Masse, Pembroke Repeat Thunder Road Memorial Day Wins

Modified Racing Series coverage presented by GossCars.com

BARRE-- It was nearly as simple as copying and pasting last year’s Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic results at Barre’s Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl on Sunday: Steve Masse dominated the Modified Racing Series event, and Dave Pembroke dominated the Late Model race.

But it wasn’t that simple.

While he stole the headlines with his career-first MRS win last year, Masse was nearly an afterthought to the MRS portion of the event in 2010, after a controversial finish involving Les Hinckley and Rowan Pennink at Airborne Speedway on Saturday night centered the focus on those two drivers.

Hinckley would prove to be a non-factor at Thunder Road, but Pennink kept everyone’s attention with two frightful trips over the top of the first turn, one of which sent his car into a barrel roll.

But once Pennink’s dust settled and he eventually retired from the event, Masse assumed the lead role. Masse was unchallenged virtually the entire 100-lap distance, leading by as much as a half-lap.

“I like this track,” said the 20 year-old Bellingham, Mass., driver, whose two career Modified Racing Series victories have both come at the track known to chew up and spit out veterans three times his age. “For some reason I know how to drive it. I feel like I’ve got a good grip on it. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Masse wrecked his primary car at Airborne on Saturday night and rolled out his back-up car to win at Thunder Road.

“The car was awesome, that’s it,” said Masse, who started fifth on the 24-car field. “[The win] is a tremendous thing. We found something [wrong with the car] over the long break we just had, and I think we’re going to be a contender all year long from now on. We should be fast at every track.”

Rob Goodenough of Swanzey, N.H., drove from seventh at the start to finish as the runner-up, and Ken Barry of Preston, Conn., came from 12th to finish a season-best third. Three-time MRS champion Kirk Alexander of West Swanzey, N.H., was fourth and rookie Max Zachem of Preston, Conn., was fifth. Hinckley finished sixth with Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis seventh. Charlie Pasteryak, Dwight Jarvis, and Eddy Spiers completed the unofficial top ten.

Pembroke’s drive wasn’t quite as easy initially during the 100-lap Late Model feature, coming from 14th at the start.

As Pembroke drove through the field, Graniteville’s John Donahue battled Jeffersonville driver Joe Becker at the front, banging doors and fenders several times. Nick Sweet, who had arguably the fastest car on the track, made his way by Becker on lap 37 and raced outside Donahue for the lead until they came together on lap 46.

Sweet spun to bring out the yellow flag, leaving Pembroke in fourth place for the restart. Donahue and Becker resumed their previous fight up front, with the final blow coming on lap 68. As Becker slid up the track, Pembroke dived under both drivers to take the lead, then cruised to a large lead. He withstood a lap-96 restart and beat Donahue by two car-lengths to the finish. Donahue nipped Hyde Park’s Eric Williams by a foot for second place; Becker faded to sixth.

“I don’t want to say that luck was why I won, but it helped that I didn’t have to pass Nick to win the race. He had the fastest car, I think,” Pembroke said. “When [Donahue] and Joe Becker kind of touched a little bit getting into [Turn 1], Becker had to chase his car up the track and I just was able to turn under him.”

Pembroke’s Memorial Day Classic victory was his third in four years in the event. His name now ranks among some of the all-time Thunder Road elite winners and champions, including multi-time Memorial Day winners Dave Dion, Jean-Paul Cabana, and Robbie Crouch.

“I used to come here as a kid [to watch them race], and now… I don’t even know,” Pembroke said of his accomplishment. “It’s crazy. Crazy.”

Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier was fourth behind Williams, with Charlotte’s Rich Lowrey fifth. Tracie Bellerose, Jamie Fisher, Sweet, and Brent Dragon followed Becker across the line to complete the top ten.

Brendan Moodie of North Wolcott held off a race-long challenge from Hinesburg’s Tom Therrien to win the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman feature. Ricky Roberts was third, with Lance Allen and David Finck rounding out the top five.

