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.
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ACT would like to thank all the fans that really made the event at NHMS so special for all the teams that participated. We also are grateful to Jerry Gappens and the SMI group for 'rolling the dice' with us and allowing short track teams to have a racing experience they previously could only dream about. We would also like to thank the entire staff of officials at ACT for the two days of work that helped make the event a success. It was a good day for short track racing!
ReplyDeleteTom Curley
I was pleasently surprised by the restraint and maturity that was shown by the competitors. For the 1st time on a big track for most the drivers showed the respect for each other that hopefully will carry over to next years series. Tom Curley should give a video to each competitor as an intro to ACT in 2010 and tell them "This is the kind of driving we want to see." For criticism: The starting order should never have been set the way that it was. The standard "qualifying then inverting" method should be used for next year. Also 50 laps was not enough. 75 would have given more of the middle tier (faster group) a better chance to get around the slower cars running 2 and 3 wide. I realize that NHMS allowed only so much track time but lobby for a morning start time instead of end of day. Overall, you guys did a great job. How about a New England weekend next year with the CW East series, the Modifieds and the ACT Series. I'd buy a ticket for that
ReplyDeleteI thought it was an excellent performance by a bunch of guys that have almost no big track experience. It gave me a lot more respect for some of them.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a good race too, and I hope they can come back next year.
ReplyDeleteACT certainly increased awareness & value, i never saw that many people on a Sat at NHMS or NHIS, and if Curley decides to sell ACT i think he may have found a buyer
ReplyDeleteAs a member of an ACT team, I say the staff of NHMS were simply the best to deal with. It was a pleasurable expierience. Thanks to Soup and the N.E Racing crew,the lobster and beer was great!
ReplyDeleteNow that some of these teams have some experience on this track, they should have an even better race next year. This series has a very bright future.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Modified fan and enjoyed the ACT race very much. Run ACT with the Whelen Modified Tour in the summer. Add lights for a first-ever night race and you would have a sure-fire success story. If fans pack Martinsville for a first night race with just the Mods, imagine what a combination race with Mods AND ACT could draw!
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