Story By: AMERICAN-CANADIAN TOUR – WATERBURY, VT – The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) has announced the point fund for the inaugural New England Late Model Challenge Cup. The champion will receive a $5,000 top prize in the new regional series designed to reward weekly racer.
A total of 33 drivers registered for the first Challenge Cup season, creating a point fund of $17,300. The top-10 in the final standings will all receive a payout on top of whatever prize money earned at their home track. Top weekly and regional racers such as Wayne Helliwell Jr., Jason Corliss, Stacy Cahoon, Woody Pitkat, and early point leader Ryan Morgan are among those aiming for the $5,000 champion’s share.
The runner-up in the 2021 ACT Challenge Cup is slated to get a $2,500 bonus. Third place earns $2,000 with $1,700 for fourth. Each of the top-10 in the season-long standings will take home at least $700.
Multiple contingency awards are also on the line. Port City Racecars and Crazy Horse Racing will raffle off a brand-new ACT chassis at season’s end. To be eligible, drivers must have registered for the Challenge Cup by the April 5 deadline and run at least 10 eligible events.
ARBodies and Five Star Race Car Bodies have also posted $500 product certificates for a season-ending draw. These will be raffled off among drivers who finish in the top-10 in points and run that respective body type throughout the year.
Drivers can earn points at nine different tracks this year. Vermont’s Thunder Road; New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park, Lee USA Speedway, Monadnock Speedway, Claremont Motorsports Park, and Hudson Speedway; Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway and New London-Waterford Speedbowl; and Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway are all part of the 2021 Challenge Cup.
Several tracks have already run eligible Challenge Cup events. Through the first weekend of May, North Franklin, CT’s Ryan Morgan is the early leader. Morgan has declared Thompson Speedway as his “home track” and came in second at the annual Icebreaker. He then made the trip to Seekonk Speedway on Sunday, May 2 for their opener, where he posted a 5th-place finish. With both events meeting the 18-car “full field” requirement under the Challenge Cup point system, Morgan is off to a strong start.
Seekonk regulars Gerry DeGasperre Jr and Mark Hudson also started their Challenge Cup seasons at Seekonk with top-10 finishes. Derek Gluchacki, Woody Pitkat, Charles Bailey III, Brian Tagg, and Charles Bailey IV have an event in the books from the Thompson Icebreaker.
There’s still a long way to go, though. Thunder Road and White Mountain Motorsports Park, who have the most registered Challenge Cup drivers, have yet to begin their weekly Late Model seasons. White Mountain has its first eligible Challenge Cup event this Saturday, May 8 while Thunder Road opens the Late Model doors on Sunday, May 30. Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl, which has several racers gunning for the Challenge Cup, also will run its first Late Model event on May 8 as part of the annual Blastoff.
