(Press Release from American Canadian Tour)
American Canadian Tour in action at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H. (Photo: American Canadian Tour/Alan Ward)
American-Canadian Tour (ACT) officials have announced the 2018 schedule of events for the ACT Late Model Tour. Ten events are scheduled at seven tracks located in four different U.S. states.
As has been custom in recent years, the 2018 season is scheduled to open with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H. on Sunday, April 15. The series will then head to Barre, Vt.’s Thunder Road Speedbowl on Sunday, April 29 for the 20th Community Bank 150.
Thunder Road is one of three tracks that will host two ACT Late Model Tour events in 2018. ACT will return to Thunder Road on Sunday, September 2 for the 40th Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic 200. The ninth event on the schedule will also be the longest event of the season.
The other two tracks hosting multiple events in 2018 are tracks that return to the ACT schedule after a one-season absence. Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway will hold a pair of 150-lap ACT events, which will be the third and eighth events on the schedule. The first event is scheduled for Sunday, May 20, while the second event will be run on Saturday, August 25 as part of Oxford 250 Weekend. They will be the only events held in the state of Maine.
Groveton, N.H.’s Speedway 51 will be the third track to hold two ACT events next season. The Caron Fabrication 151 will be held on Saturday, June 2 followed by the J.P. Sicard Inc. & Kingdom Gravel 151 on Saturday, July 14. They will be the fourth and sixth events, respectively, on the ACT schedule.
Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl will also return to the ACT schedule in 2018 with a 150-lap event on Saturday, June 16. The Tour will make its annual visit to N. Woodstock, N.H.’s White Mountain Motorsports Park for the White Mountain 150 on Saturday, August 4. After the Labor Day event at Thunder Road, ACT will crown its champion in the season-ending World Series 75 at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Saturday, October 13 as part of the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing.
ACT rules and license applications for the 2018 season are now available at www.acttour.com. For more information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963 or [email protected].
2018 ACT Late Model Tour Schedule
April 15: NH Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway (Lee, NH)
April 29: Community Bank 150 at Thunder Road Speedbowl (Barre, VT)
May 20: Oxford 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway (Oxford, ME)
June 2: Caron Fabrication 151 at Speedway 51 (Groveton, NH)
June 16: Waterford 150 at New London-Waterford Speedbowl (Waterford, CT)
July 14: J.P. Sicard Inc. & Kingdom Gravel 151 at Speedway 51 (Groveton, NH)
Aug. 4: White Mountain 150 at White Mtn Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, NH)
Aug. 25: Oxford Plains 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway (Oxford, ME)
Sept. 2: Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road Speedbowl (Barre, VT)
Oct. 13: World Series 75 at Thompson Speedway (Thompson, CT)
Speedbowl. Another notch in the belt. Another arrow in the quiver. Build those stands, build those stands, build those stands! At least two touring series believe it’s happening.
Why is the Speedbowl adding this tour to the schedule? The last time the ACT Tour was at the bowl the stands were near empty. This most likely will be another one of those high price shows that us weekly fans and teams have to shoulder the cost. I seem to remember a $32 grandstand ticket price for the last ACT race with about two or three cars on the lead lap and the Speedbowl regulars were far from being competitive. Hopefully the ticket price will only be about $20 otherwise I foresee empty stands again as this is Modified Country, as the late models fell out of favor years ago.
Doug, what’s the notch? A line on a schedule in December?
Here you go:
Whelen Modified Tour race.
Two Tri-Track Modified races.
INEX sanctioned Legends racing.
NASCAR sanctioned weekly racing.
What are, things that were scheduled to happen at the Speedbowl in 2017 and didn’t actually happen.
I think I could argue that the arrest of the managing owner in the spring is different then now but I won’t. Excellent point ChrisT. I’m just being optimistic. And happy to see Just Wondering blowing past all the issues between now and the season and being concerned with the more mundane ticket price worry many of us relate to.
