Thunder Road Gearing Up for 59th Season Opener

Class Day Ceremonies for all divisions will kick off the 20th Community Bank 150 on Sunday, April 29. (Alan Ward photo)

Barre, VT – Thunder Road is getting set to open its 59th season of racing on Sunday, April 29 with the Community Bank N.A. 150 for the American-Canadian Tour (ACT). The 20th edition of the event has teams and fans buzzing as they prepare for another year atop Quarry Hill.

Racers from all across the Northeastern U.S. and Quebec are expected for the event that has served as the traditional season opener since 1999. With the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, Allen Lumber Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors also on the card, a huge field of race cars is anticipated.

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Thunder Road Legend Harold Hanaford Dies at Age 89

Harold “Hard Luck” Hanaford, the first winner of the Vermont Milk Bowl, passed away on Saturday at age 89. (File Photo)

Barre, VT – Harold “Hard Luck” Hanaford, one of the early stars of Thunder Road and a legend of New England auto racing, passed away on Saturday, March 17 after a lengthy illness. Hanaford was 89 years old.

The Plymouth, NH native remains best known as the inaugural winner of the Vermont Milk Bowl in 1962. He added a second Milk Bowl championship in 1964 behind the wheel of his famous purple #30 Ford flathead coupe. It was the same year that he captured the first of back-to-back “King of the Road” titles.

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Becker Files First Entry for Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series

Joey Becker, seen here competing at Thunder Road in 2013, will return to Thunder Road competition this season for the three-race Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series. (Eric LaFleche photo)

Barre, Vt. – After four years largely spent on the sidelines, Jeffersonville veteran Joey Becker is returning to competition at Thunder Road. The former Memorial Day Classic Champion has filed the first official entry for the Myers Container Service Triple Crown and will strap into the driver’s seat once again for the three-race series that will open as a part of a special Friday night event on Friday, June 8.

Becker is a multi-time winner in both the Flying Tigers and the Maplewood/Irving Late Models. However, he has not raced in a Thunder Road weekly event since 2014, when he retired from the seat of the #16VT Richard Green Racing Late Model. He spent more than a decade with the Richard Green team as a driver; since then, he has remained with the organization as a crew member and mechanic, helping replacement Scott Dragon win the 2016 “King of the Road” title.

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Maplewood and Irving to Sponsor Thunder Road Late Model Division

The Thunder Road Late Model division will be known as the Maplewood/Irving Late Models through the 2020 season. (Alan Ward photo)

Barre, VT – Thunder Road officials announced today that they have signed a multi-year agreement with Maplewood Convenience Stores and Irving Oil to become the entitlement sponsors of the Thunder Road Late Model division. The agreement runs through the 2020 season and includes full naming rights to the track’s top auto racing class.

The Maplewood/Irving Late Models have been the lead division at Thunder Road since 1992 when the division was created. They were known at the time as the Late Model Sportsmen. The division competes under American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model rules.

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Potter Joins ACT as Technical Inspector

Randy Potter (#02NH), seen here in ACT Late Model Tour competition in 2011, has joined the ACT staff as as technical inspector for the 2018 season. (file photo

Waterbury, VT – American-Canadian Tour (ACT) officials announced today that Randy Potter has joined the ACT staff as a Technical Inspector. Potter will work alongside Director of Competition Pete Knights at all ACT Late Model Tour events throughout the 2018 season.

 

Potter has been involved in Northeast racing for more than three decades as a competitor. He raced full-time on the ACT Late Model Tour during the 2007-2012 seasons, winning one event and finishing in the top-10 in points each season. Knights served as Potter’s crew chief during his time on the Tour.

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Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series to Return to Thunder Road in 2018

Thunder Road photo

Barre, VT – Thunder Road officials have announced that Myers Container Service has signed a multi-year agreement to return as the title sponsor of the Triple Crown Series for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers. The series debuted in 2017 with Craftsbury Common’s Mike Martin capturing the inaugural championship.

The Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series in 2018 will once again consist of three 75-lap races for Thunder Road’s famed Flying Tiger division. All three events will award both Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series points and Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger track championship points. There will be a separate championship and point fund for the top finishers in the final Triple Crown standings.

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