Lee, NH — In one of the most dramatic and exciting events so far in the young 2023 racing season, the American-Canadian Tour put on a barn-burning performance at New Hampshire’s Center of Speed, Lee USA Speedway on Sunday. With the return of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at the 3/8-mile oval came an interesting group of touring regulars, old friends and young greenhorns. All of them fought each other and the worn-out track itself in an attempt to grasp ACT glory and join a wins list thirty-seven years in the making.

Twenty-four competitors would enter the expansive Lee USA Speedway pit area Sunday morning, many of them facing their third event in just fifteen short days in an extreme stretch of May. After a late driver change, Westbrook, Maine’s Brandon Barker took the wheel of the Sullivan Construction 0NH car to the pole position with current top ACT rookie Andrew Molleur to his outside after both earning +3 in heat race number one.

From the drop of the green, it was game on and the rough and rowdy surface of Lee USA Speedway showcased some of the best racing of the season so far. While Barker took off with the lead, he had the likes of Dillon Moltz, Gabe Brown and Joey Polewarczyk all over his rear bumper. A race-defining caution flag flew on lap 37 as Moltz, aiming to take over the second spot, spun coming out of Turn Two to end a strong run at the front of the pack.

After Gabe Brown took over the lead just after lap 25, Barker and a hard-charging Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. kept him in their sights. Renfrew had taken an early smack to the frontstretch wall while gathering up a sliding exit from Turn Four on lap 5, but it seemed to make his R&R Race Parts Ford Fusion all the better. Just after the 50-lap mark, Renfrew had taken over the reins from Brown and held on until the lap 95 caution for a spinning Tanner Woodard.

What would ensue would be a race for the ages between Renfrew and Barker as the two traded lanes, paint and position at the head of the pack with Barker taking the lead once again. Everything would shift on lap 136 as lap traffic brought Renfrew and Barker back side-by-side with the two trading the lead over and over again until Renfrew got a little too greedy in Turn Three on lap 145 and went spinning when his rear end came out from under him to end an insanely strong and entertaining run. With five to go, Barker battled Brown with Barker able to hold off the Center Conway, New Hampshire-native to earn his first American-Canadian Tour victory in just his first, and only, start on the Tour.

As such, Barker, for the time being, joins an elite list of ACT winners in their only start which includes Dale Earnhardt’s one and done at Cayuga Motor Speedway in Ontario in 1983 and longtime NASCAR Pinty’s Canadian Series standout D.J. Kennington at Lee as well back in 2004.

Gabe Brown hung on for second following complications from some rear end suspension problems and Jason Corliss, who played the smooth and steady card to sneak in a podium third-place finish. Former ACT champions D.J. Shaw and Joey Polewarczyk rounded out the top five followed by former Lee weekly standout Cam Huntress, Dylan Payea, Tom Carey III, a rebounded Dillon Moltz and Erick Sands to round out the top ten.

The American-Canadian Tour gets a much-needed weekend off before making the trip to Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts on Saturday, June 3rd. For the first time ever the 48th Spring Green 123 is hosted in the Bay State with the iconic event also set as round two for the Brookside Equipment Sales Southern New England Triple Crown. The ACT Touring Stars will face off against the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model regulars of Seekonk Speedway along with the Scully Memorial 55 for the Pro Stocks plus the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman and the Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks. Post Time is set for 6:00pm.

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.

 Lee USA Speedway – Lee, NH

New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150

Sunday, May 21, 2023

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

1          0NH     Brandon Barker          Westbrook, ME

2          60ME   Gabe Brown                Center Conway, NH

3          66VT    Jason Corliss               Barre, VT

4          04VT    D.J. Shaw                     Center Conway, NH

5          97NH   Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.  Hudson, NH

6          27NH   Cam Huntress              Rochester, NH

7          7ME     Dylan Payea                Milton, VT

8          5MA    Tom Carey III               New Salem, MA

9          5CT      Dillon Moltz                 New Sharon, ME

10        36NH   Erick Sands                  Derry, NH

11        72MA  Ryan Kuhn                   E. Bridgewater, MA

12        41QC   Jonathan Bouvrette    Blainville, QC

13        00NH   Jimmy Renfrew Jr.      Candia, NH

14        31CT    #Andrew Molleur       Woodbridge, CT

15        77NH   #Bryan Wall Jr.            E. Kingston, NH

16        68NH   #Tanner Woodard       Waterbury Ctr., VT

17        9MA    Brian Tagg                   Oxford, MA

18        5ME     #Dominic Curit            Saco, ME

19        45NY    Brian Hoar                   Williston, VT

20        8NH     Connor McDougal       Wakefield, NH

21        25ME   #Jason Gammon         Hollis, ME

22        73MA  Cole Littlewood           Orange, MA

23        28NH   Ricky Bly                      Sunapee, NH

24        03MA  Derek Gluchacki          North Dartmouth, MA