(Press Release from American-Canadian Tour)
Auto racing fans around the world will get to enjoy the inaugural Northeast Classic at Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 17. The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and Pro All Stars Series (PASS) have been reached with Speed51.TV to broadcast the event live via pay-per-view from “The Magic Mile”.
A six-division card is on tap for the motorsports extravaganza that has been more than a year in in the making. Speed51.TV will have it all, including 50-lap, $5,000-to-win shootouts for the ACT Late Model Tour, PASS Super Late Models, and Tour-type Modifieds. They’re joined by the EXIT Realty Pro Truck Challenge, North East Mini Stock Tour, and an 8-Cylinder Street Stock Open.
The pay-per-view costs $29.99 and is available for purchase at www.speed51.tv/products/ppv-northeast-classic-at-nhms-april-17-2021. The broadcast is part of a multi-year agreement with PASS to showcase the series and its partners for viewers everywhere.
“Thanks to Speed51.TV, the debut of the Northeast Classic has gotten even bigger,” PASS president Tom Mayberry said. ““People have been looking forward to the Northeast Classic since we first announced it in late 2019. Now fans can watch it live even if they can’t make it to New Hampshire. Or they can buy the broadcast and watch later if they have to work during the day. That sort of flexibility is means everyone who wants can watch some great racing on the Magic Mile.”
“It’s a huge thing for us as a team and our sponsors,” Kulwicki Driver Development Program finalist Ryan Kuhn added. “It helps to really promote them, especially with Speed51 broadcasting. I think there’ll be a lot of viewership. We’re going to have a lot of friends and family watching, and people around the country are going to be watching this event. It’s really good to promote these drivers and series, and to advertise our sponsors — especially if we run up front on race day.”
The entry list for each series on the card is full of big names. More than 30 drivers are officially committed to the ACT Late Model Tour event, including defending ACT champion Jimmy Hebert, recent Hickory Motor Speedway double-podium finisher Ben Rowe, 2017 ACT Invitational winner Woody Pitkat, former ACT Rookie of the Year Dylan Payea, and 2017 Thunder Road Late Model champion Bobby Therrien.
The Northeast Classic is the opener for a 12-event point-counting ACT schedule with nearly $50,000 worth of season-ending awards. Along the way, six ACT-sanctioned events will pay at least $5,000 to win, making it one of the richest seasons in the 30-year history of the series.
It all starts at New England’s only superspeedway. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a track that almost every racer in the area wants to compete at. Capturing a win would be even more meaningful.
“Winning at New Hampshire would be huge,” East Bridgewater, MA’s Kuhn said. “That’s one of my bucket-list races. I circled this one and the Oxford 250 on my calendar — they’re the two races I want to win really, really bad. Loudon’s been my favorite track and probably my best track. We’ve always run good no matter what we’ve taken there. We’ve been there three times, had three top-10s, and had a shot to win the ACT race there last year. Hopefully we can do that again and this time park it in Victory Lane.”
The PASS Super Late Models, meanwhile, have nearly 40 drivers confirmed for their 50-lap event. They include five-time and defending PASS North champion D.J. Shaw, two-time PASS North champion Travis Benjamin, multi-time NHMS winner Eddie MacDonald, and 2019 PASS National champion Mike Hopkins. This year’s event is part of the PASS National Championship, attracting even more drivers who want wrestle the crown from Hopkins.
Rowe, Shaw, and Jake Johnson are among those with official plans to run both the ACT and PASS features. Kuhn hopes to as well, though his PASS entry is dependent on repairing a blown engine recently suffered during a doubleheader at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway.
The Tour-type Modified entry list includes former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Bobby Santos III, multi-time NASCAR winner Craig Lutz, respected Modified veteran Charlie Pasteryak, and rising star Chase Dowling. Eight-cylinder Street Stockers such as Ryan Waterman, Kyle Gero, Jimmy Renfrew Jr., and Adam Maynard will battle for the $1,000 top prize in their open show.
The Northeast Classic at Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway opens the Northern New England racing season on Saturday, April 17. A six-division card features $5,000-to-win events for the ACT Late Model Tour, PASS Super Late Models, and Tour-type Modifieds. The EXIT Realty Pro Truck Challenge, 8-Cylinder Street Stocks, and North East Mini Stock Tour are also on the card.
Qualifying begins at 11:00am with features at 1:30pm. Admission is $30 for adults and $10 for kids ages 12 and under. A live pay-per-view is available on Speed51.TV for $29.99. Visit www.acttour.com/northeast-late-model-classic for the complete schedule, camping registration forms, and other info.
For more information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour. To learn more about Speed51.TV, visit www.speed51.tv.
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