Caron Wins the Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Battle, Calkins Wins the Myers Container War

Barre, VT — On a hot and sticky night high atop Quarry Hill, the Thunder Road faithful returned for another stellar night of side-by-side stock car racing on Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night. In the end, Sam Caron grabbed his first Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger win of the season but it wasn’t enough to stop Derrick Calkins from taking the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Championship. Marcel Gravel used a late-race outside pass to win the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model’s feature, rk Miles Street Stock rookie Zach Audet took his first point-counting win and local-boy Chris ‘Creature’ Couture took his first Burnett Scrap Metal Road Warrior win.

After rain, track drying and quick practice sessions for all four divisions, the excitement started just ten-minutes later than advertised for the giddy crowd on hand. Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night was all about the Flying Tigers with a 100-lap finale for the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series. Being the last feature of the evening, it was certainly a spectacular one.

Led to green by defending Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger track champion Mike Martin and Milton’s Sam Caron, the veterans were off and running at the start. Caron made it look like child’s play as he steadily gained a five-car-length lead over Martin by lap 20 as the champ battled hard with Williston’s Justin Prescott for second. The lead pack started catching up to lap traffic by 40-laps-in as Caron’s green to checker dreams were dashed as Ty Delphia’s flat right front tire sent him into the bright orange Chevrolet of Cam Ouellette on lap 74.

On the restart Caron chose the outside groove and took off from Martin, but caution again flew as Ouellette also blew a right front tire, sending him hard into the turn two retaining wall and ending his night. The repeat restart gave the advantage to Martin with a little more power this time around on the inside with Caron keeping a half-a-fender lead back at the line. Caron continued to build onto his lead steadily until the end taking the Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac 100 win followed by Mike Martin and Rich Lowrey.

Alan Ward photo

After patiently biding his time in traffic and using late-race moves to move up into the top five, Calkins made his own luck. By virtue of his fourth-place finish, Hinesburg’s Derrick Calkins won the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Championship by just two points over Caron in the final tally. Calkins is now the sixth different Myers Triple Crown Champion in as many years.

Alan Ward photo

The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models would drive hard, attempting to stay out of the Myers Championship shadow. All-time Late Model wins leader, Governor of Vermont and Birthday Boy, Phil Scott, lead from the onset followed by Tyler Cahoon, Brandon Lanphear and Chip Grenier. In the early goings it was a single file line on the inside, with part-timer Bobby Therrien the only tester of the outside groove waters. In the onset, point leaders Stephen Donahue and Chris Pelkey struggled to break into the top-10.

On lap 30, Wolcott’s Marcel Gravel began to use the outside to his advantage, climbing up to second behind Scott by lap 40. Behind him Pelkey began to make ground as the midsection began to disintegrate. On lap 45 Gravel made his move around Phil Scott and took it all the way to victory lane. Marcel Gravel nabbed his first Thunder Road win of the season followed by Phil Scott and Tyler Cahoon, both Scott and Cahoon putting on their strongest runs of the season in the flag-to-flag Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac 50-lap trophy dash.

Alan Ward photo

Thirty-two rk Miles Street Stocks invaded the Thunder Road pit area Thursday with thirty-one starting the 25-lap feature event. The rolling thunder faced a few rough patches along the way but none too strong to take down Zach Audet. The Morrisville rookie drove hard to take down his first points win at Thunder Road, following his victory in the Marvin Johnson Memorial Race in June. Jeffery Martin and Tyler Whittemore filled out the podium.

Alan Ward photo

After the rain delay cancelled their heat race action, the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors took to the stage for a 25-lap special as a late addition to Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night. A strong mix of wily veterans and new faces filled the ranks as Barre’s Chris ‘Creature’ Couture took his first Thunder Road win followed by Taylor Sayers and ‘The Mayor’ Josh Vilbrin.

Alan Ward photo

Barre, Vermont’s Thunder Road returns Sunday with the 38th Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 on August 7th. Alongside the annual 50-lap rk Miles Street Stock Special, the People’s Race annually serves as one of the largest Enduro events in New England with over 100 cars expected to chase down the $3,000 top prize! Adult General Admission is set at $18 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 with kids 5 and under Free and a Family Four Pack available for $36! Sunday schedule is available online at www.thunderroadvt.com/schedule.

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, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.

Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT

Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night

Thursday, August 4, 2022

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – Myers Container Triple Crown Championship 100

1.         07VT    Sam Caron                   Milton, VT

2.         01VT    Michael Martin           Craftsbury, Common, VT

3.         8VT      Mike Billado                Grand Isle, VT

4.         15VT    Derrick Calkins             Hinesburg, VT

5.         64VT    Jason Pelkey                Barre, VT

6.         3VT      Michael MacAskill      Williamstown,VT

7.         68NH   Tanner Woodard         Waterbury Ctr., VT

8.         18VT    #Kaiden Fisher             Shelburne, VT

9.         44VT    Justin Prescott             Williston, VT

10.       67VT    Kevin Streeter             Waitsfield, VT

11.       31VT    Logan Powers              Middlesex, VT

12.       08VT    Phil Potvin                   Underhill, VT

13.       20VT    Robert Gordon            Milton, VT

14.       35DG   Colin Cornell               E. Burke, VT

15.       8VT      Mike Billado                Grand Isle, VT

16.       2VT      Eric Johnson                Randolph Ctr., VT

17.       45VT    Adam Maynard           Milton, VT

18.       13VT    Ty Delphia                   Duxbury, VT

19.       90VT    Cameron Ouellette     Barre, VT

20.       23NY    #Cam Gadue               Highgate, VT

21.       33VT    #Matt Ballard             Williamstown, VT

22.       56VT    Chris Laforest              Barre, VT

Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models – 50 Laps

1.         86VT    Marcel J. Gravel          Wolcott, VT

2.         14VT    Phil Scott

3.         38VT    Tyler Cahoon               Danville, VT

4.         9VT      Chip Grenier               Orange, VT

5.         0VT      Scott Dragon               Milton, VT

6.         64VT    Chris Pelkey                 Graniteville, VT

7.         16VT    Brandon Lanphear      Morrisville, VT

8.         5VT      Bobby Therrien           Hinesburg, VT

9.         17VT    Darrell Morin              Westford, VT

10.       27VT    Kyle Pembroke            Montpelier, VT

11.       2VT      Stephen Donahue       Graniteville, VT

12.       01VT    #Stephen Martin         Craftsbury Common, VT

13.       40VT    Nick Sweet                  Barre, VT

14.       7VT      Cooper Bouchard        Hinesburg, VT

15.       55VT    #Keegan Lamson         Berlin, VT

16.       3VT      Chris Roberts               Washington, VT

17.       8VT      Anthony Hill                Waterford, VT

18.       4VT      Scott Coburn               Barre, VT

19.       55TL    Blair Bessett                Barnet, VT

rk Miles Street Stocks – 25 Laps

1.         9          #Zachary Audet           Morrisville, VT

2.         8          Jeffery Martin             Barre, VT

3.         74        Tyler Whittemore       Barre, VT

4.         17        Justin Blakely              Graniteville, VT

5.         0          James Dopp                 Northfield, VT

6.         34        Patrick Tibbetts           Plainfield, VT

7.         30        #Cameron Powers       E. Montpelier, VT

8.         69        Christopher Davis       Berlin, VT

9.         68        Kyler Davis                  Berlin, VT

10.       47        William Hennequin     Morrisville, VT

11.       16        Dean Switser, Jr.         Waterford, VT

12.       24        Todd Raymo                Swanton, VT

13.       79        Juan 'Paco' Marshall   Pittsfield, VT

14.       26        Luke Peters                 Groton, VT

15.       98        Kasey Collins               Berlin, VT

16.       3          Michael Gay                S. Burlington, VT

17.       71        Jesse Laquerre             Berlin, VT

18.       43        Jamie Davis                 Johnson, VT

19.       48        Taylor Hoar                 South Hero, VT

20.       54        Josh Lovely                  Williamstown, VT

21.       29        Gary Mullen                Tunbridge, VT

22.       2          Haidyn Pearce             Chelsea, VT

23.       73        #Paige Whittemore     Graniteville, VT

24.       96        Thomas Peck               Waterbury, VT

25.       33        #Curtis Franks             Topsham, VT

26.       12        Mekaylah Bowen        Morrisville, VT

27.       6          Eric MacLaughlin        Milton, VT

28.       55        Parker Gagne              Fairfax, VT

29.       7          Kyle MacAskill             Williamstown, VT

30.       5          Kyle Gravel                  Wolcott, VT

31.       04        Scott Weston               Berlin, VT

DNS     77        Bert Duffy                    Milton, VT

Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – 20 Laps

1.         44        Chris Couture              Barre, VT

2.         95        Taylor Sayers               Barre, VT

3.         77        Josh Vilbrin                 Northfield, VT

4.         16        Nate Brien                   Williamstown, VT

5.         99        Fred Fleury                  Graniteville, VT

6.         19        Neal Foster                  Moretown, VT

7.         54        Dan Garrett, Jr.           Berlin, VT

8.         50        Nick Copping               Barre, VT

9.         88        Frank Putney               Graniteville, VT

10.       14        Brian Preston              Montpelier, VT

11.       94        Ryan Sayers                 Barre, VT

12.       10        Rodney Campbell       Worcester, VT

13.       31        Troy Reynolds

14.       71        Jason Kirby                  Milton, VT

15.       13        Tyler Wheatly

16.       14x      Jim Lubas