BARRE, VT – The Late Model stock car championship season opens on Sunday, May 11 at Barre’s Thunder Road with the 50-lap Harvest Equipment Mother’s Day Special. “King of the Road” Track Champion Dave Pembroke of Middlesex will begin his title defense against the likes of Cris Michaud, Phil Scott, Joe Becker, Jamie Fisher, and 2007 Rookie of the Year Chip Grenier.
Pembroke, a network administrator for Vermont State Employees Credit Union, a sponsor on his #44VT Chevrolet Impala, finished third in last weekend’s American-Canadian Tour Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road after an exciting duel with eventual winner Scott Payea.
“I’m pretty excited to get back on the track, especially after last weekend,” said Pembroke. “We had a new car built by Dale Shaw over the winter, and it was just about perfect the first time out of the box.”
Pembroke said that aside from the stiff competition he’ll face this season, his biggest challenge will be Thunder Road’s tricky outside lane.
“The outside is usually the fast way around, but that wasn’t the case last weekend,” he explained. “I think the cold weather played a part, but in all the years I’ve been racing that’s the hardest I’ve ever had to work on the outside. We’ll see if the track has really changed this weekend, but I’m optimistic that my crew will give me a good car no matter what the track does.”
Hometown racer Scott Coburn leads the NAPA Tiger Sportsman division following his opening day Merchants Bank victory over fellow Barre drivers Shawn Sicard and David Finck. Graniteville driver Dave LaFleche is the Allen Lumber Street Stock point leader, while Waterbury’s Neal Foster paces the Power Shift Online Junkyard Warriors.
Kids’ race car rides and a special “Mothers Lawn Mower Grand Prix” will highlight the Harvest Equipment Mother’s Day Special at Thunder Road on Sunday, May 11. Kids’ rides will be held from 2-3pm, with racing action starting at 5:00pm. Gates open at 1:30pm. General admission is $9.50 for adults and $3 for children (6-12). Thunder Road continues its tradition of family-friendly pricing with the best racing value in New England at just $20 for a Family ticket, good for any two adults and two kids. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.