Online dealer teams with three-time championship winning team for full ACT season
–by T.J. Ingerson (@TJIngerson)
VMM Editor
BARRE – Fans looking for three-time ACT Late Model Tour champion Wayne Helliwell’s car on Saturday during Thunder Road’s annual downtown Barre car show might have walked past it a time or two before realizing “hey, that’s Wayne Helliwell’s car”.
Gone is the easily recognizable mostly orange with white numbers that has been the trademark of the Bruce Bernhardt and Helliwell partnership in favor of a mostly black, new number style car after the team secured a new season-long sponsor.
Rydemore Heavy Duty Truck Parts of Fitchburg, Mass. has signed on with Bernhardt Motorsports to support the team throughout the entire 2016 ACT Late Model Tour season. Rydemore had been on the No. 27 car through the first two races before securing the entire season.
“We’re really excited to have Rydemore on board full time,” Helliwell said in a release on the team’s website. “Obviously the change in the look of the car is a big deal; bigger than people realize. Whether we like it or not, we are known by that orange car.”
A few fans walking by the new design featured on Helliwell’s car commented on the lack of the distinct orange.
However, fans will have to wait one more week to see if the new scheme is just as fast as the ACT Late Model Tour Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road was postponed one week due to the rainy forecast. The race will now be run on Sunday, May 8 at 2:00pm.
PHOTO: Wayne Helliwell Jr. and the Brucer Bernhardt-owned team featured a new paint scheme on their three-time championship Late Model after signing Rydemore for the full season. (T.J. Ingerson/VMM photo)