Travis Hull of Graniteville earned his first career Street Stock victory over Mike MacAskill, Dan Lathrop, Jamie Davis, and Dave LaFleche. Ken Christman of Cabot earned his second Junkyard Warrior win in as many starts, beating Josh Erwin and Brock Parrott. Amanda Habel of Roxbury earned her first win the Street Stock/Warrior reserve feature.

RESULTS: Memorial Day Classic Twin 100s @ Thunder Road, 5/30/10

Modified Racing Series coverage presented by GossCars.com

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 100
Modified Racing Series – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, May 30, 2010

(Pos.-Driver-Hometown)
# - denotes rookie

1. Steve Masse, Bellingham, Mass.
2. Rob Goodenough, Swanzey, N.H.
3. Ken Barry, Preston, Conn.
4. Kirk Alexander, West Swanzey, N.H.
5. #Max Zachem, Preston, Conn.
6. Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, Conn.
7. #Joey Jarvis, Ascutney
8. Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn.
9. Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney
10. Eddy Spiers, Beacon Falls, Conn.
11. Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa.
12. Todd Annarummo, Swansea, Mass.
13. #Norm Wrenn, Nashua, N.H.
14. John Cleary, Madison, Conn.
15. #Kurt Vigeant, Oxford, Mass.
16. Kenny White, Jr., Weare, N.H.
17. Jimmy Kuhn, Jr., Bridgewater, Mass.
18. Eric Goodale, Wading River, N.Y.
19. Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H.
20. Geoff Gernhard, Salem, Conn.
21. Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass.
22. Jacob Dore, Sanford, Me.
23. Jimmy Dolan, Bethel, Conn.
24. Rowan Pennink, Huntington Valley, Pa.

Late Model 100
1. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
2. John Donahue, Graniteville
3. Eric Williams, Hyde Park
4. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
5. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte
6. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
7. Tracie Bellerose, Gorham, N.H.
8. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
9. Nick Sweet, Barre
10. Brent Dragon, Milton
11. Matt White, Northfield
12. Brooks Clark, Fayston
13. Eric Chase, Milton
14. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville
15. #Cody Blake, Barre
16. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction
17. Mike Bailey, South Barre
18. D.J. Shaw, Center Conway, N.H.
19. Pete Fecteau, Morrisville
20. Doug Murphy, Tunbridge
21. Jerry Lesage, Winooski
22. Dylan Smith, Randolph
23. Grant Folsom, Waitsfield
24. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
25. Cris Michaud, Northfield
26. Chris Chambers, Brookfield
27. #Nate Brown, Craftsbury
28. Tony Andrews, Northfield
29. Phil Scott, Montpelier

Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
2. Tom Therrien, Hinesburg
3. Ricky Roberts, Washington
4. Lance Allen, Barre
5. David Finck, Barre
6. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
7. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
8. Derrick O’Donnell, Bradford
9. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
10. Eric Badore, Milton

Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior (25 laps)
1. Travis Hull, Graniteville (SS)
2. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
3. Dan Lathrop, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Jamie Davis, Wolcott (SS)
5. Dave LaFleche, Williamstown (SS)

18. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
23. Josh Erwin, Waterbury (JW)
24. Brock Parrott, Williamstown (JW)
27. Fred Schroeder, Bristol (JW)
28. Kevin Dodge, Barre (JW)

Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior Reserve Feature (25 laps)
1. Amanda Habel, Roxbury (SS)
2. #Jayme Lee, Barre (SS)
3. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
4. #Donny Yates, North Montpelier (SS)
5. Rick Utley, Jr., Wheelock (SS)

The Juice: The Big Beginning

-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor

The 2010 racing season started quite a while ago in this neck of the woods. Vivid, teeth-chattering memories of the opener at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut still swirl in this writer's head like so many windblown snowflakes that fell during the drive up Interstate 89 on the journey home that March night. New England has been racing for two solid months now, and even we wintry Vermonters have enjoyed one form of on-track action or another since the first Thunder Road practice in mid-April.