Hi Doug, the Speedbowl has gone through numerous issues over the years and I have seen them all since my first trip to the Bowl in 1959. I am sure the old girl will once again be in action in 2018. One way or another the gates will open, will it be as scheduled or later like last year who knows. While I am a little concerned about any info being released by the management of the Bowl it is basically business as usual or so it seems since Terry Eames was in charge. Those making a big deal of the current issues is just noise and is no benefit to anyone. I really doubt anything anyone says here is going to make them move any faster.
I would guess that the Speedbowl staff reads the posts here and on other outlets to see what what is being said by their customers when it come day to day operations. You never know maybe they will consider making operational changes for the better after reading the fans and teams input. I am very vocal when it comes to special high priced ticket events. I remember every event back in the day had the same price regardless if the Midgets, Joie Chitwood, Powder Puff Derby or even Fireworks was on the nights agenda. Now days it seems that everyone and their brother think they have a better way to run things and keep starting new tours for everything from Mini Stocks, Trucks, Street Stocks, Tour Mods, SK Lites, Mini Mods, etc. etc. All these tours have done is water down the weekly shows. I along with 5 of my friends just stay home and play poker when we have to pay more than a couple bucks extra for some of the tours that is are on the schedule.
Daidiot likes to remind us over and over that racing series are bailing in droves, yet how many actually aren’t coming back? NASCAR, tri track and inex. That’s three.
That was a great post Just Wondering and so nice to hear a voice of normalcy over the din of strong opinions. Always great to see rich’s positive entries as well.
I get the skeptics. The ones with good intent that are not perpetually negative. I think I’m on the same page as you with regard to the limited information we hear. The Speedbowl web site updates. Of course George Whitney’s statement on his management team and plans for the stands. Scheduling series events like ACT that at the very least shows some people believe the stands replacement will happen. The lack of permits phases me not in the least. It’s a big project. Numerous permits are required and there has to be plans submitted with the application. That takes time and planing. No red flags in my book. I still don’t believe it’s that complex an undertaking time wise if planned properly and that the new stands will be limited compared to what they take out.
Joey Chitwood, boy does that take me back. 1982 or so was near the end of the full modified era at Stafford. I raced a Street Stock and Yarrington asked some of us to volunteer our cars for Joie to jump over. I did and it is now one of the special memories I have of my racing days cause otherwise I stunk as a driver. Big crowds, special events, visiting NASCAR drivers like Earnhart and Richmond and celebrities like Paul Newman. Wow. Around that time some of the Stafford Street Stock guys went down to Waterford for a special show. You remember when the track was horrendous with the concrete slab in the front stretch and the dip in turn one. Our guys got creamed in that one by your regulars and Mike Packett who was one of our guys and a front runner at Stafford said he was hanging on for dear life. Man that was funny. We thought we were the elite at Stafford.
Special show and high ticket prices are a pain for many of we regular night fans. My view I support the track and if it’s good for them and makes them a buck it’s fine with me. I try to go to a couple at Stafford but mostly attend the regular shows. Waterford only one time since it’s a haul for this old man just to show I support the track.
Look forward to reading your posts Just Wondering and have a great weekend.
Just wondering, I agree with you 100%. The tours usually bring small car counts and the races are boring for the extra money they charge you. I agree these tours do nothing to add to the shows and just create less weekly car counts. How many modified tours do we need? What’s really the benefit to running a tour versus racing at a weekly track? Are the payouts higher? Is it the competition amongst the 10 to 15 cars that seem to be on most of these tours? Any racers want to help me with this one? I don’t see what benefit they have to the tracks except higher ticket prices for us fans. It’s not like they are something different for us to see like say a racing motorcycle tour or monster trucks. I just don’t see the benefit of them for the owners, drivers and most importantly us fans. I would rather join just wondering at the card table than see these high priced boring races. Can anyone help me with understanding these tours and the benefits to having them?
Clearly not connected to any current race team Racer 28 but I have a question. The WMT is an animal un to itself and the most popular and successful attendance wise so we’ll leave them out. My observation with the VMRS at Stafford is that they bring in slightly more people in the stands and a whole extra division in the pits. Clearly I don’t how it shakes out paying another series purse but it seems like given the bump in ticket price the track may win big time. My question; how important is it that the track get bigger pay days. Is it important at all?
