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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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