BARRE, VT – Hometown stock car racer Nick Sweet and Hinesburg rookie driver Bobby Therrien shone at
the season-ending Chittenden Milk Bowl at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday afternoon. In front of the
season’s largest crowd, both youngsters captured not only feature event victories in their respective
divisions, they were also crowned Thunder Road Champions.
Sweet, 23, locked up the NAPA Tiger Sportsman division title with a 50-lap Chittenden victory of
North Wolcott’s Brendan Moodie. He took the lead just after the halfway mark before cruising to victory.
Tom Therrien, Bobby’s older brother, stole third place on the final lap from Duxbury’s Kris Grout. Chuck
Beede of Williamstown finished fifth. Rookie James Hebert, Brian Delphia, Chris Chambers, Kevin Boutin, Jr., and Joe Steffen rounded out the unofficial top ten in order.
Sweet drove the #50 Fortier’s Community Care Home/SymQuest Group Chevrolet to three victories on the year, and outdistanced Craig Bushey of Cambridge for the championship.
Bobby Therrien became the first rookie driver in Allen Lumber Street Stock division history to earn the
Thunder Road Championship, outlasting a season-long challenge from veteran Lloyd Blakely of Barre.
Twenty year-old Therrien earned his sixth feature victory of the season, breaking a record he sat last month, and tying the record for victories by a driver in a single season in Thunder Road’s “modern era” (since 1982). Therrien sped from 20th starting position to win the 30-lap Chittenden finale, holding off fellow freshman racer Mike Ziter of Williamstown. Craftsbury Common’s Mike Martin finished third ahead of Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick and Burlington rookie Vern Woodard. Tommy Smith, Gary Mullen, Ron Gabaree, Michael Moore, and rookie Josh LaCourse completed the unofficial top ten.
Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick clinched the Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior division championship on
Saturday afternoon, while Montpelier’s Dave Pembroke was crowned ACT Late Model “King of the Road” in August.
Patrick Laperle of Montreal won the 44th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl for the American-Canadian Tour. Ben Rowe of Turner, ME finished second ahead of Essex Junction’s Dave Whitcomb, Williston’s Brian Hoar, and Mike Rowe, also of Turner, ME. The Chittenden Milk Bowl closed out Thunder Road’s 48th season as “The Nation’s Site of Excitement.” For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit
www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Chittenden Milk Bowl
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT – Sunday, September 30, 2007
NAPA Tiger Sportsman division (50 laps)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre
2. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
3. Tom Therrien, Hinesburg
4. Kris Grout, Duxbury
5. Chuck Beede, Williamstown
6. James Hebert, Williamstown
7. Brian Delphia, Waterbury
8. Chris Chambers, Brookfield
9. Kevin Boutin, Jr., Swanton
10. Joe Steffen, Essex Jct.
Allen Lumber Street Stock division (30 laps)
1. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
2. Mike Ziter, Williamstown
3. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common
4. Greg Adams, Jr., Hardwick
5. Vern Woodard, Burlington
6. Tommy Smith, Williamstown
7. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge
8. Ron Gabaree, Barre
9. Michael Moore, East Haven
10. Josh LaCourse, Barre