By Lou Modestino
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) will next appear at the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, ME on Saturday, August 9. The Hudson, New Hampshire native, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (Pole) has to be considered a favorite to win the race. In the 2014 ACT Championship standings Pole has a comfortable 56 point lead over second place racer Jimmy Hebert, from Williamstown, VT. He is also winless so far during the 2014 campaign.
Pole has compiled an impressive record during the first half of the 2014 season. In the ACT races to date, the 97NH team has three second place finishes, two third place finishes and two fourth place finishes. He also led the Pro All Star Super Late Model event at Beech Ridge and contended for wins in the Star and White Mountain events he entered this year, and also recently won the Lee USA Granite State Pro Stock race. Pole won the 150 lap Beech Ridge ACT event in 2010; he was runner up to Eddie MacDonald from Rowley, MA in 2013.
“I guess you could say we are a little frustrated that we have not won an ACT race yet this year, but our goal was to win the ACT Championship and we have worked hard to position ourselves as we head to the home stretch. I like the 1/3rd mile at Beech Ridge, it is kind of a neutral track for ACT, and nobody really has a lot of laps there so we kind of all start out on a clean page. I really want a win, so hopefully we will get lucky and take care of that next week (August 9th),” said Pole.
Two Vermont youngsters, Emily Packard and Jimmy Hebert are tied for second going into the Beech Ridge event; two winning veterans Ray Parent from Tiverton, Rhode Island, and defending ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. from Dover, New Hampshire are less than 20 points from Packard and Hebert. All are expected to compete at Beech Ridge on Saturday night, August 9.