WATERBURY, Vt. — The American-Canadian Tour has revealed the early-entry list for the Hickory 125 and Easter Bunny 125 on April 2-3 at Hickory Motor Speedway.
Twenty-eight teams have made the early commitment to open their season by running at least one event at North Carolina’s legendary Hickory Motor Speedway.
The entry list contains a highly-decorated mix of ACT Late Model Tour regulars, weekly late model champions, and top drivers who can be found at any big event. Five different states and numerous tracks/series are represented. The events are the first time ever that the ACT Late Models will race at Hickory Motor Speedway.
Vermont leads the way with a whopping 14 drivers that have registered for the Hickory doubleheader. Former Thunder Road Late Model champions Jason Corliss and Bobby Therrien are on the list of drivers heading to North Carolina. So are former Riverside Speedway Champion Jeff Marshall; former Governor’s Cup winner Brooks Clark; and defending White Mountain Motorsports Park Rookie of the Year Andy Hill.
Multi-time weekly racing winners Jim Morris, Stephen Donahue, Tyler Cahoon, Chip Grenier, and Derek Ming are working on their travel plans. Venerable veteran Joey Laquerre has entered the Saturday portion of the doubleheader. Lanphear sisters Reilly and Peyton and ACT regular Jesse Switser round out the Vermont brigade.
New Hampshire, meanwhile, currently has seven Hickory representatives. They include eight-time White Mountain Champion Quinny Welch; Riverside Speedway champions Shawn Swallow and Mike Kenison; and multi-track champion Aaron Fellows.
Three-time ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. is already on the short list of contenders. Helliwell is a factor in almost every race he enters and undoubtedly will get up to speed fast. Eight-cylinder Street Stock legend Alby Ovitt and his teammate Jimmy Renfrew Jr. complete the list of New Hampshire racers.
Five drivers from the state of Massachusetts have entered the Hickory 125 and Easter Bunny 125. Tom Carey III and Derek Gluchacki are using the events as a tune-up for their sophomore ACT Tour seasons after both finished in the top-10 in points last year.
Jake Johnson, the recent Snowflake 100 winner at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway, is planning double-duty with the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models. Trenton Goodrow is looking for a strong showing in his first ACT events since double-ACL surgery last year. They’ll be joined from the Bay State by Star Speedway regular Randy Cole Jr.
Maine and Rhode Island each have one ACT driver heading to Hickory. The Mainer is one of the biggest Northeast racing names of all: Ben Rowe is a multi-time Hickory winner in PASS Super Late Model competition. Rowe, like Johnson, plans to compete in all four combined ACT and PASS events, making it a busy trip for the many-time champion. Mike Mitchell, who can be found at race tracks throughout the region on any given weekend, rounds out the field.