The American Canadian Tour’s Late Model cars will make just one stop in Maine next summer.
The regional racing tour issued a 14-race schedule for the 2013 season Thursday and the only Maine race on it will be an Aug. 17 150-lap event at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough.
The schedule was issued less than a month after Tom Mayberry, founder and promoter of the rival Pro All Star Series tour, purchased Oxford Plains Speedway, which has hosted two ACT races annually for the past several seasons.
For the past six seasons, entry in the TD Bank 250, held annually at OPS, has been restricted to the Late Models, similar to the cars that run on the ACT tour’s.
At the time of the purchase, Mayberry said the PASS tour’s more powerful Super Late Models will be allowed to enter the 250, which has a payout of as much as $50,000 to the winner. Modifications can be made to the Late Models to bring the two different types of race cars into alignment with each other, he said.
To make up for the loss of race dates in Maine, ACT Commissioner Tom Curley said his racing tour has added dates at tracks in New Hampshire.
“I think a number of Late Model cars that used to run weekly at Oxford Plains will run at selected ACT races in New Hampshire,” he said. “Most of our races in New Hampshire are a two-hour or less drive away,”
ACT also has scheduled a big-money race for Late Models for July 20-21 at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., which will pay $25,000 to the winner. That event will be held the same weekend as next summer’s TD Bank 250.
“We thought about bringing the tour to Wiscasset, to Unity or to Interstate 95 (in Hermon), but things are still a little unsettled at those race tracks,” Curley said.
Two years ago, the ACT tour returned to Beech Ridge after a lengthy hiatus.
“The ACT tour has a good fan base that follows it around, and we seem to draw good crowds when they run at our track,” said track owner Andy Cusack.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
Twitter: PaulBetitPPH
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