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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May 4, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, GSPSS, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
Local Stars Looking to Make Noise at Thunder Road on Sunday. (Alan Ward Photo)
Barre, VT—With the 18th running of the Merchants Bank 150 rescheduled for Sunday May 8, there are plenty of local race teams with hopes of carrying the checkered flag around the high banked ¼ mile oval. The American Canadian Tour (ACT) race is expecting well over 40 Late Models trying to qualify for just 26 starting spots at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement”.
Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien currently holds the top spot in the ACT Points Championship race, with defending three-time Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. just 2 points behind. Barre’s Nick Sweet, Emily Packard of Berlin, VT and Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown, VT are all regular Competitors on the ACT Tour who started their racing careers at Thunder Road. Of this group, Sweet has had the most success earning the “King of the Road“ title in 2010, 2012, and finishing as the runner-up in 2015, to go along with his four feature victories last season. The 21 year-old Hebert has also won a track Championship on the high banks, claiming the Flying Tiger Sportsman Division in 2009, and the 19 year-old Packard who finished fourth in the ACT Points Championship last season would love to get her first ACT win at her home track.
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