But for all intents and purposes, this weekend is the big beginning.

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the most celebrated in motorsports, whether it's the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, or the grind of weekly short tracks around the country. For the first time this year, all three Vermont speedplants will be open this weekend, and -- along with the well-timed 90-degree weather -- we can all welcome the arrival of the summer racing season.

If you can't find something to do at a race track this weekend, well, you're not trying very hard.

***

Congratulations to Jerry Richards and the management at Devil's Bowl Speedway for such a successful opening event on the new asphalt. The crowd was one of the largest in the speedway's 44-year history, and the racing was competitive and exciting, with lots of side-by-side racing. Dave Pembroke and Mike Bruno put on a great show for the win, and Grant Folsom even did his part by getting upside down on the frontstretch in front of the packed grandstand.

We're looking forward to rest of the season at Vermont's fastest half-mile.

***

From the "Beating A Dead Horse Even Deader" file: Is it totally ironic that Patrick Laperle won the Série ACT-Castrol opener at Autodrome St-Eustache last weekend? Wasn't that the place where he decided after the season finale that he was so frustrated that he was done racing with ACT for a couple years?

What's so intriguing about Laperle is that he simply can't stay away, and that's only a good thing. He may butt heads with Donald Theetge or Tom Curley or whomever, but that's because Laperle has such an obvious fire-in-the-belly for competition and winning.

Last Saturday's win may have been as important for Laperle personally and mentally as it was for his career numbers. It also qualified him for the second annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. Patrick Laperle is back, folks.

Not that he ever really went anywhere anyway.

***

Here's a tip: If you're a betting person and you like dirt racing, put your money on Ryan Avery this year. Dude is cleaning house.

***

With low car counts and little growth over the past several seasons, officials at White Mountain Motorsports Park in New Hampshire disbanded the Super Street division over the winter and adopted the rulebook from Thunder Road's Tiger Sportsman class, creating the new Super Sportsman division for 2010.

Of the 15 drivers that raced in the inaugural feature on Saturday night, only one -- Gary Griswold -- has been a regular weekly competitor at White Mountain, and he finished 14th. The rest were Thunder Road regulars or drivers that plan to compete mainly on the four-race ACT Tiger Sportsman Series.

White Mountain is not only a beautful and scenic place to visit, it's a competitive, well-run race track that deserves good support divisions. (The headline Late Model class enjoyed a 26-car field with only a few outside visitors.) Here's hoping that the Super Sportsman field last weekend wasn't just a fluke.

***

Not only did Chris Donnelly win two features at Bear Ridge on Saturday, he won one the features using two different cars. While we're not totally sure how that's legal, we do marvel at it.

Donnelly finished second in the first leg of a two-segment feature at the season opener on May 15, but r rain postponed the second segment to last Saturday. In the interim, he was presented an offer he couldn't refuse and sold his only car. Donnelly found himself in a bind for the May 22 event, though, as his Wicked Racing Products business was the presenting sponsor and he wanted to compete in the event.

With a quick phone call, he borrowed a car from Tom Forward and drove from the rear to finish second in the second segment. With a low score of four points, Donnelly was declared the winner. Not sure we've ever seen anything like that before.

***

AROUND THE REGION:

Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...

Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Brandon's Don Scarborough finished fifth in the Modified feature last Saturday, with Milton's Bill Sawyer third in the Sportsman race. Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax was third in the Renegades with Milton's Larry Underwood fifth.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Mike Bruno of Bomoseen took his second-straight Modified win on Friday night with Brandon's Don Scarborough fourth. Middlebury teen Hunter Bates won the Sportsman feature.

Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Chris Donnelly of Orford, N.H., swept both Sportsman Modified features on Saturday night, followed by Thornton, N.H.'s Ryan Avery and Jason Gray of East Thetford in the first race and Travis Shinn of Groton, N.H., and Fairlee's Adam Pierson in the second race. Bradford's Jason Horniak won the first Sportsman Coupe feature over East Corinth's Melvin Pierson and Topsham's Josh Harrington, while Pierson beat Chris Carbee of South Ryegate and rookie Shane Race of South Strafford in the second race. Newbury's Jeremy Hodge took his frist career Limited Late Model win over Will Hull of East Montpelier and Tyler Stygles of Bradford. Josh Sunn of White River Junction swept both Fast Four races, with Danville's Danny Doyle and Andy Johnson of Wilder finishing second and third once each. Bobby Bell of St. Johnsbury won the Hornet race over Bradford's Tom Placey and Mark Harran of St. Johnsbury, while Dawn Woodward of Corinth beat her neighbor, Melissa King, and St. Johnsbury's Misty Bell in the Hornet Queen race.

Big Daddy's Speedway (Rumney, N.H.): Tyler Stygles of Bradford won the Super Street featrue on Sunday, and Josh Sunn of White River Junction was the Mini Stock runner-up.

Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Rookie Dan Eastman of Thetford Center was third in the Sportsman Modifed feature on Friday and took over the point lead. Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Mini Stock feature, and Dakota Stender of Tunbridge won the Bandit feature.

Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Kevin Menard of South Royalton was sixth in the first of two Pro Stock features on Saturday, and Mendon's Chris Wilk was third in the second race. Jamie Hodgdon of Ascutney was the Pure Stock runner-up with North Springfield's Rory Merritt fifth. Bobby Prior of White River Junction was fourth in the Outlaw Mini feature. Ascutney's Tyler Lescord won the Bandit feature over Mike Parker of Bradford.

Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Dave Pembroke of Middlesex beat Bomoseen's Mike Bruno to win the "Thunder at the Bowl 100" Late Model event on Sunday, with Tracie Bellerose of Gorham, N.H., third. Don Miller of Wells won the Sportsman feature over Clifton Park, N.Y.'s Fred Proctor and Hunter Bates of Middlebury. Milton's Cody Benoit won the Renegade feature over Jon Miller of Malta, N.Y., and Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax, and Miton's Chad Brown beat Garry Bashaw of Lincoln and Russ Downing of Hartland to win the Bomber Warrior race. Andy Smith of South Glens Falls, N.Y., won the Duke Stock race.

Modified Racing Series: Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis was 15th in the East-West Showdown 100 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway on Friday, with uncle Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney 18th. Rowan Pennink of Huntington Valley, Pa., was the winner.

Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Josh King of Vernon was 17th in Saturday's Modified feature. Putney's Dana Shepard was ninth in the Super Street feature. Joe Rogers of Ludlow finished fifth in the Mini Stocks with Mike Metcalf of Westminster ninth.

PASS North Super Late Models: Steven Legendre of Danville finished eighth in Saturday's event at White Mountain Motorsports Park, and Milton's Scott Dragon was 15th. Johnny Clark of Hallowell, Me., was the winner.

Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Dan Sidney of St. Johnsbury won the Outlaw Sportsman feature with Davey Ofsuryk of Newport Center fourth. Michael Smith of St. Johnsbury was fourth in the Super Stock race, and Doug Duprey of St. Johnsbury was third in the Street Stocks. Howard Switser of West Burke was third in the Dwarf Car race with Anthony Young of Beecher Falls fourth.

Sprint Cars of New England: Sunday's event at Big Daddy's Speedbowl was cut short due to a racing accident.

Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Dallas Trombley of Rutland finished fourth in the Late Model feature on Friday night. Chris Wilk of Mendon was the Super Street winner with Russ Davis of Cavendish third. Pittsford's Kyle Davis won the Strictly Stock feature over David Greenslit of Waitsfield and Jacksonville's Kaitlin Stone.

