Hickory, NC — Although rain dampened the Easter Bunny Weekend of Speed on Friday, Pro All Stars Series (PASS) officials created a new plan for an epic Saturday doubleheader that saw both the St. Patrick’s Day and Easter Bunny programs go off without a hitch for the American-Canadian Tour. Teams saw both highs and lows in one of the busiest days on record, several drivers earning much-needed redemption to cap off the busy Saturday schedule and started their 2023 season on solid ground.

The St. Patrick’s Day 125 was led to point by 2022 rivals D.J. Shaw and Derek Gluchacki. New Hampshire’s Shaw and Massachusetts’ Gluchacki battled hard, often side-by-side, over two caution periods and across 80 laps before the big one struck on lap 81. Quebec’s Dany Trepanier, Vermont’s Marcel Gravel, among others collided in turn two to bring out a large clean up and slowed the field. The battle between the two black-and-blue Ford Mustangs of Shaw and Gluchacki would resume until the red flag flew on lap 111 out of respect for a funeral at the cemetery adjacent to the speedway, a common occurrence at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Following the 30-minute red flag period, battles returned to fiery levels with two previous ACT Tour winners edging each other at the line each lap until Gluchacki gained the upper hand. The recently announced Kulwicki Driver Development semi-finalist, Derek Gluchacki earned his first Hickory Motor Speedway win followed by D.J. Shaw and Jimmy Renfrew Jr. who hard-charged from a 19th-place starting position to come home third.

The Easter Bunny 125 for the American-Canadian Tour was just as thrilling with teams taking the gloves off in hopes of finding victory lane. Brought to green by the Port City Racecar power of Mike Hopkins and Patrick Laperle, the iconic orange 91QC led the opening laps over Hopkins as a repaired Marcel Gravel kept in step for third. Behind the leaders in the top-10 Jimmy Renfrew Jr. and Tom Carey III ran out of racing room and tangled on the backstretch. Renfrew’s left front Hoosier Racing Tire went down as Carey’s right front blew, shooting Carey up into the turn three wall and ending another strong Hickory run for the Brookside Equipment team.

D.J. Shaw moved into third place to begin mixing it up with Gravel and Laperle before taking over the lead on lap 47. With Shaw checking out at the front of the field, Gravel and Laperle began taking heat from New Hampshire’s Jamie Swallow Jr. The 4NH team was plagued with overheating issues that forced an end to his strong run in the St. Patrick’s Day event, but Swallow was showing no signs of quitting the Easter Bunny showdown. Swallow and Laperle would battle ferociously side-by-side over forty laps while Shaw continued to gain ground until he flew under the checkered flag. Defending ACT champion D.J. Shaw would take the Easter Bunny 125 to redeem his day at Hickory Motor Speedway. Jason Corliss and Jamie Swallow Jr. also tasted redemption after poor showing and rough luck in the first event.

The Mighty Mini Stock Series debut at Hickory was also a success with a mix of southern turf defenders and northern invaders making the trek to battle it out for the North/South King of the Mini Stocks challenge. During the first 50 lap event, local racer Michael Tucker stomped the field to take the St. Patrick’s Day win while mechanical failure ended a strong run for New Hampshire’s Cody LeBlanc during a top-5 run. Round two would see another local, Tim Canipe in his beautifully prepared 10 machine, put on another stomping to lead from flag to flag. AJ Sanders took two second-place finishes to combine for the low 4-point total score and was crowned King of the Mini Stocks, taking home the prize courtesy of Kids Only Daycare and Cody LeBlanc Racing.

Spirited battles also filled the Pro All Stars Series twin-150 lap events on Saturday. Several drivers took off and put on excellent side-by-side racing, but they could not hold back Cole Butcher. The Nova Scotia-native and defending Oxford 250 champion swept both PASS Super Late Model events on Saturday while defending Oxford Plains Speedway champion Max Cookson swept both second-place podiums. Ryan Kuhn took bronze in the St. Patrick’s Day 150 while Hopkins powered up to take third in the Easter Bunny 150.

