AUBURN — On the Vermont-based American-Canadian Tour (ACT), there are over a dozen seasoned race teams with the equipment, experience and adequate talent behind the wheel to win races.

Just ask 30-year-old Travis Stearns of Auburn, a series veteran who is fighting his way through a tumultuous, up-and-down season in 2015. 

In the first eight starts aboard his Richard Green Trucking No. 16 entry, he’s finished third twice (at Airborne on May 17 and at White Mountain on June 20), and backed those up with seventh (Oxford) and eighth (Thunder Road) place finishes. Yet there have also been two finishes outside the top 20, and a pair of 14th-place runs.

“While some of the finishes don’t reflect it, our ACT car has been awesome this year,” Stearns said. “This year’s International 500 in Plattsburgh was the first time in several weeks that we missed the setup. For the most part, the car has been pretty strong at every race.” 

One of his best performances this season and closest shots at victory came at White Mountain Motorsports Park, a high-banked 1/4-mile oval in North Woodstock, N.H. Stearns easily had the fastest car there, but that curse he’s carried for years reared its ugly head once again. 

“I got spun out with 50 laps to go over there, but managed to get back up to third by the end. If that race would have gone 10 more laps, I think I could have won it. We’ve got the balance on this car adjusted to where it’s the best I’ve ever had it. We just can’t seem to catch a break.”

Mechanical gremlins or parts failures have been the downfall of many a racer. Stearns is fortunate to drive for a well-respected team, based in Enosburg Falls, Vt. The team has good equipment, experienced crew members and a talented shoe behind the wheel. They seldom have equipment failure. 

“It is pretty unusual for us to have any sort of mechanical issues, yet we’re having a few this year,” Stearns added. “We lost an engine down at New Smyrna in Florida last February, and we blew up again at the points race on June 6 at Devil’s Bowl in Vermont. I think we could have won there, as well.” 

Despite those four bad finishes, Stearns and his team still find themselves fourth in championship points. He ran inside the top five for most of last Saturday night’s rain-delayed (from June 27) Dave’s Small Engine Repair/Ventrac ACT 150 before losing valuable track position in a late-race melee on the frontstretch. Stearns soldiered on to finish 12th, the last car to complete every lap. 

One thing a lot of fans have noticed on the ACT tour in 2015 is all the new faces. Some of the older, more familiar names have either stopped racing or moved to a different series. Many of the newcomers are graduates of Thunder Road’s impressive Late Model division.

“There are definitely a lot of young drivers coming into the series. I’d have to say it is still just as competitive as when I started, we’re just racing against different teams. I feel like one of the veterans now, and I like that. Now we just have to seal the deal and win, like we know we can.”

While running the ACT car is Stearns’ primary focus, he also has a Super Late Model in the garage. He ran it back in April in the PASS North opener, but was never in contention and wound up 33rd in the final rundown. He does have plans to dig it out again fairly soon.

“We need to get the monkey off our backs and score a win in ACT competition, that is our main priority,” he added. “I don’t really have the time to put into the Super Late Model. Right now, we plan to run it three more times. We’ll run the PASS race at Oxford on August 2; then we’ll try our luck in the 250, and finish up at the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge in September.”

New faces on the tour aren’t the only things changing for Stearns these days. With a wife and young child, he now finds himself short on time with a sometimes overwhelming work load.

“There are times now when I think, I don’t want to work on the race car, I just want to sit down and hang out with my family,” he said. “I’m really enjoying my time with them, it just isn’t very often.

“What’s ironic is that when I was younger and had the time, I didn’t have many opportunites. Now that I’m older and don’t have the time, the opportunities are there. It’s crazy, but I guess that’s just life.” 

Where’s Tom?

Another observation race fans have made is the absence of ACT president Tom Curley at the track in 2015. Curley is battling health issues, forcing him to miss several races. Yet his thoughtful planning is keeping the tour on track.

“Tom has longtime racer Cris Michaud at the helm this season, and the ship is running as smooth as ever,” Stearns noted. “I really don’t see any difference as to the way things flow on race weekends. We all hope for the best with Tom’s health; he is short track racing’s top promoter and we all love him dearly. Yet we’re pretty lucky that Cris and the entire staff know the ropes and keep ACT rolling along.”

pwhipple@sunjournal.com