Shawn, can you help Doug and I better understand these tours and why the tracks even bring them in? A way to reduce tours is for tracks to stop bringing them in. Doug I think is probably correct the tracks raise the prices and make out like bandits with the bump in tickets prices. This might be a good article idea Shawn to educate those of us who love racing but hate when they raise prices for a tour to come in with 10 to 15 cars to put on a boring race.
Shawn, I second the request by Racer28 for an investigative article. What value is it to the tracks to bring in outside tours that make their weekly customers pay more? With the exception of the WMT and the Wings n Wheels event I see very little increase in grandstand attendance it seems to me the regulars race teams bear the brunt of shouldering the costs.
I wish the tracks would offer a discount to their weekly teams & competitors at these events especially when their qualifying races are cancelled like Stafford and Thompson have been known to do. So far the Speedbowl has not done this and I applaud them for that consideration.
I appose the call for racedayct to make a statement or check out the importance of special events for local tracts. Not like that makes any difference. What does a journalist know of the receipts, expenses, and profitability of a track? Why are you guys so fixated on the few special events that i’m guessing make the tracks more money and make the affordable nights possible. Selfish, selfish, selfish.
Play poker, don’t go to the special events. Odds are I won’t either. But have a little respect for the track that is providing the racing we love.
Doug, did you even read what I wrote? It’s merely a suggestion to better understand why a track brings in all these tours and charges more at the gate for product that they could do without and have just as much of a good show. I’m sure there are others That don’t understand why they even need to bring them in. That’s why I suggested an article by a journalist to better explain why they even bring them in, especially when they’re nothing different than what’s already there. I don’t need to know dollar figures I just wanted to know what there value is to the weekly racing program besides charging exorbitant ticket prices for 10.- 15 cars to show up for a parade they call a race. I will continue to defend the bowl and enjoy going to the races. I also didn’t see and understand why a racer would want to join one what’s Do they get out of it? That they can’t ar a weekly track. I had hoped Sean would think this would be a good idea for a story and a maybe a racer or two could better explain why they go on tour
I thought I read your post carefully Racer 28 cause I always look forward to seeing what you have to say. Just Wondering as well.
I’ll bow out of the article request. Maybe it’s a good idea.
As a Stafford guy first I am sympathetic to their decisions. This year they have the WMT three times, the gold standard and non negotiable. They also have the VMRS twice. A series that has a history with the track that I would assume Stafford values. Then there are the two open modified wildcat shows that no one knows anything about. The SK 5K is expensive too at $30. I just don’t see 7 special shows plus the SK 5K as being a big deal. You refer to them as making out like bandits. I say that’s OK with me. They make more money on those shows, that helps them stay in the weekly series business that’s great. I know I’ll go to 2 of the big buck shows at most. What I don’t want is Stafford to be like Thompson with only special shows.
With regard to the Speedbowl the ACT show is perplexing. This is modified country. Late Models at Stafford, Thompson and Waterford are ugly step children at best with meager car counts. I’m with you on that one………why?
I think we all agree that the regular shows at Stafford and Waterford are great values. I just view the big buck shows as the cost of keeping the value shows on the schedule. Maybe that is naive.
Shawn, any thoughts on an article to help us better understand the purpose of tours? Maybe Doug is right, they bring in the tours to keep the value shows on the schedule. Shawn any help explaining this would be appreciated.
Doug, I agree with your thought of the regular weekly shows being a fair value at their current price point but anything more is going to be too much. I really like the fact that the Speedbowls offers a $5 discount on Saturdays for us Veterans and hope they continue to offer it after the new grandstands are installed.
That being said I hope you are not correct that the special high ticket shows are supporting the weekly racing at the Speedbowl. Should that be the case, I could see weekly affordable program going away at some point as it would make more sense to just run special shows where you make more money versus doing the weekly grind of running every week where the possibility of financial reward is less than what is needed to keep the doors open.
