BARRE – Mother Nature allowed Thunder Road to return to Thursday night racing with plenty of spills, thrills and wins. Following the Kids Rides, 26 Flying Tigers competed for starting position in the first round of the Triple Crown Series. Four drivers earned a plus-3 handicap through the heats to lead the field in their 75-lap feature.
The first 14 laps saw pole-sitter Sam Caron set a blistering pace ahead of Brandon Gray and Kevin Streeter before the first caution on the front stretch. The restart saw another hard-nosed side-by-side battle between Caron and Gray before Caron again barnstormed away with a three car-length lead.
Meanwhile, defending track champion Kyle Streeter patiently made his way to third before a lap 68 brush-up with the wall took him out of contention. Even through a vicious battle in lap traffic, Sam Caron came out on top with the win followed by Gray and Shawn Fleury rounding out victory lane.
With Chris Roberts and Phil Scott heading the field, the Late Models flew under the green flag for their 50-lap main event. Keeping the field two abreast made things interesting throughout the first half of the event as drivers went with the ebb and flow. Waiting patiently in third, Marcel Gravel got the break he needed with Scott slapping the front stretch wall and giving the Wolcott driver a chance to battle Roberts.
Gravel took the lead on lap 29 with Scott Dragon, Brandon Lanphear and Stephen Martin pulling up to join the fight. The lone caution came for Cooper Bouchard’s back-up into the front-stretch wall off the bumper of Jesse Laquerre for the double hook return to the pits. Twelve laps remaining set up one final battle between Gravel and Dragon at the head of the pack with Gravel getting the jump and taking the victory over Dragon and Chris Roberts in third.
Luck finally prevailed for Williamstown’s Josh Lovely, able to lead the Street Stock field to green after an early season plagued by constant motor malfunction in his Ford Mustang. Lean and green through the first 12 circuits, lap 13 proved difficult with two cautions coming out around the halfway point for the top four-cylinder class. On the restart, Lovely again sped away as point leader Trevor Jaques cut through the field, grabbed second and began chasing down Lovely before the final caution for a turn three pile-up. Lovely and Jaques put on a side-by-side clinic with Lovely pulling away with the win on the final lap followed by Jaques and Zach Audet on the podium.
Barre’s Nick Copping led the Road Warrior field to green for their 20-lap nightcap. Milton’s Bert Duffy battled hard to motor around Jason Kirby for second with Dan Garrett also making the move around to take third. The first caution flag flew for the “Frickin Chicken” Brodie Frazier as he laid-out across the front stretch after spinning in turn four with the restart earning another caution for a rolling Bill O’Connor in turn three. Bert Duffy took off under the return to green and never looked back with Dan Garrett and Nate “Tater” Brien rounding out the top-three.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
(local drivers)
Flying Tigers – Triple Crown No. 1 (75 Laps)
13. 15NH, Brendan Moodie, Wolcott
18. 01VT, Michael Martin, Craftsbury Common
20. 77VT, Issac Spaulding, Wolcott
22. 5RI, Kyle Gravel, Wolcott
24. 22VT, Travis Patnoe, Wolcott
Late Models – (50 Laps)
1. 86VT, Marcel J. Gravel, Wolcott
8. 01VT, Stephen Martin, Craftsbury Common
Street Stocks – (25 Laps)
15. 18, Walker Fitch, Marshfield
20. 34, Patrick Tibbetts, Plainfield
24. 32, Kylee Potter, Marshfield
