Payea Comes Back for Fifth ACT Win of Season in Labor Day Classic

Milton’s Scott Payea put an exclamation point on his 2017 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) championship bid, coming back from an early crash to score his fifth win of the season in the 39th Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic at Barre’s Thunder Road on Monday, September 4.

Payea started 12th and was running in the middle of the pack on lap 60 of the 200-lap event when Blainville, Que.’s Jonathan Bouvrette got turned around in turn three. The ACT point leader, who was caught up in a heat race incident as well, sustained significant damage in the resulting scramble and was forced pit-side for repairs, during which the team also changed right-side tires.

The fresh rubber played into Payea’s hands as he steadily worked through the field, eventually moving into the second spot on lap 158 behind four-time event winner Nick Sweet of Barre. The eighth and final caution came out with 15 laps remaining for Cody Blake’s flat right front tire and allowed Payea to draw alongside Sweet, who elected to run the entire event on the same set of tires. After a back-and-forth battle, Payea took the top spot on lap 189 and headed off into the sunset for his first Labor Day Classic victory.

Fellow Milton racer Scott Dragon also got around Sweet in the closing laps for second while Sweet settled for third. Top ACT rookie Jason Corliss took fourth while Tyler Cahoon came from 22nd on the starting grid to finish fifth. Marcel J. Gravel, Dillon Moltz, Christopher Pelkey, Darrell Morin, and Josh Masterson rounded out the top-10. Payea unofficially extended his point lead over Moltz, who lead the most laps but was unable to get back to the front after pitting for right side tires on lap 144.

Support division action saw a trio of drivers score their first career victory. Waitsfield’s Kyle Streeter kicked off the first-time winner’s parade by earning the win in the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger victory 40-lap feature. The rookie started on the pole but had to fend off Grand Isle’s Joe Steffen and then Essex’s Mike Billado ona trio of late-race restarts. Streeter was able to get the edge after the final caution with three laps to go for the victory.

Craftsbury Common’s Mike Martin snuck under Billado on the final lap for second. Jaden Perry, Jamon Perry, Steffen, Joel Hodgdon, Jason Woodard, Brendan Moodie, and Dwayne Lanphear completed the top-10. Woodard unofficially extended his point lead to 24 markers over Moodie with one point-counting event remaining.

The Allen Lumber Street Stock feature saw South Burlington’s Michael Gay score his first career victory as well. The veteran driver assumed the lead after polesitter Tom Campbell looped it on the opening lap and held off a race-long charge from rookie Logan Powers of Middlesex, including on a pair of late restarts, for an emotional win.

Sophomore competitor Kelsea Woodard of Waterbury Center completed the podium followed by Tunbridge’s Gary Mullen and Wolcott’s Jamie Davis. Alan Maynard, Cooper Bouchard, Chris LaForest, Stephen Martin, and Kevin Streeter also earned top-10 finishes. Davis now unofficially has the point lead by two over Bouchard, with Maynard five points back and Woodard 13 points in arrears.

Morrisville’s Edward Bowen Jr. completed the first-timers trifecta with a victory in the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors feature. Bowen took the lead early in the 20-lap feature from polesitter Julian Gorman and cruised to the win in a caution-free event.

Barre’s Tyler Pepin finished second while Johnson’s Michael Stearns came out on top of a last-lap scramble for third. Eric Young, Gorman, Benjamin Ashford, Jeffrey Martin, Sean McCarthy, Frank Putney, and Trevor Rossi finished fourth through 10th.

Thunder Road will crown its 2017 champions this Friday, September 8 on Community College of Vermont Championship Night. The event will feature the Thunder Road Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks in their final point-counting event of the season. Qualifying begins at 7:00pm in the chase to determine the 2017 “King of the Road”. Admission is $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and $25 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).

39TH COCA-COLA LABOR DAY CLASSIC

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

ACT LATE MODEL TOUR

Pos., Start Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Laps

1. ( 12 ) Scott Payea ( 37VT ) , Colchester, VT , 200 Laps

2. ( 11 ) Scott Dragon ( 16VT ) , Milton, VT , 200 Laps

3. ( 5 ) Nick Sweet ( 40VT ) , Barre, VT , 200 Laps

4. ( 7 ) #Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) , Barre, VT , 200 Laps

