Barre’s Chris Pelkey Takes Community Bank 150 Checkers

Gray, Jaques and Zeno Join in Opening Day Wins

Barre, VT — A strong showcase of true Thunder Road tradition awaited spectators and teams alike on Saturday, as over 100 cars joined the annual car show and joined the celebration of the late, great Ken Squier. What followed was also nothing short of tradition, with the competition brimming with talent and the fantastic showmanship that helped Squier name his palace on Quarry Hill the Nation’s Site of Excitement.

The rk Miles Street Stocks started the feature action with 2023 Rookie of the Year Ryan Foster leading the field to green on Community Bank opening day. Before too long, Milton’s Trevor Jaques made his way to the front of the pack with Graniteville’s Tyler Whittemore looking underneath for some racing room. As if toying with his closest competitor, Jaques surged ahead with three laps remaining and diced through lap traffic with just enough to take the opening day win.

Alan Ward photo

Longtime pilot Chris LaForest led the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers under the green flag in their 40-lap feature event. The Barre-native looked to have a career day but trouble brewed behind him. Dicing his way from through the top ten, 2023 championship hopeful Brandon Gray made his way to the front and used the crossover move in turn two to steal the lead away from LaForest on lap 21. By lap 30 Gray, LaForest and Sam Caron began to criss-cross through lapped traffic with Gray getting all the breaks and pulling away at the front. Brandon Gray would pour on for the opening day victory followed by Chris LaForest and Sam Caron to round off the podium.

Alan Ward photo

A series of former Thunder Road track champions kept the invaders busy in the American-Canadian Tour Community Bank, N.A. 150. Former Flying Tiger champion Jimmy Hebert paced the field throughout the majority of the event while multi-time champions Jason Corliss, Derrick O’Donnell and Scott Dragon kept on his back bumper. The thrilling side-by-side action came to a head on lap 144 when Hebert, O’Donnell and Marcel Gravel careened into the Turn Four wall for a red flag with fire under the hood of O’Donnell. Quickly extinguished by Speedway Safety Services, and following clean-up, the race was back to red hot and rolling!

With the final restart, Chris Pelkey, who had been in the top-five mix-up throughout the race, made his play against ACT Tour star Gabe Brown and kept his foot mashed in the firewall. Pelkey, the 2022 King of the Road, kept the pressure on and won his first career American-Canadian Tour point-counting event at his hometrack with the 26th annual Community Bank 150. Fellow Thunder Road hot-shoe Chip Grenier took home second with Brown taking third.

Alan Ward photo

Kendall Zeno and Benjamin Bushey brought out the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors to wrap up the day’s activities. The wacky racers put on a show at the front with veterans Neal Foster, Bert Duffy and Tyler Wheatley quickly joining the early leaders at the front. All was well until coming out of turn four on lap 18, Bushey kept turning right and landing both himself and Foster into the widowmaker for a roll-over to make opening day complete. Kendall Zeno kept pace on the restart to take his first victory with Tyler Wheatley and Bert Duffy rounding out the podium.

Alan Ward photo

Thunder Road roars back to life on Sunday, May 26 to the ground-pounding rumble of the mighty Monaco Modifieds in the Granite City 100 as part of the 61st Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic! The Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 125 will start the King of the Road track championship season for the Maplefields/Irving Late Models along with action from the Flying Tigers, Street Stocks and 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.

 

The 26th annual Community Bank, N.A. 150

Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT

Sunday, May 5, 2024

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

 

American-Canadian Tour – Community Bank 150 (150 Laps)