I can see how this could be the case with Thompson as why they discontinued their weekly program. Thompson in most recent past has always run on less favorable days (Sundays and Thurs.) during the sweet spot of the season where the weather is most favorable. Thompson is also hurt that the track requires a big motor to be competitive at a higher cost to the competitors. Unfortunately the car counts dwindled and they had no other choice to run only special shows with higher car counts and pit and grandstand income.
Racer 28,
It’s definitely something I’m thinking about doing. It’s an interesting topic.
If we’re suggesting topics for articles it sure would be nice to get some idea of how pit attendance is viewed with respect to overall race program profitability. Not to get too far into the weeds is it possible that tracks today support as many divisions as possible, no matter how meager the car counts because more crews mean more pit passes? Sure sure, it was always important but with today’s sparser crowds is it more important? That final race at Waterford was insane with all the series participating. No stands required either in the pits. Just a thought.
For whats its worth, I recall back in the day (1960’s to 1980’s) when there were only 2 or 3 divisions at my favorite track (the Speedbowl) the car counts were huge and they seemed to most always have three+ heats with 8+ cars plus one or more consi’s for all the divisions. I recall many drivers that were not fortunate enough to make it into the feature coming into the stands and visiting with us fans. I have been know to even buy a beer for one or two of them and made lasting friendships with many of them. So much for the good old days.
Now days the tracks have added more divisions that have watered down the fields to smaller counts and all the Tours that have started up in the last 10 years or so have also taken drivers away from the weekly divisions as well. I would much rather see 3 or 4 high quality divisions with full car counts instead of the norm this is now with 6-7 divisions averaging 10- 15 cars or so. I know the horse is out of the barn at this point with the weekly divisions but IMO the tracks could help themselves by not giving so many race dates to tours that are taking there weekly competitors away.
Shawn maybe its time for a survery/poll of what the us race fans and raceteams alike feel about specific tours that appear at our local CT tracks. Maybe a survey where participants could rate each of the tours and weekly divisions on a scale of 1-10 to see what is the most popular and what drives us fans to the tracks.
Shawn thanks for your consideration. I appreciate your work and am greatful for your website and this forum. Happy Holidays!
And who in their right mind thinks that adding two more touring mod divisions this season is going to help anything. I suppose the only way to send the message “enough already” is to stay home.
I don’t think you have to stay home rich to make a point. Pick your spots like most of us do.
The Speedbowl just added the NEMA tour to their schedule. That may not be received well by many but it sure shows management is active. Sure the dates are not firm until next spring as someone pointed out to me but they keep adding commitments and that has to say something about the plans for the renovation.
I get you guys totally on the touring series and the Speedbowl. They are just the wild west of adding touring series on all levels.
Nobody should be complaining about nema and the bowl. They’ve been racing there since the 50’s. I’m talking about the new mod touring divisions that make it I believe six now. Do the fans want that? The drivers or the tracks?
Rich, I enjoy the NEMA races. The tracks need to start saying no to all theses tours. That was my point before regarding an article about these tours. I don’t see what the drivers get out of them, what the tracks benefit from them. I hate to see these tours take cars away from the weekly tracks and for what?? Higher ticket prices and 10-15 cars in a parade they call a race.
It’s not six. MTS suspended ops. The tracks make a profit on the back gate with these tours. It’s all about the MONEY. They make a killing on the back gate. Crank up the gen admission too. Don’t need any investigative reporting here. Obviously they are in it to make money. The NEMA pays next to nothing so the track comes out way ahead on a tour like that. Again, it’s the MONEY. They wouldn’t do it if they weren’t making MONEY. Nascar is like a club nowadays. The teams pay to play and the tracks profit. Anyway, thanks for hijacking another thread Doug. Nothing you said has anything to do with the topic at hand, the ACT 2018 schedule.
NH Mark, Doug has a very hard time concentrating and staying focused. Very short, if any, attention span.
