MILTON MAN TAKES CHECKERED FLAG AT THUNDER ROAD
Rain once again played its part in a Thursday at Thunder Road after plenty of the wet stuff fell from the sky to delay the start of practice on WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets night. Officials remained persistent and dried the track on three separate occasions with the sun helping out on the final session. Through it all, persistence paid off with fans witnessing one of the best Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model events of the season as the King of the Road championship chase continues to be as close as ever this year.
Paige Whittemore and Scott Weston would kick off feature racing, leading the thirty-car rk Miles Street Stock field down to the green flag. Peace didn’t last long with the night’s first major caution piling up that same thirty-car field in turn three with everyone except Midseason Champion Josh Lovely able to return. On the restart Weston led rookie Logan Farrell with Juan Paco Marshall, Tyler Whittemore and fellow rookie Ryan Foster in tow. Derek Farnham would quickly take over the lead from Weston, but all eyes were on Farrell.
Using the outside groove, the Barre rookie gained back five car-lengths on Farnham to lead lap 20 by just six-one-thousands of a second! An ecstatic Farrell turned around his heartbreaking loss last Thursday due to mechanical issues to claim his first career Thunder Road victory followed by Farnham and Tyler Whittemore to round out the WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets podium.
In the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers it was Phil Potvin and Mike Billado at the helm until a lap four caution for the stopped Brandon Gray on the backstretch with a flat right front shoe. Billado would get the outside groove advantage on Potvin under the restart with Cameron Ouellette looking to follow just behind. Logan Powers tries to take it three-wide under Colin Cornell and Robert Gordon to battle back in the points as the first eight rows remain side-by-side. At the halfway point Ouellette’s first half follow-the-leader mentality flipped as he started to eye the low side of Billado’s line around the highbanks.
As the two battled, Kevin Streeter made the most of the outside lane to lead lap 28 with Adam Maynard in tow close behind before the rear-end cut loose on Billado to a smoke-filled spin on the frontstretch to bring out the caution with ten to go. Kevin Streeter faced-off with Adam Maynard on the final restart but Ouellette refused to back-down. At the line Kevin Streeter would nab his first win of the season followed by Cameron Ouellette beginning to find speed in his machine and Adam Maynard’s return to the podium in third.
Using the outside lane to his advantage in heat three, longtime veteran Chip Grenier would take a +4 handicap to earn the pole of the 44th Vermont Governor’s Cup presented by the Vermont Lottery. Starting off the 150-lap chase, Grenier drove the wheels off his Chevy Camaro as Scott Dragon reeled him in from a third-place starting position to take over the lead on lap 9. The first caution on lap 33 for a spinning Justin Prescott down the backstretch re-racked the field with Dragon facing off with Grenier at the line as Grenier led the way with a strong car on the outside groove.
After leading a majority of the first 50 laps, Grenier would lose the lead to Marcel Gravel on the lap 56 restart following Cody Schoolcraft’s spin in turn three. Gravel would only extend his lead through heavy lap traffic as Dragon, Grenier and defending Governor’s Cup champion Jason Corliss chased him down. Tyler Cahoon’s halted ride in turn three would prompt the caution on lap 114 setting up a 31-lap nose-to-tail chase between Dragon, Gravel, Grenier and Corliss as they rode the top line all the way around the Speedbowl.
The final caution for Darrell Morin’s hard contact with the widowmaker frontstretch wall saw the final showdown between Marcel Gravel and Scott Dragon. Dragon took the high-speed advantage on the outside to power up to his third-career Vermont Governor’s Cup victory just five laps later. Marcel Gravel would keep his speed up to finish second followed by Jason Corliss, Nick Sweet and Chip Grenier to round out the top-five.
In the final event of the night, Keegan Tabor stormed off with the lead in the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors as outside polesitter Zach Garvey dropped like a rock on the outside. Though not out of the clear, rising young-gun Karsen Murphy started to work his way into the front row along with Neal Foster and Jason Kirby. The first yellow would flash on lap 8 as a crisscrossed frontstretch melee saw Nate ‘Tater’ Brien, Kirby and Murphy slide into the infield grass at full song as ‘Flyin’ Fred Fleury stopped with a flat right rear tire.
After leading the restart, Keegan Tabor lost his footing in turn three and gathered it back up just to be smacked on the frontstretch with Karsen Murphy smashing the widowmaker, leaving plenty of parts scattered across the racing surface. In the final restart, Neal Foster put the pedal to the metal and took down his first win of the 2023 season followed by last-week’s winner Tyler Wheatley and Jason Kirby.
A quick turn-around for teams and fans brings Thunder Road back to life this Sunday, July 30th for the delayed Preston’s Kia Independence Day Spectacular with Northstar Fireworks ready to supply the greatest fireworks display in Central Vermont! Sunday Post Time is set for 7:00pm with adult general admission set at $15, kids 12-6 for $5 and children 5 and under free! The Family Four Pass is also available for $30.
