Lee, NH - Northfield, Vermont's Cris Michaud served notice Friday night at Lee USA Speedway that he is a contender for the ACT Late Model Tour's 2005 crown with a victory in the season opening event, the Seacoast Late Model Challenge 100. Michaud took the lead on the 87th circuit after race leaders, Jean-Paul Cyr then Dave Wilcox both crashed out of the top position.  Over the final 13 laps, Michaud was dogged by eventual runner-up David Avery from Lincoln, NH.  Rookie competitor, 23 year-old Scott Payea from Milton, VT was impressive in his first career Late Model start to finish third.  Completing the top five were BJ Piekarski from Nashua, NH and Turner, Maine's Shawn Martin.
With 60 cars in the pits, representing seven states, qualifying for the 34 main event starting positions was fierce.  Cool temperatures and a green race track due to recent rain didn't help conditions as many drivers found them selves spinning out of contention.  The situation carried over to the feature race as plummeting temperatures and a brisk wind added to the challenge.
Veteran racer and hometown favorite, Eddie MacDonald started on the pole and led the first 24 laps in spite of several restarts due to caution periods, mostly for minor incidents.  When the green flew on the 25th circuit, defending ACT Late Model Tour champion, Cyr, from Milton, VT powered into the lead after starting fifth.  At times Cyr extended his on-track advantage to several car lengths, only to have caution periods erase his progress.  Among Cyr's challengers were Montpelier, VT driver, Dave Pembroke; Roger Brown from Lancaster, NH;  2002 ACT Champion, Phil Scott; Lee competitor, Mark Anzalone, Avery  and Michaud.
Cyr's tenure at the front came to an abrupt halt on the 86th lap when he spun into the second turn infield on a restart.  "Turn two had been my most vulnerable spot on the track all day," Cyr recounted after the race.  "While we didn't win, we did accomplish some of our goals and one was to make a statement that we were, again, going to be a contender for the championship," he concluded.
With Cyr's demise, Dave Wilcox, the 2001 ACT Late Model Tour Rookie of the Year inherited the lead.  His stay at the front lasted for about a half a lap around the 1/3 mile oval.  Wilcox hit the wall on the backstretch when he found him self out of room in a three-wide situation.  He was not injured.
Michaud, a two-time and defending Model Champion at Vermont's Thunder Road Speedbowl assumed the point, a position he would not relinquish.  "I was just biding my time," Michaud recounted after the race.  "Jean-Paul and I had raced great together, first in the heat , then in the feature, there's no one better to race against, he's always clean.  A couple of times though, he had slipped up a bit  and I was hoping for a hole.  It's too bad the race ended for him the way it did."
Third place finisher Payea was a bit star stuck, "This is surreal, first to race with many of the guys who've been my idols, then to make the show.  And now, a top three finish.  I hope someone doesn't pinch me and it all goes away."  In spite of his good fortune at Lee USA, the youngster's goals haven't changed, "We're approaching each race with the goal of making the feature.  These cars are a lot different, wider than what I'm used to, and you don't have to muscle them as much, it'll take some time to get used to the Late Model,"  Payea moved into  ACT's top class after several years in the NAPA Tiger Sportsman class.  He started his stock car racing career in the 4-cylinder Allen Lumber Street Stocks.
The ACT Late Model Tour continues its 2005 10-race schedule with the second event of the season Sunday, May 15 at Barre, Vermont's Thunder Road Speedbowl with the previously rained out Merchants Bank 150.  Action gets under way at 1 p.m.