Steffen, Christman Fly to Feature Wins
Barre, VT – On a night where tough seasons were avenged, East Montpelier’s Cris Michaud took his second victory of the 2012 season, fending second-place point man David Pembroke, and current point leader Nick Sweet off for the feel-good win. Three-time Thunder Road Champion Phil Scott took the fourth position, and Winooski’s Jerry Lesage rounded out the top five.
Lesage, who drove to the early lead, was quickly eaten up by hungry defending Champion Dave Pembroke, who stretched out to a massive lead just before the halfway point. High point drivers Nick Sweet and Phil Scott worked their way through the field, but a lap 33 caution for the spinning car of Trampas Demers bunched the field back together. Pembroke stole the restart, but multi-time Champion Cris Michaud clung to his bumper before swinging high and wide with 10 laps to go. Michaud stole the lead from dominant Pembroke, and survived a late race restart to claim his second win of 2012. Pembroke fought off Sweet for second, while Scott slipped past Lesage in the closing laps for fourth. 2011 Tiger Champion Derrick O’Donnell, Scott Payea, Brooks Clark, Ricky Roberts, and first-time driver Emily Packard rounded out the top ten.
Michaud felt the satisfaction of his victory. “This one means a lot. We raced with some of the best guys in the business tonigh with Dave and Nick,” said Michaud. “We’ve really struggled this year, man this feels good.”
“Double O” Joe Steffen surged to his first win of 2012, rectifying a frustrating season for the veteran Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman driver. Steffen dominated the early portion of the 35-lap race while Hinesburg sensation Bobby Therrien worked through traffic to get to the front. By the halfway point, Therrien was inside the top five while Steffen and Barre’s Scott Coburn battled out front. Therrien flew to the outside of Coburn for second in the closing laps, but a drag race to the finish line left Steffen the victor, Coburn second, and Therrien third. Williamstown’s Mike Ziter took home fourth, and Wolcott’s Brendan Moodie, Jr. picked up yet another top-five finish.
Steffen was thrilled in victory lane. “We tried a few different things on the car today, “ he remarked. “I think I like the way its going,” he said with a smile.
The Allen Lumber Street Stock saw resurgence as well when former Junkyard Warrior Champion Ken Christman nabbed his first checkered flag of 2012. Christman had to fight off a late race attack from East Montpelier’s Emily Packard and Morrisville’s Jamie Davis. “Wild” Willy Hennequin and rookie Kevin Dodge completed the top five.
“Man, this feels good,” said Christman in victory lane. “We’ve had so much bad luck this year, and to get this win means so much to me and my guys,” he finished.
The Thunder Road Rough Rider division also made its debut, seeing Dave Manning in the “Killer Bee” take the victory in a no-holds-barred duel with ACT Media Guru Alex Whitcomb in “The Bashmobile.” Jamie Benneig picked up the third place trophy in his first Rough Rider race.
The action continues this Sunday, August 19 for Make-A-Wish/Bond night at Thunder Road for a rainout make-up event. The annual Run-What-U-Brung will be run on Sunday, as well as the firs ever Tough Truck Tug O’ War. Post time is 4:30pm.
