By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications
The goal of every racer is to keep their eyes on the big prize. Warkworth, Ontario’s Derek Lynch is no exception. In his position as General Manager/Promoter of Kawartha Speedway, some people might think the 38 year-old is in the perfect position to practise his craft. Always the professional, Lynch chooses to avoid any perceived conflict of interest by leaving his racecar parked in the garage when it comes time for action at the 3/8th mile oval at Fraserville, Ontario. Still, when the American-Canadian Tour dangled a big money carrot just inches from his face, Lynch took his driving shoes out of the closet and sent his fire suit to the cleaners.
For the first time in series history, the ACT Tour will take its cars and stars to Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway – during the weekend that opens the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup – Saturday, September 19th. 36 teams will be invited to be part of the history making event. Drivers can earn a guaranteed starting berth in the ACT Invitational by winning a series event throughout the season or by earning a track championship (or leading the points) at an ACT Tour late model sanctioned venue as of September 19th. Capital City Speedway hosts an tour stop Saturday, June 13th while Kawartha Speedway’s 200 lap Summer Sizzler is Sunday, July 12th.
Lynch will use Ottawa’s Capital City Speedway as his home track throughout the 2009 season and will tow his Dodge to the Stittsville, Ontario oval for a number of events. Earlier in his career, Derek Lynch was a regular on the former NASCAR Busch North tour and ran a number of events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He says he’s looking forward to a chance to return to ‘The Magic Mile’.
“NHMS is a great facility,” says Lynch. “It has done a lot for racing in New England and eastern Canada. It is a lot like Sanair Super Speedway outside of Montreal, with the exception that Sanair has a dogleg backstretch. NHMS is flat and tight and should throw off a great race with the ACT cars. I’m hoping I haven’t forgotten too much of what I learned about the place – but it has been about 8 years since I have been there, so I’m bound to need a refresher. I’ve heard talk about speeds in the 140 mile an hour range which is similar to Sanair, so it should be fun. The Busch North cars are quite a different beast that the American-Canadian Tour machines, so we will have to rely on some good judgement and a little guesswork to be fast out of the box.”
Lynch says racing regularly for points will take him back a bit in his career, but he’s happy to have long-term partner Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rentals from Colborne, Ontario on the sides of his red #15 Dodge.
“The Hasiuk family has been a big supporter of my late model team for about 20 years,” states Lynch. “Before that, they sponsored my father’s cars. Going racing just wouldn’t seem the same without them being involved in our program in some fashion.”
For details on Derek Lynch’s schedule at Capital City Speedway, see www.capitalcityspeedway.ca. To learn more about the ACT Invitational – Saturday, September 19th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – visit www.acttour.com or www.nhms.com.
Photo attachments: (Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)
#1). Derek Lynch takes a break at the controls of his American-Canadian Tour late model.
#2). Warkworth, Ontario’s Derek Lynch will fly the colours of long-time sponsor Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rentals at Capital City Speedway. He hopes to earn a starting spot in the ACT Invitational Saturday, September 19th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
