---

Runner-up

The 5th annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational brought drivers from all over the northeast region to its biggest stage on the racing calendar, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Furious racing action, 3-4 wide was the norm as the American Canadian Tour drivers put on the race of the weekend around the one-mile oval.

Wayne Helliwell Jr. marched the 27NH from his 16th starting position into the top-5 just before the halfway mark. As the field took the green flag on lap-25 Helliwell rocketed up the middle of the track to grab the lead. A side by side battle with longtime rival Brian Hoar would draw eventual winner Eddie MacDonald in the mix.

As the trio began to distance themselves from the rest of the field, Helliwell would settle into second. A position he would keep crossing the line .758 behind MacDonald. The podium finish equaled his best performance in the event but Helliwell felt Saturday’s effort easily out does anything his Team has accomplished at the Magic Mile.

“We finished this car at 12:30am Friday morning and had to be at track like eight-hours later. So between that effort and issues during the race this is a great second place,” he stated. “We had really consistent car. Which was a far cry from when we tested here. All the changes showed up in the race. I just was to tight in (turns) 3-4 to make a run on Eddie (MacDonald) at the end…

Helliwell’s issues on his EKeys-4-Cars, Unique Ford Fusion machine prevented him from shifting during the events final two restarts. While under caution on lap-12 he realized something was a miss with the transmission.

“The yellow came out and I went to down-shift into second (gear) and there was nothing there, nothing at all… So I put it right back into high gear and never messed with it again. I wasn’t sure how the restarts were going to be… But it worked out; we never lost ground on any of them even after the problem.”

After a strong runner up finish Helliwell is happy to bring some positive momentum heading into the final points event with the ACT tour. “It’s been a good few weeks here. We have worked really hard at the shop. Lots of car swapping going on,” Helliwell stated. We are really putting in a great effort to finish strong. Everyone is excited and brings a positive outlook into Airborne.”

Helliwell will lead the ACT tour into Airborne International Speedway this coming weekend for the Fall Foliage 200; the final points event of the year. He holds a 41-point advantage over Hudson’s Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. on becoming back-to-back American Canadian Tour Champion.

“I’m looking forward to Airborne. I really enjoy the longer distance races there. I know it will be a battle to the end. We’ll go and run our own race like we always do…” Helliwell finished.

Next Event
What: The Fall Foliage 200
Where: Airborne International Speedway – Plattsburgh, NY
When: Saturday September 28, 2013 – 2:00pm

Bernhardt Motorsport's thanks their proud partners: EKeys-4-Cars • Unique Ford • Bernhardt Automotive • Pro-Turf Landscaping • DTB Tax • C&M Distributing • Butler MacMaster Performance Racing • Carbonneau Insulation Co • IICCEEE • Ford Racing • Schoenfeld Headers • Sunoco Race Fuels • Bassett Wheels • Joes Racing Products • Quarter Master • ARP Bodies • Welded Media • Mangus Transmissions •Coastal Candle Company • Nate Brown Remodelling

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 / Victory Lane Photos

---

Back to News