Thunder Road Sets New Tiger 100 Date, Cancels Memorial Day Classic Amid Late-Season Schedule Adjustments

Barre, VT — Thunder Road officials have announced a series of schedule changes and adjustments for the final month of the season. These include a new date for the 100-lap finale of the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series as well as the addition of the Labor Day Classic to the “King of the Road” chase.

Both changes stem from the cancellation of the 2020 Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. The event was originally slated for May 25 before being postponed due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to the compressed season calendar and the assortment of big late-season events both at Thunder Road and at other tracks around the region, officials were unable to find a suitable make-up date for the Memorial Day Classic despite their best efforts. The decision was thus made to cancel the 2020 edition and resume the Memorial Day tradition in 2021.

“It’s an unfortunate situation, but one we ultimately couldn’t do much about,” Thunder Road managing partner Cris Michaud said. “Every option we had either risked burning out our fans and teams with too many events in a short time or was on the same weekend as a lot of other big late-season events. We held out hope as long as we could, but in the end, we just couldn’t make it work with everything else going on.”

A trio of moves have been made to help fill the schedule void. The 100-lap Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger event that was slated for Memorial Day weekend has now been rescheduled for Barre Granite Association Championship Night on Friday, September 18.

The event will now be the finale of both the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series and the weekly Flying Tiger championship. The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models will also have extra distance that night with a 61-lap feature to celebrate Thunder Road’s 61st season. Post time has been moved up to 6:30pm.

Meanwhile, the Optical Expressions Berlin Labor Day Classic 200 on Sunday, September 6 will now count for both American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model championship points. This was done to replace the point-counting event that Thunder Road Late Model competitors lost due to the Memorial Day Classic cancellation.

Finally, Mekkelsen RV Sales & Rental has been named the presenting sponsor of Milk Bowl Friday on October 2. Their participation ensures the long-time Thunder Road partner still has a major presence this year. Mekkelsen RV will present a four-division card that includes the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models, PASS Modifieds, Honey Badger Bar & Grill Street Stock Series, and North East Mini Stock Tour.

Thunder Road is back in action this Thursday, August 13 for North Country Federal Credit Union Night. The second annual Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior Challenge highlights the card with a 50-lap, $500-to-win clash. The night also includes championship action for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks.

Admission is $15 for adults and $3 for kids ages 12 and under with limited fan attendance. Advance tickets are on sale until 10:00am Thursday, August 13 at https://happsnow.com/event/Thunder-Road-Speedbowl. Any tickets remaining at this point will be offered for walk-up purchase at the gate. Please visit www.thunderroadvt.com for more information regarding face mask requirements and other health and safety guidelines. For those who can’t make it to the track, a $15 pay-per-view is also available on the Northeast Sports Network at www.NSNsports.net/sponsors/racing.