The American-Canadian Tour starts the 2023 point-counting season in earnest on Saturday, April 15th with the 3rd annual Northeast Classic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Both the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models and ACT Tour are heading for twin 50-lap events, both worth $5,500 to the winner while the Open Tour-type Modifieds shoot for the $7,000 grand prize in their 50-lap main event at the Magic Mile. The Mighty Mini Stocks and the R&R Raceparts NH Open Street Stocks are also on tap.

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, Twitter, and Instagram at @ACTTour.

Hickory Motor Speedway – Hickory, NC

St. Patrick’s Day/Easter Bunny Doubleheader Saturday!

Saturday, March 18, 2023

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

ACT St. Patrick’s Day 125

1.         03MA  Derek Gluchacki          North Dartmouth, MA

2.         04VT    D.J. Shaw                     Center Conway, NH

3.         00NH   Jimmy Renfrew Jr.      Candia, NH

4.         45NH   Kasey Beattie              St. Johnsbury, VT

5.         18QC   Jean-Philippe Bergeron          Terrebonne, QC

6.         0NH     Quinten Welch            Groveton, NH

7.         31CT    #Andrew Molleur       Woodbridge, CT

8.         5MA    Tom Carey III               New Salem, MA

9.         66VT    Jason Corliss               Barre, VT

10.       6MA    Nicholas Johnson         Rehoboth, MA

11.       77NH   #Bryan Wall Jr.            E. Kingston, NH

12.       42QC   Eric St-Gelais               St-Amie-des-Lac, QC

13.       28NH   Ricky Bly                      Sunapee, NH

14.       10ME   Christian LaFlamme    Whitefield, NH

15.       37CT    Jordan Hadley             Quaker Hill, CT

16.       55VT    Keegan Lamson           Berlin, VT

17.       15ME   Mike Hopkins              Herman, ME

18.       91QC   Patrick Laperle            St-Denis, QC

19.       30RI     Jacob Burns                 E. Greenwich, RI

20.       1MA    Austin Erickson           Ashland, MA

21.       91CT    Jake Johnson               Reheboth, MA

22.       86VT    Marcel Gravel             Wolcott, VT

23.       19QC   Dany Trepanier           St-Edouard,QC

24.       5ME     #Dominic Curit            Saco, ME

25.       73MA  Cole Littlewood           Orange, MA

26.       4NH     Jamie Swallow Jr.        Stark, NH

DNS     82MA  Mark Hudson               Norton, MA

PASS National St. Patrick’s Day 150

1.         53        Cole Butcher               Hantsport, NS

2.         39        Max Cookson               Pittsfield, ME

3.         72        Ryan Kuhn                   E. Bridgewater, MA

4.         88        Brandon Barker          Westbrook, ME

5.         60        D.J. Shaw                     Center Conway, NH

6.         7D        Joey Doiron                 Berwick, ME

7.         94        Garrett Hall                 Scarborough, ME

8.         18        Michael Scorzelli         Feura Bush, NY

9.         50        Andy Shaw                  Center Conway, NH

10.       25        Shawn Knight              S. Paris, ME

11.       15MA  Jake Johnson               Rehoboth, MA

12.       42        Kyle Reid                     Antigonish, NS

13.       24J       J.P. Josiasse                 Ennismore, ON

14.       15        Mike Hopkins              Herman, ME

15.       5          Ben Rowe                    Turner, ME

16.       74        Ryan Moore                Scarborough, ME

17.       21        Joshua King                 Vernon, VT

18.       12        Dennis Spencer, Jr.     Oxford, ME

19.       44        Trevor Sanborn           E. Parsonsfield, ME

20.       32        Nick Jenkins                 Brownville, ME

21.       09        Jeremy Davis               Tamworth, NH

22.       96        Wyatt Alexander         Ellsworth, ME

Mighty Mini Series St. Patrick’s Day 50

1.         16        Michael Tucker

2.         24        AJ Sanders

3.         18NC   Chuck Wall

4.         1          Shane Canipe

5.         10NC   Tim Canipe

6.         85        Mike Viens

