Seven-time American-Canadian Tour champion Jean-Paul Cyr is cutting back for 2009.
Cyr’s car owner and crew chief for five of those titles, Rick Paya, announced on Tuesday that he will field a part-time effort for Cyr while opening up a full-time seat for multi-time ACT champion Brian Hoar. Together, Cyr and Hoar have 12 ACT titles among them – including all but four of the series titles handed out since 1993.
Hoar will drive the No. 37 RPM Motorsports entry in 2009.
"I’ve decided to scale back my racing some for next year, but I think that Brian and Rick will have a
strong year and it will be good for the team," said Cyr, who had one win and finished third in the final ACT standings this season. "They should certainly be frontrunners together."
Hoar, who has previously only run for his family-owned team both in ACT and NASCAR Camping World East Series competition, will compete in a full season of ACT racing for the first time since 2007.
Hoar won four straight ACT titles from 1997-2000.
"I’ve wanted to run for another ACT title for quite a while, and now I’ve got a great new team, a new car, a new number, and a new attitude," said Hoar, ACT’s winningest driver with 23 career wins. "I already can’t wait for the season to start.
"Rick has been a very successful crew chief for a long time, and he’s already had a lot of success in a short amount of time as a car owner. I’m very confident in his team. And for me, it’s pretty cool that I get to be a teammate to Jean, somebody that I really have a lot of respect for."
Paya certainly thinks it’s a "cool" deal, too. He’s got the Tour’s first bona fide superteam.
"I feel privileged to have the two best drivers in ACT history driving my race cars," Paya said. "Brian is a perfect fit for our team and the way we do things, and it’s just a great feeling to have him racing for us."
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