–by T.J. Ingerson (@TJIngerson)
VMM Editor

LEE, N.H. – Scott Payea showed quickly why he was the right choice to fill the vacated seat for RPM Motorsports on Sunday at Lee USA Speedway.

The Milton, Vt. driver took the lead for the final time on lap 117 and captured his first win for the Rick Paya-owned team in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150, just his second race with the veteran team. It was the sixth career win for Payea.

“You’d like to say yes because I knew we’d have a good car, but to actually get the win…it’s good to get it out of the way,” Payea said. “It feels real good about it as a team.”

Payea started the 150-lap event in the third spot and never left the comfort of the top-three. He would first take the lead on lap 50 from Todd Davis following a lap 46 restart before he surrendered it to the hard charging Ray Parent on lap 55. Payea would slip back into the third spot and lose ground two the two lead cars through the midpoint of the race, but started his charge back toward the front just before lap 100.

“150 laps is a long time,” Payea said. “You’ve got to have something at the end. We didn’t have to use our stuff up because we started close to the front. We were able to ride a little bit and just work our way little by little.

“I was thinking maybe go now (when Parent got by), we’re going to get a green run,” Payea said. “They were setting a good pace and I tried to keep up there for a little while.”

Payea would jump back into the second spot after he overtook the fading Quinny Welch on lap 106. Payea would then make his move to the lead and worked to the inside of Parent for the lead on lap 117.

A pair of late race restarts would erase a comfortable lead built up by the driver of the No. 37 Harrison Redi-Mix Dodge Charger, but Payea held tough and captured the win.

“It’s big for the team,” Payea said. “I’ve had success before and this team has obviously had success. Coming together, we needed this to put an emphasis on ‘hey, we know what we’re doing and we’re going to compete.’”

It was Payea’s first ACT Late Model Tour win since 2009.

Defending ACT Late Model Tour champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. scored a quiet runner-up finish after he edged Parent at the checkered flag. The Dover, N.H. driver started the 150-lap event in the ninth position and slowly made his way into the top five by lap 60, but was never able to make a hard charge to the lead and settled for second.

Parent finished third after he led 34 laps during the event. The Tiverton, R.I. driver charged hard through the field early in the event from a tenth place starting spot to take the lead for the first time on lap 55 and then again on lap 104.

Former Serie ACT champion Alex Labbe of St-Albert finished fourth from an eighth place starting spot while Quinny Welch of Lancaster, N.H. completed the top-five finishers after he led 28 laps during the event. Emily Packard, Bobby Therrien, Eddie MacDonald, Kyle Welch, and Brad Babb completed the top-ten finishers.

The ACT Late Model Tour will next visit its defacto home track, Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, on Sunday, May 1 for the Merchants Bank 150.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150
ACT Late Model Tour – Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H.
Sunday, April 24, 2016

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown

1. (3) Scott Payea, Milton, Vt.
2. (9) Wayne Helliwell Jr., Dover, N.H.
3. (10) Ray Parent, Tiverton, R.I.
4. (8) Alex Labbe, St-Albert, Que.
5. (6) Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H.
6. (11) Emily Packard, East Montpelier, Vt.
7. (5) Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg, Vt.
8. (13) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass.
9. (16) Kyle Welch, Newport, N.H.
10. (18) Brad Babb, Windham, Maine
11. (15) Nick Sweet, Barre, Vt.
12. (2) Todd Davis, Claremont, N.H.
13. (7) Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown, Vt.
14. (17) Dillon Moltz, Waterford, Conn.
15. (14) Ryan Olsen, North Haverhill, N.H.
16. (24) Devin O’Connell, Madison, Conn.
17. (25) Mike Ziter, Barre, Vt.
18. (22) Corey Mason, Groveton, N.H.
19. (20) Matt Anderson, Franklin, N.H.
20. (12) Luke Hinkley, Claremont, N.H.
21. (31) Mikes Chipman, Nottingham, N.H.
22. (1) Rowland Robinson Jr., Steuben, Maine
23. (21) Rich Dubeau, Lebanon, N.H.
24. (19) Adam Gray, Granby, Mass.
25. (4) Brandon Atkins, AuSable Forks, N.Y.
26. (26) Bryan Mason, Stark, N.H.
27. (23) Clade Leclerc, Lanoarie, Que.
28. (27) Jeff Morse, Cornish, N.H.
29. (28) Mark Jenison, Warwick, R.I.
30. (29) Oren Remick, Warner, N.H.
31. (32) Mark Hudson, Norton, Mass.
32. (30) Jimmy Linardy, Somerville, Mass.

PHOTO: Scott Payea celebrates his first ACT Late Model Tour win as the driver in the RPM Motorsports car on Sunday afternoon at Lee USA Speedway. (T.J. Ingerson/VMM photo)