Waterbury, VT — For the first time in nearly a month, the ACT New England Late Model Challenge Cup (NELMCC) has a new racer at the top of the standings. Raymond, NH’s Alby Ovitt now leads the pack as the weekly Late Model season ratchets up across the region.

Ovitt surged to the top of the heap after snagging his third podium finish of the year at New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, June 5. The veteran came from 11th in a 25-car field to finish second, netting him 41 points under the unique Challenge Cup point system. It was Ovitt’s third outing of the season where he scored 40-plus points, giving him 165 total in 5 events.

A total of 31 drivers have now run at least one event in search of the $5,000 Challenge Cup top prize. Everyone who runs at least 10 Challenge Cup events will qualify for a Port City Racecars/Crazy Horse Racing ACT chassis raffle. Those who finish in thp-10 in points receive a point fund check and could also win a product certificate from ARBodies or Five Star Race Car Bodies.

The road to the Challenge Cup point lead for Ovitt has been a winding one. Ovitt’s original 2021 plans were to run the full White Mountain Motorsports Park season for Renfrew Motorsports. However, Ovitt parted ways with that team in early April. Instead of taking time off, Ovitt decided to put together his own operation on short notice with support from New England Concrete Foundations.

In Ovitt’s first outing with the new car, he finished fourth. Two weeks later, he drove from 27th to 3rd in a 50-lap feature. Despite a broken steering system in the track’s SpringBoard 100 on Memorial Day weekend, he’s still put together enough strong performances to be the new number-one in the chase for the Challenge Cup.

Interestingly, though, Ovitt is not the White Mountain Late Model point leader. That honor goes to Gilman, VT’s Jeff Marshall, who sits second in the latest Challenge Cup standings with 162 points. Marshall has been a model of consistency this year, finishing between 3rd and 7th in every White Mountain feature. Those runs have given Marshall a steady stream of Challenge Cup points while the track’s semi-feature system puts him just ahead of Ovitt in the “King of the Mountain” battle.

Meanwhile, previous point leader Gerry DeGasperre Jr. of East Providence, RI had his first stumble of the year last weekend. The multi-time Seekonk Speedway champion spun out of the top-5 in the closing circuits at the track’s Saturday night feature. The result was a 13th-place finish that earned him just 10 points, dropping DeGasaparre to third behind Ovitt and Marshall.

Still, DeGasparre has a golden opportunity to take the lead back. White Mountain Motorsports Park is hosting the ACT Late Model Tour, which means they will not have a Challenge Cup-eligible feature. Seekonk Speedway is in action, leaving the door open for Southern New England drivers.

Several other notable performances occurred in the past week. After a slow start to the year, Ovitt’s fellow White Mountain regular John Donahue is on fire. “Irish John” of Graniteville, VT won the 100-lap main event on May 29, then came from 22nd to finish 6th last Saturday. He totaled 79 total points in those two events, moved him up to eighth in the overall standings.

Meanwhile, Vermont’s Thunder Road finally began its weekly Late Model racing season on Friday, June 4 with the 125-lap Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. In a 25-car field, two-time defending track champion Jason Corliss won the main event from the 11th spot. That gave Corliss the new Challenge Cup “high score” of the season with a 50-point outing. The maximum a driver can earn in a single event is 57 points.

Christopher Pelkey, Stephen Donahue, and Brandon Lanphear also posted solid point totals at the Memorial Day Classic. With the Thunder Road Late Models now racing every week through August, the track’s regulars should start climbing the Challenge Cup standings soon.

Norton, MA’s Mark Hudson and Danville, VT’s Tyler Cahoon were the busiest drivers of the weekend. Hudson traveled to New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway for their double features on June 4, netting 14 total points in the two races. The next night, he was back at his home track of Seekonk Speedway, picking up 19 more points for his 10th-place finish.

Cahoon also pulled double-duty, racing at Thunder Road on Friday and White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday. He finished ninth in each feature for 40 total points. Cahoon is now tied with Jimmy Renfrew Jr. for fifth in the Challenge Cup standings while Hudson is seventh overall.

The next week will have many chances for Challenge Cup action. Thunder Road, Claremont Motorsports Park, and Lee USA Speedway all have weekly Late Model features on Friday, June 11. The next night, racers can travel to Seekonk Speedway, New London-Waterford Speedbowl, or Monadnock Speedway to try and earn points.

New Hampshire’s Hudson Speedway has the Late Models on the schedule for Sunday, June 13. Then on Wednesday, June 16, Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park has a 25-lap feature with a full field expected. Thunder Road begins its Thursday night schedule the following night, meaning there are nine eligible events in a seven-day span.

Fans and drivers can follow along with the New England Late Model Challenge Cup all season at www.acttour.com/nelmcc. There, they will find the latest point standings, the full point fund payout, the Challenge Cup point system, and much more.

For more information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.

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Ovitt Surges to ACT Challenge Cup Lead

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