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Woodard Wins Again to Clinch Flying Tiger Championship
Daniel Holben photo
Waterbury, VT —Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert kept up a remarkable late-season rebirth by taking his third American-Canadian Tour (ACT) win of the year in the Fall Foliage 200 at North Woodstock, NH’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Sunday, September 26. Hebert ran down North Dartmouth, MA’s Derek Gluchacki and went three-wide with 26 laps to go for the victory and a $5,000 winner’s purse.
It was the latest in a nearly-perfect stretch for the reigning ACT champion. In the six races following his opening-event win at the Northeast Classic, Hebert had endured the worst stretch of his ACT Late Model Tour career. In the last three events, though, Hebert has finished 1st, 2nd, and 1st, putting him back well into the top-five of ACT points.
Eight-time White Mountain track champion Quinny Welch of Groveton, NH earned the pole in qualifying and led the first 43 laps while holding off Turner, ME’s Ben Rowe. The multi-time Pro All Stars Series (PASS) champion got his nose inside Welch several times and managed to lead one circuit following a caution for a tangle between Corey Mason and Shawn Swallow, but Welch quickly moved back out in front.
Following another caution flag on lap 50 when Mason and Stephen Donahue got cracked up entering turn four, Raymond, NH’s Alby Ovitt became the new challenger. Like Rowe, he got to the door of Welch on multiple occasions and managed to lead a lap, but Welch kept using the momentum of the high side to his advantage. As the battle raged, Gluchacki and Hebert had worked their way into the top-five after starting mid-pack.
Gluchacki got around Ovitt for second near the halfway point when Ovitt broke loose trying to pass Welch. When the fourth and final caution flag flew on lap 110 for Reilly Lanphear’s spin, several contenders when to pit road for fresh right-side tires, including point leader D.J. Shaw, Gabe Brown, Jeff Marshall, and Bryan Mason. The leaders stayed out, though, and on the restart, Gluchacki blew past Welch for the lead. Hebert and Dillon Moltz followed him through as the handling quickly went away on Welch’s car.
As Gluchacki drove away from the field, Hebert did his best to fend up Moltz while also saving enough for a late run. He was able to do just that, and with 40 laps remaining, Hebert decided it was time to go.
The multi-time White Mountain winner needed just 12 laps to erase the two-second lead Gluchacki had built up. When Gluchacki went inside Bryan Mason with 28 laps to go to try and put him a lap down, Hebert dove under both of them coming off turn two. They negotiated the next two turns without laying a glove on each other, and Hebert took the top spot with 174 laps on the scoreboard.
Gluchacki then fell into the clutches of Moltz, as they duked for the second position, Hebert drove off into the beautiful White Mountain foliage. It was the 10th career ACT victory for Hebert, giving him the ultimate momentum going into next weekend’s Northfield Savings Bank Vermont Milk Bowl at Thunder Road.
New Sharon, ME’s Moltz finally got past Gluchacki with six laps left to finish second. Conway, NH’s Gabe Brown, who was nearly a lap down after a spin on lap 60, drove back through the field to steal third from Gluchacki on the final lap. Ovitt, Rowe, Shaw, Tyler Cahoon, Welch, and Erick Sands completed the top-10.
Thanks to a heat race win and the bonus points for leading a lap, Rowe unofficially leads Shaw by one point in the ACT standings with two events to go. New Salem, MA’s Tom Carey III, who entered White Mountain third in the standings, was the victim of a hard crash in qualifying and didn’t even get to start the feature.
Waterbury Center’s Jason Woodard put a stamp on the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tiger championship by winning his sixth Tiger feature of the year and seventh overall at White Mountain. Woodard started seventh in the first 25-lap segment and patiently waited out a traffic jam at the front. Once a lane opened, Woodard took it, going past Michael Potter with seven laps remaining to get the Segment 1 victory.
The second segment was much of the same with Woodard patiently navigating from shotgun on the grid. He eventually got up to the second position, and while he didn’t have time to catch Barton, VT’s Shane Sicard for the perfect score, his combined total of three points was more than enough for the overall win and the championship.
Sicard combined his Segment 2 victory with a fourth in Segment 1 for five points, which gave him second overall on a tiebreaker over Thetford, VT’s Brandon Gray (2nd and 3rd). Tanner Woodard (8 points) and Bryan Wall Jr. (9 points) rounded out the top-5.
Northfield, VT’s Josh Vilbrin won the two-segment exhibition event for the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors. Vilbrin drew the 12th starting spot for the first 20-lap segment and navigated through some intense side-by-side action, eventually crossing the Segment 1 line third behind Barre, VT’s Taylor Sayers and Jamie York.
