Colchester, VT’s Scott Payea and Somerville, MA’s Jim Linardy have filed the first official full-season entries for the 2016 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) season, officials announced today. The 13-race, $10,000-to-win ACT Late Model Tour championship chase kicks off Sunday, April 10 with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway. Payea returns to the cockpit following a two-year absence and will seek his first ACT Championship behind the wheel of the Rick Paya–owned #37VT Harrison Redi-Mix Dodge. He has five career ACT Late Model Tour wins and finished second in the final standings for three consecutive seasons from 2007 to 2009. “I’m excited to partner up with a great team,” Payea said. “We’ve got the support of a great sponsor, and I just can’t wait for spring. The Tour schedule’s looking good – we’re returning to some tracks that I’ve had success at, like Seekonk and Waterford, so we’re really pumped up about it. Being a championship contender is certainly our goal, and I think we have the resources in place to make that happen.” Linardy has been an ACT regular for the past decade and returns again in 2016 with his familiar #77MA Kayem Hot Dogs Chevrolet. The veteran known as “Scruffy” is known throughout the garage for his upbeat attitude and respect for his fellow competitors. The ACT Late Model Tour will visit 12 different tracks throughout the Northeast United States during the 2016 season. Highlights will include doubleheader events with the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models at Oxford Plains Speedway, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, and White Mountain Motorsports Park; The Southern New England Tripleheader slated for New-London Waterford Speedbowl, Seekonk Speedway, and Thompson Speedway; and the 8th Bond Auto Parts ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
