Tight Point Battles to the Very End Kept Suspense High, Celebrations Long!

Barre, VT — The 2023 season came down to one final showdown for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and rk Miles Street Stocks to crown their champions. The drama was high throughout the night as season highs and lows came in the blink of an eye, each race seeming to out-entertain the last over and over again. By the time the smoke cleared from Northstar Fireworks’ gigantic display, three first-time champions carved their names into the history books at the Nation’s Site of Excitement.

Polesitter Thomas Peck couldn’t come up to speed on the initial start to the rk Miles Street Stock feature event, leaving Todd Raymo to pace the field as Haidyn Pearce’s machine blew-up in turn three on to spill oil across the racetrack. After a lengthy clean-up, Raymo and rookie Logan Farrell brought the field back to the restart green. Repeat championship hopeful Dean Switser Jr. launched into second with twenty-laps remaining as point leader James Dopp worked to make headway in the back of the pack. With just ten-laps remaining, Dopp still had to make up at least five positions with time running after Switser nabbed the lead with seven-to-go.

A miracle caution for Dopp came out on lap 28 as Cam Powers and Ryan Foster got together on the backstretch in their battle for 7th. With just two to go, Dopp had to pass three more competitors with Switser’s lead. Dopp made his way around the slowed traffic to his inside, after Patrick Tibbets failed to get up to speed, and it was just enough to claim the 2023 rk Miles Street Stock championship by one single point over the night’s winner, and defending champion, Dean Switser Jr. Logan Farrell and Todd Raymo finished second and third in the night’s 30-lap feature event.

Luke Peters and Matt Ballard brought the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers to green for their 50-lap championship feature. Keeping it side-by-side throughout the first fifth of the event, point leader Brandon Gray was left mired with the other championship hopefuls throughout the field. Ballard finally broke the stalemate on lap 14 with the outside line following him from behind. Gray’s closest adversary Kyle Streeter stayed just ahead of him on the outside groove with only repeat winner Cooper French acting as a buffer between them before the Northfield teen broke and exited the race on lap 21.

Tied as they ran in the top-10, Streeter and Gray white-knuckled their machines around the raceway before catastrophe struck as Gray’s radiator hose let loose, flooding turn four and terrifyingly collecting fellow championship hopeful Sam Caron along with Kevin Streeter and Ty Delphia. Under the return to green Robert Gordon stole away the lead from Ballard before Logan Powers overtook him on the outside to lead lap 34. Another slowdown came on lap 37 for the sliding Colin Cornell machine in turn one. With a rear-view mirror full of point leader Kyle Streeter, Powers held on over the final circuits to claim the win with Kyle Streeter taking the championship over Jason Pelkey by nine points with Robert Gordon rounding out the podium.

Under the command of Cooper Bouchard and Tyler Cahoon, the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model field took the green in their 64-lap season finale. While Cahoon got the early lead it was rookie Cody Schoolcraft who stole the show on lap 5 with Brandon Lanphear and Kaiden Fisher hot on his tail. Mid-pack, point leader Stephen Donahue made use of the outside in his hunt to join the top dogs with Christopher Pelkey and Marcel Gravel also looking to the outside lane for support. With Schoolcraft growing his lead out front, second through tenth ran side-by-side behind him.

At the halfway point, Donahue continued to look for an opening between Lanphear and Cahoon with Fisher and Gravel in tow on the outside lane. Trouble for championship hopeful Marcel Gravel brought out the caution on lap 47 while the cautions persisted on lap 49 with a huge pile-up in turn one between Donahue and Schoolcraft that collected half the field. With Pelkey and Fisher at the helm, third-place Scott Dragon drove up the inside on the restart to battle Fisher. By running in fourth Donahue held the championship in his grasp but Nick Sweet looked poised to ruin that hope lap after lap. As Kaiden Fisher edged out Scott Dragon to claim his second win of the season and Darrell Morin rounding out the podium, Stephen Donahue’s fourth place finish was enough to claim the King of the Road track championship by four points over Fisher.

Kevin Wheatley started the evening by winning the rained-out McGee Hyundai of Barre extra-money feature for the Burnett Scrap Metal Road Warriors but failed to return to the second feature. Keegan Tabor and Karsen Murphy would lead the second feature to end the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Championship Night. As the two youngsters battled at the front, Brodie Frazier and Mike Slingerland reeled them in. In the lone green to checkered event of the championship evening, Karsen Murphy claimed his second win of the season over Keegan Tabor and Mike Slingerland, who claimed back-to-back podiums on their double feature night!

Racing returns for the last great show of the Thunder Road season with the 61s Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank on Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st. Booth Bros./Hood Qualifying Saturday will feature Milk Bowl qualifying for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models along with the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, rk Miles Street Stocks, Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models and the New England Supermodified Series. Sunday is headlined by the $100,000 Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank with the Tigers and Street Stocks finishing out their Mini Milk Bowl alongside the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors.

