Corliss Makes Late Charge for Third Memorial Day Classic Win
Tiger Triple Crown Feature Rained Out with Make-Up Date TBD
Barre, VT — Barre’s Jason Corliss began his drive for a third straight “King of the Road” title in the best way possible by winning his third Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road on Friday, June 4. Corliss took the lead from Milton’s Scott Dragon with time winding down in the 125-lap Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model feature to win his first event of the year live on FloRacing.
The Late Model feature was one of two completed before unexpected rain showers arrived in the Barre area. The precipitation persisted, ultimately forcing the postponement of the Myers Container Service Triple Crown 100 for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and the RK Miles Street Stock feature. The make-up dates for those two features will be announced on Monday afternoon.
Corliss started 11th in the main event and focused on staying out of trouble through a rash of early cautions. A total of nine yellows flew in the first 54 laps, sidelining early contenders such as polesitter Marcel J. Gravel, Brooks Clark, and Derek O’Donnell while hobbling several others.
The rough start culminated when Hinesburg’s Bobby Therrien blew a right front entering turn one just after taking the lead from Milton’s Scott Dragon on a restart. Therrien slammed into the Turn 1 wall with his car catching fire before coming to a halt on the backstretch. The 2017 “King of the Road” was not injured in the spectacular crash.
Jason Gray back on top as first repeat winner in the DIRTcar Sabil & Sons Sportsman Modifieds Phil Hayes gets his first win in the LaValley Building Supply Dirt Stocks
Bear Ridge Speedway
Woodsville Guaranty Saving Bank Feature winners: Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds Jason Gray; Wells River Chevrolet DIRTcar Sportsman Coupes Cody Gregoropoulos; USAC DMA Midgets Justin Phillips; C.A. Miller Limited Late Models to be run 6/12/2021; LaValley Building Supply Dirt Stocks Phil Hayes; Peanuts Auto LLC Four Cylinders Segment one Jason Porter, Segment two Jason Porter, Segment three to be run 6/12/2021; Sting Vintage Race Cars 4/6 Cylinder Enduros next event 6/26/2021.
The Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds are the third division to have a repeat winner, with Jason Gray tired of finishing outside of victory lane, decided enough is enough and went to the front to take over the point in fine fashion. Along the way he picked up a couple of hitch hikers With Robert Tucker and Richie Simmons falling in line and hoping to have an opportunity to set a serious challenge for the point. It wouldn’t come this week, and the three would cross the line in that order. James Fadden and Matt Lashua came in at fourth and fifth.
Memorial Day Classic Going Under the Lights This Friday
Barre, VT — The 58th Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic at Barre’s Thunder Road finally gets the green this Friday, June 4 with a special 6:00pm post time. After a delay due to weather, the cars and stars of Vermont stock car racing are ready to rumble under the lights at the top of Quarry Hill and live worldwide on FloRacing.
The complete card of racing originally scheduled for this past Sunday is now on the Friday program. That means 125 green flag laps for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models plus the Myers Container Service Triple Crown 100 for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers. Add in the RK Mile Street Stocks and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors for the perfect formula to start the night racing season at Thunder Road.
Over 100 cars are expected as racers start their weekend full-throttle. Household Vermont racing names such as Jason Corliss, Trampas Demers, Jason Woodard, Jaden Perry, Jeffery Martin, and Nate “Tater” Brien are ready to finally hit the high banks after an extra five days. With 33 days between Thunder Road events, both racers and fans will be antsy for some action.
Quenneville Conquers Northeast Crate Nationals 100 at Devil’s Bowl
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Vince Quenneville may not have much left to prove in his stock car racing career, but apparently the three-time Devil’s Bowl Speedway champion wants more. On Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, the Brandon, Vt., driver ended a four-year win drought and scored one of the most popular victories in the track’s history, using a late-race surge to secure the Northeast Crate Nationals 100 and its $5,000 payday – one of the region’s top Sportsman Modified purses.
Other drivers who took wins at the big event included Matt Tanner, Austin Comes, Chris Murray, Ray Hanson, and first-time winner T.J. Knight. First-round qualifying was held on Saturday, but rain on Sunday postponed second-round qualifying and the feature events to Memorial Day.
Late Models Begin Two Championship Battles At Memorial Day Classic
More Than a Dozen Racers Aiming for “King of the Road” and Challenge Cup Titles
Barre, VT — The 58th Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic goes green at Barre’s Thunder Road this Sunday, May 30. For many Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model racers, the 125-lap battle on FloRacing is the opening round of two championship campaigns that will captivate regional stock car racing fans all summer long.
Sunday’s Memorial Day Classic, the first since 2019, begins the 2021 “King of the Road” battle. Fourteen point-counting events lie ahead, concluding with Efficiency Vermont Championship Night on September 17. With the weekly field expected to increase in size this year, the competition will be frenetic each time out as teams aim to reach the top.
A second title will be on the line for two-time defending track champion Jason Corliss, 2017 champion Bobby Therrien, multi-time Late Model winner Matt White, and 10 others. All 14 events also are eligible for the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) New England Late Model Challenge Cup, a new regional championship that lets top weekly racers go head-to-head.
Memorial Day Classic Finally Returns to High Banks on May 30
Barre, VT — The high banks of Barre’s Thunder Road roar back to life on Sunday, May 30 with the 58th Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. After a one-year hiatus due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the historic event returns for a full afternoon of holiday action that can be seen live worldwide on FloRacing.
The Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road goes back to 1961, the second year of the track’s existence. The 2020 cancellation marked the first time since 1981 the event wasn’t held. Now, with the country moving back towards normal, modern Thunder Road heroes such as Trampas Demers, Jason Corliss, Brooks Clark, Bobby Therrien, and Scott Dragon will battle for a spot on the event’s granite monument.
“The history of Thunder Road is very important as far as the track itself,” Shelburne’s Demers said. “The Memorial Day Classic gets you on the granite, and that’s what ultimately matters, because you’re etched in stone at that point. It’s an important race for everybody. It kicks off the season for Thunder Road weekly racing, so it’s also an important event from that standpoint — because as we know, the weekly competition is super-competitive.”