White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Stacy Cahoon of St. Johnsbury was the Late Model runner-up on Saturday with Bernie Lantagne of McIndoe Falls third. Graniteville's Chip Grenier won the Super Sportsman feature over Derrick O'Donnell of Bradford and North Wolcott's Brendan Moodie.

***

THIS WEEK:

Friday, May 28
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 6:45pm (Regular Event)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 7:00pm (Regular Event)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:30pm (Regular Event)

Saturday, May 29
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Modified Racing Series)
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford -- 6:00pm (SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Regular Event)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 6:00pm (NEMA Midgets)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Regular Event)
White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. -- 5:00 (Regular Event)

Sunday, May 30
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 4:00pm (Granite State Mini Sprints)
Devil's Bowl Speedway, West Haven -- 2:00pm (Modified Tri-Track Series)
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:30pm (Modified Racing Series)


TOURING SERIES:

Granite State Mini Sprints: Sun., May 30 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. (4:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sat., May 29 -- Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. (5:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sun., May 30 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (1:30pm)
Modified Tri-Track Series: Sun., May 30 -- Devil's Bowl Speedway, West Haven, Vt. (2:00pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Sat., May 29 -- Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. (ABC/2:00pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sun., May 30 -- Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C. (FOX/5:45pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sat., May 29 -- Concord Speedway, Concord, N.C. (7:00pm)
Série ACT-Castrol Edge: Sat., May 29 -- Autodrome Montmagny, Montmagny, Qué. (6:00pm)
Sprint Cars of New England: Sat., May 29 -- Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford, Vt. (6:00pm)

COMPLETE RESULTS -- Thunder at the Bowl 100 @ Devil's Bowl 5/23/10

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Thunder at the Bowl 100
Devil's Bowl Speedway, West Haven, Vt.
Sun., May 23, 2010

(Pos.-Car#-Driver-Hometown-Laps)

1. 44VT Dave Pembroke, Middlesex, 100
2. 72ON Mike Bruno, Castleton, 100
3. 2NH Tracie Bellerose, Gorham, N.H., 100
4. 55VT Brent Dragon, Milton, 100
5. 16VT Joey Becker, Jeffersonville, 100
6. 14VT Phil Scott, Montpelier, 100
7. 88VT Nick Sweet, Barre, 100
8. 00VT Mike Bailey, South Barre, 100
9. 1VT Tony Andrews, Northfield, 100
10. 4NH Chris Riendeau, Ascutney, 100
11. 99VT Jeff Zuidema, North Brookfield, Mass., 99
12. 18VT Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, 99
13. 26VT John Donahue, Graniteville, 99
14. 34VT Dylan Smith, Randolph, 99
15. 42VT Matt White, Northfield, 99
16. 25VT David Whitcomb, Essex Junction, 99
17. 24VT Steve Fisher, Shelburne, 55
18. 81VT Grant Folsom, Waitsfield, 55
19. 15VT Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier, 47
20. 8VT Rich Lowrey, Charlotte, 33
21. 40VT Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, 33
22. 4VT Doug Murphy, Tunbridge, 33
23. 12VT Reno Gervais, Island Pond, 33
24. 49VT Nate Brown, Craftsbury, 33
25. 74VT Jerry Lesage, Winooski, 15
26. 68VT Brooks Clark, Fayston, 2

CVRA Sportsman
1. Don Miller, Wells
2. Fred Proctor, Clifton Park, N.Y.
3. Hunter Bates, Middlebury
4. Kevin Wright, Fair Haven
5. Jared McMahon, Hydeville

Renegade
1. Cody Benoit, Milton
2. Jon Miller, Malta, N.Y.
3. Lance Rabtoy, Fairfax
4. Randy Alger, Fair Haven
5. Dave Emigh, Ballston Spa, N.Y.

Bomber Warrior
1. Chad Brown, Milton
2. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln
3. Russ Downing, Hartland
4. Brent Warren, Salisbury
5. Justin Lilly, Castleton

Duke Stock
1. Andy Smith, South Glens Falls, N.Y.

