Joey “Pole” takes the winner’s flag at Thunder Road last weekend at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine. Photo by Lief Tillotson SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Joey Polewarczyk Jr. of Hudson, N.H., gave Ford its first ACT Late Model Tour victory at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Polewarczyk moved from his fourth starting position to take the lead on lap 14. He remained in front and lapped the majority of the field until a lap-83 restart, at which point he lost the lead to Jeff Taylor, who also competes with a Ford crate engine. Taylor enjoyed the lead for 13 laps before Pole regained control for good. Taylor remained in second until he blew a tire with just under 20 laps remaining. Polewarczyk held off rookie — and fellow Ford competitor — Austin Theriault, who picked up his best career ACT finish with a second-place showing. Tim Brackett took third, Corey Morgan wound up fourth and John Donahue drove his Ford car to fifth.

The ACT’s points leader, Brian Hoar, placed sixth. Eric Williams, Brent Dragon, Dave Paya and Brad Babb rounded out the Top 10, who were the only drivers to complete all 150 laps. The race was completed in 1 hour, 14 minutes and featured six cautions. The race marked the end of a long drought for Polewarczyk, whose last Late Model victory was last year at the Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 at Thunder Road. Polewarczyk’s ACT winless streak stretched back to 14 months ago, when he prevailed at Oxford Plains Speedway. “It feels great,” he said. “It was definitely a rough start to the year, but no one ever gave up. My guys worked as hard as they always (have). It’s been a learning process with the Ford, and it’s definitely a great feeling to come here and get a win like that.”

Polewarczyk becomes the eighth driver to earn an invitation to the second annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 18. He joins Nick Sweet, Eddie Mac- Donald, Brian Hoar, Dave Pembroke, Miles Chipman, Karl Allard and Patrick Laperle. Polewarczyk is the first Ford driver to earn an invite.