In the second stanza, Vilbrin and York were again able to come from the back while Sayers stalled out mid-pack. Vilbrin grabbed the segment lead from Justin Blakely following a lap-seven caution and watched in his rear-view mirror as Blakely and York waged war for second. York finally got past Blakely after some slight contact with two laps to go. Both Vilbrin and York had a total score of four points, but Vilbrin was awarded the victory because his better finish in the last segment.
Sayers finished third overall after adding a fifth place in Segment 2 to his Segment 1 victory. Nate “Tater” Brien (4+4) and Blakely (7+3) were fourth and fifth in the final rundown.
Newly crowned GoMotorsportsShop.com NELCAR Legends Tour champion Trevor Krouse of Gorham, ME sped to victory in the 30-lap INEX feature. Tiverton, RI’s Reagan Parent started on the pole and led the first six laps before West Newton, MA’s Luke LeBrun muscled his way past entering turn one.
Krouse powered through the open door to second, then stalked LeBrun as they pulled away. Coming into turn three with 13 laps on the board, Krouse dived inside LeBrun and made it stick to take the lead. LeBrun tried to come back on him over the final 17 circuits but could not do so. Parent finished third followed by Joshua Parsons and Giovanni Ruggiero.
Tiverton, RI’s Richie Helger Jr. went wire-to-wire for victory in the NELCAR Bandolero youth 20-lap feature. Helger had his hands full with West Warwick, RI’s Mike LaFort III in the early goings, but LaFort pushed just a little past the edge and spun out of turn two with nine laps complete.
T.J. Moon moved into the second spot on the restart, and after both LaFort and Grayson Day went around in separate incidents with five laps to go, Moon had one more shot. But Helger was prepared and motored off to victory in the Bandoleros’ first appearance at White Mountain. Adam “Hollywood” Harrison ducked beneath Jase Monegan in the last corner for third.
Many of the biggest ACT Late Model stars will be at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road for the $10,000-to-win Northfield Savings Bank Vermont Milk Bowl on Sunday, October 3. The three-day event begins with Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Milk Bowl Friday on October 1 and Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day on Saturday, October 2. A total of 10 divisions are in action, including the PASS Super Late Models, PASS Modifieds, North East Mini Stock Tour, and Thunder Road’s local division. A three-day ticket is $50 for adults, $15 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids ages 5 and under. Single-day tickets are also available.
The ACT Late Model Tour season resumes at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Saturday, October 9 at 2:30pm. The Sunoco World Series 75 presented by Twisted Tea is part of the three-day Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing, which includes the return of the Thompson 300 for the Outlaw Open Modified Series and 16 other divisions. Saturday-only tickets are $30 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids ages 5 and under. Three-day tickets are $75 for adults and $20 for kids ages 6-12.
For more information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com or www.whitemountainmotorsports.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.
WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK — North Woodstock, NH
FALL FOLIAGE WEEKEND DAY #2
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2021
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
Pos., Start Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Laps
1. ( 12 ) Jimmy Hebert ( 58VT ) , Williamstown, VT , 200 Laps
2. ( 8 ) Dillon Moltz ( 5ME ) , New Sharon, ME , 200 Laps
3. ( 5 ) Gabe Brown ( 47NH ) , Conway, NH , 200 Laps
