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Dragon Uses Late Race Restart to Surge Ahead for Third Vermont Governor’s Cup Victory

Barre, VT — Rain once again played its part in a Thursday at Thunder Road after plenty of the wet stuff fell from the sky to delay the start of practice on WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets night. Officials remained persistent and dried the track on three separate occasions with the sun helping out on the final session.

Through it all, persistence paid off with fans witnessing one of the best Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model events of the season as the King of the Road championship chase continues to be as close as ever this year.

Paige Whittemore and Scott Weston would kick off feature racing, leading the thirty-car rk Miles Street Stock field down to the green flag. Peace didn’t last long with the night’s first major caution piling up that same thirty-car field in turn three with everyone except Midseason Champion Josh Lovely able to return. On the restart Weston led rookie Logan Farrell with Juan Paco Marshall, Tyler Whittemore and fellow rookie Ryan Foster in tow. Derek Farnham would quickly take over the lead from Weston, but all eyes were on Farrell.

Using the outside groove, the Barre rookie gained back five car-lengths on Farnham to lead lap 20 by just six-one-thousands of a second! An ecstatic Farrell turned around his heartbreaking loss last Thursday due to mechanical issues to claim his first career Thunder Road victory followed by Farnham and Tyler Whittemore to round out the WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets podium.

In the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers it was Phil Potvin and Mike Billado at the helm until a lap four caution for the stopped Brandon Gray on the backstretch with a flat right front shoe. Billado would get the outside groove advantage on Potvin under the restart with Cameron Ouellette looking to follow just behind. Logan Powers tries to take it three-wide under Colin Cornell and Robert Gordon to battle back in the points as the first eight rows remain side-by-side. At the halfway point Ouellette’s first half follow-the-leader mentality flipped as he started to eye the low side of Billado’s line around the highbanks.

As the two battled, Kevin Streeter made the most of the outside lane to lead lap 28 with Adam Maynard in tow close behind before the rear-end cut loose on Billado to a smoke-filled spin on the frontstretch to bring out the caution with ten to go. Kevin Streeter faced-off with Adam Maynard on the final restart but Ouellette refused to back-down. At the line Kevin Streeter would nab his first win of the season followed by Cameron Ouellette beginning to find speed in his machine and Adam Maynard’s return to the podium in third.

Using the outside lane to his advantage in heat three, longtime veteran Chip Grenier would take a +4 handicap to earn the pole of the 44th Vermont Governor’s Cup presented by the Vermont Lottery. Starting off the 150-lap chase, Grenier drove the wheels off his Chevy Camaro as Scott Dragon reeled him in from a third-place starting position to take over the lead on lap 9. The first caution on lap 33 for a spinning Justin Prescott down the backstretch re-racked the field with Dragon facing off with Grenier at the line as Grenier led the way with a strong car on the outside groove.

After leading a majority of the first 50 laps, Grenier would lose the lead to Marcel Gravel on the lap 56 restart following Cody Schoolcraft’s spin in turn three. Gravel would only extend his lead through heavy lap traffic as Dragon, Grenier and defending Governor’s Cup champion Jason Corliss chased him down. Tyler Cahoon’s halted ride in turn three would prompt the caution on lap 114 setting up a 31-lap nose-to-tail chase between Dragon, Gravel, Grenier and Corliss as they rode the top line all the way around the Speedbowl.

The final caution for Darrell Morin’s hard contact with the widowmaker frontstretch wall saw the final showdown between Marcel Gravel and Scott Dragon. Dragon took the high-speed advantage on the outside to power up to his third-career Vermont Governor’s Cup victory just five laps later. Marcel Gravel would keep his speed up to finish second followed by Jason Corliss, Nick Sweet and Chip Grenier to round out the top-five.

In the final event of the night, Keegan Tabor stormed off with the lead in the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors as outside polesitter Zach Garvey dropped like a rock on the outside. Though not out of the clear, rising young-gun Karsen Murphy started to work his way into the front row along with Neal Foster and Jason Kirby. The first yellow would flash on lap 8 as a crisscrossed frontstretch melee saw Nate ‘Tater’ Brien, Kirby and Murphy slide into the infield grass at full song as ‘Flyin’ Fred Fleury stopped with a flat right rear tire.

After leading the restart, Keegan Tabor lost his footing in turn three and gathered it back up just to be smacked on the frontstretch with Karsen Murphy smashing the widowmaker, leaving plenty of parts scattered across the racing surface. In the final restart, Neal Foster put the pedal to the metal and took down his first win of the 2023 season followed by last-week’s winner Tyler Wheatley and Jason Kirby.

A quick turn-around for teams and fans brings Thunder Road back to life this Sunday, July 30th for the delayed Preston’s Kia Independence Day Spectacular with Northstar Fireworks ready to supply the greatest fireworks display in Central Vermont! Sunday Post Time is set for 7:00pm with adult general admission set at $15, kids 12-6 for $5 and children 5 and under free! The Family Four Pass is also available for $30.

For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit http://www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.

