May 13, 2014 | American Canadian Tour, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Waterbury, VT –Thunder Road International Speedbowl will host the 52nd running of the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic on Sunday, May 25. The double-header program will once again feature 100 laps for the ACT Thunder Road Late Model division, and a special 50 lap main for the NASCAR Modified division that competes regularly at both Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Fair Haven, VT and Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY.
Derrick O’Donnell from North Haverhill, NH won the “King of the Road” title in 2013 and also the 2013 Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic. “We had a great year in 2013. I sure like starting our title defense at the opening Classic event again. A good finish can really jumpstart your season,” said O’Donnell. O’Donnell and two-time Thunder Road Champion Nick Sweet were both in contention racing each other for the opening day Merchants Bank 150 win before they were sidelined in a late race wreck.
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Apr 30, 2014 | American Canadian Tour, NE Racing News, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Wayne Helliwell, Jr. Wheels His Way to Merchants Bank Win
Barre, VT – Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH used a cross over move on Jimmy Hebert with about 15 laps to go to claim his first career Thunder Road win in the 16th annual Merchants Bank 150 on Sunday, April 27. Hebert held on for second while 17 year old Emily Packard came home third.
Hebert led for the majority of the event after taking the lead on lap 26 from his third place starting position. He held off two former Thunder Road Late Model Champions in Nick Sweet and Derrick O’Donnell in a fierce battle, while protecting the low lane. With just under 20 laps to go, Sweet and O’Donnell made hard contact on the backstretch, bringing out the ninth caution of the event. Sweet would be done to the day with front end damage, while O’Donnell returned after changing a flat.
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Apr 28, 2014 | American Canadian Tour, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Barre, VT – Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH used a cross over move on Jimmy Hebert with about 15 laps to go to claim his first career Thunder Road win in the 16th annual Merchants Bank 150 on Sunday, April 27. Hebert held on for second while 17 year old Emily Packard came home third.
Photo by Alan Ward
Hebert led for the majority of the event after taking the lead on lap 26 from his third place starting position. He held off two former Thunder Road Late Model Champions in Nick Sweet and Derrick O’Donnell in a fierce battle, while protecting the low lane. With just under 20 laps to go, Sweet and O’Donnell made hard contact on the backstretch, bringing out the ninth caution of the event. Sweet would be done to the day with front end damage, while O’Donnell returned after changing a flat.
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Apr 25, 2014 | American Canadian Tour, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Barre, VT – Thunder Road’s annual downtown Barre car show scheduled for Saturday, April 26 has been cancelled due to forecasted rains. The practice session schedule at the track in the afternoon has also been cancelled. Sunday’s (April 27) Merchants Bank 150 is still on as planned with minor adjustments to the schedule.
Teams may pre-register for Sunday’s event and park their haulers in the pit area tomorrow (Saturday, April 26) from noon to 4:00pm. The pits will then open Sunday morning at 7:00am and practice will begin an hour earlier than originally scheduled at 10:00am. The remainder of the schedule will remain as is.
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Apr 25, 2014 | American Canadian Tour, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Barre, VT – The Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and the Allen Lumber Street Stocks will begin their 2014 championship campaigns at Thunder Road this weekend during Merchants Bank 150 weekend. The two perennial Thunder Road support divisions will hit the track for their first point-counting events of the year when they join the American Canadian Tour Late Models on Sunday, April 27.
The Tiger Sportsman division will see a changing of the guard during the 2014 season, as four of the top five in the final point standings from last year have made the jump to the Late Model division. Three-time Tiger Champion Shawn Fleury along with Jason Allen, Mike Ziter and Eric Badore will all compete in the Late Models this season. That opens the door for several veterans looking for their first title.
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Apr 25, 2014 | American Canadian Tour, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
ACT (Photo by Leif Tillotson)
Waterbury, VT – The 16th annual Merchants Bank 150 opening event at Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont offers a big advantage for the hometown ACT Late Model race teams. The high banks and famous fourth turn “widow maker” have proven to be major obstacles for generations of “outsiders”. Not so for the regular Thunder Road graduates.
The opening event on the Tour, held at Lee USA earlier this month, was highlighted by some outstanding performances from Thunder Road alumni, including Emily Packard from East Montpelier, VT. In just her second year of tour racing, the 17 year-old Packard had an impressive two days of racing at Lee USA. Likewise, Rookie of the Year contender Mike Ziter from Williamstown, VT, in his first ever ACT event, was steady throughout the highly competitive 150-lap event won with a late race charge by Rowley, MA veteran Eddie MacDonald.
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