Did the ACT Invitational Live Up to the Hype?

The First Annual ACT Invitational race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is now in the books. There was plenty of hype and high expectations leading up to the event. So did it deliver?

For me, the race was the highlight of the weekend. It was the second best race of the Sylvania 300 weekend. The wild finish in the Camping World Series race the night before was going to be tough to beat, but the ACT guys came close. But more importantly, they proved the deserved to be in the show.

This race was a huge test for so many people - the ACT officials & promoter, all the teams that were invited and especially the drivers. Not to mention the equipment!

Everyone came through and the event was a huge success. The equipment held up and performed flawlessly. The only real equipment failure was a tire on Ben Rowe's car, that caused one of the two cautions in the event.

Many people were predicting a crash fest. Those people have not spent much time following the ACT Tour, but instead were likely basing their prediction on the reputation of some Late Model short-track racers in general. The ACT showed what a professional tour they are.

The drivers all showed respect on the track - to both the track and the other drivers. They were 'racey' when they needed to be, there was passing through out the field and for the lead. In fact there was more passing than I expected.

Do they deserve a return in 2010? No Question.

NHMS General Manager Gerry Gappens hinted that the tour will likely return when he said, “With only two cautions in the entire race, one for a cut tire that sent Ben Rowe into the fence and the level of competition of ACT drivers coming through the field, it was as exciting as we’d hoped. ACT drivers showed a lot of respect, but never gave an inch. It was great racing.”

I spoke briefly with long time NASCAR announcer Ken Squire after the race, and he spoke with tremendous pride about the ACT. He said, "I have been telling people about this tour for years, how great they are. Now they came here and proved it."

ACT President Tom Curly stated, “There are several details to be worked out but the reaction from the speedway and the crowd made it an unqualified success.”

There was a great crowd that were on their feet cheering as the field took the initial green - and just as many on their feet cheering as Eddie MacDonald took the checkers.

Over all, it was a great race that lived up to the hype. The guys all proved they belonged and deserved the invitations they received. For those fans that were on hand to watch, the had to be impressed. In fact for those on hand that don't spend much time at their local short track, this could give them incentive to check their local track out in the future. That might end up being the most important thing to come of this event, the growth of the short track racing in the northeast region again.