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.
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.
Martin Barely Edges Caron in Triple Crown Thriller on Cody Chevrolet Night
Cahoon and Gray Also Take Victories
Barre, VT — Craftsbury Common’s Mike Martin came out on top of the duel of the season to win round two of the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series at Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night on Thursday, August 6. Martin went wheel-to-wheel alongside Colchester’s Sam Caron for nearly 20 laps down the stretch before edging him out by a mere 0.031 seconds as part of a five-car pack rushing to the finish line.
Martin started eighth in the 75-lap feature for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers while Caron took the initial green flag in fourth. Caron needed just three laps to slash his way to the front, roaring around Morrisville’s Brandon Lanphear for the top spot. As Caron steadily built a straightaway lead, Martin used a combination of finesse and well-timed aggression to work his way to the runner-up spot.
Flying Tigers Ready for Second Leg of Triple Crown on Cody Chevrolet Night
Barre, VT — The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers are ready to take back the spotlight this Thursday, August 6 at Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night. Thunder Road’s oldest and most storied division will go 75 laps in round two of the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series that features the top weekly racers in Vermont plus the best regional challengers to the throne.
For many fans, the Flying Tiger class is already the main reason to attend Thunder Road or order the Northeast Sports Network pay-per-view every week. With the track’s biggest car counts, a back-and-forth point battle, and eight different winners in eight events, the Tigers have lived up to their billing as “the best support division in North America”.
For the last four seasons, the Myers Container Services Triple Crown has given the Tigers the stage they deserve. The first event of the year on July 9 saw 35 drivers attempt to qualify and featured one of the year’s best duels between eventual winner Brandon Lanphear of Morrisville, then–point leader Jaden Perry of Hardwick, and leading rookie Kasey Beattie of St. Johnsbury. There’s every reason to believe the encore will be just as spectacular if not more so.
Blake Dodges Late Carnage for Win on WDEV/Calkins Night
Four Racers Join First-Time Winner’s Club at Thunder Road
Barre, VT — Local racer Cody Blake combined a little speed with a lot of luck to score the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model victory at Barre’s Thunder Road on Thursday, July 30. Blake took the lead for the first time from Graniteville’s Christopher Pelkey on a restart following a massive crash with 10 laps to go and pulled away to win the 50-lap feature on WDEV Radio/Calkins Portable Toilets Night.
The second-generation racer spent much of the race in the back half of the top-10 while rookie Matthew Smith tried to pull the upset. Essex Jct.’s Smith grabbed the point from polesitter Kyle Pembroke at the drop of the green and eventually pulled out to a straightaway lead.
Just when it seemed Smith had the race in hand, Matt White and Chris Roberts spun on the front chute to bring out the first caution on lap-30. Although Smith easily held off Barre’s Jim “Boomer” Morris on the restart, recent Midseason Champion Scott Dragon went for a front stretch spin eight laps later to trigger another yellow.
Corliss Puts on Clinic for Third Straight Community Bank N.A. 150 Win
American Canadian Tour
Barre, VT — Hometown racer and defending “King of the Road” Jason Corliss crushed the competition at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road to take the Community Bank N.A. 150 for the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) on Sunday, July 26. Corliss put on a high-banked clinic to lead all but one lap en route to his third straight victory in the event.
A near-perfect day for the 2019 track champion began in qualifying as Corliss earned the pole with a +4 under ACT’s “plus-minus” system. Starting alongside a fellow reigning titlist in 2019 ACT Champion Rich Dubeau of Plainfield, NH, Corliss quickly asserted himself at the front with Fayston, VT’s Brooks Clark moving into the number-two spot.
