BARRE, VT – Champion American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model stock car racer Phil Scott of
Middlesex drove from 17th to win the 50-lap Vermont ACE Hardware Dealers feature at Barre’s Thunder Road on Thursday night. Scott, a three-time “King of the Road” nipped Marcel Gravel of Wolcott by a nose at the finish line in one of the wildest races of the season.
Colchester’s David Chagnon led the opening 40 laps before a caution flag for point leader Jamie
Fisher of Shelburne bunched the field. Fisher had broken suspension part on his car, but returned on the lead lap after repairs. Chagnon squared off against Gravel at the restart until the race’s second yellow flag flew on lap 46. A seven-car pileup two laps after the race resumed involved Chagnon, and he was done for the night. Gravel assumed the top spot for the final restart on lap 48, with a hard-charging Scott in the outside lane. Gravel held on as the white flag flew, but Scott mashed the gas pedal in the final corner to take his first win of the season by about two feet. Rich Lowrey of Charlotte and Shawn Fleury benefited from the lap 48 pileup to finish in the third and fourth positions, respectively. Mike Bailey of Barre finished fifth. Dave Pembroke finished sixth ahead of Joey Becker. Fisher made an amazing recovery to finish eighth after restarting 22nd with ten laps remaining. Cris Michaud and John Donahue rounded out the Top 10 finishers, unofficially. With two championship events remaining, Fisher unofficially retains the point lead by a miniscule three markers ahead of Pembroke (831-828), and just seven over Michaud (824). The “King of the Road” battle is among the closest in the 48 year history of Thunder Road.
David Finck earned his first NAPA Tiger Sportsman feature victory since 1999 in another tight
finish over Northfield’s Matt White. Finck, a hometown driver, led all 35 laps. Chris Gendreau of North
Middlesex finished third unoffiically ahead of East Montpelier’s Joey Laquerre and Chelsea’s Alex Perkins.
Hometown driver Lloyd Blakely capitalized on the misfortunes of Allen Lumber Street Stock point
leader Bobby Therrien, winning the 25-lap feature for his division. Therrien’s car shut down during the
pace lap and would not re-fire. Blakely, who entered the ACE Hardware event as the third-place point
driver, tightened the standings with his victory. Mike Martin of Craftsbury Common finished second ahead of Plainfield’s Jason Corliss.
Chad Brown of Jeffersonville took his second Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior main event win of
the season. Barre drivers Justin Gay and Del Jarvis completed the top three finishers.
Kinney Drugs presents the final Thursday night event of the 2007 racing season on August 23.
Thunder Road’s annual Kids Poster Contest will join a full card of ACT Late Models, NAPA Tiger Sportsmen, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and Power Shift Online Junkyard Warriors. Gates open at 4:30 pm, racing begins at 6:30 pm. General admission is only $9 for adults, $3 for kids, and just $18 for a family of four. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – VT ACE Hardware Dealers Night
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT – Thursday, August 16, 2007
ACT Late Models
Fin.-Car No.-Driver-Hometown
1. 14 Phil Scott, Middlesex
2. 5 Marcel Gravel, Wolcott
3. 8 Rich Lowrey, Charlotte
4. 31 Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
5. 00 Mike Bailey, Barre
6. 44 Dave Pembroke, Montpelier
7. 16 Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
8. 18 Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
9. 6 Cris Michaud, Williamstown
10. 26 John Donahue, Graniteville
NAPA Tiger Sportsmen
Fin.-Car No.-Driver-Hometown
1. 37 David Finck, Barre
2. 42 Matt White, Northfield
3. 72 Chris Gendreau, North Middlesex
4. 15 Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
5. 11 Alex Perkins, Chelsea
Allen Lumber Street Stocks
Fin.-Car No.-Driver-Hometown
1. 30 Lloyd Blakely, Barre
2. 01 Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common
3. 61 Jason Corliss, Plainfield
Power Shift Online Junkyard Warriors
Fin.-Car No.-Driver-Hometown
1. 1 Chad Brown, Jeffersonville
2. 24 Justin Gay, Barre
3. 11 Del Jarvis, Barre