BARRE – After rains once again wreaked havoc on Thunder Road with the planned Thursday showcase moved to Friday evening, Vermont Construction Night brought a frenzy of stellar performances.
photo by Alan Ward
With the inaugural Fisher Auto Parts 100 on tap Saturday at White Mountain Motorsports Park, the Flying Tigers took center stage and were the first to run their feature event on Friday evening. The second round in the Triple Crown Series saw a green-to-checkered affair with Chris LaForest and Cam Gadue putting on a clinic at the head of the train. LaForest never wavered, all the way to his first win of the season and the biggest of his career with Gadue holding on for second and Robert Gordon battling hard with the likes of Mike Martin, Shawn Fleury and Sam Caron to take third overall.
Curtis Franks brought the Street Stocks to green for their 25 lap trophy dash. A lap-11 scuffle was the only blip of the night for the four cylinder division with Landyn O’Donnell, Paige Whittemore and Patrick Tibbetts piling into a heap in turn three. Back under green, it was all Tommy Smith out front with a rear view mirror full of defending champion Dean Switser Jr. The two duked it out to the very end with Smith getting the edge for career win number thirty-eight over Switser and Franks.
photo by Alan Ward
The Road Warriors had but one blip on an otherwise hard-nosed night with Nick Copping quickly taking the lead under the green flag. The one foul came on lap seven with last week’s winner Jed Whitcomb getting the business end of the turn four wall to end his night. Derrick Mann came launched from a cannon on the restart to take his second win of the season followed across the stripe by a hard-charging Mike Slingerland and Copping holding on for third.
The Late Models wrapped up the night, moved to the end of the program as track management battled an infield lighting issue. Off and running, Scott Dragon got the early lead over Jesse Laquerre before it all went up in smoke on lap 26. Direct contact with the spinning Mike Rubalcaba ended Dragon’s command of the lead in yet another unfriendly twist in his already difficult season. Back under green, Brandon Lanphear lit off at the front while behind him Justin Prescott sliced through the top ten. Time running out, Lanphear came back from a devastating wreck just last Thursday to take the Vermont Construction win over Prescott and rookie leader Brandon Gray.
photo by Alan Ward
Thunder Road International Speedbowl returns to racing action on Thursday, July 17, for the 46th running of the Vermont Governor’s Cup. The Late Models will go for 150 laps in Round No. 2 of the Squier Cup Triple Crown along with the Flying Tigers and Street Stocks with a special 6:30 p.m. [pst time.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
(local competitors)
Flying Tigers – Triple Crown No. 2 (75 Laps)
4. 01VT, Michael Martin, Craftsbury, Common
9. 15NH, Brendan Moodie, Wolcott
25. 22VT, Travis Patnoe, Wolcott
Late Models – (50 Laps)
4. 86VT, Marcel J. Gravel, Wolcott
12. 01VT, Stephen Martin, Craftsbury Common
Street Stocks – (25 Laps)
18. 18x, Walker Fitch, Marshfield
20. 34, Patrick Tibbetts, Plainfield
Road Warriors – (20 Laps)
5. 18, Cayden Green, Marshfield