Pembroke Wins at Devil's Bowl

WEST HAVEN -- Dave Pembroke took the win in the "Thunder at the Bowl" 100 at the freshly paved Devil's Bowl Speedway on Sunday. Pembroke, of Montpelier, battled side-by-side with hometown favorite Mike Bruno of Castleton for the majority of the race.

After starting third, Pembroke took the lead on lap 14. Pembroke broke away from Bruno several times while working through lapped traffic; Bruno reeled him in each time, but didn’t have enough to complete the pass. Pembroke and Bruno were followed to the line by polesitter Tracie Bellerose of Gorham, N.H., Milton's Brent Dragon and Joey Becker of Jeffersonville. Phil Scott, Nick Sweet, Mike Bailey, Tony Andrews, and rookie Chris Riendeau rounded out the top ten.

The event was slowed by six cautions including a red flag for a Grant Folsom flip on the frontstretch. The race was completed in just over 1 hour, 12 minutes with sixteen of the twenty-six starters running at the finish.

The event was the first asphalt race at Devil's Bowl Speedway -- formerly a dirt track -- since 1972, and awarded championship points for the Late Model division at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre.

Don Miller of Wells won the Sportsman Modified feature over Fred Proctor of Clifton Park, N.Y., and Middlebury teenager Hunter Bates. Airborne Speedway regular Cody Benoit of Milton won the Renegade feature over Malta, N.Y., driver Jon Miller and Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax. Thunder Road regulars Chad Brown of Milton and Garry Bashaw of Lincoln went 1-2 in the Bomber Warrior feature, with Russ Downing third. Andy Smith of South Glens Falls, N.Y., was the Duke Stock winner.

Sweet Takes First ACT Victory at Thunder Road

BARRE – The first 80 laps of Sunday’s Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl appeared to be a continuation of Dave Pembroke’s dominance of American-Canadian Tour events at the Barre track. After starting from the outside pole, the Middlesex driver had a full straightaway lead by lap 12 and was pulling away. That all changed on a lap 80 restart, though, as Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Que., and hometown driver Nick Sweet arrived on the scene.

Laperle rode the outside line to take the lead on lap 81, then the trio waged a 40-lap battle at the front. Pembroke reassumed the lead on lap 96 before Sweet took over 14 circuits later. Pembroke and Sweet swapped the point four more times between laps 112 and 121 before Sweet took control for good. Defending ACT champion Brian Hoar of Williston arrived late in the going for second place, with Laperle third and Pembroke fourth.

“These long races are all about patience,” said Sweet, who started 12th on the 30-car grid. “You have to set up for these kinds of races. You can’t burn the tires off too soon, and I saved it. I’ve learned a lot over these past couple years, and look at me now, I’m winning races.”

For Sweet, in his third season of racing the top-tier Late Model division, the Merchants Bank 150 was his first ACT victory. For his competitors, though, it felt like a long time coming.

“I closed in on Nick the last five laps and tried to nerve him up a little bit, but he did a great job,” said Hoar. “He didn’t nerve up much. He’s definitely a future champion.”

“This is the first race we’ve had to worry about Nick Sweet,” Pembroke said sarcastically; the two are weekly competitors at Thunder Road. “We knew last year that Nick was a great, great driver.”

Mark Lamberton of Mooers Forks, N.Y., had a strong return to full-time competition by finishing in fifth place. The unofficial top ten was completed by Craig Bushey, Joey Laquerre, Chip Grenier, polesitter Scott Payea, and Mark Hayward in a career-best tenth.

With the win, Sweet became the first driver to qualify for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.

Veteran driver George May of Barre won the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman feature in a caution-free event. May’s last win at Thunder Road came in 1994. Mike Ziter of Williamstown was second, followed by Cody Blake, Joel Hodgdon, and Josh Demers.

