Aug 27, 2020 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Thunder Road Reaches Thursday Night Finale at Jet Service/Accura Night
Run-What-U-Brung Also Returns for Annual Thrills
Barre, VT — The final Thursday night event of the year at Barre’s Thunder Road is coming this Thursday, August 27 with Jet Service Envelope/Accura Printing Night. The conclusion of the annual summer racing tradition is just the beginning for some drivers as they enter the homestretch of the championship shootouts.
Just three point-counting events remain for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Stocks as they duke it out for track championships. They’ll be joined on Thursday by the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors and “Run-What-U-Brung” spectator races for a full program to send off the Central Vermont summer in style.
For the third straight year, it looks like the “King of the Road” fight will come down to the final laps of the season. Four drivers are separated by 21 points at the top of the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model standings. With the potential to earn up to 85 points in one night, and fields growing as racers prepare for big end-of-season events, things could change in a flash.
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Aug 24, 2020 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Gray Sweeps Competition Away in Bolduc Enduro and Street Stock Special
Barre, VT — East Thetford, VT’s Brandon Gray pulled a historic double by sweeping the Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 and Street Stock Special at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, August 23. Gray started the night by snatching the Allen Lumber Street Stock victory in the final corner before putting on a masterful performance to triumph in the 36th annual Enduro 200 and take the $3,00 top prize.
The veteran didn’t need long to find his way to the front of a 114-car Enduro starting field. Gray was already on the point when the first scoring check-in came at the 50-lap mark. Father-son duo Paul and Cody Hodge were his closest competitors for much of the event, but Gray steadily pulled away, putting his Street Stock experience to use on the high banks.
He did so while navigating through a race that was rough-and-tumble even by Enduro standards. At least 10 red flags stopped the event with three rollovers — including one where the driver flopped back on all four wheels and just kept on going. Gray did sustain some minor nose damage at one point but showed remarkable patience steering through the worst of the carnage while continuing to extend his advantage.
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Aug 21, 2020 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Therrien Tightens Championship Battle with Win on VT Tire & Service Night
Martin, Dopp, Campbell, & Putney Also Earn Wins
Barre, VT — Hinesburg’s Bobby Therrien put a supercharge into his bid to become the 2020 “King of the Road” by capturing the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model main event at Vermont Tire & Service Night on Thursday, August 20. The 2017 Thunder Road track champion took the lead from Shelburne’s Trampas Demers with 13 laps remaining and then drove away to considerably tighten this year’s title battle.
Therrien started eighth for the 50-lap trophy dash and followed fellow title contender Marcel J. Gravel through the field as outside polesitter Matt White set the pace. As Gravel and Therrien hounded second-place runner Demers at the halfway point, Eric Chase came to a stop on the front stretch, drawing the race’s only caution.
Demers had been losing ground to White at the time of the yellow, but he came to life on the restart, sailing around White to take the lead. Therrien followed Demers around on the high side a few laps later and then began putting the pressure on for the top spot.
With 14 laps to get, Therrien found a hole underneath Demers and went for it, completing the pass a lap later and taking off like a rocket from there for the win. His first victory of the year unofficially pulled him within 12 points of overall leader Jason Corliss with just three point-counting events remaining.
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Aug 20, 2020 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Thunder Road Doubling Up with VT Tire & Service Night and Bolduc Enduro
Barre, VT — Barre’s Thunder Road is ready for a double dose of Vermont stock car thrills this Thursday, August 20 and Sunday, August 23. Vermont Tire & Service Night and the 36th Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 gives fans two chances to see great racing either at the track or worldwide on the Northeast Sports Network.
The doubleheader starts with Vermont Tire & Service Night on Thursday, August 20 at 7:00pm. All four of Thunder Road’s weekly divisions are on the card with the stars of the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors ready to do battle. The evening also includes the Marvin Johnson Memorial First-Time Winners Race where a Street Stock driver becomes a first-time winner on the high banks.
Then on Sunday, August 23 at 6:00pm is the annual “People’s Race”. The Bolduc Enduro 200 has been an annual Thunder Road tradition since 1985. Pre-entries are on par with previous seasons, meaning 100 or more cars are once again expected to vie for the $3,000 top prize.
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Aug 14, 2020 | Thunder Road, Vermont
McCarthy Outlasts Them All for Road Warrior Challenge Win on NCFCU Night
Donahue, Wall, & Blanchard Join McCarthy in Victory Lane
Barre, VT — Williamstown’s Sean “Chubby Rambo” McCarthy never gave up and never surrendered on his way to victory in the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior Challenge on Thursday, August 13 at NorthCountry Federal Credit Union Night. McCarthy got the lead for good when Berlin’s Dan Garrett tangled with a slower car on lap 37 of the 50-lap event and checked out from there for his third career Road Warrior victory at Thunder Road.
McCarthy started seventh in the entry-level division’s annual special and quickly cut through the field. As he was running second to Jamie York on lap 18, York got into a lapped car and cut his left-front tire, forcing him to the pits and giving McCarthy the lead for the first time.
However, the battle was far from over for Chubby Rambo. After a lap-21 caution for a multi-car turn one tangle, third-place runner Steve Reno dove three-wide coming to the restart. Reno and McCarthy dueled for the next four laps with Reno having a bumper out front when the yellow flew on lap 25 for the halfway break.
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Aug 12, 2020 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Thunder Road Sets New Tiger 100 Date, Cancels Memorial Day Classic Amid Late-Season Schedule Adjustments
Barre, VT — Thunder Road officials have announced a series of schedule changes and adjustments for the final month of the season. These include a new date for the 100-lap finale of the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series as well as the addition of the Labor Day Classic to the “King of the Road” chase.
Both changes stem from the cancellation of the 2020 Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. The event was originally slated for May 25 before being postponed due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak.
Due to the compressed season calendar and the assortment of big late-season events both at Thunder Road and at other tracks around the region, officials were unable to find a suitable make-up date for the Memorial Day Classic despite their best efforts. The decision was thus made to cancel the 2020 edition and resume the Memorial Day tradition in 2021.
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