Recap: Top 5 Events at The Nation’s Site of Excitement in 2024

Barre, VT — Tis the season for Thunder Road officials to look back on the past season and decide on the top five events of the year. A tall task to sift through twenty-one fantastic events to pick out just five that defined the 2024 season at Thunder Road.

May 4, 2024 – The Kenley Dean Extravaganza & 26th annual Community Bank, N.A. 150

Thunder Road was proud to host the Kenley Dean Extravaganza memorial service for the one and only Ken Squier who built Thunder Road and opened his Nation’s Site of Excitement to an over-capacity crowd in 1960. After a spirited memorial ran by Dave Moody with such dignitaries as NASCAR President Steve Phelps, Kings of the Road Tom Tiller, Jean-Paul Cabana and Dave Dion as well as longtime WDEV cohorts and Vermont dignitaries, the Thunder and Lightning overtook Quarry Hill to start the season.

Alan Ward photo

The American-Canadian Tour took on the highbanks in a rare after-dark outing that saw former track champion Chris Pelkey finally take down his first ACT Tour win following a crash-bang affair that took out top-three runners Derrick O’Donnell, Jimmy Hebert and Marcel Gravel. As always, the Community Bank 150 once again proved to be an exciting start to the 2024 season!

May 26, 2024 – 61st Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic

Weeks later came the first of Thunder Road’s Big Three, the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. The first Monument Race of the season was also the start of the inaugural Squier Cup Late Model Triple Crown that saw Cody Blake take the opening round win in the 125-lap Classic. The Memorial Day special also included the annual visit by the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series with the $10,000 to win Granite City 100 once again proving to be an exciting early-season showdown for the open wheeled stars! Newtown, Connecticut’s Stephen Kopcik stole the show after former Granite City winner Ronnie Williams and ‘Big Money’ Matt Hirschman tangled off turn two with eleven laps remaining to claim his first Monaco Modified win!

July 18, 2024 – Superstars of Thunder Road Double Features Night

The Superstars of Thunder Road Double Feature night had its world debut on July 18 in front of a packed crowd. Twin features for all four Thunder Road divisions spelled double the action and over 300 laps run on the Thursday special with special bonus funds paid out to the top three drivers in each division with the best combined finish! Three different drivers earned their first Thursday Night victory on Quarry Hill while drivers like Terry Pearce, Jr., Chris LaForest, Nate ‘Tater’ Brien and Kaiden Fisher taking the lion’s share of the special point fund monies during Double Feature night!

September 6, 2024 – McGee Hyundai of Barre Super Friday

Alan Ward photo

History was made in the rain-delayed McGee Hyundai of Barre Super Friday Special, originally slated for Friday, June 7 was eventually run on September 6. The New England Supermodified Series (NESS) brought the Super to McGee Hyundai’s Friday night action but it was the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers that made history. After working his way to second, East Thetford’s Brandon Gray fought side-by-side with Williamstown’s Mike MacAskill throughout the final ten laps to collect his record-breaking seventh win of the season in ‘North America’s #1 Support Division’ and sealed up the track championship in the process!

October 5 & 6 – 62nd Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank

It can’t be a season wrap-up without the Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank and the 62nd edition of the Toughest Short Track Stock Car Race in North America was no exception. Drama was aplenty on Saturday’s Booth Bros./Hood Qualifying Day with eventual American-Canadian Tour champion Gabe Brown claiming the fast time after both Kaiden Fisher and Derek Gluchacki had their times disallowed in technical inspection. After the forty-eight cars entered were whittled down to the thirty starting positions on Sunday, the race was on between Marcel Gravel and Derek Gluchacki for the Milk Bowl title.

Unfortunately for the Massachusetts invader, oil leaking from an engine gasket sat Gluchacki on the sidelines for the final segment and Gravel capitalized with an eighteen-point total to take the overall in his first Milk Bowl triumph. Not to be outdone, Logan Power’s once again captured the Flying Tiger Mini Milk Bowl in the iconic #5A livery made famous the world over by Quebec’s greatest driver, Jean-Paul Cabana. Cabana, the then 89-year-old (now 90 as of November 21) former Milk Bowl champion marched his way through the stands to join Powers in victory lane for one of the most memorable moments of the 2024 season.

Alan Ward photo

Alan Ward photo

Keep an eye out next week as officials decide on the five most anticipated events on the 2025 calendar! 2025 Thunder Road Season Passes and Official Apparel are available online at www.thunderroadvt.com and check out the official Thunder Road online store at https://thunderroadvt.square.site/.

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.