I think it’s been an informative thread Mark. Just Wondering and Racer 28 as well as rich made some great points about the ACT tour and other tours appearing at the Speedbowl. Their affect on ticket prices and attendance. They’re actual patrons of the track and their feedback may be monitored by track management. You had the opportunity to express you partly true, turbo charged with cynicism view on money motivating the scheduling of tours. No more or less ACT related in my view. You may think people are stupid and always follow the first comment into irrelevance. I’m not seeing it. Myself I always learn something. Here the point is why ACT is at the Speedbowl? A Late Model division. If you are indeed from NH Mark how do they fare up north? What tracks to you attend and what divisions do you enjoy?
NH Mark, are you sure the back gate covers the tours appearance? I highly doubt it , lets take the folded up MTS you mentioned as an example. Say they show up with 15-18 cars bringing an estimated average of 8 crew members at $40 per head and you come up around $4,800 to 5,760 plus you can add the additional $10 ALL the regular weekly competitors are forced to pay over the normal weekly pit fee of $30 or so I still don’t think you will won’t come up with the rumored $22-$24k to have them show up. The tracks still have to raise the regular Saturday night price by $12 or so per adult head just to hopefully break even. If these tours were all cash cows for the tracks why do you think several tracks are not booking the MTS for 2018. Its a risky business to run a touring series and only the strong will survive.
It is all about the numbers, it is my guess that when high priced tour such as the MTS, VMRS, TTOMS, ISMA etc show up with a weak car count it mostly hurts the tracks, its fans, and its regular raceteams that have to pay extra just because the a tour is on the schedule. I doubt the tracks get a discount for short fields as us fans and raceteams definitely do not get a break when car count is crap. I am a strong advocate that any tour that shows up with less than a full field of 24 should be left off the schedule until they can bring a full field unless there is NO increase in grandstand or pit price tickets. I’m tired of having to pay premium dollars for less than quality shows.
I figured if the MTS folded Shawn would have the news about it here.
Can I work the numbers. Assumptions: VMRS special event at Stafford. About 85 regular teams total including SKs, Lights, LM, LLM and Street Stocks. 22 VMRS teams attend. I’m assuming 4 crew members per team including the driver. My guess on the crowd 1000.
Added $12 per front gate patron $12,000
Added $12 per pit pass regular teams 4080
Added VMRS team tickets 3696
19776
It’s all assumptions and simplistic so don’t get all worked up if you think they’re wrong. Work them yourself.
Pay the purse and I’m seeing extra money for the track but not like they struck gold. The WMT events, a completely different animal.
Rich,
No, the MTS has not “folded”.
MTS is a bad example and that’s why they are out of business. I didn’t say the back gate covers the purse. I said it is a big chunk of it. Then the increase general admission. Then the added concessions which is 100% profit. You are crazy if you think they aren’t making bank. They are in the business of making bank. That’s why they hosts the tours.
Thompson hosts a bleep ton of tours at the World Series. They aren’t doing that if it isnt making money. $75 pit admission helps of course. How many million did they spend on the road course and garage? These tracks are doing just fine financially. Why? Because they know how to make money.
Speaking of tours, ISMA lost Stafford but gained Monadnock.
I was wondering why and where people saw that the MTS had folded or suspended operations??
Just wondering I agree with you on your last point. The tracks should not charge extra if there is not a full field and they should be left off the calendar. I hate paying extra to watch 10-15 cars with little passing and no on track excitement. I can watch a parade and have more fun for free. That was my original point. NEMA is something diffent than the regular weekly divisions. Not like this ACT group. Why not just let them run with the late models. Their top finishing driver “wins” and the weekly regular top finisher “wins” and we as fans get a full field to actually watch cars race. I will never forget seeing the two laps of three wide racing this season at the bowl in the sportsman division. It was fun to watch and made for a good race. That’s what I am taking about. Not paying extra to watch boring race and supporting the weekly divisions. i wanted to know what does an ACT driver get for running this series vs staying and running at a local track. And that’s for all series… it seems to me the real issue is EGO!!! I have the car and if you don’t play by my rules than we will start another series with others that agree with me and want to play by my rules whether it’s tires, crate motors etc… I think ego and big dollars from car owners and drivers is the root of all these series. Anyone else agree?
