{"id":12830,"date":"2013-05-28T10:00:39","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T14:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/?p=12830"},"modified":"2013-05-28T04:49:20","modified_gmt":"2013-05-28T08:49:20","slug":"odonnell-holds-off-sweet-for-memorial-day-classic-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/odonnell-holds-off-sweet-for-memorial-day-classic-win\/","title":{"rendered":"O’Donnell Holds Off Sweet for Memorial Day Classic Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"North<\/a><\/p>\n

O\u2019Donnell Holds Off Sweet for Memorial Day Classic Win<\/strong>
\n Mueller, Pierson, and Smith Claim Feature Wins<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barre, VT \u2013 North Haverhill\u2019s Derrick O\u2019Donnell held off a late charge from King of the Road Nick Sweet to pick up the victory in his first-ever Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic at Barre\u2019s Thunder Road on Monday, May 27.
\n
\nO\u2019Donnell started third in the 30-car field, needing only six laps to claim the lead from South Burlington, VT\u2019s Trampas Demers. 2012 Thunder Road Track Champion Nick Sweet quickly worked his way from his 12th starting position to fifth by lap 41, and by lap 58, after the third of six caution periods, had cracked the top three. Sweet pulled into second with 12 laps to go looking to win his second Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic in a row, but the former Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman Champion O\u2019Donnell held him off to become the 51st name in the Memorial Day Classic Granite Stone at Thunder Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, we needed redemption after the Merchants Bank Race. I\u2019ve been after myself for not performing how I would have liked, and this completely makes up for it,\u201d said O\u2019Donnell in victory lane. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t get any better than this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sweet began his title defense with a solid second-place in the first point-counting event of the year for the Thunder Road Late Models.<\/p>\n

\u201cDerrick drove a great race. I just ran out of time, but that\u2019s what they all say right?\u201d laughed Sweet at the podium. \u201cThis is a great way to start off the year. Props to Derrick and his team,\u201d he finished.<\/p>\n

Demers rounded out the podium in third, while Turner, ME\u2019s Glen Luce and Graniteville, VT\u2019s Chip Grenier completed the top five after starting mid-pack. Scott Payea, Cody Blake, Dave Pembroke, Rookie Jason Corliss, and Jean-Paul Cyr rounded out the top ten. 38 cars attempted to qualify for the event. O\u2019Donnell\u2019s victory qualified him for the Bond Auto ACT Invitational on Saturday, September 21 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. He joins Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Brian Hoar, and Jimmy Hebert. O\u2019Donnell\u2019s victory was not only the first Thunder Road Late Model point-counting event, but the first for the four-race Vermont State Championship Series.<\/p>\n

The Devil\u2019s Bowl Dirt Modifieds hit the pavement at the Nation\u2019s Site of Excitement for the first time ever, seeing youngster Jessey Mueller take the opening event in the newly-created North Modified Challenge Series.<\/p>\n

The race started with a red flag for a multi-car wreck that sent favorite Vince Quenneville, Jr. and several other Modifieds barreling over turn one. Modified standout Alex Bell assumed the lead until an incident with a teammate in lap traffic sent both cars over the turn 3 bank. This left the lead to Chazy, VT\u2019s Leon Gonyo, who held on until Mueller powered by him in the outside after the third of five caution periods. Gonyo followed Mueller to the line, with Modified legend Kenny Tremont, Jr. completing the podium in third.
\n\u201cThis is just awesome. I really hope we come back,\u201d said Mueller in victory lane. When asked what was going through his head with five laps to go, he said \u201cI was just thinking C\u2019mon boys. I got this!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bell recovered from his lap traffic incident to finish fourth in a door-banging finish with Middlebury, VT\u2019s Hunter Bates. Joe Williams, Bobby Therrien, Vince Quenneville, Cody Sargen, and Adam Bartemy rounded out the top ten.
\nMulti-time Dirt Champion Adam Pierson took his first victory at Thunder Road in the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman division, holding off perennial contenders Eric Badore and Jason Allen in the caution free event.<\/p>\n

Pierson took the lead early in the 25-lap race while the veterans worked their way through the 28-car field, building a healthy lead halfway through the event. Badore climbed quickly from mid-pack, along with two-time Tiger Champion Shawn Fleury, and ran down Pierson in the final laps. Badore closed in for the lead late, but a three-wide lap traffic move by Pierson sealed his first victory. Fleury ended up in a side-by-side drag race with Allen for third, but had to settle for fourth. John Lambert rounded out the top five.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so hard to win here, it means a lot to do what we did here today,\u201d said Pierson in victory lane, after winning his heat, semi-feature, and feature. \u201cI have got to say, I\u2019m pretty psyched!\u201d<\/p>\n

