BARRE – The Late Models started off Super Friday with their 50-lap trophy dash to kick start the five-division showcase. Outside polesitter Taylor Hoar got off to a sour start, careening into the infield on lap one to bring out the early caution. Chip Grenier put the pedal down to lead the restart on the outside groove over Stephen Martin and set the pace out front. The caution flew once more on lap-16 as Christopher Bedard stacked up the middle of the pack in turn-four, sending Jason Corliss hard into the Widowmaker frontstretch wall and ending his night early.
On the restart, Marcel Gravel would take control of the field with Martin in tow at the front before the halfway caution for a number of cars spinning in turn two. Martin would get the jump on the restart to lead Gravel back to the line as Chris Pelkey began to pressure the frontrunners. Even with the pressure pouring on, Martin kept it high, wide and handsome to take the first career win for the Craftsbury Common driver followed by Gravel and Pelkey across the line.
The New England Supermodified Series (NESS) were next on the field with Jim Storace and Matt Swanson leading the field to green for their lightning-fast 75-lap affair. Storace immediately launched to the lead and used every inch of the Thunder Road asphalt to keep pace ahead of Swanson as defending series champion Dan Bowes kept watch in third. The battle for fifth was the most hotly contested as point leader Bobby Timmons tried again and again to round Dave Duggan before his engine let go in a plume of white smoke in turn one to call out the lap-56 caution.
Storace would maintain the restart lead but the catastrophic failure of a right rear tire ended his day on the backstretch. With 13 laps remaining, Bowes got the best of Russ Wood on the restart and powered his way to the Super Friday victory, joined on the podium by Swanson in second and Wood in third.
The Road Warriors went for a twin bill on Super Friday, starting with last Sunday’s rain-delayed NEFCU+VSECU feature. Derrick Mann would nab the early lead over Jed Whitcomb and maintained as the field bounced and battled for position behind him. Soon, Brodie Frazier cleared traffic and set his sights on Mann with five laps remaining he pulled up to a car-length behind the leader. Frazier pulled up alongside under the white flag and nabbed the lead of turn two to take the NEFCU+VSECU victory over Mann and Dan Garrett Jr.
The gang would return to close out the night for their second feature with Anderson Boyd and Nick Copping pacing the field of Warriors for the 25-lap feature ahead. The two kept it clean and green until Boyd drove sideways out of turn two, giving Mann the exclusive lead around the two of them. Meanwhile shortly behind, Neal Foster and Brodie Frazier entered the picture, battling in podium territory. Mann kept his foot planted in the firewall to claim his first career Road Warrior victory joined by Foster and Frazier in victory lane.
The Street Stocks began their 25-lap trophy dash under the leadership of Eric MacLaughlin but Derek Farnham quickly asserted his way to the point. Charging from a fourth-place starting spot, Patrick Tibbetts took over the lead on lap eight with a rearview mirror full of Tyler Whittemore. All three up front dug deep in search of their second win of the season while struggling with lapped traffic. The lap 21 caution would stall the field as Josh Lovely sat in the turn three grass while Zach Audet smacked the turn four wall and jumped pitside for a new right front shoe. Tibbetts would maintain the restart green all the way to win number two on the season with Farnham in second and Whittemore taking third.
The Flying Tigers saw proud dad Mike Martin on the pole inside of Mike MacAskill to start their 40-lap main event. The two veterans would face off side-by-side in the early circuits as Chris LaForest looked to make it three wide underneath the leaders but backed off for a long-game strategy. MacAskill finally edged out to take the lone lead on lap 24, but again Martin and Cameron Ouellette stayed in the fight with Brandon Gray joining them. Gray would power into second on lap 26 and motored under MacAskill for the lead on lap 29. The duo remained beside each other with MacAskill gaining the lead back on lap 31 just to have Gray take it back over on lap-32. Gray took down his seventh win of the season, breaking the tie with Eric Williams’ impressive six-win season in 1994 and gained enough of a cushion to clinch the 2024 Flying Tiger track championship at Thunder Road.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
(local competitors)
Late Models – (50 Laps)
1. 01VT, Stephen Martin, Craftsbury Common
2. 86VT, Marcel J. Gravel, Wolcott
Flying Tigers – (40 Laps)
3. 01VT, Michael Martin, Craftsbury, Common
12. 15NH, Brendan Moodie, Wolcott
19. 22VT, Travis Patnoe, Wolcott
20. 77VT, Issac Spaulding, Wolcott
Street Stocks – (25 Laps)
1. 34, Patrick Tibbetts, Plainfield
9. 32, Kylee Potter, Marshfield
26. 18, Walker Fitch, Marshfield
NEFCU+VSECU Labor Day Classic 20 Lap Make-Up
7. 18, Cayden Green, Marshfield
