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First Loser

Wayne Helliwell Jr. and the Bernhardt Motorsport's Team got back to racing action this past Saturday at a familiar venue; Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, NH where they hosted round #5 of the American Canadian Tour.

Helliwell has had more success at the fairgrounds than any other track in the northeast over the last few years. He comes off a 2012 season that saw him nail down 14 wins and a track championship at the New Hampshire oval.

Clear skies greeted 33 drivers for the Subway Fresh Fit 150. With the series +/- passing points system in effect Helliwell would draw the last pill in the bag to roll from the 8th starting position in the final heat. Using the outside lane he would work his way to a 2nd place finish and a all important +6 in passing points.

That +6 started the Ekeys-4Cars Unique Ford Fusion from the pole for the main event. Helliwell wasted little time take the point over sophomore session Jimmy Hebert on the start. Leading the first 39 circuits while battling the caution filled race. It was the events second yellow flag that showed signs of trouble for the Dover, NH pilot.

Helliwell radioed into his crew on the lap 22 caution to inform them something was a miss with the brakes on the car. That something was the fact he was losing them. The more they ran the less he had. "I knew we had issues when there was a problem that early, he said."

With cautions breading cautions the event saw a season high 12 total yellow flags. Helliwell's brake problem was not getting better… "Once i got rolling after a yellow two or three laps it didn't hurt the car. I could run my line and i was fine. But the restarts would hold the car down and get me free without having brakes."

Helliwell's final restart came on lap 131 when a fast moving and hungry Joey Pole was to his outside. After door to door battle for two laps Pole was able to clear the 27NH machine. Helliwell would go on to record his fourth straight top 5 finish with a 2nd place and lead a race high 129 laps. Those consistent finishes have brought the Bruce Bernhardt owned machine to the point lead of the American Canadian Tour once again. They now hold an 11 point advantage over Jimmy Hebert and 35 points over Ray Parent.

Despite not getting the victory Helliwell was happy with the outcome, "We didn't need that final yellow for sure. We would have been fine without it. There was so many lapped cars in-between [Pole] us that we had a cushion. Are we disappointed after leading those laps, sure… But really we finished 2nd in an ACT race with no brakes. We have nothing to be unhappy about, Helliwell finished."

He went on to point out they know what the brake issue was and have fixed it. "Ya we know what the problem was; we've taken care of it."

That's a good thing because this weekend features a doubleheader with back to back American Canadian Tour events. Saturday the Team heads to White Mountain Motorsport's Park. The site of a dominating victory one year ago, as Helliwell went on to lead all 150 laps of the event. Sunday they head an hour north for the conclusion of the ACT Bond Auto 150 at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH. A race that was rained out on lap 29 back on June 2nd.

As the Team looks to extend their point lead, Helliwell feels great about the challenges ahead, "Both tracks are good ones for us... White Mountain is one of my favorites. We know we have a good piece for there. Riverside as well, we never even really raced with the rain coming so it will be good to finish it. This is a big weekend… This weekend could make or break our or someones else's season. This is what racing is all about, he finished."

Upcoming Events:

When: Saturday June 22nd, 2013
Where White Mountain Motorsport's Park
Post Time: 5:00PM

When: Sunday June 23rd, 2013
Where: Riverside Speedway - Groveton, NH
Post Time: 1:30PM

Bernhardt Motorsport's thanks their proud partners: EKeys-4-Cars / Unique Ford / Bernhardt Automotive / Pro-Turf Landscaping / DTB Tax / C&M Distributing / Carbonneau Insulation Co / IICCEEE / Ford Racing / Schoenfeld Headers / Sunoco Race Fuels / Bassett Wheels / Joes Racing Products / Quarter Master / ARP Bodies / Welded Media

Follow Wayne:
https://www.waynehelliwelljr.com

https://www.facebook.com/WayneHelliwellJr

https://twitter.com/#!/WayneHelliwell

Follow Welded Media:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Welded-Media/436955476374206

https://twitter.com/WeldedMedia

Eric LaFleche / VLF Photo

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