4. ( 9 ) Derek Gluchacki ( 03MA ) , North Dartmouth, MA , 200 Laps
5. ( 7 ) Alby Ovitt ( 35NH ) , Raymond, NH , 200 Laps
6. ( 2 ) Ben Rowe ( 4ME ) , Turner, ME , 200 Laps
7. ( 10 ) D.J. Shaw ( 04VT ) , Center Conway, NH , 200 Laps
8. ( 19 ) Tyler Cahoon ( 38VT ) , Danville, VT , 200 Laps
9. ( 1 ) Quinten Welch ( 78NH ) , Groveton, NH , 200 Laps
10. ( 3 ) #Erick Sands ( 36NH ) , Derry, NH , 200 Laps
11. ( 15 ) #Shawn Swallow ( 04NH ) , Lancaster, NH , 200 Laps
12. ( 6 ) Jeff Marshall ( 32NH ) , Gilman, VT , 199 Laps
13. ( 18 ) Corey Mason ( 1NH ) , Groveton, NH , 199 Laps
14. ( 4 ) Bryan Mason ( 10NH ) , Milan, NH , 199 Laps
15. ( 14 ) Mark Jenison ( 22RI ) , Warwick, RI , 199 Laps
16. ( 23 ) Kris Matchett ( 17ME ) , Skowhegon, ME , 194 Laps
17. ( 17 ) Stephen Donahue ( 2VT ) , Graniteville, VT , 193 Laps
18. ( 20 ) Peyton Lanphear ( 22VT ) , Waterbury, VT , 193 Laps
19. ( 22 ) Matt Anderson ( 49NH ) , Franklin, NH , 192 Laps
20. ( 24 ) David MacDonald ( 69ME ) , New Gloucester, ME , 188 Laps
21. ( 13 ) Scott Dragon ( 0VT ) , Milton, VT , 176 Laps
22. ( 21 ) Reilly Lanphear ( 21VT ) , Duxbury, VT , 134 Laps
23. ( 16 ) Jamie Swallow Jr. ( 4NH ) , Lancaster, NH , 43 Laps
24. ( 11 ) Jimmy Renfrew Jr. ( 00NH ) , Candia, NH , 17 Laps
DNS Tom Carey III ( 5MA ) , New Salem, MA
DNS Rich Dubeau ( 30NH ) , Lebanon, NH
Lap Leaders: Quinten Welch, 1-43; Ben Rowe, 44; Welch, 45-62; Alby Ovitt, 63; Welch, 64-110; Derek Gluchacki, 111-173; Jimmy Hebert, 174-200. (7 lead changes among 5 drivers)
Time of Race: 1 hour, 1 minute, 8 seconds Margin of Victory: seconds
Cautions: 4 (laps 43, 50, 59, 110)
Heat Winners: Bryan Mason, Alby Ovitt, Ben Rowe
Consi Winner: Tyler Cahoon
WELLS RIVER CHEVROLET FLYING TIGERS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Seg 1, Seg 2, Total
1. Jason Woodard ( 68VT ) Waterbury Ctr., VT, 1, 2, 3
2. Shane Sicard ( 4NH ) Barton, VT, 4, 1, 5
3. Brandon Gray ( 00VT ) Thetford, VT, 2, 3, 5
4. #Tanner Woodard ( 68NH ) Waterbury Ctr., VT, 3, 5, 8
5. Bryan Wall Jr. ( 77NH ) East Kingston, NH, 5, 4, 9
6. Ryan Ware ( 32VT ) East Burke, VT, 6, 7, 13
7. Matthew Potter ( 23VT ) Marshfield, VT, 8, 6, 14
8. Michael Potter ( 23NH ) Plainfield, VT, 7, 8, 15
9. Travis Patnoe ( 22VT ) Wolcott, VT, 9, 10, 19
10. Chris Laforest ( 56VT ) Barre, VT, 11, 9, 20
11. Jody Sicard ( 49NH ) Gilmanton, NH, 10, 11, 21
BURNETT SCRAP METALS ROAD WARRIORS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Seg 1, Seg 2, Total
1. Josh Vilbrin ( 07 ) Northfield, VT, 3, 1, 4
2. Jamie York ( 68 ) Barre, VT, 2, 2, 4
3. Taylor Sayers ( 95 ) Barre, VT, 1, 5, 6
4. Nate Brien ( 16 ) Williamstown, VT, 4, 4, 8
5. Justin Blakely ( 08 ) Barre, VT, 7, 3, 10
6. Rodney Campbell ( 10 ) Worcester, VT, 9, 6, 15
7. Kevin LaForest ( 49 ) Barre, VT, 8, 7, 15
8. Tyler Whittemore ( 77 ) Barre, VT, 5, 11, 16
9. Mark Beaulieu ( 1 ) Essex Jct., VT, 6, 13, 19
10. Jacob Hall-Larsen ( 12 ) Northfield, VT, 12, 8, 20
11. Nicholas Copping ( 50 ) Barre, VT, 11, 9, 20
12. Jason P. Kirby ( 71 ) Milton, VT, 10, 10, 20
13. Trisha Copping ( 35 ) Barre, VT, 13, 12, 25
GOMOTORSPORTSSHOP.COM NELCAR LEGENDS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Trevor Krouse ( 15 ) Gorham, ME
2. Luke LeBrun ( 88 ) West Newton, MA
3. Reagan Parent ( 17 ) Tiverton, RI
4. Joshua Parsons ( 09 ) Carver, MA
5. Giovanni Ruggiero ( 7 )
6. Ty Leclerc ( 33 )
7. Mason Tessier ( 42 )
8. Frankie Sweeney ( 82 ) Belmont, NH
9. Jake Blake ( 85 )
10. David Stone ( 3D ) Sanford, ME
11. Connor Holderbach ( 38 ) Wolcott, CT
NELCAR BANDOLEROS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Richie Helger Jr. ( 99 ) Tiverton, RI
2. T.J. Moon ( 9 ) Poland, ME
3. Adam Harrison ( 47 )
4. Jase Mongeon ( 00X ) Charleston, MA
5. Mike LaFort III ( 19 ) West Warwick, RI
6. Joey LeMay ( 8X ) No. Smithfield, RI
7. Grayson Day ( 19X ) Saco, ME
