BARRE – The inaugural $2,000-to-win, 100 lap special for the Flying Tigers certainly did not disappoint on Vermont Agency of Transportation night. Thirty teams entered the event with only Ty Delphia unable to take the green after fighting mechanical woes all afternoon. It was a spirited side-by-side race at the front of the field starting with Rich Lowrey and Mike Martin at the onset.
photo by Alan Ward
Martin led the first nine laps before Lowrey powered by to lead lap ten on the outside groove. The biggest calamity of the race came on lap 40 as championship hopeful Sam Caron came into three-wide contact with the backstretch wall, counting both himself and Brendan Moodie among the damaged as he was towed pitside for repairs. The team worked feverishly to get him back on track just in time for the drop of the green flag as Lowrey and Martin again went to work for the lead.
Martin eventually fell out of favor just after the halfway point with a slippery ride, allowing Derrick Calkins to move in and stalk Lowrey for the lead. With ten to go Calkins motored his way into the lead as Lowrey fell back and eventually pitted with issues under the hood. Calkins, a mighty driver in part-time competition this season found his way back in the winner’s circle for the $2,000 win over Logan Powers and Cooper French in the end. Point leader Cameron Ouelette kept his head above water with a hard-fought fourth-place run followed by an incredible rebound for Sam Caron rounding out the top five.
It was calamity in the Street Stocks for top runner and defending track champion Dean Switser Jr. in a lap-two melee motoring into turn one. Switser was forced hard into the turn one wall with seven other casualties piling in. Righted again at the front, Tommy Smith quickly made his way around rookies Jason Kirby and T.J. Haggett and never looked back to claim the 25-lap trophy dash over rookie Hayden Bushey and Jamie Davis.
photo by Alan Ward
If the side-by-side battle for the Flying Tigers wasn’t enough, the Late Models certainly did their fair share of hard-nosed Thursday night racing. While Bryan Wall Jr. took off with an early lead, the battle for second between Scott Dragon and Taylor Hoar was one for the ages before Marcel Gravel and Kaiden Fisher entered the picture at the halfway mark. A restart following Mike Rubalcaba’s backstretch spin saw Dragon, Fisher and Gravel take off with the lead, all three fighting tooth and nail for the top spot. Eventually, Gravel used the high line to march around the two, take the lead and seal the deal to take his first win of the 2025 season. Dragon and Fisher rounded out the fan-favorite podium.
The road Warriors rounded out the evening’s racing card with Mason Frazier taking off from the front row and never looking back. ‘The Chick-let’ led wire to wire to take his first career Thunder Road victory over hardchargers Mike Slingerland and Derrick Mann in their 20-lap main event.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS (local contestants)
Flying Tigers – $2,000-to-Win
16. 22VT, Travis Patnoe, Wolcott
19. 01VT, Michael Martin, Craftsbury, Common
26. 15NH, Brendan Moodie, Wolcott
28, 30VT, Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury Common
Late Models – (50 Laps)
1. 86VT, Marcel J. Gravel, Wolcott
7. 01VT, Stephen Martin, Craftsbury Common
22. 92VT, Jaden Perry, Hardwick
Street Stocks – (25 Laps)
19. 18x, Walker Fitch, Marshfield
25. 32, Kylee Potter, Marshfield
27. 34, Patrick Tibbetts, Plainfield
Road Warriors – (20 Laps)
15. 18, Cayden Green, Marshfield