5. ( 22 ) Tyler Cahoon ( 38VT ) , Danville, VT , 200 Laps

6. ( 3 ) Marcel J. Gravel ( 86VT ) , Wolcott, VT , 200 Laps

7. ( 1 ) Dillon Moltz ( 5CT ) , Waterford, CT , 200 Laps

8. ( 15 ) Christopher Pelkey ( 64VT ) , Graniteville, VT , 200 Laps

9. ( 26 ) Darrell Morin ( 17VT ) , Westford, VT , 200 Laps

10. ( 18 ) Josh Masterson ( 11NY ) , Charlotte, VT , 200 Laps

11. ( 4 ) Phil Scott ( 14VT ) , Berlin, VT , 200 Laps

12. ( 8 ) Brooks Clark ( 68VT ) , Fayston, VT , 200 Laps

13. ( 16 ) Patrick Laperle ( 91QC ) , St-Denis, QC , 200 Laps

14. ( 24 ) Rowland Robinson, Jr. ( 28ME ) , Steuben, ME , 199 Laps

15. ( 20 ) Rich Dubeau ( 30NH ) , Lebanon, NH , 199 Laps

16. ( 19 ) Oren Remick ( 21NH ) , Warner, NH , 198 Laps

17. ( 14 ) Matthew Smith ( 04VT ) , Essex Jct., VT , 198 Laps

18. ( 23 ) Jimmy Hebert ( 58VT ) , Williamstown, VT , 191 Laps

19. ( 25 ) Mark Hudson ( 82MA ) , Norton, MA , 188 Laps

20. ( 6 ) Cody Blake ( 99VT ) , Barre, VT , 185 Laps

21. ( 10 ) Jonathan Bouvrette ( 41QC ) , Blainville, QC , 174 Laps

22. ( 21 ) James Linardy ( 77MA ) , Somerville, MA , 159 Laps

23. ( 2 ) Bobby Therrien ( 5VT ) , Hinesburg, VT , 157 Laps

24. ( 9 ) Chip Grenier ( 9VT ) , Graniteville, VT , 109 Laps

25. ( 17 ) Matt White ( 42VT ) , Northfield, VT , 84 Laps

26. ( 13 ) Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) , Montpelier, VT , 0 Laps

Lap Leaders: Dillon Moltz, pole; Bobby Therrien, 1-53; Moltz, 54-125; Nick Sweet, 126-188; Scott Payea, 189-200.  (4 lead changes among 4 drivers)

Time of Race: 1:30:11   Margin of Victory: 0.548 seconds

Cautions: 8 (laps 0, 48, 60, 62, 83, 144, 156, 185)

Heat Winners: Jonathan Bouvrette, Scott Dragon, Nick Sweet

Consi Winners: Jason Corliss, Patrick Laperle

B-Feature Winner: Jimmy Hebert

LENNY’S SHOE & APPAREL FLYING TIGERS

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. #Kyle Streeter ( 37 ) Waitsfield, VT

2. Mike Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury Common, VT

3. Mike Billado ( 8 ) Essex, VT

4. #Jaden Perry ( 92 ) Hardwick, VT

5. Jamon Perry ( 62 ) Hardwick, VT

6. Joe Steffen ( 00 ) Grand Isle, VT

7. Joel Hodgdon ( 36 ) Craftsbury Common, VT

8. Jason Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT

9. Brendan Moodie ( 94 ) Wolcott, VT

10. Dwayne Lanphear ( 11 ) Morrisville, VT

11. Kevin Dodge ( 88 ) Barre, VT

12. Mark Barnier ( 0 ) Essex Jct., VT

13. Cameron Ouellette ( 90 ) Barre, VT

14. M.C. Ingram ( 02 ) Essex Jct., VT

15. Robert Gordon ( 20 ) Milton, VT

16. #Tyler Austin ( 5 ) East Calais, VT

17. Trevor Lyman ( 17 ) Hinesburg, VT

18. Clement Despault, Sr. ( 3 ) Waterbury, VT

19. #Burt Spooner III ( 4 ) E. Montpelier, VT

20. #Jason Pelkey ( 64 ) Barre, VT

21. Sid Sweet Jr. ( 51 ) Williamstown, VT

ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCKS

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. Michael Gay ( 3 ) So. Burlington, VT

2. #Logan Powers ( 31 ) Middlesex, VT

3. Kelsea Woodard ( 55 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT

4. Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT

5. Jamie Davis ( 43 ) Wolcott, VT

6. Alan Maynard ( 10 ) Fairfax, VT

7. Cooper Bouchard ( 7 ) Hinesburg, VT

8. Chris LaForest ( 88 ) Barre, VT

9. #Stephen Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury Common, VT

10. Kevin Streeter ( 67 ) Waitsfield, VT

11. Tom Smith ( 50 ) Williamstown, VT

12. Shawn Moquin ( 76 ) Milton, VT

13. Scott Weston ( 40 ) Berlin, VT

14. Matthew Smith ( 04 ) Essex Jct., VT

15. William Hennequin ( 47 ) Hardwick, VT

16. Dean Switser, Jr. ( 45 ) Lyndonville, VT

17. Brandon Lanphear ( 11 ) Morrisville, VT

18. Tom Campbell ( 85 ) Middlesex, VT

19. #Jeff Murray ( 35 ) Georgia, VT

20. Ryan Ware ( 8 ) Littleton, NH

BURNETT SCRAP METALS ROAD WARRIORS

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. Edward Bowen Jr. ( 12 ) Morrisville, VT

2. Tyler Pepin ( 78 ) Barre, VT

3. Michael Stearns ( 3 ) Johnson, VT

4. Eric Young ( 6 ) Barre, VT

5. Julian Gorman ( 9 ) Randolph, VT

6. Benjamin Ashford ( 95 ) Northfield, VT

7. Jeffrey Martin ( 8 ) Barre, VT

8. Sean McCarthy ( 86 ) Williamstown, VT

9. Frank Putney ( 88 ) Graniteville, VT

10. Trevor Rossi ( 04 ) Washington, VT

11. Eric Chase ( 13 ) Berlin, VT

12. Taylor Keene ( 17 ) East Hardwick, VT

13. Doug Duffy Jr. ( 92 ) Milton, VT

14. James Dopp ( 0 ) Northfield, VT

15. Dylan Duffy ( 72 ) Milton, VT

16. Nathan Woodworth ( 08 ) Essex Jct., VT

17. Cedrick Zeno ( 23 ) Middlesex, VT

18. Peter Childs ( 02 ) Orange

19. Ethan Howes ( 24 ) Fayston, VT

20. Fred Fleury ( 98 ) Graniteville, VT

21. Jesse Gerrow ( 01 ) Craftsbury, VT

22. Issac Spaulding ( 94 ) Wolcott, VT

23. Matt Wadsworth ( 00 ) W. Topsham, VT