Street Stock driver Mike MacAskill of Williamstown dominated the first of two Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior combined features, with Travis Hull second and Bunker Hodgdon third. Tim Campbell of West Topsham beat Greg Adams, Jr., by two feet to win the second feature, with Barre’s Ron Gabaree third. Cabot’s Ken Christman and Kevin Wheatley of Williamstown were the top-finishing Junkyard Warrior drivers in their respective features.

The Juice: We Need the Little Guys

-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor

Not having Eric Williams to watch on the track at the Merchants Bank 150 this weekend is a dose of reality. As the defending winner of the race, the Hyde Park driver certainly would have been considered a contender against the invading American-Canadian Tour teams, and as a controversial driver with a controversial fan base, Williams' character will surely be missed.

Williams' biggest issue in not being able to race this weekend was a lack of time while running the family business and building a Tiger Sportsman car for his son, Tucker, largely in part because he is struggling to find funding for his team and could not afford to take time off work to build his own race car. He realizes he's not the only one, too.

"I'd say that probably 75 percent of the guys running Late Models are going to find a bit of a struggle this year in terms of money," Williams said. "You've got your [Brian] Hoar teams and your other big teams that have enough money to have whatever they need, but the little guys -- and there's a lot of little guys -- are gonna have a hard time this year."

Tunbridge racer Doug Murphy, who stole his own share of headlines last year by running up front with likely the smallest Late Model budget under the ACT umbrella, said his pre-season practice session on April 13 may have been his only appearance of the year.

"I've got old tires and no money," Murphy said, leaning on the only open trailer left in the division. "I lost almost all of my sponsorship over the winter. The only way I was able to show up last year was by picking up my paycheck before I bought my pit pass and using that money to buy gas and two tires."

Murphy's thoroughly battered ride was among the fastest cars at the test two weeks ago, but he says that speed won't matter if there's no sponsorship: "If it comes down to making the choice between putting food on the table for my family and going to Thunder Road, well, there's not much of a choice to make there."

Middlesex veteran Dave Pembroke, who trounced the ACT teams to win both the Memorial Day Classic and Labor Day Classic events at Thunder Road last year, showed up with blank quarterpanels at the April practice and said he doesn't have any sponsorship names to put on them.

Even Milton's Jean-Paul Cyr has admitted that while he hopes to contend for his eighth ACT Late Model Tour championship this year, his schedule will depend solely on cash. "We'd like to run the whole schedule, but it all comes down to money and how we're doing [on the track]," Cyr said. "If we're doing well then we'll figure out how to keep going, but [money] will be tight all year."

A recent Thunder Road press release indicated that "over fifty" Late Model teams are expected to attempt the Merchants Bank 150 on Sunday. Given the anticipation of the season's first race, a growing interest in the touring concept from teams in both the U.S. and Canada, and the enthusiasm of the locally-based regular Thunder Road teams, it's a safe bet that around 50 teams will in fact put on what should be a very competitive event. The official ACT/Thunder Road roster is larger this year than in recent years, and sponsorship appears to be solid across the board, but the stories of local racers like Williams, Murphy, and Pembroke do cause legitimate concern.

A bump from 13 ACT races last year to 14 this doesn't sound like much, but increased travel that includes an extra trip south to Waterford, Conn., a new drive southwest to Albany, N.Y., and the long hike north to Ste-Croix, Qué., could be all that some teams can handle. Thunder Road's weekly Late Model program was stronger last year than in recent seasons, averaging 24 to 26 cars each week, but if the smaller teams begin to start falling off the map then the whole program will be in trouble.

It's great for any series to have marquee drivers like Hoar, Cyr, Joey Polewarczyk, or Brad Leighton, but when racers like Pembroke at Thunder Road, Jeff White at Oxford, or Guy Caron at Twin State begin to worry about money -- the strong local racers that hold their own when ACT is in town -- that's when we all lose.

Keep an eye on the "little guys" this year. We need them now more than ever.