Tommy \u201cThunder\u201d Smith took his 26th career victory in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks, taking the lead from East Montpelier\u2019s Donny Yates with just five laps to go to take the checkers.<\/p>\n

Yates took the lead after passing Jennifer Getty on the 8th circuit of the 25-lap event, bringing Smith, 2012 Rookie of the Year Dean Switser, Jr., and Jamie Davis behind him. A wild lap 9 flip down the front stretch by \u201cSuper\u201d Joe Fecteau momentarily stopped the field, but when the green started again it was a door-to-door battle for the win between Smith and Yates. Smith finally took the lead on the outside, bringing Switser with him to finish second. Yates was forced to settle for third, followed by Davis and former Street Stock Champion Greg Adams.<\/p>\n

Thunder Road will be back in action on Sunday, June 9 for a WLVB Twilight event. The Thunder Road Late Models, Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will continue their championship point battles, along with the New England Antique Racers who will make a special appearance. Post time for the event is 4:00pm.<\/p>\n

Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic Unofficial Results
\nThunder Road International Speedbowl \u2013 Barre, VT
\nMonday, May 27, 2013
\nLate Models
\nPos. Driver (Car #) Hometown<\/strong>
\n1. (3) #Derrick O’Donnell, N. Haverhill, NH, 100 Laps
\n2. (12) Nick Sweet, Barre, VT, 100 Laps
\n3. (1) Trampas Demers, S. Burlington, VT, 100 Laps
\n4. (14) Glen Luce, Turner, ME, 100 Laps
\n5. (13) Chip Grenier, Graniteville, VT, 100 Laps
\n6. (10) Scott Payea, Milton, VT, 100 Laps
\n7. (18) Cody Blake, Barre, VT, 100 Laps
\n8. (25) Dave Pembroke, Middlesex, VT, 100 Laps
\n9. (5) #Jason Corliss, Barre, VT, 100 Laps
\n10. (11) Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT, 100 Laps
\n11. (16) Phil Scott, Middlesex, VT, 100 Laps
\n12. (7) Jay Laquerre, Barre, VT, 100 Laps
\n13. (24) Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT, 100 Laps
\n14. (17) Mike Bailey, South Barre, VT, 100 Laps
\n15. (2) Matthew White, Northfield, VT, 100 Laps
\n16. (19) Brett Wheeler, Waterbury, VT, 100 Laps
\n17. (20) Emily Packard, E. Montpelier, VT, 100 Laps
\n18. (27) Joey Becker, Jeffersonville, VT, 100 Laps
\n19. (23) #Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME, 100 Laps
\n20. (26) Brent Dragon, Milton, VT, 100 Laps
\n21. (25) Dave Pembroke, Middlesex, VT, 100 Laps
\n22. (22) Rick Roberts, E. Barre, VT, 100 Laps
\n23. (15) Jim Morris, Barre, VT, 100 Laps
\n24. (30) #Joey M. Laquerre, E. Montpelier, VT, 99 Laps
\n25. (8) Lance Allen, Barre, VT, 99 Laps
\n26. (28) David Whitcomb, Essex Jct., VT, 99 Laps
\n27. (29) Hunter Bates, Pittsford, VT, 99 Laps
\n28. (4) Kyle Pembroke, Montpelier, VT, 82 Laps
\n29. (6) Craig Bushey, Fletcher, VT, 57 Laps
\n30. (21) Brooks Clark, Fayston, VT, 49 Laps
\nLap Leaders<\/strong>: Trampas Demers, 1-5; Derrick O’Donnell, 6-100
\nTime of Race<\/strong>: 43:38
\nMargin of Victory<\/strong>: .395 seconds
\nCautions<\/strong>: 6 (laps 21, 41, 56, 82, 86, 86)
\nHeat Winners<\/strong>: Jean-Paul Cyr, Nick Sweet, Chip Grenier, Mike Bailey
\nConsi Winners<\/strong>: Phil Scott, Matt White
\nB-Feature Winner<\/strong>: Dave Pembroke<\/p>\n

