PHOTO: Ray Parent (#17) races inside of Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., (black car outside) during the Spring Green 112 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, in which Parent earned his best career ACT finish. (Eric LaFleche/VLFphotos.com photo)

–by T.J. Ingerson

WEST HAVEN, Vt. — American-Canadian Tour fans may take a quick look at the top five finishers from the 101.5 “The Fox” Spring Green 112 and easily recognize four of the five drivers. They are unmistakably four top contenders: 2011 championship runner-up and current point leader Wayne Helliwell, Jr., 2010 championship runner-up and ACT Invitational winner Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., young standout Austin Theriault, and the low-buck veteran Randy Potter.

The name in fourth, Ray Parent, may be the one unfamiliar to ACT fans.

Parent was top runner in the Pro Stock division at Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk, Mass., before joining the American-Canadian Tour last season. In his first year of competition, Parent hard marginal success. He began the 2012 season with a tenth place finish at the opener at Lee USA Speedway, his first top ten finish in ACT. Sunday’s fourth place showing was his best in ACT, and was happy with the results.

“It’s [huge], not just for me but for the guys working on the car,” Parent said. “This has been a long time coming. I know my guys can get it done and it’s good for [sponsors] Amtrol and Hydrolevel. It’s very rewarding. Our first goal for the year was to get a top ten, and we did that opening day at Lee. We struggled a little bit at Thunder Road. But a top five today, and that was our goal. Next goal is a top three and then, hopefully, a win.”

The second year ACT racer from Tiverton, R.I., has had a learning curve moving from the bigger motored, 10-inch tire, offset chassis Super Late Models/Pro Stocks to the low horsepowered, eight-inch tire, perimeter chassis Late Model. Parent felt he has been making the adjustment nicely.

“Very much so,” Parent said. “I ran Super Late Models for a while, and just used to running a lot of offset [chassis] stuff with ten inch tires. These [ACT cars] take a lot of finesse and you can’t burn the tires off on the first lap. I think I’m built for the long haul races, and hopefully more to continue.”

Parent started 14th in the Spring Green 112 and raced his way to the fourth position. During the race, Parent thought they may have had a chance to contend for the win, but eventually settled for fourth after a long caution period on lap 57 cooled down his tires too much, which changed the handling of the car.

“I did,” Parent said about if he had a chance to win. “I think we bled too much air out of the right side tires under that long caution. We were going to the front there for a while. The car felt good. I’m just excited. We hit our goal today, and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Parent will look to achieve his next goal at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine as the American-Canadian Tour travels the famed 3/8ths miles oval for the Armed Forces ACT 150 on Sunday, May 20.