BARRE – Thunder Road got the ball rolling on Thursday Night Racing with five divisions and over a hundred cars putting on a show for the fans in the stands and those watching live around the world on FloRacing.
photo by Alan Ward
The Late Models got Thursday’s festivities started and it was a generational battle of the sophomores out front between Taylor Hoar and Jesse Laquerre. Everything went topsy-turvy with Bryan Wall Jr. riding up onto Cody Blake’s rear quarter on lap 15 to call out the lone caution. On the restart, Laquerre took off from Hoar and never looked back to become the third generation of Laquerre’s to win on the Barre highbanks with Chip Grenier and Brandon Lanphear rounding out the top three.
The Road Warriors went even wilder. Derrick Mann nabbed the early lead past Taylor Sayers, John Gay and Mike Slingerland in an opening lap melee. Mann led the way until the lap 12 caution for the spinning Sierra Wilds and amazingly pitted for a flat tire. Sayers took over the lead all the way to victory lane with Cayden Green and Kevin Wheatley flanking him on the podium.
photo by Alan Ward
With the New England Supermodified Series (NESS) returning to Thunder Road, it could only be former champion Dan Bowes to lead the pack. Bowes began rapidly lapping the field before settling down and running his race, a half-track ahead of Ben Seitz and Jim Storace before calamity struck with Russ Wood. The return to green saw Jon McKennedy take over the lead and fly away with the win with Battle and Rob Summers coming from almost getting lapped to third in the final run.
For the third straight event, the Street Stocks went flag to flag without a single caution as Paul Rocheleau took away with the lead and the win. Unfortunately, victory didn’t last long with the discovery of unapproved suspension parts in post-race technical inspection, giving Nate Brien his first Street Stock win followed by Ryan Foster and Dean Switser.
The Flying Tigers rounded out the evening with side-by-side racing at the front of the pack. North America’s No. 1 Support Division put on a clinic with one caution to slow the field and stack up a hard battle between Logan Powers and Brendan Moodie. The two swapped the lead again and again in the closing laps with Moodie just getting the edge for his twenty-first career Flying Tiger win followed by Powers and Sam Caron across the line.
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.thunderroadvt.com, follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
(local competitors)
Late Models – 50 Laps
5. 86VT, Marcel J. Gravel, Wolcott
6. 01VT, Stephen Martin, Craftsbury Common
Flying Tigers – 40 Laps
1. 15NH, Brendan Moodie, Wolcott
21. 22VT, Travis Patnoe, Wolcott
23. 5VT, Tyler Austin, East Calais
Street Stocks – 25 Laps
10. 34, Patrick Tibbetts, Plainfield
18. 32, Kylee Potter, Marshfield
20. 18x, Walker Fitch, Marshfield
Road Warriors – 20 Laps
2. 18, Cayden Green, Marshfield