1.         68NH   Christopher Pelkey     S. Barre, VT

2.         9VT      Chip Grenier               E. Barre, VT

3.         47NH   Gabe Brown                Center Conway, NH

4.         4NH     Jamie Swallow Jr.        Lancaster, VT

5.         18VT    #Kaiden Fisher             Shelburne, VT

6.         03MA  Derek Gluchacki         Dartmouth, MA

7.         55VT    Keegan Lamson          Berlin, VT

8.         66VT    Jason Corliss               Barre, VT

9.         04VT    DJ Shaw                       Center Conway, NH

10.       04NH   Shawn Swallow           Groveton, NH

11.       45NH   #Kasey Beattie             St. Johnsbury, VT

12.       68VT    Brooks Clark               Fayston, VT

13.       77NH   Bryan Wall Jr.              E. Kingston, NH

14.       41QC   Jonathan Bouvrette   Blainville, QC

15.       7VT      Cooper Bouchard       Hinesburg, VT

16.       36NH   Erick Sands                  Derry, NH

17.       25NH   Jesse Switser               W. Burke, VT

18.       0NH     Brandon Barker          Windham, ME

19.       21QC   Alexendre Tardif         Quebec, Canada

20.       58VT    Jimmy Hebert             Williamstown, VT

21.       86VT    Marcel J. Gravel          Wolcott, VT

22.       60NH   Derrick O'Donnell       N. Haverhill, NH

23.       16VT    Brandon Lanphear     Morrisville, VT

24.       01VT    Stephen Martin          Craftsbury Common, VT

25.       28ME   Rowland Robinson, Jr. Stueben, ME

26.       5VT      Bobby Therrien           Hinesburg, VT

27.       7MA    #Jeremy Sorel             Westfield, MA

28.       0VT      Scott Dragon               Milton, VT

29.       99VT    Cody Blake                  Barre, VT

 

Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – (40 Laps)

1.         00VT    Brandon Gray             E. Thetford, VT

2.         56VT    Chris Laforest              Barre, VT

3.         07VT    Sam Caron                  Milton, VT

4.         37VT    Kyle Streeter               Waterbury Ctr., VT

5.         20VT    Robert Gordon           Milton, VT

6.         15NH   Brendan Moodie        Wolcott, VT

7.         67VT    Kevin Streeter             Waitsfield, VT

8.         31VT    Logan Powers             Middlesex, VT

9.         01VT    Michael Martin           Craftsbury, Common, VT

10.       31NH   Shawn Fleury              Middlesex, VT

11.       26VT    Luke Peters                 Groton, VT

12.       64VT    Jason Pelkey                Barre, VT

13.       23NY   Cam Gadue                 Highgate, VT

14.       45VT    Adam Maynard           Milton, VT

15.       3VT      Michael MacAskill      Williamstown, VT

16.       90VT    Cameron Ouellette     Barre, VT

17.       4VT      Cooper French             Northfield, VT

18.       33VT    Matt Ballard               Williamstown, VT

19.       8VT      Mike Billado               Grand Isle, VT

20.       78VT    Tyler Pepin                  Barre, VT

21.       9VT      #Logan Farrell             Barre, VT

22.       5RI       #Kyle Gravel               Wolcott, VT

23.       13VT    Ty Delphia                   Waterbury, VT

24.       22VT    Travis Patnoe              Wolcott, VT

25.       26NH   John Donahue             Graniteville, VT

 

rk Miles Street Stocks – (25 Laps)

1.         57        Trevor Jaques             Milton, VT

2.         74        Tyler Whittemore       Barre, VT

3.         16        Dean Switser, Jr.         Waterford, VT

4.         98        *Jeffrey Martin           Berlin, VT

5.         43        Jamie Davis                 Johnson, VT

6.         08        Ryan Foster                 Waterbury, VT

7.         24        Todd Raymo               Swanton, VT

8.         7          Kyle MacAskill             Williamstown, VT

9.         9          Zach Audet                 Johnson, VT

10.       73        Paige Whittemore      Graniteville, VT

11.       55        Parker Gagne              Fairfax, VT

12.       2          Haidyn Pearce             Chelsea, VT

13.       3          Michael Gay                S. Burlington, VT

14.       8          Paul Rocheleau           Georgia, VT

15.       34        Patrick Tibbetts          Plainfield, VT

16.       96        Thomas Peck               Waterbury, VT

17.       32        #Kylee Potter              Marshfield, VT

18.       50        Eric MacLaughlin        Milton, VT

19.       39        Derek Farnham           Bethel, VT

20.       13        Travis Gay                   S. Burlington, VT

21.       79        Juan 'Paco' Marshall   Pittsfield, VT

DNS     04        Scott Weston              Berlin, VT

DNS     99        #Fred Fleury                Graniteville, VT

*Sub Driver for Casey Collins

 

Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – (20 Laps)

1.         7          Kendall Zeno               Graniteville, VT

2.         31        Tyler Wheatley           Brookfield, VT

3.         75        Bert Duffy                   Milton, VT

4.         17        Brodie Frazier             E. Montpelier, VT

5.         71        Jason Kirby                  Milton, VT

6.         43        Anderson Boyd           Berlin, VT

7.         27        Derrick Mann              Graniteville, VT

8.         8          Jaiden Del Toro           Barre Town, VT

9.         05        Brandon Premont       Johnson, VT

10.       33        Brayden Murphy        Barre, VT

11.       70        Mason Frazier             E. Montpelier, VT

12.       07        Benjamin Bushey        Springfield, VT

13.       19        Neal Foster                 Moretown, VT

14.       24        Jon Pecor                    Barre, VT

15.       77        Zachary Garvey           Milton, VT

16.       72        Christopher Herring   Montpelier, VT