Thunder Road Sponsor Spotlights: Event Sponsors, Part 2

It’s time for part 2 of our Event Sponsor Spotlight for the 2021 season. Show these sponsors your support whenever you can so they know how much impact they have in the auto racing community! (Note: event sponsors are listed in the order they appear on the Thunder Road calendar.)

 The Times Argus (NEW!...kinda)

Sponsor of the Midseason Championships on Thursday, July 22

After a two-year hiatus, The Times Argus newspaper of Barre/Montpelier returns as a Thunder Road sponsor. For more than 30 years going through the 2018 season, The Times Argus presented the Midseason Championships, where drivers annual race for double-points in added-distance features. Now, the Central Vermont newspaper returns that iconic role. This year’s Midseason Championships will have even more on the line as the purses have doubled thanks to FloRacing. The late-July event is also when Thunder Road holds the traditional Driver Autographs night; the status of this year’s season is dependent on Vermont state COVID-19 guidelines.

Since 1897, The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus has been dedicated to providing thorough coverage of local, state and national events. The current newspaper was formed in 1959 by a merger of the Barre Daily Times and the Montpelier Evening Argus. Now owned and operated by Brunswick Publishing, LLC, The Times Argus is the only daily newspaper covering Central Vermont community news, government, education, and sports. The Times Argus publishes a print edition Tuesday-Saturday that is delivered in Washington, Orange, and Lamoille counties. They also have an online edition seven days a week. A longtime sister publication of the Rutland Herald, the two newspapers jointly operate the Vermont Press Bureau year-round in Montpelier. Visit www.timesargus.com to learn more and subscribe.

WDEV Radio/Calkins Portable Toilets

Co-sponsors of the Thursday, July 29 event

For decades, both the Radio Vermont Group and Calkins Portable Toilets have been a Thunder Road fixture. The track was co-founded by WDEV Radio owner Ken Squier; as such, the station (and its sister call signs) are a near-constant presence. Calkins, meanwhile, joined the fray in 1989, making this coming season their 33rd year of racing. In recent seasons, they have co-sponsored the first event following the Mid-Season Championships. The night features the Port-a-Potty Grand Prix, a competition where the point leader in each division race against each other using rolling portalets. WDEV also plans to resume live broadcasts of select Thunder Road and ACT events in 2021 that do not conflict with their status as a Red Sox radio affiliate.

This year, WDEV Radio and the Radio Vermont Group are celebrating their 90th birthday. The station signed on the air in 1931 and has been owned by the Squier family since 1935. Using a full-service radio format remains the Vermont leader in covering local news, politics, weather, and sports. It’s also an official affiliate of CBS News Radio, the Boston Red Sox Radio Network, the Motor Racing Network, and ESPN Radio. You can listen to WDEV Radio on 550-AM (Waterbury), 96.1-FM (Warren), 96.5-FM (Barre), 98.3-FM (Montpelier), and 101.9-FM (Island Pond). WDEV Radio is also simulcast online at www.wdevradio.com.  Sister stations include WCVT 101.7-FM/WEXP 101.5-FM “101 The One” for classic hits and WLVB 93.9-FM “Vermont Country 93.9” for country music.

Calkins Portable Toilets has been a leading Vermont port-a-potty rental and septic tank pumping company since 1984. Armed with their slogan “We’re No. 1 in the No. 2 Business”, the family-owned company provides services for homeowners, businesses, and events. Portalets available for rent include classic port-a-potties, handicap-accessible commodes, wedding-style toilets, and wash stations. They have offices in Montpelier and Danville to serve Central Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom, and the Eastern Vermont Gateway. Arrange your next port-a-potty rental at www.calkinsportabletoilets.com or www.portabletoiletmontpelier.com.

Bolduc Metal Recycling

Sponsor of the Enduro 200 and Street Stock Special on Sunday, August 1

One of the racing world’s most fitting sponsorships renews itself this August with the Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 and Street Stock Special. Bolduc became the event sponsor in 2018 following the departure of longtime partner M&M Beverage. It’s a perfect partnership for the annual night motorized mayhem where more than 100 cars barely off the street duke it out for 200 laps. The 50-lap Street Stock Special has been known to crunch a few fenders, too — come August 2, more than a few people will have some business for Bolduc’s!

Since 1976, Bolduc has been making it easy for Vermonters to recycle metal year-round. Their Middlesex, VT scrapyard pays residential and commercial customers to get rid of their junk. Bring aluminum, steel, brass, wires, iron, and much more to receive immediate payment. Bolduc Metal Recycling also offers roll-off containers for large projects. Other services include auto salvage, storage container rentals, demolition, and site cleanup. Learn about their recycling services and get the latest pricing at www.bolducmetalrecycling.com.

Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night

Sponsor of the Thursday, August 5 event

The homestretch of the Thunder Road weekly racing season begins at Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night. The Barre-Montpelier car dealership has been involved at the track for well over 30 years. In recent years, their early-August event has been the finale of the Myers Triple Crown Series for the Flying Tigers. (In 2020, it was the second event of the series due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) Last year’s 75-lap Flying Tiger feature ended with a photo finish, and this year could well be the same. Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac also provides the official Thunder Road pace car and has an 8’ x 20’ billboard.

Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac has been a family-owned GM dealer since 1956. They proudly offer Vermont’s only complete line of Chevy trucks for personal and commercial use. Customers can also find a wide assortment of new sedans, hatchbacks, SUVS, and luxury vehicles plus pre-owned cars. In addition to vehicle sales, Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac has a GM-certified service department, a knowledgeable parts department, and a full collision center — all of which are open Monday-Saturday. They’re located on Route 302 just minutes from the Route 2 roundabout and Interstate 89 Exit 7. After one visit, you’ll see “Cody is Why Chevy’s the Buy”. Learn more at www.codychevrolet.com or www.codycadillac.com.

NorthCountry Federal Credit Union

Sponsor of the Thursday, August 12 event

NorthCountry Federal Credit Union returns for their seventh year of Thunder Road racing. After sponsoring a late-June event early on, they now hold down the mid-August event — which is also the night of the annual Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior Challenge. Thunder Road’s entry-level division will go 50 laps that night with a $500 winner’s prize. A full card of championship action is also scheduled for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and RK Miles Street Stocks. The credit union has sponsored multiple Thunder Road racers over the years such as Late Model winners Cody Blake and Jim “Boomer” Morris.

NorthCountry FCU has been Your Community Credit Union since 1950. It was originally organized by the employees of General Electric in Burlington, who needed a place where they could lend and borrow money at rates below that of commercial banks. NCFCU opened its doors to all in 2001 and is now one of the largest credit unions in Vermont. They offer a variety of personal and commercial banking services, including savings and checking accounts, debit/credit cards, lending, investments, and life insurance. In addition to 12 branches across Northern and Central Vermont, NCFCU has more than 3,500 partner locations nationwide where credit union members can do business at no extra charge. Find a branch or open an account online at www.northcountry.org.

Vermont Tire & Service Night

Sponsor of the Thursday, August 19 event

The partnership between Thunder Road and Vermont Tire & Service continues for a fourth season in 2021. As the sponsor of the penultimate Thursday night event, they present a full card of action for the Late Models, Flying Tigers, Street Stocks, and Warriors as their title battles get serious. Even more will be on the line this year, as VT Tire & Service Night is one of two designated “double purse” nights thanks to a new live streaming deal with FloRacing. VT Tire signage is also on display at the pit gate as part of the sponsorship agreement.

Vermont Tire & Service has been serving the community’s auto care needs since 1982. Both the Montpelier and South Burlington locations are one-stop-shops for automotive service. They are an independent tire dealer who offers a variety of top brands for cars, trucks, and SUVs. Part of the reason VT Tire is regularly named the best tire store in its regions is that they help educate customers so they know what tire is best for them. With a purchase of four all-season tires, you receive a free front end alignment plus tire rotations every 5,000 miles for as long as they’re on your car. Their service department is an official Vermont State Vehicle Inspection center and offers many other repairs such as brake jobs and suspension work. Schedule an appointment at www.vttireonline.com.

Jet Service Envelope/Accura Printing

Sponsor of the Thursday finale on August 26

Since 2014, the final Thursday event of the year at Thunder Road has been presented by Jet Service Envelope and Accura Printing. In addition to a full card of racing for all four divisions, the night features the annual “Run What U Brung” spectator races, where fans can drive their street-legal cars on the high banks in one-on-one “match races”. It’s one of the most popular events of the year and has produced many memorable moments, such as Patrick Martin’s “Flip and Win” in 2018. Jet Service owner Jeff Blow also organizes the Vermont Shifter Karts that run at Rocky Ridge Raceway in Graniteville on Wednesday night events throughout the summer.

Jet Service Envelope and Accura Printing have been serving central Vermonters for more than a century. Both trace their origins to the Modern Printing Company, which was established in 1915 as an Italian/English newspaper company. Jet Service Envelope Company was formed in 1945 and now produces more than 8 million envelopes a month. Furthermore, they can print just about anything on paper, including books, posters, banners, wall graphics, vinyl decals, business cards, newsletters, and raffle tickets. Accura Printing Company was born in 1975 as a typesetting company; they later expanded to serve the needs of businesses and municipalities with large-scale commercial printing services. Jet Service acquired Accura Printing in 2012. Both are located at 80 East Road in Barre. Visit www.jetservice-envelope.com and www.accuraprinting.com to learn more.