Northern Modified Challenge Series Unofficial Results<\/strong>
\nPos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
\n1. Jessey Mueller (19) Olmstedville, NY
\n2. Leon Gonyo (4) Chazy, NY
\n3. Kenny Tremont, Jr. (115) West Sand Lake, NY
\n4. Alex Bell (23) Cambridge, NY
\n5. Hunter Bates (69) Middlebury, VT
\n6. Joe Williams (55L) Scotia, NY
\n7. Bobby Therrien (20) Hinesburg, VT
\n8. Vince Quinneville, Jr. (78) Brandon, VT
\n9. Cody Sargen (55) Greenfield Center, NY
\n10. Adam Bartemy (X) Sheldon, VT
\n11. David Snow (5VT) Brandon, VT
\n12. Todd Stone (1X) Middlebury, VT
\n13. Matt Atwood (8VT) Whitehall, NY
\n14. Aaron Bartemy (B3) Sheldon, VT
\n15. Ron Proctor (27) Charlton, NY
\n16. Jamie Proctor (52) Schuylerville, NY
\n17. Emily Quinn (7) Schaghticoke, NY
\n18. Mike Bush (31) South Glens Falls, NY
\n19. Joey Roberts (50x) Fletcher, VT
\n20. Jeff Haskins (95) Wells, VT
\n21. Bruce Schwab (25VT) Whitehall, NY
\nLap Leaders<\/strong>: Alex Bell, 1-7; Leon Gonyo, 8-12; Jessey Mueller, 13-50.
\nCautions<\/strong>: 5 (Lap 0(red), 7, 12, 34, 45)<\/p>\n

Bond Auto Tigers Unofficial Results
\nPos. Driver (Car #) Hometown<\/strong>
\n1. Adam Pierson (85) Bradford,VT
\n2. Eric Badore (04) Milton, VT
\n3. Jason Allen (29) Barre, VT
\n4. Shawn Fleury (31) Middlesex, VT
\n5. John Lambert (2) Northfield, VT
\n6. Josh Demers (10) Montpelier, VT
\n7. Mike Billado (8) Essex, VT
\n8. Jason Woodard (68) Waterbury Ctr., VT
\n9. Randy Gonyaw (22) S. Barre, VT
\n10. Jeffrey Bousquet (60) Worcester, VT
\n11. Joe Steffen (00) Grand Isle, VT
\n12. Chris Roberts (9) Washington, VT
\n13. Scott Coburn (1) Barre, VT
\n14. Mike Martin (01) Craftsbury Common, VT
\n15. Brendan Moodie (94) Wolcott, VT
\n16. Tucker Williams (11) Hyde Park, VT
\n17. Mike Ziter (26) Williamstown, VT
\n18. Matthew Potter (23) Marshfield, VT
\n19. Darrell Morin (71) Essex Jct., VT
\n20. Clem Despault (3) Waterbury, VT
\n21. David Finck (37) Barre, VT
\n22. Christopher Pelkey (64) South Barre, VT
\n23. Cameron Ouellette (90) Barre, VT
\n24. Justin Gibbs (30) Waterbury, VT
\n25. Doug Crowningshield (14) Barre, VT
\n26. Daniel Lathrop (6) Hyde Park, VT
\n27. Josh Payea (5) Georgia, VT
\n28. Mike Rollins (91) Williamstown, VT<\/p>\n

Allen Lumber Street Stocks Unofficial Results
\nPos. Driver (Car #) Hometown<\/strong>
\n1. Tommy Smith (50) Williamstown, VT
\n2. Dean Switser, Jr. (16) Lyndonville, VT
\n3. Donnie Yates (05) N. Montpelier, VT
\n4. Jamie Davis (43) Wolcott, VT
\n5. Greg Adams (38) Hardwick, VT
\n6. Nick Pilotte (11) Jefferson, NH
\n7. Bunker Hodgdon (83) Wolcott, VT
\n8. Troy Kingsbury (39) Waitsfield, VT
\n9. Alan Maynard (10) Fairfax, VT
\n10. Kevin Dodge (8) Barre, VT
\n11. Jamie Lee (18) Barre, VT
\n12. Keith Fortier (35) Hinesburg, VT
\n13. Scott Maynard (59) Burlington, VT
\n14. Gary Mullen (29) Tunbridge, VT
\n15. Jennifer Getty (25) Cambridge, VT
\n16. Patrick Tibbetts (48) Barre, VT
\n17. George Butler (9) Randolph, VT
\n18. Kyle Streeter (37) Waitsfield, VT
\n19. Will Hennequin (47) Morrisville, VT
\n20. George Sanders (68) Northfield, VT
\n21. Joscelyn Fecteau (75) Hardwick, VT
\n22. Tommy Elwood (88) Morrisville, VT
\n23. Tyler Austin (5) E. Calais, VT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

O\u2019Donnell Holds Off Sweet for Memorial Day Classic Win Mueller, Pierson, and Smith Claim Feature Wins Barre, VT \u2013 North Haverhill\u2019s Derrick O\u2019Donnell held off a late charge from King of the Road Nick Sweet to pick up the victory in his first-ever Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic at Barre\u2019s Thunder Road on Monday, May […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,200],"tags":[15301],"class_list":["post-12830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thunder-road","category-vermont","tag-odonnell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}