Intensity About to Double at Country Camper Midseason Championships

Barre, VT — The biggest night of the year for the Thunder Road track championship battles is about to take the green flag. All four divisions are in action this Thursday, July 23 at the Country Camper Midseason Championships with double points up for grabs that will set up the title chases for the rest of the season.

The points have been tight throughout the top-10 all year in the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks. With 150 points going to feature winners on Thursday instead of the usual 75, plus added distance features for all divisions, the potential is there for big shifts at the top.

Current point leaders such as Shelburne’s Trampas Demers (Late Models) and Hardwick’s Jaden Perry (Flying Tigers) could break open the championship battle with a strong effort this week. Conversely, top runners such as Milton’s Scott Dragon that got off to slow starts can jump right back into the title picture with a victory or podium result.

For the Flying Tigers, even more is on the line. They will start the program by completing the final 30 laps of their rained-out Vermont Governor’s Cup feature, effectively making it a “triple-point” night.

“You’ve just got to take what you can get,” said Waterbury Center’s Jason Woodard, who will restart fifth in the make-up feature. “Just get through that race, and then the (Midseason Championships) are a new race — new heat, new feature, and everything else. But that first race, you have to get through it, take what you can, and maybe give a little bit to make sure you still have a car. Obviously you don’t want a wrecked car going into the second feature.”

The Country Camper Midseason Championships are just the start of a busy stretch for Thunder Road’s weekly racers. With the make-up date for the Community Bank N.A. 150 set for this Sunday, July 26, teams are looking at three events in eight days — effectively four with double points in the first event. As such, drivers must find the balance between getting all they can at each event while also preserving their car for the next show.

“You have to be smart,” Woodard said. “There are a lot of cars, so there’s a lot of action, and you have to be patient and give and take a little. Every race is important. You have to finish — when you don’t finish, it costs you a lot in the points. We’ll race hard, but definitely pay attention to what’s going on, try to miss the wrecks, and try to bring home a solid finish.”

The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models come into their 75-lap feature on double-points night with just 31 points separating the top-nine in the standings. Demers has a three-point lead over Wolcott’s Marcel J. Gravel and nine points over 2017 “King of the Road” Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg. Defending champion Jason Corliss of Barre is up to fourth overall after back-to-back feature wins.

Meanwhile, racers such as Matt White, Tyler Cahoon, Kyle Pembroke, and Christopher Pelkey are one double-point victory away from being serious title players. Two-time champion Dragon is still mired in 11th after a blown engine cost him an event early on, but he won the Midseason Championships last year, and doing so again would make up much of his lost ground.

A similarly close battle has developed in the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers. Jaden Perry entered last week’s event with a 10-point lead over Morrisville’s Brandon Lanphear. However, he made a pit stop just before the rain came and will restart the event deep in the field. It’s a prime opportunity for Lanphear or veterans Michael Martin and Robert Gordon to pounce.

Fans should keep an eye on Kyle Streeter, Derrick Calkins, and rookie Kasey Beattie. Although the trio are down in the standings, they are restarting the Governor’s Cup make-up feature in the top-three. All have the speed to stay up front — and doing so would help them make a big jump before the Midseason Championships even start.

In the Allen Lumber Street Stocks, the field is chasing E. Thetford’s Brandon Gray. The veteran had a close call last week, but took advantage of a well-timed caution to extend his point lead to 45 over defending champion Jeffrey Martin.

Still, just 32 points separate second from 10th in the standings. Martin, two-time champion Jamie Davis, junior J.T. Blanchard and rookie Kyler Davis are just some of those who could rocket to the front if Gray has an off night.

The Burnett Scrap Metal Road Warriors don’t race for points, but they will be going all-out nonetheless in their 25-lap feature. Car counts have remained strong after their shift to a weekly division, with established Warriors like Brian Putney and Sean McCarthy going wheel-to-wheel against Justin Prescott, Jamie York, Tyler Whittemore, and other new names.

The Country Camper Midseason Championships go to post this Thursday, July 23 at 6:30pm. The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers start the night with the completion of their Vermont Governor’s Cup feature. This will be followed by added-distance, double-point events for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Flying Tigers, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors.

Limited fan attendance is permitted with advance ticket sales at www.happsnow.com/event/Thunder-Road-Speedbowl. Admission is $15 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids ages five and under. A $15 pay-per-view broadcast will also be available on the Northeast Sports Network at www.NSNsports.net/sponsors/racing.