WATERBURY, Vt. – The American-Canadian Tour announced Friday that its officially sanctioned series and tracks are switching to Hoosier tires starting with the Community Bank N.A. 150 at Thunder Road on Sunday, May 2.
The American-Canadian Tour will run a new 8-inch tire specially designed and built for the division. The tire is the result of extensive testing by Hoosier and American-Canadian Tour officials that focused on reliability and overall performance. American-Canadian Tour officials have worked directly with Rob Summers, the owner of Hoosier Tire East, throughout the testing process.
The tires cost $130 each, the same price as the 8-inch American Racer tire the class had been using. American-Canadian Tour and its affiliate tracks have been using American Racer as a late model tire supplier since the start of the 2014 season.
“We think this is the start of a great partnership,” American-Canadian Tour managing partner Cris Michaud said. “Rob Summers has been a pleasure to work with. He understood exactly what we were looking for in a tire and has worked tirelessly to create a tire that fit those requirements. We believe this switch will be a benefit to our teams and help produce great racing for the fans. We’re looking forward to seeing how they react at Thunder Road’s opening weekend on May 1 and 2.”
The late model will remain on the current American Racer tire for the Twin 125s at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway on April 2 and 3 and the Northeast Classic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on April 17. This allows racers to start the season on a tire they’re more familiar with and lets ACT use up its current tire inventory. Beginning with the Community Bank N.A. 150 on May 2, the American-Canadian Tour, Thunder Road, and White Mountain Motorsports Park will begin using the specially-built Hoosier ACT Late Model tire.
The ACT Flying Tigers that compete at Vermont’s Thunder Road and New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park are also getting a tire makeover. In 2021, they will compete on a 7-inch Hoosier tire that is nearly identical in performance and price to the current American Racer tire. The Thunder Road Street Stocks will run a 14-inch diameter Hoosier tire.