BARRE – Not even mother nature could hold back the fans and the teams of Thunder Road International Speedbowl July 11 at the Vermont Governor’s Cup 150. The evening was jam-packed with good, clean, hardnosed racing in all three divisions present and NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer got the ultimate eye-opener.
Milton’s Scott Dragon (0VT) stays just ahead of Barre’s Nick Sweet (40VT) in an over thirty-lap chase to the checkered flags on Thursday.
The Street Stocks got the three-division showdown to a slow start as sprinkles rained down. On the return to green following a successful track drying effort, Patrick Tibbetts took a storming command over Juan “Paco” Marshall to take a 10-car-length lead on the pack. Going straight through to the double checkered flags, Tibbetts went from literally digging his war-horse out of his flood-damaged garage with the help of friends to taking his first win of the season on Vermont Construction night! Juan “Paco” Marshall and Todd Raymo joined Tibbetts in the fan-favorite victory lane.
The rescheduled Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 next took the field. With Governor Phil Scott at the helm in Montpelier working to rebuild the state after it’s latest natural disaster, Bobby Therrien filled in for the night and quickly took off from pole-sitter Scott Dragon to lead the first 13 circuits. With heat in the tires, Dragon worked back around Therrien to lead lap 14 with Squier Cup point leader Jimmy Hebert in hot pursuit on the low groove. Hebert’s pursuit continued lap after lap, as both he and Dragon rounded slower lap traffic, both high and low with Dragon maintaining a dominant six-car-length lead for over 80 continuous laps until the first caution flag flew on lap 93.
The two leaders ran door-to-door on the restart with Dragon nabbing the lead as Hebert back-slid with mounting pressure from Nick Sweet and Jason Corliss. Coming up on lap traffic, Sweet pulling up to Dragon’s rear-bumper set up a final 25-lap battle of nerves between the two former track champions. With 10 laps remaining, Sweet looked to the inside line for a final smudge of speed against Dragon as laps quickly faded. Dragon earned his fourth-career Vermont Governor’s Cup and secured the inaugural Squier Cup Triple Crown championship to become the first name on Thunder Road’s newest granite monument. Nick Sweet and Jason Corliss were able to hang on to round out the podium trio.
The Flying Tigers wrapped up the night at with Northfield’s Cooper French quickly jumping to the point. The first caution flag flew for an ill-handling Chris LaForest in turn four with French once again getting the restart jump over Cameron Ouellette. With Kevin Streeter and Brandon Gray driving around Ouellette with 20-laps remaining, the race was on. Gray found the digging groove, pulling up to French with nine-laps remaining and taking the lead on lap 33. Brandon Gray took his second Flying Tiger win of the season followed by French and Kyle Streeter finishing out the top three.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Inaugural Squier Cup Late Model Triple Crown Champion – Scott Dragon
7. 01VT Stephen Martin Craftsbury Common, VT
15. 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT
Flying Tigers – (40 Laps)
17. 22VT Travis Patnoe Wolcott, VT
Street Stocks – (25 Laps)
1. 34 Patrick Tibbetts Plainfield, VT
2. 79 Juan Marshall Pittsfield, VT
18. 32 #Kylee Potter Marshfield, VT
19. 18 Walker Fitch Marshfield, VT