Fake news?
VMRS is scheduling events including at the king of the region Stafford. Searching the internet the MTS seems to have no current news on next year at all. Perhaps people assumed they gave it up what with their self admitted “learning curve” issues.
From a regular Friday night at Stafford to the one VMRS event I went to I didn’t see a whole lot of difference in the crowd size. More people but certainly nothing like a WMT event. Food and drink concessions do make out a little better. But no, the increased traffic is not 100% profit since you have to pay for the burgers and fries. The increase is the fractional profit percent they get from the slightly larger foot traffic. I don’t think as far as the VMRS or ISMA races go it was that significantly more. WMT, definitely a big bump.
I don’t think it’s appropriate to imply Thompson has special events only because they make a killing on them. They have the events because they make money on them. What is more relevant is that they bowed out of weekly events cause they were losing money. It is probably not correct to imply the special events they do hold funded the addition of the road course. It’s more likely related to managements overall assessment of the changes in demographics, entertainment choices and other factors that give the facility better opportunities in the future. I’m guessing road course events bring in a younger, wealthier and more numerous demographic then weekly oval track races and that the different audience is more consistent with the other entertainment the facility offers.
Racer 28, in 99% of the time the ACT cars will run along with the local Late Model division. If a track like Wateford also ran a separate feature for their own weekly cars the same night, then that is just poor planning by the track. But ACT also visits track that do not have a Late Model division. Most of the tours do have some sort or purpose. (but I don’t think it a good idea to have tours for the SK Lights, Street Stocks, or Mini Stocks) The Valenti Modifieds came about because Claremont had a full field of weekly tour type modifieds, but wanted to switch the rules to be an SK division. (which made no sense) So the teams had to start a tour to be able run their cars somewhere. The Granite Sate Pro Stocks are essentially drivers who do not have a weekly track to run since places like Thompson, Star, Monadnock, and Lee no longer run the division and Canaan Speedway closed down. The Tri Track Modifed Series really is not hurting anybody. They only run 4 races a year, with 2 of them being in the middle of the week and another at the very end of the season when every other track is shutdown. A lot of the ACT guys at one time did run Thunder Road weekly on Thursday night and the tour races on the weekends.
JMB thanks for the information on the formation of the tours and their purpose. What you said makes sense to me. That’s the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks
Reading up on the ACT series it has extremely deep roots and many transformations over decades. Now it seems to have lost more dates and with twenty percent of it’s schedule in Ct and no Canadian events the C seems misleading. The VMRS has been around since 2002. Only the WMT is more senior. TTOMS as JMB states is limited and uniquely unthreatening from a scheduling standpoint. The MTS may not be dead but it’s almost dead. The new full modified series has yet to announce specific plans and dates. I suppose either of these two could pop up in Stafford’s open modified dates but otherwise they are kind of in limbo. The proposed new SK Light crate series is an under card event even if it does happen. Is there really any new modified series controversy at all? Isn’t it kind of in the process of shaking itself out?
Racer28. You said the tracks shouldn’t increase the ticket for tours with a smaller amount of cars. Why not? They charge more for you to get in and it sounds like you pay the extra fee to attend. You still show up and the track gets an extra $5 or $10 out of you. That’s good business if you are the track. If you stay home on tour nights that’s a loss for the track. My guess is most weekly fans just pay the higher ticket price and the track makes out which is why you have all these tours.
Concessions are all profit. The track buys a dozen hamburgers for say $10. It sells them for $5 a burger. Thats $60. They just made a 500% profit. Same with beer, water, soda and so on. It’s all profit from the get go. Now you add an extra thousand ot two for a big tour and you see how concessions make huge bank. I’ve heard of some tracks making the purse payout just in concessions.
In terms of MTS, it’s been reported by other media outlets that Mr Knight has suspended ops. Its not my place to post other sites on here. It’s 100% true though. Just the facts with me. They have suspended ops. They may do something in 2018 but not a tour or series. Honestly, after WMT, MRS and Tri Track, there are no open weekends anyway.
