Scott Tapley Named Thunder Road Race Director
Barre, VT — Thunder Road officials announced today that Scott Tapley has been appointed the track’s Race Director for the 2021 season. The respected motorsports official will oversee the action for all of Thunder Road’s local racing divisions. Tapley takes charge for a 19-event schedule that can be seen live in Barre, VT or worldwide on FloRacing.
Tapley is also the race director at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park along with New York’s Riverhead Raceway. The Maine native got his first taste of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) when late ACT founder Tom Curley ran Oxford Plains Speedway in 1994-1995. The addition of Thunder Road to his résumé completes a circle that goes back nearly 30 years for the auto racing lifer and Maine native.
“As a kid that sat in the pit stands for the very first time for a driver’s meeting in 1994 at Oxford and listened to Tom Curley speak, I instantly became a ‘Tom Curley guy’,” Tapley said. “From that moment, I have followed intently what was going on with Thunder Road and ACT, and I’ve always seen Thunder Road as one the top facilities in the country.”
“I’ve been very fortunate to be supported by great track operators like the Arute family at Stafford; Eddie, Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz at Riverhead; and Cris Michaud and Tom Mayberry at Thompson,” Tapley continued. “I’m humbled and honored to add Thursday nights at Thunder Road to my responsibilities for 2021, and I look forward to being a part of it.”
Tapley has been around auto racing since he was a kid. He started out helping with his dad’s Street Stock for events at Oxford Plains Speedway. In 2001, Tapley graduated from the University of Northwestern Ohio with a Motorsports degree. Tapley subsequently spent nearly a decade working full-time for multiple teams in what’s now known as ARCA Menards Series East. In 2008, he helped lead Mohegan Sun Racing and Matt Kobyluck to the series championship as aerodynamicist, fabricator, and spotter.
After Mohegan Sun racing shut down following the 2010 season, Tapley transitioned to a track official role by accepting the Race Director position at Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Apart from a hiatus in 2019, Tapley has served as the Thompson Speedway Race Director since 2014. He took on the Stafford Motor Speedway and Riverhead Raceway Race Director roles in 2016.
Tapley has also worked for Lee USA Speedway, the Modified Racing Series, and the INEX Legends National Championship over the past decade. He currently lives in Poland, ME with his wife Susan and two kids Keiralyn and Owen.
“Scott Tapley is a great addition to the Thunder Road staff,” managing partner Cris Michaud said. “I’d heard a lot about Scott over the years and finally got the chance to work with him closely at Thompson Speedway in 2020. He was exactly as advertised — a knowledgeable person who runs a fair, no-nonsense show. We couldn’t be happier to be working with him at both Thunder Road and Thompson Speedway this year.”
Thunder Road opens its 2021 season on Sunday, May 2 at 1:30pm with the 23rd Community Bank N.A. 150. The stars of the ACT Late Model Tour and Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models will go at it for 150 green-flag laps. The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, RK Miles Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors also have a full card of racing.
Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6-12. The event will also be live-streamed worldwide on FloRacing. The annual Car Show and an open practice are scheduled for Saturday, May 1 followed by the 2020 ACT/Thunder Road Banquet of Champions.
