May 30, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, PASS, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Danville, VT’s Tyler Cahoon celebrates his first Thunder Road Late Model win in the 54th Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic on Sunday, May 29. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, VT – Tyler Cahoon made his first career Thunder Road Late Model win count on Sunday, May 29, holding off a late charge from Scott Dragon for the victory in the 54th Annual Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic.
The Danville veteran took the lead from Matt White on lap 6 of the 100-lap event, just prior to the second and final caution for Brian Tarbell’s hard encounter with the turn one wall. Cahoon pulled out to a big lead in the middle stages, but had to fend off Dragon in the closing laps to secure the win. The former Street Stock Champion became the third driver in the last four years to score his first Thunder Road Late Model victory in the event.
Dragon settled for second, followed by former Memorial Day Classic winner Jason Corliss in third. Trampas Demers took fourth, while Nick Sweet made a late charge to finish fifth. Brooks Clark, John Donahue, Kyle Pembroke, White, and Cody Blake rounded out the top-10.
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May 25, 2016 | More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, PASS, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
NAPLES, ME (May 25) – After a thrilling debut last year, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Super Late Models are set to return to Vermont’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl this Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM. In addition to 150 laps for New England’s fastest racers, the 54th Annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic will feature 100 laps for Thunder Road’s ACT Late Models, plus the PASS Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Tigers.
Center Conway, NH’s DJ Shaw has had a solid start to the 2016 PASS North season, currently sitting second in points on the strength of a win in the Southern Maine Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. While Shaw is happy with his results so far, the 2014 PASS North champion believes he and his team can be even better.
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May 20, 2016 | More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, PASS, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
PASS starting field in 2015 (photo by Alan Ward)
Waterbury, VT – The 54th running of the Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT (TR) on Sunday, May 29, 2016 will once again feature a double-header with the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) and the American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models of Thunder Road.
The inaugural race a year ago saw former ACT competitor Joey Doiron from Berwick, Maine tackle the high banks of Thunder Road for a dominant win over a cast of all-star Super Late Model Champion racers, including Mike and Ben Rowe, Johnny Clark, Travis Benjamin and DJ Shaw. This year they will be joined in the 150 lap showdown by Middlebury, Vermont’s Todd Stone, Oxford 250 winner Glen Luce, and Derek Ranstrom from Worcester, MA.
“Thunder Road can be intimidating, but everyone had a great time last year and we are looking forward to a return trip over the Memorial Day weekend. I am especially excited to see our PASS Modifieds hit those high banks at TR. They should be fun to watch and any time you visit a new track it is good for fans and racers,” said the President of PASS, Tom Mayberry.
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May 19, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Thunder Road
Waterbury, VT – Thunder Road International Speedbowl announces the continuation of a thirty-seven thousand ($37,000.00) point fund program for their weekly competitors’ 2016 season. Started in 2014, the three divisions – ACT Late Models, Bond Auto Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks – have enjoyed one of the largest weekly point funds in the country.
The Thunder Road Late Model Champion is awarded $7,500.00 at the end of the season. The top 15 positions in both the Late Model and Tiger divisions battle throughout the race season for positions in the point standings. The Late Models receive a total payout of $25,000.00; the Tiger division has a total of over $7,500; the 4-cylinder Street Stock division has a point fund through 20 positions that will pay over $4,400.00 in post season awards.
“Thunder Road has been known for paying some of the best weekly purses around the country, and certainly some of the best point funds. When I was racing the purse for Late Models was around $6,000 on the quarter mile. When you added in the year-end point fund, together it really helped with the expenses to race at the level we raced at. I think the same thing applies to the two other divisions,” said former three time-track champion and current ACT race director, Cris Michaud.
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May 13, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – After a tough finish to a good run at Thunder Road, Emily Packard and the 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuels team are prepared to head to Airborne Park Speedway this weekend for the Spring Green 116. “The car had some damage, but the guys fixed it up this week,” said Emily, “and we are ready to see what we can do this weekend at Airborne.”
This year the American Canadian Tour returns to half-mile track for the Egglefield Ford Spring Green 116 presented by Interstate Batteries, where Packard brought her Northstar fireworks sponsored car home in fifteenth place last year. This race was not originally on the schedule for the East Montpelier driver, but having kept the damage to a minimum last weekend the team decided to make the necessary fixes to the car and ready it to race this weekend. In addition to the car being set-up by last year’s winner, Joey Polewarczyk Jr, Emily and the team enter this weekend’s race riding the momentum from their good runs so far this season and high confidence that they will have another great showing at the track. “I am excited to return to Airborne this weekend,” said the 19-year old. “This is our only race at this track this season, so I am looking forward to going out and have a good race, as well as to continue to gel as a team and hopefully have a top-5 finish. Our finishes don’t reflect the how good a car we have had so far in the first three races, but my confidence remains high knowing that we are continuing to run well and that we are heading in the right direction.”
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May 13, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Nick Sweet celebrates his wins in victory lane at the 18th Annual Merchants Bank 150 – (Alan Ward photo)
Waterbury, VT – Nick Sweet from Barre, VT has two “King of the Road” titles at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl. The hometown hero has also won 19 races, which ties him with newly appointed Thunder Road Race Director Cris Michaud. Michaud had three track championship titles during his career in the highly competitive Late Model division.
“There is not much question that Nick is as good as there is at Thunder Road. I am sure he will win some more titles, and certainly a lot more major races. Doing what he did last Sunday is really unusual at T-Road. He won the Merchant’s Bank 150 with a ‘perfect’ score, winning his heat, leading a lap, leading the most laps, and winning the race. He received every point available at an ACT touring event. The Malone Property team jumped from 10th place to 2nd in the standings after three races,” said Michaud.
He goes into the Airborne Spring Green just twelve (12) points out of the American Canadian Tour point lead held by Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, VT. After three races, the top teams span only a total of 59 points from first to tenth.
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