Bryar Motorsports Park

Location: Loudon, NH

Track: 1.63-mile road course; 5/8-mile oval

Opened: 1964 (road course), 1968 (oval)

Closed: 1989

# of ACT Races Held: 6 (3 road course, 3 oval)

Most Wins: Chuck Bown & Robbie Crouch, 2

A Brief History of Bryar Motorsports Park

The history of racing in Loudon actually begins around 1962 (or 1963; it’s not entirely clear). Keith Bryar, the owner of Belknap Tire in Laconia (which is still open today), also owned a property in nearby Loudon where he kenneled the sled racing dogs that powered his favorite pastime. He also ran a small kid’s amusement park on the property, which included a go-kart track. In the early 1960s, Mr. Bryar noticed the success of various new short tracks opening up in the area and decided to build one for himself.  Thus 106 Midway Raceway was created, a small clay over that quickly became a hit, regularly drawing crowds of 5,000 or more.

Location: Oxford, ME

Track: 3/8-mile semi-banked oval

Opened: 1950

# of ACT Races Held: 77

ACT Pro Stock Tour/NASCAR North – 44

ACT Late Model Tour – 31

ACT Sunoco Regional Series, Region 1 – 2

Most Wins:

ACT Pro Stock Tour/NASCAR North – Robbie Crouch, 9

ACT Late Model Tour – Eddie MacDonald, 5

ACT Sunoco Regional Series – Ralph Nason/Mike Rowe, 1

A Brief History of Oxford Plains Speedway

The story of Oxford Plains Speedway begins in April 1950, when George Damon bought 200 acres of flat, lightly wooded land in the town of Oxford. Six weeks later – thanks in large part to the work of engineer Harold Small – the most modern racing facility in Maine hosted its first event, with “Hutch” Hutchins winning the first feature. But it wasn’t on the track we know today. In fact, the original Oxford Plains Speedway was a ½-mile dirt track. It continued to host events on this configuration throughout the 1950s, drawing a then state-record 12,000 fans on May 27, 1950 for their Memorial Day race.

The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) will be heading south this spring. ACT and Pro All Stars Series (PASS) officials announced today that the ACT Late Models have been added to the Inaugural PASS Commonwealth Classic at Virginia’s Richmond Raceway on Saturday, March 30 at 1:00pm.

Location: Barre, VT

Track: ¼-mile high-banked oval

Opened: 1960

# of ACT Races Held: 124

ACT Pro Stock Tour/NASCAR North – 53

ACT Late Model Tour – 71

Most Wins:

ACT Pro Stock Tour/NASCAR North – Robbie Crouch, 13

ACT Late Model Tour – Brian Hoar, 8

A Brief History of Thunder Road

Thunder Road opened its doors for the first time on June 30, 1960 with a crowd of more than 5,000 on hand. Built on former farm land on Quarry Hill, the track was conceived by local radio station operator (and future NASCAR Hall of Famer) Ken Squier and Reginald “Spade” Cooley, a paving contractor and owner Cooley Brothers Construction. Squier had been the announcer for other tracks in the state, including the Northeastern Speedway in Waterford, VT that opened the previous year. While most tracks of the time were dirt tracks that bordered on temporary, Squier envisioned a paved facility that would be constructed to provide decades of racing entertainment.

Location: Quebec City, QC (née Val Bélair, QC and Val-St-Michel, QC)

Track: 1/3-mile semi-banked oval

Also Known As: Autodrome de Quebec, Quebec Modern Speedway

Opened: 1961

Closed: 1987

# of ACT Races Held: 19 (ACT Pro Stock Tour/NASCAR North)

Most Wins: Jean-Paul Cabana, 6

A Brief History of Autodrome Val Bélair

Autodrome Val Bélair, then known as Quebec Modern Speedway, first opened its doors on July 19, 1961. At the time, the only track in the Quebec City area was the clay oval Autodrome Ste-Thérèse-de-Lisieux. In response to pleas from many fans and competitors for an asphalt track, local race team owner Omar Briére borrowed some money and oversaw construction of the new 1/3-mile asphalt oval in just eight weeks. Under Briére’s ownership, the track raced three days a week – oval racing on Wednesdays and Saturdays followed by Figure-8 racing on Sunday. Innovative features such as covered grandstands and seat warmers also allowed him to extend racing season all the way to the end of October.

Location: Milton, VT

Track: 1/3-mile semi-banked oval

Opened: 1965

Closed: 1987

# of ACT Races Held: 51 (ACT Pro Stock Tour/NASCAR North)

Most Wins: Robbie Crouch, 12

A Brief History of Catamount Stadium

The idea of Catamount Stadium was first planted in 1964. Thunder Road Speedbowl, the track in Barre owned by radio station owner Ken Squier and paving contractor Reginald “Spade” Cooley, had opened in 1960 and was well-established by this point. At the same time, NASCAR was growing beyond its Southern roots and becoming a household name thanks to its national Late Model Sportsman and Modified series. Squier, Cooley, and others realized that a track located in the right place could be even more successful by bridging the gap between Thunder Road and Plattsburgh, NY’s Airborne Speedway.

Some extra cash will be on the line for the stars of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) next June. ACT officials have announced the 2019 Summer Kickoff Series, a trifecta of $5,000-to-win events that will be held throughout the Northeast.

Colchester’s Scott Payea and car owner Rick Paya, along with the rest of the RPM Motorsports team, were officially crowned the 2018 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) champions on Saturday, November 18. The 2018 ACT Banquet of Champions, held at the Capital Plaza in Montpelier, VT, celebrated all the top performers from the 27th season of competition for the ACT Late Model Tour.

American-Canadian Tour (ACT) officials have announced the 2019 schedule for the ACT Late Model Tour. The 10-race series with be held at six tracks throughout the northeastern United States and the Canadian province of Quebec.

Do you like numbers? We’ve got some numbers for you! The 2018 American-Canadian Tour season crammed a lot into a short amount of time, and we’ve got the numbers to back it up. What first-time winner milestones were reached? How did this year’s rookies stack up to past years? Just how good has Scott Payea been for the last two seasons? We have the answers to those any many other questions. Check out the numbers behind the year that was and come back often for more off-season content!