(Alan Ward photo)

Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT

WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Night feat. 44th Vermont Governor’s Cup

Thursday, July 27, 2023

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

 

WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Port-a-Potty Grand Prix Champion – Stephen Donahue

 

Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models – Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 presented by the Vermont Lottery

1.         0VT      Scott Dragon               Milton, VT

2.         86VT    Marcel J. Gravel          Wolcott, VT

3.         66VT    Jason Corliss               Barre, VT

4.         88VT    Nick Sweet                  Williamstown, VT

5.         9VT      Chip Grenier               Orange, VT

6.         64VT    Chris Pelkey                 Graniteville, VT

7.         14VT    *Bobby Therrien         Hinesburg, VT

8.         18VT    #Kaiden Fisher             Shelburne, VT

9.         16VT    Brandon Lanphear      Morrisville, VT

10.       94VT    Brendan Moodie         Wolcott, VT

11.       99VT    Cody Blake                  Barre, VT

12.       04VT    #Justin Prescott           Milton, VT

13.       01VT    Stephen Martin           Craftsbury Common, VT

14.       31VT    Stephen Donahue       Graniteville, VT

15.       92VT    Jaden Perry                 Hardwick, VT

16.       7VT      Cooper Bouchard        Hinesburg, VT

17.       8VT      Chris Roberts               Washington, VT

18.       4VT      Scott Coburn               Barre, VT

19.       17VT    Darrell Morin              Westford, VT

20.       68VT    Brooks Clark                Fayston, VT

21.       31KS    #Cody Schoolcraft       Claremont, NH

22.       38VT    Tyler Cahoon               Danville, VT

*Sub Driver for Phil Scott

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

1.         67VT    Kevin Streeter             Waitsfield, VT

2.         90VT    Cameron Ouellette     Barre, VT

3.         45VT    Adam Maynard           Milton, VT

4.         3VT      Michael MacAskill      Williamstown, VT

5.         20VT    Robert Gordon            Milton, VT

6.         08VT    Phil Potvin                   Underhill, VT

7.         00VT    Brandon Gray              E. Thetford, VT

8.         54VT    Colin Cornell               E. Burke, VT

9.         31VT    Logan Powers              Middlesex, VT

10.       8NH     *Joel Hodgdon            Craftsbury Common, VT

11.       68VT    Jason Woodard           Waterbury Ctr., VT

12.       07VT    Sam Caron                   Milton, VT

13.       33VT    Matt Ballard               Williamstown, VT

14.       64VT    Jason Pelkey                Barre, VT

15.       37VT    Kyle Streeter               Waterbury Ctr., VT

16.       56VT    Chris Laforest              Barre, VT

17.       8VT      Mike Billado                Grand Isle, VT

18.       26VT    #Luke Peters               Groton, VT

19.       22VT    Travis Patnoe              Wolcott, VT

20.       78VT    #Tyler Pepin                Barre, VT

21.       23NY    Cam Gadue                 Highgate, VT

22.       93FL     Jeff Oeschger              Dover, FL

*Sub Driver for Rich Lowrey

rk Miles Street Stocks – (25 Laps)

1.         9          #Logan Farrell             Barre, VT

2.         39        Derek Farnham           Bethel, VT

3.         74        Tyler Whittemore       Barre, VT

4.         04        Scott Weston               Berlin, VT

5.         0          James Dopp                 Northfield, VT

6.         57        Trevor Jaques              Milton, VT

7.         79        Juan ‘Paco’ Marshall   Pittsfield, VT

8.         48        Taylor Hoar                 South Hero, VT

9.         08        #Ryan Foster               Waterbury, VT

10.       30        Cameron Powers         E. Montpelier, VT

11.       71        Jesse Laquerre             Berlin, VT

12.       2          Haidyn Pearce             Chelsea, VT

13.       34        Patrick Tibbetts           Plainfield, VT

14.       7          Kyle MacAskill             Williamstown, VT

15.       17        Justin Blakely              Graniteville, VT

16.       69        Christopher Davis       Berlin, VT

17.       98        Kasey Collins               Berlin, VT

18.       13        #Travis Gay                 S. Burlington, VT

19.       16        Dean Switser, Jr.         Waterford, VT

20.       8          Jeffery Martin             Barre, VT

21.       43        Jamie Davis                 Johnson, VT

22.       50        Eric MacLaughlin        Milton, VT

23.       5          Kyle Gravel                  Wolcott, VT

24.       3          Michael Gay                S. Burlington, VT

25.       33        Curtis Franks               Topsham, VT

26.       88        #Paul Rocheleau         Georgia, VT

27.       96        Thomas Peck               Waterbury, VT

28.       55        Parker Gagne              Fairfax, VT

29.       73        Paige Whittemore       Graniteville, VT

30.       54        Josh Lovely                  Williamstown, VT

DNS     1          #Shea Wheeler           Waterbury, VT

DNS     24        Todd Raymo                Swanton, VT

DNS     22        Thomas Smith             Williamstown, VT

Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – (20 Laps)

1.         19        Neal Foster                  Moretown, VT

2.         31        Tyler Wheatley            Brookfield, VT

3.         71        Jason Kirby                  Milton, VT

4.         07        Benjamin Bushey        Springfield, VT

5.         88        Frank Putney               Graniteville, VT

6.         26        Corey Martin               Northfield, VT

7.         76        Easton Garvey             Milton, VT

8.         74        Keegan Tabor              Williamstown, VT

9.         75        Bert Duffy                    Milton, VT

10.       96        Bill O’Connor               S. Washington, VT

11.       33        Brayden Murphy         Barre, VT

12.       82        Jacob Hall-Larson        Northfield, VT

13.       42        Karsen Murphy           Northfield, VT

14.       94        Ryan Sayers                 Barre, VT

15.       77        Zach Garvey                Milton, VT

16.       50        Nick Copping               Barre, VT

17.       16        Nate Brien                   Williamstown, VT

18.       99        Fred Fleury                  Graniteville, VT

DNS     43        Anderson Boyd            Berlin, VT