ACTion News Wednesday, October 17, 2007
-by Justin St. Louis

Is it racing season yet?  Okay, just kidding.  After 39 events (combining all Thunder Road and American-Canadian
Tour race dates), a little break is nice to have, but a part of us still wishes there was a race going on
somewhere.  Actually, come to think of it, the annual Oktoberfest is at Lee USA Speedway this weekend, with Late
Models on the 10-division open comp card.  Brent Dragon and Ryan Vanasse were said to be thinking about it so
it looks like well have to check the results next Monday.

Keep in mind that Thunder Road Champion Dave Pembroke, ACT Late Model Tour campaigner Jamie Aube, and ACT
Tour/Série ACT Castrol part-timers Mike Lavoie and Ryan Nolin have run successfully at Lee USA this season. 
Against the likes of Ricky Wolf, Jeff Labrecque, Keith Larmie, Bryan Kruczek, Jeremy Harclerode, rookie hotshot
Miles Chipman, and back-to-back Track Champion J.R. Baril, things could get very interesting this weekend.  It
wouldnt surprise anyone to see Oxford Plains Speedways T.J. Watson, who ran well in a handful of events at Lee
late in the year, make the trip.

Speaking of Vanasse, he was headed toward the win in the D. Anthony Venditti Memorial at Seekonk Speedway last
weekend before a spin out of the lead sent him to the rear.  He finished 12th when all was said and done.

***

The rumor mill has lots and lots of interest in ACT race cars and spec motors coming out of Canada these days,
especially in Ontario.  Dragon and Pembroke report that Ottawa-area drivers have placed calls Vermont, and one
racer even trekked to the shop to kick some tires.  Pembrokes runner-up finish in the Série ACT Castrol event at
Capital City Speedway seems to have lit the fires for a few teams.  A couple of drivers from the Kawartha Speedway
fraternity have been name-dropped, as well.  Well keep following the stories as they unfold.

***

Balloting has been mailed out to competitors for the Série ACT Castrol Sportsmanship and Most Improved Driver
awards.  The Banquet of Champions will be held at the Best Western Hotel Universal in Drummondville, QC on
Saturday, November 17 (ticket order deadline is Monday, October 29 P.O. Box 296, Waterbury, VT 05676, or call
802-244-6963).  Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, QC will be feted as the Série ACT Castrol Champion, while Éric St-
Gelais of St-Nicolas, QC will receive Rookie of the Year laurels.

St-Gelais will likely receive some nominations in the Most Improved category, as he steadily made gains as the
year progressed.  The former Super Sportsman Champion at Autodrome Montmagny made a brief debut behind the wheel
last season, turning out a full campaign this year.  His best result was a fifth-place run at no surprise,
really Autodrome Montmagny in June.

Along with the soon-to-be-crowned freshman champion, expected nominees (its a write-in ballot) include fellow
rookies Jonathan Desbiens, Kevin Roberge, and Stéphane Durand.  Desbiens and Roberge, both in their teen years,
drove Late Models for the first time.  Durand, who finished high school before either of the younguns was born,
was also a true greenhorn.

***

Did you know?

-The last time at least one rookie driver in each of the top three divisions at Thunder Road finished among the
Top 10 in overall standings was 1995 until this season.  Chip Grenier finished sixth overall in ACT Late Model
standings on his way to the Thunder Road Rookie of the Year title this season, while Joel Hodgdon captured the
rookie honors in the NAPA Tiger Sportsman on his way to third place overall.  Bobby Therrien won both the Rookie
of the Year and the division Championship trophies in the Allen Lumber Street Stock division.  Joining him in the
Top 10 were Mike Ziter (6th) and Maynard Bartlett, Jr. (10th).  For the record, the 1995 drivers were Late Models
Eric Williams (6th) and Mike Bruno (8th), Sportsman Rick Garand (2nd), and Street Stocks Marcel Gravel (6th) and
Jamie Fisher (8th).

- The last time at least one rookie driver in each of the top three divisions at Thunder Road earned a feature win
was 2002 until this season.  Grenier, Hodgdon, Therrien, and Ziter each scored in the W column in 2007, and
were joined by Sportsman racers Kyle Tatro and Shawn Sicard.  In 2002, the rookie winners were Mike Perdue (Late
Model), Fred Dezan (Sportsman), and Ryan Nolin and Billy Combi (Street).  The triple also happened in 1995, 1998,
and 1999.

-Tommy Thunder Smith of Williamstown, VT finally proved Dave Moodys stroker theory wrong Smith is the all-
time wins leader among active Street Stockers at Thunder Road with 15 victories, but had never finished inside the
top ten in points, prompting Moody to question (publicly, but lovingly) whether Smith was playing the handicap to
start up front and help with the wins.  All the while, Smith preached engine failures, transmission linkages,
flywheel bolts, what have you, saying Moody didnt know what he was talking about.  For at least 2007, ol Tommy
Thunder was right he finished ninth in points AND took two feature wins!  Congratulations to Thunder, and may he
and Moody enjoy a nice Thanksgiving dinner together.

Near a computer?  Check out all the highlights of the 2007 racing season at www.acttour.com and
www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.  If you like French, www.laserieactcastrol.com is the place for you!  Also, be sure
to check the websites regularly for news and announcements throughout the off-season.