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

64th Thunder Road Championship Night presented by Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel

Friday, September 15, 2023

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models – (64 Laps)

1. 18VT #Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT

2. 0VT Scott Dragon Milton, VT

3. 17VT Darrell Morin Westford, VT

4. 31VT Stephen Donahue Graniteville, VT

5. 88VT Nick Sweet Williamstown, VT

6. 38VT Tyler Cahoon Danville, VT

7. 14VT Phil Scott Berlin, VT

8. 04VT #Justin Prescott Milton, VT

9. 64VT Chris Pelkey Graniteville, VT

10. 01VT Jason Corliss* Barre, VT

11. 4VT Scott Coburn Barre, VT

12. 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT

13. 99VT Cody Blake Barre, VT

14. 31KS #Cody Schoolcraft Claremont, NH

15. 16VT Brandon Lanphear Morrisville, VT

16. 7VT Cooper Bouchard Hinesburg, VT

17. 8VT Chris Roberts Washington, VT

18. 9VT Chip Grenier Orange, VT

*Sub Driver for Stephen Martin

Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model King of the Road – Stephen Donahue

Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – (50 Laps)

1. 31VT Logan Powers Middlesex, VT

2. 37VT Kyle Streeter Waterbury Ctr., VT

3. 20VT Robert Gordon Milton, VT

4. 90VT Cameron Ouellette Barre, VT

5. 64VT Jason Pelkey Barre, VT

6. 23NY Cam Gadue Highgate, VT

7. 45VT Adam Maynard Milton, VT

8. 33VT Matt Ballard Williamstown, VT

9. 56VT Joel Hodgdon* Craftsbury Common, VT

10. 26VT #Luke Peters Groton, VT

11. 78VT #Tyler Pepin Barre, VT

12. 4ME Cooper French Northfield, VT

13. 08VT Phil Potvin Underhill, VT

14. 54VT Colin Cornell E. Burke, VT

15. 00VT Brandon Gray E. Thetford, VT

16. 07VT Sam Caron Milton, VT

17. 67VT Kevin Streeter Waitsfield, VT

18. 13VT Ty Delphia Duxbury, VT

19. 8VT Mike Billado Grand Isle, VT

DNS 93FL Jeff Oeschger Dover, FL

*Sub Driver for Chris LaForest

Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger Champion – Kyle Streeter

rk Miles Street Stocks – (30 Laps)

1. 16 Dean Switser, Jr. Waterford, VT

2. 9 #Logan Farrell Barre, VT

3. 24 Todd Raymo Swanton, VT

4. 43 Jamie Davis Johnson, VT

5. 71 Jesse Laquerre Berlin, VT

6. 74 Tyler Whittemore Barre, VT

7. 0 James Dopp Northfield, VT

8. 57 Trevor Jaques Milton, VT

9. 98 Kasey Collins Berlin, VT

10. 7 Kyle MacAskill Williamstown, VT

11. 48 Jeffery Martin* Barre, VT

12. 66 Zach Audet Morrisville, VT

13. 04 Scott Weston Berlin, VT

14. 08 #Ryan Foster Waterbury, VT

15. 79 Juan 'Paco' Marshall Pittsfield, VT

16. 30 Cameron Powers E. Montpelier, VT

17. 96 Thomas Peck Waterbury, VT

18. 39 Derek Farnham Bethel, VT

19. 33 Curtis Franks Topsham, VT

20. 34 Patrick Tibbetts Plainfield, VT

21. 17x Connor Rueda Barre, VT

22. 54 Josh Lovely Williamstown, VT

23. 2 Haidyn Pearce Chelsea, VT

24. 22 Thomas Smith Williamstown, VT

25. 88 #Paul Rocheleau Georgia, VT

*Sub Driver for Taylor Hoar

rk Miles Street Stock Champion – James Dopp

Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – (20 Laps)

1. 42 Karsen Murphy Northfield, VT

2. 74 Keegan Tabor Williamstown, VT

3. 81 Mike Slingerland Fairfax, VT

4. 19 Neal Foster Moretown, VT

5. 31 Tyler Wheatley Brookfield, VT

6. 16 Nate Brien Williamstown, VT

7. 17 Brodie Frazier E. Montpelier, VT

8. 99 Fred Fleury Graniteville, VT

9. 97 Eddie Thompson Colchester, VT

10. 26 Corey Martin Northfield, VT

11. 32 Kylee Potter Plainfield, VT

12. 33 Brayden Murphy Barre, VT

13. 30 Derek Tetrault St. Albans, VT

14. 88 Frank Putney Graniteville, VT

Rained Out Feature from 9/8 – (20 Laps)

1. 13 Kevin Wheatley Brookfield, VT

2. 81 Mike Slingerland Fairfax, VT

3. 31 Tyler Wheatley Brookfield, VT

4. 99 Fred Fleury Graniteville, VT

5. 42 Karsen Murphy Northfield, VT

6. 71 Jason Kirby Milton, VT

7. 19 Neal Foster Moretown, VT

8. 17 Brodie Frazier E. Montpelier, VT

9. 16 Nate Brien Williamstown, VT

10. 26 Corey Martin Northfield, VT

11. 74 Keegan Tabor Williamstown, VT

12. 32 Kylee Potter Plainfield, VT

13. 97 Eddie Thompson Colchester, VT

14. 18 David Wilder Barre, VT

15. 33 Brayden Murphy Barre, VT

16. 30 Derek Tetrault St. Albans, VT

17. 50 Nick Copping Barre, VT

Thunder Road

Three First-Time Champions Claim 2023 Record Books at Thunder Road

Thunder Road Speedbowl

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