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT
WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Night feat. 44thVermont Governor’s Cup
Thursday, July 27, 2023
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Port-a-Potty Grand Prix Champion – Stephen Donahue
Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models – Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 presented by the Vermont Lottery
1. 0VT Scott Dragon Milton, VT
2. 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT
3. 66VT Jason Corliss Barre, VT
4. 88VT Nick Sweet Williamstown, VT
5. 9VT Chip Grenier Orange, VT
6. 64VT Chris Pelkey Graniteville, VT
7. 14VT *Bobby Therrien Hinesburg, VT
8. 18VT #Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT
9. 16VT Brandon Lanphear Morrisville, VT
10. 94VT Brendan Moodie Wolcott, VT
11. 99VT Cody Blake Barre, VT
12. 04VT #Justin Prescott Milton, VT
13. 01VT Stephen Martin Craftsbury Common, VT
14. 31VT Stephen Donahue Graniteville, VT
15. 92VT Jaden Perry Hardwick, VT
16. 7VT Cooper Bouchard Hinesburg, VT
17. 8VT Chris Roberts Washington, VT
18. 4VT Scott Coburn Barre, VT
19. 17VT Darrell Morin Westford, VT
20. 68VT Brooks Clark Fayston, VT
21. 31KS #Cody Schoolcraft Claremont, NH
22. 38VT Tyler Cahoon Danville, VT
*Sub Driver for Phil Scott
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – (40 Laps)
1. 67VT Kevin Streeter Waitsfield, VT
2. 90VT Cameron Ouellette Barre, VT
3. 45VT Adam Maynard Milton, VT
4. 3VT Michael MacAskill Williamstown, VT
5. 20VT Robert Gordon Milton, VT
6. 08VT Phil Potvin Underhill, VT
7. 00VT Brandon Gray E. Thetford, VT
8. 54VT Colin Cornell E. Burke, VT
9. 31VT Logan Powers Middlesex, VT
10. 8NH *Joel Hodgdon Craftsbury Common, VT
11. 68VT Jason Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT
12. 07VT Sam Caron Milton, VT
13. 33VT Matt Ballard Williamstown, VT
14. 64VT Jason Pelkey Barre, VT
15. 37VT Kyle Streeter Waterbury Ctr., VT
16. 56VT Chris Laforest Barre, VT
17. 8VT Mike Billado Grand Isle, VT
18. 26VT #Luke Peters Groton, VT
19. 22VT Travis Patnoe Wolcott, VT
20. 78VT #Tyler Pepin Barre, VT
21. 23NY Cam Gadue Highgate, VT
22. 93FL Jeff Oeschger Dover, FL
*Sub Driver for Rich Lowrey
rk Miles Street Stocks – (25 Laps)
1. 9 #Logan Farrell Barre, VT
2. 39 Derek Farnham Bethel, VT
3. 74 Tyler Whittemore Barre, VT
4. 04 Scott Weston Berlin, VT
5. 0 James Dopp Northfield, VT
6. 57 Trevor Jaques Milton, VT
7. 79 Juan ‘Paco’ Marshall Pittsfield, VT
8. 48 Taylor Hoar South Hero, VT
9. 08 #Ryan Foster Waterbury, VT
10. 30 Cameron Powers E. Montpelier, VT
11. 71 Jesse Laquerre Berlin, VT
12. 2 Haidyn Pearce Chelsea, VT
13. 34 Patrick Tibbetts Plainfield, VT
14. 7 Kyle MacAskill Williamstown, VT
15. 17 Justin Blakely Graniteville, VT
16. 69 Christopher Davis Berlin, VT
17. 98 Kasey Collins Berlin, VT
18. 13 #Travis Gay S. Burlington, VT
19. 16 Dean Switser, Jr. Waterford, VT
20. 8 Jeffery Martin Barre, VT
21. 43 Jamie Davis Johnson, VT
22. 50 Eric MacLaughlin Milton, VT
23. 5 Kyle Gravel Wolcott, VT
24. 3 Michael Gay S. Burlington, VT
25. 33 Curtis Franks Topsham, VT
26. 88 #Paul Rocheleau Georgia, VT
27. 96 Thomas Peck Waterbury, VT
28. 55 Parker Gagne Fairfax, VT
29. 73 Paige Whittemore Graniteville, VT
30. 54 Josh Lovely Williamstown, VT
DNS 1 #Shea Wheeler Waterbury, VT
DNS 24 Todd Raymo Swanton, VT
DNS 22 Thomas Smith Williamstown, VT
Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – (20 Laps)
1. 19 Neal Foster Moretown, VT
2. 31 Tyler Wheatley Brookfield, VT
3. 71 Jason Kirby Milton, VT
4. 07 Benjamin Bushey Springfield, VT
5. 88 Frank Putney Graniteville, VT
6. 26 Corey Martin Northfield, VT
7. 76 Easton Garvey Milton, VT
8. 74 Keegan Tabor Williamstown, VT
9. 75 Bert Duffy Milton, VT
10. 96 Bill O’Connor S. Washington, VT
11. 33 Brayden Murphy Barre, VT
12. 82 Jacob Hall-Larson Northfield, VT
13. 42 Karsen Murphy Northfield, VT
14. 94 Ryan Sayers Barre, VT
15. 77 Zach Garvey Milton, VT
16. 50 Nick Copping Barre, VT
17. 16 Nate Brien Williamstown, VT
18. 99 Fred Fleury Graniteville, VT
DNS 43 Anderson Boyd Berlin, VT