Doug, if you have to go read up about ACT then you need not post about it. You must like seeing your words in print. My first ACT race was 1980. No history lesson needed. Robbie Crouch, Jean Paul Cabana, Bobby Dragon. I’ve seen em all.
One thing with ACT(and with PASS also too now) is that is harder for teams from both sides of the border to cross back and forth than it was 15 years ago. Imagine the same thing has come up with the DIRT modifieds. ACT sanctions another series that runs some events in pretty much Quebec only for Canadian drivers.
The statement is concessions are all profit. Using your example Mark the revenue generated of $60 represents a profit of 83.3% after including the cost of the product. The 500% you sight is not the profit on the entire investment, it’s the revenue the hamburger will generate on the investment. It also does not take into consideration the cost of rolls and condiments nor the fixed costs for labor, insurance and other none variable costs to make the hamburger available at the track. Moreover if the we are talking about the VMRS or ISMA at Stafford where the crowd may have been only slightly larger there is no significant added concession revenue to account for.
Not posting other sites that make your point is the same as saying your heard a rumor and you’re passing it along.
With regard to researching and expanding of topics Mark lets make a deal. I’ll let you be in charge of the I’m a geezer and have seen it all you young whippersnapper comments. And I’ll research anything and at any time I like without regard to how you feel about it at all.
I stand corrected. ACT may not have events in Canada outside of the series JMB referenced but has several drivers from Canada.
In the last three ACT events at White Mountain, Thunder Road and Thompson they got between 26 and 29 cars starting the feature. Makes the management of the Speedbowl look like very smart people that can think outside the box. ACT apparently is thriving.
If you care to explain JMB why is it so much more difficult to cross the border now.
Doug,you realize how uninformed you sound when you yap about things you have no idea about. No, well every one else does. For a guy who goes to six or so races a year you talk about everything and anything to the point where it’s unhealthy.
Teams have been getting held up at the boarder for hrs and days in one case. Big issue for the Canadian ACT Series guys wanting to come south. Doug, you can Google it and be a subject matter expert on the topic by the end of the day. The boarder issue came to light ahead of the North South Shootout this year.
You now have to have a passport to cross into the US from Canada(and Mexico too). Plus either side can hold up you entry or refuse to let you in if they find something in your background they don’t like or are not sure about your reason for crossing. Earlier in the year one of the PASS teams got to the border and the driver and hauler were allowed to cross, but the crew was refused entry to Canada. So the driver had to go home, drop off the crew and drive back by himself and find volunteers when he got to the track. There was also the issue with the King Racing\Cassius Clark team getting stuck in US customs for 3 days a few weeks ago when trying to get to Hickory from Canada. That seemed to be case of whoever was working the border crossing that day not liking something or being in a bad mood. The team had crossed into the US several times before this year and had been doing so for like 30 plus years before that.(and the car owner runs a major trucking company in Canada so he knows the do’s and don’ts for crossing the border)
Thanks JMB for the inside scoop. I have to give that PASS driver credit. An awful lot of effort for one race. Unfortunate that the Canadians are having so much trouble since otherwise based on car counts the ACT series is kind of an under the radar success story. At least to many of we modified fans. Maybe Waterford did a really good thing putting them on the schedule.
A favor please NHMark. Could you please let me know how many comments in racedayct your perception of my racing attendance will purchase. Also the subjects I may discuss and how long the entries can be. With your help I’ll do a full analysis of the maximum entries I can make using the business degree I could say I have from UCONN that I may or may not actually have and that is clearly not relevant being that if it happened at all it was so long ago I forgot everything. Then I’ll subsequently forget all your nasty comments not because I’m old and have a short memory although that is definitely on the table. But mostly because you’re the cliche of the angry old man I strive to avoid. Admittedly, not always successfully.
It works both directions. I believe it was the World of Outlaws that had to cancel a race this year in Canada because of issues getting the team transports in to Canada. It might have been DIRT, but I believe it was WoO.
