Sweet Thrills With Late Pass for Win on Enpro/Safelite Night
Barre, VT – Barre’s Nick Sweet picked up his second Thunder Road Late Model win of the season with a thrilling performance late in the Enpro Services/Safelite Auto Glass Trophy Dash on Thursday, August 6.
Sweet started 11th and was looking to the outside of Montpelier’s Josh Demers with two circuits remaining in the 50-lap feature when Shawn Fleury spun in turn 1, bringing out the third caution and setting up a green-white-checkered dash to the finish. Sweet got the nose up on the restart and rode the momentum on the outside groove to the win, exiting his car to thunderous applause in Victory Lane.
“I was happy for the caution, because I knew on the restart, I was really going to make sure I hit my marks,” Sweet said. “I was wheel-to-wheel with him, and once you’re wheel-to-wheel with someone who’s not ahead of you, that’s when you’re in control. Josh couldn’t control anymore where I was going to go.”
Sweet unofficially closed to within 16 points of N. Haverhill, NH’s Derrick O’Donnell in the overall standings with just four point-counting events remaining.
“We’ve just got to keep going out and doing what we’re doing,” Sweet said. “We’ve got to try and win as many races as we can, and that’s what we’ve been doing so far.”
Essex Jct.’s Dave Whitcomb led the first nine laps from the pole before Demers, who was gunning for a potential Triple Crown for the second straight week, swung to his outside to take the top spot. Demers surrendered the lead to Mike Bailey on a lap-24 restart for Trampas Demers’ spin, but fought back to reclaim the position on lap 29.
Cody Blake and Nick Sweet followed Demers through to second and third. Blake began looking to Demers’ outside with 14 laps remaining, but Sweet got underneath him, and the two fought for eight laps before Sweet secured the position.
Sweet quickly reeled in Demers before Fleury’s spin, which also allowed O’Donnell to join the fray. The four scrambled through the final two laps, crossing the finish line in tight formation.
Demers settled for second as his Triple Crown bid was denied once again. Blake nipped O’Donnell at the line for third. John Donahue, Mike Bailey, Scott Dragon, Jason Allen, Dave
Barre’s Cameron Ouellette earned his first Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman win since 2013 in the 35-lap feature. Craftsbury Cmn.’s Mike Martin appeared to have the jump on the final restart with seven laps to go, but Ouellette keep his foot in the door and the two made contact in turn three. Martin got crossed up just enough for Ouellette to slip back by and take the win.
Rookie Stephen Donahue edged point leader Jason Woodard for third as the two crossed the line sideways. Brendan Moodie, Dylan Payea, Joe Steffen, Caleb Nelson, Mike Billado, and Derek Barker finished fifth through 10th.
Fairfax’s Alan Maynard earned his second win of the year in the 25-lap Allen Lumber Street Stock feature. Maynard took the lead from Duxbury’s Reilly Lanphear on lap eight and cruised to the win in a caution-free event.
Lanphear held off a charging Jamie Davis and Jaden Perry for second. Richard Gravel, Bunker Hodgdon, Tyler Austin, Matthew Smith, Kyle Streeter, and Marcel J. Gravel completed the top-10.
The Thunder Road Thursday night season continues next August 13 with U.S. Army Recruiting Night. The Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen take center stage with a 100-lap event while the Thunder Road Late Models and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will also be in action. Post time is 7:00pm. Admission is $15 for adults and free for kids 12 and under.
For more information contact the Thunder Road offices at 802.244.6963, [email protected], or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
ENPRO SERVICES/SAFELITE AUTO GLASS NIGHT
UNOFFICIAL FINISH
THUNDER ROAD LATE MODELS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
Nick Sweet ( 88VT ) Barre, VT
Josh Demers ( 10VT ) Montpelier, VT
Cody Blake ( 99VT ) Barre, VT
Derrick O’Donnell ( 60VT ) N. Haverhill, NH
John Donahue ( 26VT ) Graniteville, VT
Mike Bailey ( 00VT ) S. Barre, VT
Scott Dragon ( 16VT ) Milton, VT
Jason Allen ( 29VT ) Barre, VT
David Whitcomb ( 25VT ) Essex Jct., VT
Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) Montpelier, VT
Eric Badore ( 4VT ) Milton, VT
Brett Gervais ( 11NH ) Island Pond, VT
#Darrell Morin ( 17VT ) Westford, VT
Phil Scott ( 14VT ) Middlesex, VT
Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) Barre, VT
Trampas Demers ( 85VT ) S. Burlington, VT
#Scott Coburn ( 72VT ) Barre, VT
Tyler Cahoon ( 38VT ) St. Johnsbury, VT
Matt White ( 42VT ) Northfield, VT
Shawn Fleury ( 1VT ) Middlesex, VT
Mark Norris ( 22ME ) Benson, VT
Mike Foster ( 18NY ) Barre, VT
Ricky Roberts ( 3VT ) E. Barre, VT
Boomer Morris ( 13VT ) Barre, VT
DNS Eric Chase ( 40VT ) Milton, VT
BOND AUTO TIGER SPORTSMEN
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
Cameron Ouellette ( 90 ) Barre, VT
Mike Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury, VT
Stephen Donahue ( 26 ) Graniteville, VT
Jason Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
Brendan Moodie ( 94 ) Wolcott, VT
Dylan Payea ( 7 ) Milton, VT
Joe Steffen ( 00 ) Grand Isle, VT
Caleb Nelson ( 07 ) Moretown, VT
Mike Billado ( 8 ) Essex, VT
#Derek Barker ( 15 ) Post Mills, VT
Brian Delphia ( 27 ) Duxbury, VT
Christopher Pelkey ( 64 ) S. Barre, VT
Brent Currier ( 1 ) Johnson, VT
Doug Crowningshield ( 14 ) Barre, VT
Bert Gallison ( 30 ) Graniteville, VT
Tommy Smith ( 50 ) Williamstown, VT
ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCKS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
Alan Maynard ( 10 ) Fairfax, VT
#Reilly Lanphear ( 21 ) Duxbury, VT
Jamie Davis ( 43 ) Wolcott, VT
Jaden Perry ( 92 ) Hardwick, VT
Richard Gravel ( 68 ) Wolcott, VT
Bunker Hodgdon ( 83 ) Hardwick, VT
Tyler Austin ( 5 ) E. Calais, VT
#Matthew Smith ( 04 ) Essex Jct., VT
Kyle Streeter ( 37 ) Waitsfield, VT
Marcel J. Gravel ( 86 ) Wolcott, VT
Will Hennequin ( 47 ) Morrisville, VT
Jamon Perry ( 62 ) Hardwick, VT
#Chris LaForest ( 56 ) Barre, VT
Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT
Travis Streeter ( 61 ) Waitsfield, VT
Scott Weston ( 40 ) Berlin, VT
Kelly Miller Jr. ( 0 ) Johnson, VT
Thomas Merchant ( 38 ) Eden Mills, VT
DNS Jennifer Getty ( 25 ) Cambridge, VT
DNS1 Kyle Gravel ( 98 ) Wolcott, VT