Optical Expressions Berlin

Sponsor of the Labor Day Classic on Sunday, September 5

For the second year in a row, Optical Expressions Berlin will present the Labor Day holiday event at Thunder Road. The 200-lap Labor Day Classic is the second visit of the year for the ACT Late Model Tour. The extended distance requires a mix of speed and strategy while keeping your eye on the prize — something Optical Expressions is happy to help drivers do. The Flying Tigers, Street Stocks, and Road Warriors are also on the card. Optical Expressions Berlin is also the primary sponsor for multi-time Late Model winner Tyler Cahoon and was a partner of Cooper MacRitchie when he took the division by storm in the early 2000s.

The next time you need eye care, a professional at Optical Expressions Berlin can provide it. The Berlin, VT company offers a complete range of services, including routine eye exams, medical eye exams, contact lens fittings, Lasik consultations, and emergency appointments. They have an on-site lab and hundreds of frames in stock, meaning new eyeglasses are usually ready within the hour.  Optical Expressions Berlin does prescription sunglasses, too. They’re conveniently located in the Berlin Mall just off Exit 7 on Interstate 89. Visit www.oeberlin.com to schedule an appointment.

Booth Bros./HP Hood

Sponsors of Milk Bowl Qualifying Day on Saturday, October 2

The winner of the Vermont Milk Bowl every year gets a swig of milk — and you know it has to come from Booth Brothers Dairy and HP Hood. This match is one made in heaven, with two prominent dairy producers helping set the stage for the “Toughest Short Track Race in North America”. Booth Brothers provides a $1,000 bonus for whomever wins the Milk Bowl pole in time trials plus $500 for the outside polesitter (those prizes when to Ryan Kuhn and Stephen Donahue in 2020). The Saturday show also includes 50-lap Late Model qualifying races, time trials plus Segment 1 of Mini Milk Bowls” for the Flying Tigers and Street Stocks, and a two-segment Mini Milk Bowl for the Road Warriors.

Booth Brothers Dairy was established in 1946 by Norman and Marcel Booth. To this day, the company is committed to providing only the freshest and finest milk to the local community. All milk processed at their Barre plant comes directly from local Vermont farms in Washington, Orange, and Lamoille counties. Booth Brothers only works with farmers that pledge not to use artificial growth hormones on their dairy cows. This ensures the high quality and great taste Booth Brothers milk is known for. Visit www.boothbrosdairy.com to learn more.

HP Hood was founded in 1846 in Lynnfield, Massachusetts by Harvey Perley Hood. They now serve most of the United States with fresh milk, cheese, sour cream, dips, and other dairy products. With 13 manufacturing plants and its own in-house R&D operation, HP Hood is one of the country’s largest branded food and beverage companies. HP Hood purchased Booth Brothers Dairy in 1997; other current Hood brands include Simply Smart, Heluva Good, Brigham’s Ice Cream, and Southern Comfort Eggnog. They also produce Lactaid, Hershey’s milk, and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. Visit www.hood.com to learn more about why their dairy products are “Always Good, Always Hood”.

Northfield Savings Bank

Sponsor of the Vermont Milk Bowl on Sunday, October 3

The largest motorsports event in Vermont will once again be presented by the largest Vermont-owned bank. Northfield Savings Bank is a longtime Thunder Road partner who is nearing a decade of Milk Bowl involvement. Whomever wins the 59th Milk Bowl will have earned it following Saturday’s qualifying, a trio of 50-lap segments, and full-field inversions between each segment. They’ll be rewarded for their efforts with a minimum $10,000 top prize and a date with “Miss Vermont Milk Bowl” — a genuine dairy cow. The program also includes Segment 2 of the Flying Tiger and Street Stock Mini Milk Bowls plus a two-segment Dwarf Car Mini Milk Bowl.

Northfield Savings Bank has been a part of Vermont’s fabric since 1867. From their original Northfield location, they’ve expanded to 13 branches throughout Washington and Chittenden counties. NSB serves 30,000 personal and commercial customers annually with services such as checking and savings accounts, loans, health savings accounts, investments, and business credit cards. It’s one of Vermont’s few mutual savings banks, meaning they’re owned by the depositors and work for them instead of for shareholders. As part of its pledge to make a difference, NSB donates 10% of all earnings to local non-profit organizations. Visit www.nsbvt.com to find the nearest branch or learn more about their services.