Offseason Spotlight: Most Improved Driver Award Stays in Pelkey Family

Barre, VT – For the fourth time in the past 30 years, a member of the Pelkey family has been saluted for the progress they’ve made behind the wheel of a race car. Barre’s Jason Pelkey received the unexpected honor at the 2019 Thunder Road Banquet of Champions when he was presented with the track’s annual Most Improved Driver Award.

Following a several-year hiatus, the Most Improved Award returned following the 2017. Previously, the award had been issued to drivers in both the Late Model and Flying Tiger divisions. Now, a single award goes a driver across all Thunder Road divisions who has shown the most growth over the previous season.

There were a number of potentially deserving drivers for the Most Improved Award in 2019. Candidates included Flying Tiger drivers Micheal MacAskill and Colin Cornell as well as Street Stockers J.T. Blanchard, Juan Marshall, and Tyler Pepin. However, the 26-year-old Pelkey beat them all out for the honors.

Pelkey’s family has a long history in motorsports. His father Mike, uncles Robert and John, and cousin Christopher are all current or former racers. Jason finally joined the weekly wars at Thunder Road in 2017, jumping right into the family’s Flying Tiger. His first two seasons had some ups, such as a dominating win in his rookie year. But there were also plenty of downs, with crashes, mechanical failures, and just plain rough nights as he tried to navigate the waters of a growing and ultra-competitive division.

The 2019 campaign, though, was when he made his breakthrough. Week after week, he would charge from way out back on the starting grid. He regularly came from starting spots in the high teens and 20’s in his Memorial Sandblast machine to become a factor at the front before the night was over. In doing so, fans and drivers saw a smoother, more knowledgeable, and more confident driver behind the wheel.

Pelkey earned his second career Thunder Road win just before mid-season and climbed the standings on a weekly basis, eventually finishing 7th overall. Including the season-ending Mini Milk Bowl, he posted five podium finishes and 12 top-10s, more of each than he had in his first two years combined. All told, he evolved into one of the best pure racers in his class and has positioned himself as a potential championship contender in 2020.

In earning the award, Jason became the third different member of his family to be named Most Improved Driver at Thunder Road. Mike Pelkey received the inaugural Flying Tiger award in 1990. Christopher took the Flying Tiger award in 2012 and the overall award in 2018.

“I’m shocked right now,” Pelkey said after receiving the award. “I have to thank my parents – really everyone at my table right there. If it wasn’t for them, none of this would be possible. Wwe’ve had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of figuring things out through the past few years, and this year we found a lot of luck. I’m having a lot of fun racing this division. I think this is a great division.

“I have to thank Cris (Michaud) and Pat (Malone), and everyone else at the track who’s made all of this possible,” Pelkey added. “These past few years have been some of the most fun of my young life. So thank you guys very much.”