BARRE, VT – A trio of freshman stock car drivers have been named the 2008 Rookies of the Year at Barre’s Thunder Road, each having bested talent-rich fields of first-year racers in their respective divisions. Matt White, Bobby Therrien, and Mike MacAskill will officially accept their awards at the annual Thunder Road Banquet of Champions during the winter off-season.
White, 34, of Northfield, drove his White’s Heating, Inc./Bethel Central Market #42VT Chevrolet Monte Carlo to two 50-lap main event victories at Thunder Road during his first year in the premier American-Canadian Tour Late Model division, and narrowly defeated Middlebury driver Tony Andrews for the freshman crown. White’s wins came on Charter Communications Night in July and Casella Waste Management Night in August.
White and Andrews swapped the rookie point lead on numerous occasions before White was able to take over for good following his second win and take a six-point margin of victory, 144-138. Nick Sweet of Barre, Tyler Cahoon of St. Johnsbury, and Spencer MacPherson of Carleton Place, ON rounded out the top five rookie drivers. White joins his father, Wayne, as a Thunder Road Rookie of the Year; Wayne White was winner of the 1984 prize in the Flying Tiger division.
Twenty-one year-old Therrien, of Hinesburg, clinched his second consecutive Rookie of the Year title at Thunder Road by winning the NAPA Tiger Sportsman division’s freshman crown. Former Street Stock rivals Therrien and fellow rookie Mike Ziter of Williamstown spilt twin Sportsman features on NAPA Auto Parts/Make-A-Wish Night in August, but Therrien was able to rely on early-season performances to seal a seven-point victory over young Cody Blake of Barre, 159-152.
Ziter finished third overall, just a single point behind Blake. Middlesex driver Josh Demers and Dan
Eastman of Thetford Center completed the top five rookies, with Eastman only 25 points behind Therrien. Therrien, the 2007 Allen Lumber Street Stock Champion and Rookie of the Year, adds to his family quickly-growing résumé: his older brother, Tom, was the Sportsman division’s Rookie of the Year just four seasons ago.
Although he had plenty of tough competition, 18 year-old Mike MacAskill of Williamstown was able to earn the Allen Lumber Street Stock Rookie of the Year title in convincing fashion. MacAskill led the division’s rookie standings from the Harvest Equipment Mother’s Day Special on May 11 until the final event at the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl on September 28, posting a win on VT ACE Hardware Dealers Night in August along the way.
Former Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior Champion Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick earned two victories to finish second in the rookie chase behind MacAskill, 185-171. Elmore’s David Whitcomb finished third, ahead of feature winner Brett Pierce of Montpelier and Cambridge driver Jennifer Getty.
Matt White, Bobby Therrien, and Mike MacAskill will be formally honored at the Thunder Road Banquet of Champions in January 2009. Banquet details and information will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information on Thunder Road, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.