May 30, 2017 | NE Racing News, PASS, SLM, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Barre, VT – DJ Shaw of Center Conway, New Hampshire nailed down his first Pro All Stars Series North Super Late Model victory of the season down in dominant fashion, leading all but two laps in Sunday’s Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont.
Shaw, the defending PASS North Super Late Model champion, won his heat race while turning in a lap of 11.571-seconds, unofficially the fastest lap recorded in competition at the newly-paved, 57-year-old, ¼-mile oval track. Shaw’s Precision JLM 60 was also quickest in the main event, a couple of tenths off his heat race at the track temperatures rose.
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May 28, 2017 | Mods, NE Racing News, PASS, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Center Conway, NH’s D.J. Shaw (left) celebrates his PASS Super Late Model victory with Bruce Mekkelsen of Mekkelsen RV Sales & Rental. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, Vt. – Hinesburg’s Bobby Therrien took the lead early and never looked back en route to capturing the 55thMemorial Day Classic presented by Mekkelsen RV Sales & Rental at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, May 28. It was the first Thunder Road Late Model victory for the multi-time American-Canadian Tour (ACT) winner.
After previously winning his heat, Therrien sliced through the field from the 10th starting position, grabbing the top spot from pole sitter Brooks Clark on a lap-16 restart. The former Flying Tiger champion held off a host of challengers during a series of yellows, then walked away from the field during an extended green flag run following a competition caution on lap 60.
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May 26, 2017 | ACT, NE Racing News, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Thunder Road will open its season with the Memorial Day Classic presented by Mekkelsen Sales & RV for the first time since 1994, and opens under new ownership for the first time since 1982. [Buzz Fisher photo}
For the first time since 1994, racers will be competing on a freshly paved track surface, which was recently completed by Pike Industries. Coincidentally, 1994 was also the last time Thunder Road opened the season on Memorial Day weekend. The Super Late Models were in action that day as well with the former ACT Pro Stock Tour. Sunday’s event is also the first since the track was purchased by former racer Cris Michaud and local businessman Pat Malone.
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May 22, 2017 | ACT, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Thunder Road begins its champion chases this Sunday, May 28 with Milton’s Scott Dragon (#16VT) looking for a second straight “King of the Road” crown. (Buzz Fisher phot
Barre, Vt. – Barre’s Thunder Road kicks off the 2017 season this Sunday, May 28 with the 55th Memorial Day Classic presented by Mekkelsen RV Sales & Rental. The event will begin the title chases for all three weekly divisions at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement,” with the Thunder Road Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks joining the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models on the card.
Defending “King of the Road” Scott Dragon will be back to look for a second straight Late Model title after taking the crown by a single point in 2016. The Milton veteran enters his fourth season with Richard Green Racing knowing he’ll face tough challenges from both the competition and the newly-repaved track surface.
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May 15, 2017 | ACT, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel has signed on as the title sponsor of the Flying Tiger division, which has competed at Thunder Road since 1982. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, Vt. – Thunder Road Speedbowl officials announced today that Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel has signed a multi-year agreement to become the title sponsor of the track’s famed Flying Tiger division. The family owned and operated business has five locations throughout Vermont and New York.
The Flying Tigers have been a mainstay of Thunder Road for most of the track’s 58-year history and have competed weekly at the Barre high banks since 1982. The Limited Late Model–type car has served as the track’s intermediate class for the past 25 years. In addition to the new entitlement agreement, the division has also resumed the “Flying Tiger” name after competing as the Tiger Sportsmen since 2003.
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May 6, 2017 | ACT, NE Racing News, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Longtime Thunder Road Speedbowl co-owner Tom Curley, seen here addressing a driver’s meeting, passed away on Friday, May 5 after a lengthy illness. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, VT – Longtime Thunder Road Speedbowl co-owner and promoter Thomas M. Curley passed away on Friday, May 5 due to complications from a lengthy illness. Curley was 73 years old.
Born May 10, 1943, Curley was involved in local and regional auto racing for most of his adult life. After spending considerable time at Thunder Road as a spectator and driver in the 1960s, he became the NASCAR Northeast regional director in 1978, and a year later created the NASCAR North Tour. He and Thunder Road founder Ken Squier then acquired the track in 1982 from former owner Tommy Kalomiris.
After leaving NASCAR, Curley created the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) sanctioning body in 1986. Under Curley’s leadership, both Thunder Road and ACT became household names for racers and fans throughout the Northeast, making the Barre high banks one of the most popular auto racing destinations in the region. Among his many accomplishments, he helped relaunch the famed Flying Tiger division that has competed since 1982, and created the ACT Late Model rules package used at Thunder Road and numerous other tracks.
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