For additional information head to www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com, call the Thunder Road office at (802) 244-6963, or email us at media@acttour.com
VP Fuels Night – Unofficial Results
Thunder Road – Barre, VT
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Late Models
Pos. Name (Car #) Hometown
1. Cris Michaud (6VT) E. Montpelier, VT
2. Dave Pembroke (44VT) Middlesex, VT
3. Nick Sweet (88VT) Barre, VT
4. Phil Scott (14VT) Berlin, VT
5. Jerry Lesage (74VT) Winooski, VT
6. Derrick O’Donnell (68NH) North Haverhill, NH
7. Scott Payea (89VT) Milton, VT
8. Brooks Clark (68VT) Fayston, VT
9. Ricky Roberts (3VT) Washington, VT
10. Emily Packard (9ME) E. Montpelier, VT
11. Travis Fadden (16NH) North Haverhill, NH
12. Eric Williams (07MA) Hyde Park, VT
13. Eric Chase (40VT) Milton, VT
14. Mike Bailey (00VT) South Barre, VT
15. Marcel Gravel (5VT) Wolcott, VT
16. Matt White (42VT) Northfield, VT
17. Trampas Demers (85VT) S. Burlington, VT
18. #Lance Allen (17VT) Barre, VT
19. Jamie Fisher (18VT) Shelburne, VT
20. Joey Becker (16VT) Jeffersonville, VT
21. Guy Caron (8NH) Lempster, NH
22. Jamie Aube (41VT) No. Ferrisburg, VT
23. Dave Whitcomb (22VT) Essex Jct., VT
24. Brett Wheeler (1VT) Waterbury, VT
25. Doug Murphy (4VT) Barre, VT
26. Cody Blake (99VT) Barre, VT
27. Joey Laquerre (15VT) E. Montpelier, VT
28. Jim Morris (13VT) Barre, VT
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen
Pos. Name (Car #) Hometown
1. Joe Steffen (00) Grand Isle, VT
2. Scott Coburn (1) Barre, VT
3. Bobby Therrien (4) Hinesburg, VT
4. Mike Ziter (26) Williamstown, VT
5. Brendan Moodie (94) Wolcott, VT
6. John Lambert (2) Northfield, VT
7. Christopher Pelkey (64) S. Barre, VT
8. #Chris Roberts (9) Washington, VT
9. #Jason Woodard (68) Waterbury Ctr., VT
10. Josh Demers (10) Middlesex, VT
11. Mike Martin (01) Craftsbury Comm., VT
12. Shawn Fleury (31) Middlesex, VT
13. Jason Corliss (61) Barre, VT
14. Kyle Pembroke (27) Montpelier, VT
15. Jason Allen (29) Barre, VT
16. David Finck (90) Barre, VT
17. Dylan Payea (07) Henniker, NH
18. Eric Badore (04) Milton, VT
19. Tucker Williams (11) Hyde Park, VT
20. Randy Gonyaw (22) S. Barre, VT
21. Adam Pierson (85) East Corinth, VT
22. Darrell Morin (71) Essex Jct., VT
23. Alex Ferno (33) E. Montpelier, VT
24. Taber Gagne (17) Fairfax, VT
25. Pete Ainsworth (80) Middlesex, VT
Allen Lumber Street Stock
Pos. Name (Car #) Hometown
1. Ken Christman (4) Cabot, VT
2. Emily Packard (98) E. Montpelier, VT
3. Jamie Davis (43) Wolcott, VT
4. William Hennequin (47) Morrisville, VT
5. #Kevin Dodge (8) Barre, VT
6. Dave Whitcomb (77) Elmore, VT
7. Cameron Ouellette (90) Barre, VT
8. #Dean Switser Jr. (16) Lyndonville, VT
9. Nick Pilotte (11) Jefferson, NH
10. Donnie Yates (05) N. Montpelier, VT
11. Jamie Davis (43) Wolcott, VT
12. #Kevin Wheatley (33) Brookfield, VT
13. Gary Mullen (29) Tunbridge, VT
14. Tommy Smith (50) Williamstown, VT
15. Garry Bashaw (92) Lincoln, VT
16. Bunker Hodgdon (83) Hardwick, VT
17. Bob Eldred (31) Waterbury, VT
18. Troy Kingsbury (39) Waitsfield, VT
19. Jennifer Getty (25) Cambridge, VT
20. #Daniel Brassard (32) E. Randolph, VT
21. Markus Farnham (13) Barre, VT
22. Keith Fortier (35) Hinesburg, VT
23. Joe Fecteau (75) Hardwick, VT
24. Nate Brien (1) E. Randolph, VT
25. Scott Maynard (59) Burlington, VT
26. Amanda Habel (09) Roxbury, VT