7.         12NC        Jesse York

8.         33        Erin Aiken

9.         18NH   Jake Rheaume

10.       7MI      Matt LeBlanc

11.       13        Cameron Sontag

12.       88NH   Emerson Cayer

13.       7SC      Kevin Willey

14.       7NH     Cody LeBlanc

15.       26        Aiden Gauthier

16.       41        Robert Williams

17.       09NC   Randy Canipe

18.       17        Nick Miller

19.       12MA      Christopher Sontag

ACT Easter Bunny 125

1.         04VT    D.J. Shaw                     Center Conway, NH

2.         66VT    Jason Corliss               Barre, VT

3.         4NH     Jamie Swallow Jr.        Stark, NH

4.         86VT    Marcel J. Gravel          Wolcott, VT

5.         00NH   Jimmy Renfrew Jr.      Candia, NH

6.         91CT    Jake Johnson               Reheboth, MA

7.         91QC   Patrick Laperle            St-Denis, QC

8.         03MA  Derek Gluchacki          North Dartmouth, MA

9.         0NH     Quinten Welch            Groveton, NH

10.       45NH   Kasey Beattie              St. Johnsbury, VT

11.       18QC   Jean-Philippe Bergeron          Terrebonne, QC

12.       6MA    Nick Johnson               Reheboth, MA

13.       31CT    #Andrew Molleur       Woodbridge, CT

14.       30RI     Jacob Burns                 E. Greenwich, RI

15.       1MA    Austin Erickson           Ashland, MA

16.       37CT    Jordan Hadley             Quaker Hill, CT

17.       55VT    Keegan Lamson           Berlin, VT

18.       10ME   Christian LaFlamme    Whitefield, NH

19.       5ME     #Dominic Curit            Saco, ME

20.       42QC   Eric St-Gelais               St-Aime-des-Lac, QC

21.       73MA  Cole Littlewood           Orange, MA

22.       15ME   Mike Hopkins              Herman, ME

23.       5MA    Tom Carey III               New Salem, MA

24.       28NH   Ricky Bly                      Sunapee, NH

DNS     19QC   Dany Trepanier           St-Edouard,QC

DNS     77NH   #Bryan Wall Jr.            E. Kingston, NH

DNS     82MA  Mark Hudson               Norton, MA

PASS Easter Bunny 150

1.         53        Cole Butcher               Hantsport, NS

2.         39        Max Cookson               Pittsfield, ME

3.         15        Mike Hopkins              Herman, ME

4.         88        Brandon Barker          Westbrook, ME

5.         94        Garrett Hall                 Scarborough, ME

6.         72        Ryan Kuhn                   E. Bridgewater, MA

7.         42        Kyle Reid                     Antigonish, NS

8.         15MA  Jake Johnson               Rehoboth, MA

9.         44        Trevor Sanborn           E. Parsonsfield, ME

10.       50        Andy Shaw                  Center Conway, NH

11.       7D        Joey Doiron                 Berwick, ME

12.       60        D.J. Shaw                     Center Conway, NH

13.       96        Wyatt Alexander         Ellsworth, ME

14.       18        Michael Scorzelli         Feura Bush, NY

15.       24J       J.P. Josiasse                 Ennismore, ON

16.       25        Shawn Knight              S. Paris, ME

17.       09        Jeremy Davis               Tamworth, NH

18.       5          Ben Rowe                    Turner, ME

19.       12        Dennis Spencer, Jr.     Oxford, ME

DNS     74        Ryan Moore                Scarborough, ME

DNS     21        Joshua King                 Vernon, VT

DNS     32        Nick Jenkins                 Brownville, ME

Mighty Mini Series Easter Bunny 50

1.         10NC   Tim Canipe

2.         24        AJ Sanders

3.         18NC   Chuck Wall

4.         88NH   Emerson Cayer

5.         1          Shane Canipe

6.         12NC Jesse York       

7.         09NC   Randy Canpie

8.         13        Cameron Sontag

9.         16        Michael Tucker

10.       7MI      Matt LeBlanc

11.       85        Mike Viens

12.       12MA   Christopher Sontag

13.       41        Robert Williams

14.       7SC      Kevin Willey

15.       17        Nick Miller

16.       18NH   Jake Rheaume

17.       33        Erin Aiken

18.       26        Aiden Gauthier