Barre, VT — Memorial Day Weekend brings with it the start of summer, and especially the beginning of full-fledged race season. For race fans from across New England, seeing 138 different racecars pack the pit area of Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Sunday was a welcome sight for the summer season ahead. Along with the four weekly Thunder Road divisions, Tour-type Modifieds made their triumphant return for the first time in 12 years with the inaugural Granite City 100.
The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, New England’s most successful open modified touring series, brought an interesting mix of twenty-five touring megastars and weekly drivers from across the East. Led from the start of the Granite City 100 by former Modified winner at Thunder Road, Kirk Alexander, former Monaco Modified winner Sam Rameau took over the lead on the 13th lap. A pair of cautions on laps 31 and 33 ultimately spelled disaster for Carl Medeiros, who went from spinning in turn four to a three-car pileup on the front-stretch, taking Chase Cook and Todd Patnode with him.
Just after the halfway point, on lap 52, Roxbury, Connecticut’s Chase Dowling took over the lead from Alexander and never looked back. Even after a lap 80 restart pitted him against fellow stalwarts Anthony Nocella and Matt Hirschman, Dowling never faltered with the $10,000 winners check just at the end of his bumper.
“I just want to say to all you fans, this is badass,” Dowling said in Victory Lane. “All you guys coming out on a Sunday for a Memorial Day…This is great to see a great crowd for Tri-Track. This facility is awesome. Hopefully we’re back next year.”
As if the Granite City 100 wasn’t enough, the 59 Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic certainly didn’t disappoint either. The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models ballooned to a total of thirty-one cars with local point chasers joined by several new visitors, including 2021 White Mountain Motorsports Park champion Jeff Marshall and double-duty pilot Woody Pitkat.
The 125-lap Classic featured some growing pains for more than a few part-timers and Rookies with Marshall, Laci Potter and Evan Hallstrom among those who loaded up early. Former Labor Day Classic champion Brooks Clark led the early goings but by the halfway point it was all Stephen Donahue.
Donahue, in the familiar Norm Andrews mount, sewed his way through seemingly constant strings of lap traffic throughout the feature event. All the while, the Kinney Drugs machine of Kyle Pembroke and TheOilBoys.com Chevy Camaro of Derrick O’Donnell stalked him through pin holes and open lanes alike. In a daring dash in the final laps, Donahue made his way through a four-way battle that included former track champions Jason Corliss and Vermont Governor Phil Scott to help seal his victory and the immortality of his name in granite. Pembroke and O’Donnell would round out the podium with Christopher Pelkey nabbing fourth and Clark driving back up through the field after pitting for fifth.
Thirty-three rk Miles Street Stocks took the green for their 25-lap feature with Dean Switser Jr. taking the lead early and holding off late charges by youngsters Tyler Whittemore and 2021 runner-up in points Kyler Davis.
The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers launched into a quick 40-lap feature with Williamstown’s Michael MacAskill taking down the win. Frequent hard-luck drivers Adam Maynard and Robert Gordon had luck on their side Sunday by taking second and third, respectively.
Lastly, the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors ended the evening with a 20-lap feature won handily by Neal Foster, followed by Taylor Sayers and ‘Flyin’ Fred Fleury.
Thunder Road is back on a special Friday Night Special on June 10th with the debut of the New England Supermodified Series along with the first leg of the Myers Container Service Flying Tiger Triple Crown series. The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, rk Miles Street Stocks and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors will also be in the house for an action-packed night of high-speed thrills! Race day information, including pricing and schedules will be out soon.
For more information on the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, visit http://www.monacomodifieds.com
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.
