Video – THUNDER ROAD OPENING DAY PIT CARS
THUNDER ROAD OPENING DAY PIT CARS
Thunder Road Car Show and Practice Merchants Bank Weekend
Thunder Road Car Show and Practice Merchants Bank Weekend
· 102 cars lined Main Street of downtown Barre for the annual Thunder Road car show on Saturday, April 30.
· Seven-time and defending champion Brian Hoar and his Rick Paya Motorsports team claimed the title in the 2011 pit stop contest.
· 47 ACT Late Model Tour cars attended practice at Thunder Road following the annual car show parade up Quarry Hill.
· The fast times of the day were in the 13.2’s and 13.3’s. Much like the Lee USA Speedway practice a couple of weeks ago, a wide range of cars managed to hit that range at some point during the day. In no particular order Randy Potter, Jimmy Hebert, Scott Luce, Matt White, Brian Hoar, Cody Blake, Phil Scott, Nick Sweet, John Donahue, Quinny Welch, Dave Pembroke, Cris Michaud, Joey Laquerre, Jean-Paul Cyr, Brent Dragon, Jamie Fisher, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. all managed to hit that range.
· There were no major accidents during the day’s practice and all the teams are expected to be back for tomorrow’s running of the 13th Annual Merchants Bank 150.
· Class day festivities begin at 1:00pm with the first ACT Late Model Tour heat race set to roll at 1:30pm. The Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen, Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Junkyard Warriors will make for a full card of racing.
Austin Theriault Thunder Road Race Preview
Austin Theriault: ACT Late Model Tour
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl Race Preview
THE STORY
Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, looks for a second straight Top-10 to open the season when the ACT Late Model Tour competes in the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., on Sunday, May 1. Theriault finished seventh in the season-opening event at Lee USA Speedway two weeks ago in his debut with RPM Motorsports, and he’s returning to the site of one of the most impressive performances of his 2010 rookie season. Last June, Theriault finished seventh in his first-ever trip to Thunder Road, prompting ACT president Tom Curley to call it “the most impressive Thunder Road since Dave Dion.”
Brian Hoar Thunder Road Race Preview
Brian Hoar: ACT Late Model Tour
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl Race Preview
THE STORY
Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., looks to keep his momentum rolling when the ACT Late Model Tour visits Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., for the Merchants Bank 150 on Sunday, May 1. Hoar has won the last two ACT-sanctioned events, including a Goodyear Speedweeks Cup 100 in New Smyrna, Fla., in February and the ACT Tour season opener at Lee USA Speedway two weeks ago. Hoar is the owner of a record 29 career ACT victories and, as the early points leader, has a leg up in his quest for a third straight and eighth overall Tour title. Five of his ACT victories have come at Thunder Road, where he was also the 1999 track champion.
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THUNDER ROAD REGULARS DEFEND TURF IN MERCHANTS BANK 150
THUNDER ROAD REGULARS DEFEND TURF IN MERCHANTS BANK 150
Waterbury, VT – The 13th annual Merchants Bank 150 will open the new season at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Sunday, May 1, 2011. There is no track on the American Canadian Tour (ACT) schedule that presents a bigger challenge to the ACT regular touring teams than Thunder Road and its regular teams. As many as eight (8) former Thunder Road “King of the Road” champions are expected to be at the opening event.
Defending ACT Champion and 2011 point leader coming out of the opening event at Lee USA Speedway, Brian Hoar said, “I have had some pretty good success over the years at Thunder Road, I even won the King of the Road title in 1999, but that seems like a long, long time ago.”
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Divisional Champions Lead 2011 Thunder Road Rookie Class
Divisional Champions Lead 2011 Thunder Road Rookie Class
Barre, VT – The 2011 Thunder Road stock car season will see three divisional track champions enter the Rookie of the Year running at the next level. While the champions will lead the way, the majority of the rookie class will be made up of new faces at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement.”
“The 2011 rookie class is shaping up with a lot of new drivers, which is a different from seasons past. Normally we see a lot more movement through the divisions, but this season the new faces will add a new dynamic,” said Thunder Road Promoter Tom Curley. “It’s always exciting watching new drivers develop.”
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