Annual Enduro Takes Over Thunder Road This Sunday

Alan Ward photo

Street Stock Special Opens Sunday Night Thrillfest

Barre, VT — The 37th Annual Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 and Street Stock Special rumble around Barre’s Thunder Road this coming Sunday, August 1. “The People’s Race” is one of the year’s most popular events with 100 or more cars expected to do battle for fans at the track and watching live on FloRacing.

Every year since 1985, the Enduro 200 has allowed amateurs and top racers alike to experience the thrills of low-budget, no-holds-barred racing. The cars are basically taken off the street with only safety modifications and new paint jobs allowed. All 100+ cars line up three-wide on the track for a standing start. No caution flags are thrown, and the only red flags are for safety concerns. The first driver to complete 200 laps receives a $3,000 prize check.

In addition to being a lot of fun, the Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro has helped launch racing careers. Past winners of the Enduro 200 include Matt White, Steve Renaudette, and Scott Corey, who all went on to become successful Late Model drivers. Other former participants include names such as Paul Hodgdon, Monty Lamare, John Pelkey, Don Tofani, Dean Switser Jr., and Taber Gagne who are familiar to longtime Thunder Road fans.

The pre-entry list for this year’s Enduro is on par with recent years. Recognizable names include 2015 winner Richie Turner, Flying Tiger regular Chris LaForest, Larry Underwood, and Kyle Morris. Many crew members and relatives of current racers, such as Derek Holbrook and Jennesta Garrett, are getting their chance behind the wheel. The Enduro is also a family affair, with John and Kevin Raper, Ryan and Seth Deuso, and Caleb and Kyle Bedard among those getting their Enduro cars ready.

Before the Enduro begins, fans get to enjoy the annual Bolduc Metal Recycling Street Stock Special. The 50-lap affair is the biggest race of the year of the RK Miles Street Stocks. With the prestige of winning the Street Stock Special and the championship battle in “get serious” mode at this time of year, the result is almost always a heart-pounding Sunday night affair.

Buzz Fisher/Creative Outbursts photo

Right now, everyone is chasing Williamstown’s Tommy “Thunder” Smith. The all-time winningest RK Miles Street Stock racer is in the driver’s seat for a second championships. Smith holds a 34-point lead over Shelburne’s Kaiden “Tropical Storm” Fisher, the 13-year-old phenomenon who has finished in the top-10 of every feature this year.

Plenty of shuffling could occur throughout the rest of the top-10. Berlin’s Kyler Davis has stepped things up in his sophomore season to hold the number-three points position. Midseason winner Dean Switser Jr. and veteran Justin Blakely round out the top-five. Former champions and Street Stock Special winners Jamie Davis and Jeffrey Martin will also be ones to watch on Sunday. The division has seen big growth in 2021 with another large field expected for the 50-lap showdown.

The Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 and Street Stock Special get underway this Sunday, August 1 at 6:00pm. Admission is $18 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and $36 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids). As part of the Enduro, Thunder Road is hosting a COVID-19 walk-up vaccine clinic from 2:00-6:30pm.

Advance tickets for the Enduro are available at www.happsnow.com/event/Thunder-Road-Speedbowl. All Thunder Road events are also live-streamed on FloRacing for those with a paid 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.