by Jay | Jun 27, 2014 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Scott Dragon Returns to Victory Lane on American Racer Night
Barre, VT – Scott Dragon of Colchester returned to Thunder Road victory lane during the American Racer event on Thursday, June 26. Dragon piloted his Richard Green ride to an uncontested win as the 50 lap Late Model event went wire-to-wire caution free. It was Dragon’s second career Thunder Road Late Model win with his last coming in May of 2003.
Dragon rocketed to the point from the outside pole and was followed by Jason Allen. The duo built a large lead over the remainder of the field as Ricky Roberts and rookie Josh Demers battled side-by-side for several laps. Roberts finally got the advantage late in the event and broke away for third. Joey Laquerre and Emily Packard followed to complete the top five. Demers slipped to sixth followed by Nick Sweet, Cody Blake, Derrick O’Donnell and John Donahue rounding out the top ten.
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by Jay | Jun 23, 2014 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Barre, VT – Officials with the American Canadian Tour (ACT) and Thunder Road Speedbowl today announced VP Small Engine Fuel will be the presenting sponsor of the 35th running of the Vermont Governor’s Cup 150. VP Small Engine Fuel, an ethanol-free fuel formulated by VP Racing Fuels, provides easier, more dependable starts for chain saws, generators, leaf/snow blowers, string trimmers and other outdoor power equipment.
“As the official supplier of race fuel for Thunder Road and all the ACT sanctioned events in the Northeast and Canada, we are happy to be involved with the prestigious Vermont Governor’s Cup,” said Jim Kelly, Regional Manager-Eastern North America for VP Racing Fuels. “Northern New England and the Canadian province of Quebec are ideal markets for VP Small Engine Fuel. The Vermont Governor’s Cup provides a great opportunity to introduce to race fans the finest small engine fuel on the market.”
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by | Jun 19, 2014 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Governor’s Cup Date Changed to Thursday, July 10
Barre, VT – Thunder Road International Speedbowl announced today that NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer from Emporia, Kansas has asked to return for another shot at the famous high banks of Thunder Road. Bowyer raced in the 2013 Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 for the first time. His goal was to have better results than the previous “Cup” visitor, Tony Stewart, who finished 16th. “I want to tackle that ¼ mile again. I didn’t have enough time to figure out the fourth turn, but I learned a lot last year about it, and I really want to get back there–the teams and fans were fun to be around,” said Bowyer.
The original date for the VT Governor’s Cup of Thursday, June 26 has been switched to Thursday, July 10th to coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup event being held that weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Thursday, June 26 will now be a regular Thursday night race program.
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by | Jun 6, 2014 | ACT, Thunder Road, Touring Series News, Vermont
Barre, VT – Longtime veteran of Thunder Road stock car racing, Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier earned his 14th career Late Model feature win during FairPoint Communications night on Thursday, June 5. It was the first Thunder Road Thursday night event of 2014. Laquerre held off both Shawn Fleury and Brett Gervais during multiple restarts to claim the win and move into a tie for fourth on the all-time Thunder Road Late Model wins list.
Fleury and Gervais finished second and third respectively in the caution plagued 50-lap event. Dave Pembroke appeared to have the fastest car on the track at one point but couldn’t find room to get to the front after several caution periods near the end of the event. He settled for fourth followed by Brooks Clark. Nick Sweet, Derrick O’Donnell, Josh Demers, Jason Corliss and Kyle Pembroke completed the top ten.
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by | May 31, 2014 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Barre, VT – A summer time of Thursday night action on the high banks of Barre’s Thunder Road is set to kick off with FairPoint Communications night. This Thursday, June 5, the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” opens its gates for its 55th season of stock car racing Thursday night action. The Late Models, Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will all be racing. While the first two events of the season were among the biggest and most prestigious held at Thunder Road, it’s the gritty Thursday night action each week where drivers win or lose titles.
Barre’s Jason Corliss sits atop the Late Model standings after his thrilling win in the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. The division will run its first 50-lap feature this Thursday for their second point-counting event. Unlike the 100-lap Memorial Day event, weekly 50-lap features are sprint races that require drivers to be aggressive each and every lap. Two-time “King of the Road” Nick Sweet will look to avenge his Memorial Day loss, while Cody Blake, Dave Pembroke and a host of others continue their title campaigns.
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by Jay | May 26, 2014 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Photo by Alan Ward
Jessie Mueller Wins Second Straight Modified Event at Thunder Road
Barre, VT – Barre’s own Jason Corliss scored his first career Thunder Road Late Model win in the 52nd running of the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. Corliss stole the win with a last lap pass of multi-time Thunder Road Champion Nick Sweet in a photo finish of the first Vermont State Late Model Championship event of the year.
Sweet led every step of the way during the first 99 laps of the caution free 100 lap event. The hometown favorite rode the much favored high lane as he lapped the majority of the field. Sophomore driver Corliss and Cody Blake caught Sweet in the final 10 laps as they worked heavy lap traffic. Corliss got by Blake but couldn’t find the grip to get around Sweet. With the white flag flying, Corliss made a last ditch effort as he threw his Burnett Scrap Metals Ford Fusion to the low lane.
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