Thunder Road International Speedbowl – Barre, VT
59th Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic
Sunday, May 29th, 2022
Unofficial Results
59th Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic – 125 Laps
1 2VT Stephen Donahue Graniteville, VT
2 27VT Kyle Pembroke
3 60NH Derrick O’Donnell N. Haverhill, NH
4 64VT Christopher Pelkey Graniteville, VT
5 68VT Brooks Clark Fayston, VT
6 04VT Matthew Smith Fairfax, VT
7 16V Brandon Lanphear Morrisville, VT
8 99VT Cody Blake Barre, VT
9 66VT Jason Corliss Barre, VT
10 94VT Brendan Moodie Wolcott, VT
11 0VT Scott Dragon Milton, VT
12 38VT Tyler Cahoon Danville, VT
13 42VT Matt White Northfield, VT
14 55VT #Keegan Lamson Berlin, VT
15 14VT Phil Scott
16 91CT Woody Pitkat Stafford, CT
17 01VT #Stephen Martin Craftsbury Common, VT
18 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT
19 9VT Chip Grenier E. Barre, VT
20 8VT Andy Hill Waterford, VT
21 3VT Chris Roberts Washington, VT
22 67MA Jared Curtis Rutland, MA
23 22VT Peyton Lanphear Waterbury, VT
24 48VT Evan Hallstrom
25 4VT Scott Coburn Barre, VT
26 40VT Eric Chase Milton, VT
27 00NH Jimmy Renfrew Jr. Candia, NH
28 9NH Gabe Brown Ctr. Conway, NH
29 22NH Jeff Marshall Littleton, NH
30 55NH Laci Potter Barre, VT
31 7VT Cooper Bouchard Hinesburg, VT
Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series Granite City 100
1 9CT Chase Dowling
2 92 Anthony Nocella
3 60 Matt Hirschman
4 25 Ronnie Williams
5 76 Kirk Alexander
6 6 Woody Pitkat
7 89 Matt Swanson
8 15MA Jake Johnson
9 25NH Brian Robie
10 5 Chris Pasteryak
11 50K Matt Kimball
12 21 Richard Savary
13 13 Dylan Izzo
14 55B Robert Bloxsom III
15 06MA Sam Rameau
16 20 Max Zachem
17 51 Anthony Bello
18 04 Joey Jarvis
19 06 Les Hinkley
20 50M Carl Medeiros
21 24 Todd Patnode
22 11 Cory Plummer
23 20C Chase Cook
24 95 TJ Bleau
25 79VT Jason Bonnett
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – 40 Laps
1 3VT Michael MacAskill Williamstown, VT
2 45VT Adam Maynard Milton, VT
3 20VT Robert Gordon Milton, VT
4 90VT Cameron Ouellette Barre, VT
5 44VT Justin Prescott Williston, VT
6 8VT Mike Billado Grand Isle, VT
7 31VT Logan Powers Middlesex, VT
8 92VT Jaden Perry Hardwick, VT
9 01VT Mike Martin Craftsbury Common, VT
10 68NH Tanner Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT
11 07VT Sam Caron Colchester, VT
12 68VT Jason Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT
13 15VT Joel Hodgdon*
14 28VT Ryan Boutin Fairfax, VT
15 5VT Tyler Austin E. Calais, VT
16 35VT Colin Cornell E. Burke, VT
17 66VT J.T. Blanchard Graniteville, VT
18 13VT Ty Delphia Duxbury, VT
19 18VT #Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT
20 23NY #Cam Gadue Highgate, VT
21 56VT Chris LaForest Barre, VT
22 11VT #Jacob Roy Danville, VT
23 33VT #Matt Ballard Williamstown, VT
24 8NH Rich Lowery South Hero, VT
25 67VT Kevin Streeter Waitsfield, VT
26 64VT Jason Pelkey Barre, VT
27 73VT Larry Underwood Fairfax, VT
*Substituting for Derrick Calkins
rk Miles Street Stocks – 25 Laps
1 16 Dean Switser Jr. Waterford, VT
2 74 Tyler Whittemore Barre, VT
3 68 Kyler Davis Berlin, VT
4 8 Jeffery Martin Barre, VT
5 43 Jamie Davis Johnson, VT
6 34 Patrick Tibbetts Plainfield, VT
7 47 William Hennequin Morrisville, VT
8 54 Josh Lovely Williamstown, VT
9 22 Tommy Smith Williamstown, VT
10 3 Michael Gay Burlington, VT
11 5 Kyle Gravel Wolcott, VT
12 17 Justin Blakely Graniteville, VT
13 48 Taylor Hoar South Hero, VT
14 9 #Zach Audet Morrisville, VT
15 69 Christopher Davis Berlin, VT
16 2 Hayden Pierce Chelsea, VT
17 04 Scott Weston Berlin, VT
18 73 #Paige Whittemore Graniteville, VT
19 26 Luke Peters Groton, VT
20 24 Todd Raymo Swanton, VT
21 29 Gary Mullen Tunbridge, VT
22 30 Ethan Tyrell Worcester, VT
23 6 Eric MacLaughlin Milton, VT
24 5 Derek Farnham S. Royalton, VT
25 79 Juan Marshall Pittsfield, VT
26 12 Mekaylah Bowen Morrisville, VT
27 33 #Curtis Franks Thompson, VT
28 96 Thomas Peck Waterbury, VT
29 71 Jesse Laquerre Berlin, VT
30 7 Kyle MacAskill Williamstown, VT
31 57 Trevor Jaques Milton, VT
32 0 James Dopp Northfield, VT
33 98 Casey Collins Berlin, VT
Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – 20 Laps
1 19 Neal Foster Moretown, VT
2 95 Taylor Sayers Barre, VT
3 99 Fred Fleury Graniteville, VT
4 16 Nate Brien Williamstown, VT
5 10 Rodney Campbell Worcester, VT
6 8 Ryan Foster Waterbury, VT
7 88 Frank Putney Graniteville, VT
8 94 Ryan Sayers Barre, VT
9 12 Jacob Hall Larson Northfield, VT
10 71 Jason Kirby Milton, VT
11 96 Bill O’Connor S. Washington, VT
12 R2R Race to Read
13 48 Alan Maynard Fairfax, VT
14 35jr Chris Russell Barre, VT
15 03 Robert Catchapaw Waterbury, VT
16 74 Bert Duffy Milton, VT
17 50 Nick Copping Barre, VT
