Street Stocks Running Double Features at Casella Waste Systems Night

Annual Kids Rides Tradition Returns This Thursday

Alan Ward photo

Barre, VT — The first Thursday event of the season fires up at Barre’s Thunder Road this Thursday, June 17 with Casella Waste Systems Night. A full card of racing and then some is planned as the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” resumes the annual summer Thursday tradition — which can now be viewed live worldwide on FloRacing.

Two things stand out above all others at Thursday’s event. The first is double features for the RK Miles Street Stocks. They’ll begin the night by running their Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic make-up feature and end it with the regularly scheduled Casella Waste Systems feature.

Between this and the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors, fans of four-cylinder racing have plenty to cheer about. Racers such as Tommy “Thunder” Smith, Kaiden “Tropical Storm” Fisher, Luke Peters, Jamie Davis, and Jeffrey Martin have proven you don’t need a lot of power under the hood to win fans’ hearts.

The second notable happening is the return of Kids Rides. For decades, the annual event has allowed fans ages 12 and under the thrill of riding around the Barre high banks in a real race car. However, the 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, with Vermont getting back to normal, the Kids Rides are making their return. Rides will be held from 4:00-4:45pm on Thursday prior to the start of practice.

Buzz Fisher/Creative Outbursts photo

“The Kids Rides are a huge deal for young fans,” Thunder Road managing partner Cris Michaud said. “For many of them, it’s their first time in a race car, and they get to meet their heroes at the same time. Things like Kids Rides and Scout Night are also important for getting young people interested in the sport and turning them into lifelong fans. We’re very happy that we get to bring back the Kids Rides this year.”

The storylines continue when the racing gets underway. The RK Miles Street Stocks effectively have a double-points night with their two features. That means the standings could look a lot different on Friday morning.

Drivers off to hot starts such as Fisher, Smith, Dean Switser Jr., and Kyler Davis are trying to ride the momentum. On the other hand, former champion Jeffrey Martin has two chances to make up ground after a blown engine last week. Justin Blakely, rookie Trevor Jaques, James Dopp, and Will Hennequin are also looking to make moves.

In the Maplewood/Irving Late Models, Barre’s Jason Corliss remains the leader in the clubhouse as he aims for a three-peat. He’s nine points ahead of Graniteville’s Christopher Pelkey, who’s been the early surprise of the young season. Milton’s Scott Dragon and Shelburne’s Trampas Demers are once again in the hunt while rookie Brandon Lanphear of Morrisville is quickly getting his Late Model sea legs under him.

The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers are still topped by East Kingston, NH’s Bryan Wall Jr. The 18-year-old has top-10 finishes in all three feature events so far — one of only four drivers to do so. Colin Cornell, Cameron Ouellette, and Kelsea Woodard sit bunched behind Wall. Perennial contenders Jaden Perry, Jason Woodard, and Mike Martin are lurking as they wait for things to sort out.

After a week to rest up, the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors return for a 20-lap feature. With them comes the lovable shenanigans of popular drivers such as Josh Vilbrin, Paige Whittemore, Jason Kirby, Frank Putney, and Dan Garrett Jr. Fans are also anxiously awaiting the return of Road Warrior mayor Sean “Chubby Rambo” McCarthy, who was sidelined at their last event with engine troubles.

Thunder Road begins the annual Thursday Thunder this Thursday, June 17 at 7:00pm win Casella Waste Systems Night. The RK Miles Street Stocks have double features with a full card for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors. The annual Kids Rides open the evening from 4:00-4:45pm for children ages 12 and under.

Admission to Casella Waste Systems Night is $15 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and $30 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids). Advance tickets are available at www.happsnow.com/event/Thunder-Road-Speedbowl. All Thunder Road events are also live-streamed on FloRacing for those with a monthly or yearly subscription.

For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @ThunderRoadVT. For more information about FloRacing, visit www.FloRacing.com.