by Jay | May 27, 2016 | New, PASS, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
NAPLES, ME (May 25) – After a thrilling debut last year, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Super Late Models are set to return to Vermont’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl this Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM. In addition to 150 laps for New England’s fastest racers, the 54th Annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic will feature 100 laps for Thunder Road’s ACT Late Models, plus the PASS Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Tigers.
Center Conway, NH’s DJ Shaw has had a solid start to the 2016 PASS North season, currently sitting second in points on the strength of a win in the Southern Maine Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. While Shaw is happy with his results so far, the 2014 PASS North champion believes he and his team can be even better.
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by Jay | May 19, 2016 | New, Thunder Road, Vermont
Waterbury, VT – Thunder Road International Speedbowl announces the continuation of a thirty-seven thousand ($37,000.00) point fund program for their weekly competitors’ 2016 season. Started in 2014, the three divisions – ACT Late Models, Bond Auto Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks – have enjoyed one of the largest weekly point funds in the country.
The Thunder Road Late Model Champion is awarded $7,500.00 at the end of the season. The top 15 positions in both the Late Model and Tiger divisions battle throughout the race season for positions in the point standings. The Late Models receive a total payout of $25,000.00; the Tiger division has a total of over $7,500; the 4-cylinder Street Stock division has a point fund through 20 positions that will pay over $4,400.00 in post season awards.
“Thunder Road has been known for paying some of the best weekly purses around the country, and certainly some of the best point funds. When I was racing the purse for Late Models was around $6,000 on the quarter mile. When you added in the year-end point fund, together it really helped with the expenses to race at the level we raced at. I think the same thing applies to the two other divisions,” said former three time-track champion and current ACT race director, Cris Michaud.
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by Jay | May 18, 2016 | Devils Bowl, New, Vermont
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Opens 50th Season with Action-Packed Weekend
Kids bike races, Modified 50-lappers, tribute to ’67 champ Hulbert highlight two nights of racing
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – The wait is over for local stock car racing fans, as Devil’s Bowl Speedway opens its 50th season of action this weekend, May 21-22, with a two-night schedule jammed with action. The Rutland County track’s landmark golden anniversary will be the first full season of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing on both the half-mile Asphalt Track and the 3/10-mile Dirt Track.
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by Jay | May 11, 2016 | ACT, New, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
photo by RPM 360
By Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald battled a tight race car on Sunday, May 8 in the 18th Annual Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont to post an eighth place finish in the American Canadian tour’s race at the famed speedway. The event originally scheduled for last weekend but postponed due to rain, was again delayed by morning rain and blustery cold weather prevailed throughout the day.
“I don’t really know what happened to the car during the race,” said Eddie Mac. “We were really happy with it in practice and in the heat. Even during last Saturday’s practice here, we felt like the car was going good and we would have solid shot at the win. I don’t know if it was the cold or something else but the car was tight right from the start of the race and just didn’t have any speed.”
Eddie Mac drew the sixth starting position in the second heat but actually started second when cars in front of the Rowley, Mass. veteran dropped out. The Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy easily won the heat earning a plus one rating forcing a 12th place start in the feature with Eddie Mac saying, “We started on the outside and there were a number of cars in front of us that just couldn’t run out there. I fell back in the pack and with the car not handling, it just kept getting worse. It was a struggle during the race to get the car going.”
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by Jay | May 9, 2016 | Bear Ridge, New, Vermont
Bear Ridge Speedway
BRADFORD, VT – With several new faces to the Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds 2016 is looking to offer some of the best modified racing in New England. A record thirty two machines showed up to take the green for the main event. This meant a B-Main was set to happen with eleven cars projected to compete. Five cars unfortunately would scratch and be unable to compete for the night. With the top four in the b-main moving up to the main the field was set with twenty five machines for the first race of the 2016 season on opening night sponsored by FMS Auto Parts NAPA of Bradford. Adam Pierson doing double duty again in 2016 was the man on the move coming from the thirteenth place spot to the front of the field taking the lead from Alan Hammond on lap twenty two. Pierson would go on to win the feature with Midget team mate Josh Sunn coming home in second. Tom Forward would claim the final spot in victory lane grabbing third place his best finish since his return to racing at the Ridge. Returning to action in 2016 are Wayne Stearns and Arnold Stygles. Stearns came across the line fourth with Jordan Fornwalt coming home fifth.
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by Jay | May 9, 2016 | ACT, New, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
American Canadian Tour
Barre, VT – Local racer Nick Sweet fended off Williamstown’s Jimmy Hebert on a trio of late restarts to win the 18th American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Merchants Bank 150 at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, May 8.
Sweet, driving the #40VT Mad Dog Motorsports Chevrolet in place of his familiar #88VT Buick, first took the lead from Brook Clark on lap 14 and dominated the middle stages of the race. But a series of late spins allowed Hebert to draw alongside, and the former Tiger Sportsman track champion nosed ahead following restarts on laps 133 and 143.
But the two-time Thunder Road “King of the Road” was able to come back each time, and he easily cleared Hebert on the race’s final restart with three laps to go. Sweet became the second three-time winner of the Merchants Bank 150.
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