar behind the wheel, history may be on their side.  
          "I think the hardest part will be training people how to spell our last names right," Rick Paya joked.  "I know Scott will be just fine after a couple of practices next Spring, and the whole team is really excited to see how we do together." 
           "Initially the goal is for me to knock the rust off after two years, but I'm obviously pairing up with a team that is accustomed to having a great deal of success," Scott Payea said.  "I hope that makes everything easier.  It's an incredible opportunity, and I'm super, super excited to get the season started." 
            RPM Motorsports is in the midst of sponsorship negotiations for the 2016 season and is hopeful to announce its marketing partners soon. 
            The American-Canadian Tour's 2016 schedule is expected to be announced near Thanksgiving.  For more information on ACT, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com. 
            RPM Racing Engines, home of RPM Motorsports, is based in Georgia, VT and has nearly 30 years of winning history.  RPM Racing Engines builds power in several motorsports disciplines, but specializes in ACT's and PASS "spec" programs. For more information, call (802) 524-7406 or visit www.rpmenginesvt.com.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                - END -                                                                                                                                


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