BARRE, VT – Stock car racing fans and drivers at Barre’s Thunder Road have had enough of the bad weather, and they’re looking to break free of Mother Nature’s wrath on Thursday, Aug. 14 at the Vermont ACE Hardware Dealers Trophy Dash. Thunder Road has fallen victim to rain in each of its last four regular-event attempts, dating back to July 24.
So in defiance of the weather gods, the racing will go on as scheduled on Thursday evening, with a full card of Late Models, NAPA Tiger Sportsmen, Power Shift Online Junkyard Warriors, and double 25-lap feature events for the Allen Lumber Street Stocks.
“A little rain’s not going to ruin our fun,” said Thunder Road Administrator Tina Gallison. “It’s been a lousy couple of weeks, but we’re fighting back. We want to race!”
In addition to the racing program, the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Alternative Energy Racing
Organization (AERO) will debut its multiple award-winning “GreenSpeed” hybrid race car for an on-track
demonstration. Brian Leach, Vice President of AERO and Technical Team Leader, will drive the open-wheel GreenSpeed car around the Thunder Road high banks in its first on-track performance.
The car is a true hybrid, utilizing lithium battery and internal combustion engine power simultaneously in a “parallel hybrid drive” system, and creates its own electric power refueling source through regenerative braking – a process that transfers energy from brake friction into usable electric power. GreenSpeed was given four awards at the International Formula Hybrid Competition, held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH in May, including runner-up honors in the top category, Technical Design, and first place for the Best Hybrid System Engineering Award from Chrysler Motors. AERO competed against many teams, including entries from Canada, Russia,
and Taiwan.
Green flag racing action at the Vermont ACE Hardware Dealers Trophy Dash begins at 6:30pm on Thursday, August 14. Gates open at 5:00pm. General admission is only $9.50 for adults, $3 for children (6-12), and just $20 for a family of any two adults and two kids. Thunder Road is located on Quarry Hill in Barre, VT. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.