I’m actually not that old. I was a young pup in 1980. Im quite handsome too I’m told. Quite happy too. I only have a few minutes a day to “play” on here. I’m up at 5am, all day working for the man, gym, family time, etc.
You are like an addict. You were a once in a while poster with interesting takes. Now you are on here non stop day and night. You have a problem. It’s ok not to post on every single topic. Especially ones you have to Google first. Everytime a new topic is posted you immediately start with something DaReal said two years ago. The fact that you research things someone said years ago is more evidence you have a problem. You spend more time on here than Shawn. You’ve single handly made this site not fun anymore. Thankfully, you haven’t found the other places folks talk racing.
It’s not my perception either, you told us how many races you attend a few weeks ago. I’m not going back to find the exact quote because I have a life and I really don’t care that much too look. We can compare college GPA’s some other time.
Anyway, this is boring me. I’m out.
NH Mark, I don’t think Doug has a college GPA to compare.
Doug wrote, “A favor please NHMark. Could you please let me know how many comments in racedayct your perception of my racing attendance will purchase. ”
Is there a question?
Doug wrote, “With your help I’ll do a full analysis of the maximum entries I can make using the business degree I could say I have from UCONN that I may or may not actually have and that is clearly not relevant being that if it happened at all it was so long ago I forgot everything.”
Business school? LOL!!!
That explains plenty!!! LOL!
I believe I said I may or may not have graduated from UCONN and if I had it was so long ago that I would have forgot everything I learned. Then there is the beer. All that beer. Simply frightening to think about all of it in total and it’s affects over the years on knowledge memory even if there was any there in the first place.
So the point is that anything said in the comment section is only as relevant as the degree to which people find it credible. As well as the degree to which people have regard for the source. Like your observation Mark that you’re a handsome guy as you’ve been told. People either believe it or not depending what they think of you.
As for your entries I see where your coming from and the point you are making. You’re goal is to add as little to the conversation as possible, make it clear your recollections are valuable on their own, never research anything to refresh your memories and say everything you have to say in relationship to the value or disdain you have for others. It works for you.
NH Mark, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Good thing I don’t judge a book by its cover, I go for the content. You contribute interesting content. 🥃
ACT used to do a lot more cross-border stuff. In ’07 they acquired a Quebec-based crate LM tour that they rechristened as the Serie ACT running under their rulebook, so since then they’ve had an affiliated tour in addition to whatever races they ran over the border. There were a couple drivers from as far as Ontario running ACT rules as well.
The last time the US-based Tour raced for points in Quebec was 2015; they had four cross-border events that counted toward each championship. By then Sanair Super Speedway had dropped off the schedule (I believe the track’s closed, but not 100% sure). In 2016 they shortened some of the US-side features, one of the arguments being that the exchange rate wasn’t favorable to Canadian traveling teams and they had to reduce costs somehow. There were a few things going on at the end of that season that resulted in a press release dissolving the Serie ACT altogether in favor of some new sanctioning body, but a bunch of Quebec-based ACT teams seemed to side with the Tour. The Serie ACT continued this year with a new series director and a six-race schedule. The US Tour, meanwhile dropped all but one race in Maine last year, seeing as there aren’t any weekly teams to draw from Maine. At least the Seekonk and Thompson dates make sense, as there’s a base of ACT-rules crate Late Models in the area.
This year the Serie ACT has nine races of their own between three tracks in Quebec. There are a couple others they could court but I’m guessing maybe they already have. A tenth date is being talked about, and a rumor this week in a French-language paper suggested it could be a road race at GP3R. With one exception, the races don’t conflict with the US Tour, so there should be some crossover throughout the year, though usually it’s limited to the early season when the Serie ACT guys are waiting for their year to begin.
The ACT went through a lot organizationally this year with the death of Tom Curley. I’m glad to see a decent schedule for 2018, though I was hoping Star Speedway (introducing ACT-rules LMs as a weekly class this year) might get a race back.
Great post Jeff B. Mind if I ask where you’re from and how you have such insight into what’s going on north and south of the border? Are you a Late Model guy? Do you have an opinion on the ACT race at Waterford?