***

Monday I was walking the dog in shorts and a t-shirt. Wednesday morning I shoveled a foot of snow off my porch. By Friday I'll be back in shorts, and by Sunday night I'll be treating the second- and third-degree burns on my neck because I was too dumb to bring sunscreen to the track. Ah, racing season.

Despite the snow and wetness right now, Thunder Road officials have told VMM that they "don't expect to be roping anything off" in the parking lots this weekend due to mud and standing water.

Joey Polewarczyk might have said it best: "One thing I know about Thunder Road from all my years of going there is that I don't care if the forecast is for 100 percent chance of rain. We're all going to stand there under our umbrellas all day, but we're going to get that race in. Tom Curley and Ken Squier will make sure we get to race. They'll find a way to get it in, even if it takes all day and night."

Temperatures are expected to reach the high 70s and low 80s by this weekend aided by wind and sun, so everything should be good to go for race time.

But still, wouldn't it be kinda neat to see a Junkyard Warrior slide off the top of Turn 1 and into a snowbank?

***

I'm sorry, were you expecting the Capitals to sweep it in four games? #GoHabsGo

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Looking briefly at the national levels, Québec native Derek White, who competed with the Série ACT-Castrol last year, will be racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Kansas Speedway this weekend, while Shelburne's Kevin Lepage will head to Richmond Int'l Raceway with the Nationwide Series.

David Stremme and Vermont's Latitude 43 Motorsports finished 27th in the Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend despite a mid-race crash, and will look to break back into the top-35 in owner points at Richmond. Stremme's average qualifying position in seven starts at Richmond is a solid 20.6. Latitude 43 ranks 37th in owner points, 162 markers behind 35th-place Front Row Motorsports' #38 car.

***

We're headed to Barre on Saturday morning for the annual Thunder Road car show and parade, then up to the track for practice. After that, we're taking a trip across the lake to Airborne Speedway for its season opener. Sunday morning, it's back to Thunder Road for the Merchants Bank 150. We're hoping to see y'all there, but make sure to keep an eye on the VMM blog, Twitter feed, and Facebook and YouTube pages for updates throughout the weekend!

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THIS WEEK:

Friday, April 30
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:30pm (Season Opener)

Saturday, May 1
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 9:00am (Car Show -- Downtown Barre, practice at track at 1:00pm)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Season Opener -- Modified 50-lap Syracuse qualifier)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 10:00am (Car Show/Open Practice)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 10:00am (Car Show/Open Practice)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Season Opener/Modified Racing Series)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 2:00pm (Open Practice)

Sunday, May 2
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Car Show -- Downtown Barre, practice at track at 1:00pm)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (ISMA SuperModifieds)
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)

TOURING SERIES:

ACT Late Model Tour: Sun., May 2 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (1:00pm)
ISMA SuperModifieds: Sun., May 2 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sat., May 1 -- Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. (6:00pm)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Sun., May 2 -- Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan. (12:30pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Fri., April 30 -- Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond, Va. (7:00pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sat., May 1 -- Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond, Va. (7:30pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sat., May 1 -- Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Me. (3:00pm)

Milk Bowl Postponed by Rain

Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines

The 47th annual Milk Bowl at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl has been postponed by rain to Sunday, October 4 at 1:00pm.

Qualifying was completed on Saturday, with hometown driver Nick Sweet earning his first career Milk Bowl pole position with a time trial lap of 13.110 seconds. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. will start on the outside of the front row after posting a time of 13.164 seconds; Polewarczyk had won the Milk Bowl pole in each of the previous three years.

Dave Pembroke, John Donahue, and Joey Laquerre won the "Triple 50" qualifying heats.

Pembroke Owes it all to ACT Spec Engine

New Hampshire Motor Speedway coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines

LOUDON, N.H. -- "This is definitely not where I expected to be when I started racing Tigers," smiled Dave Pembroke as he unfolded his driving suit in the infield at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

But Pembroke wasn't necessarily speaking of racing at NHMS.

If it wasn't for the American-Canadian Tour's innovative and cost-effective Late Model 'spec' engine program, which began ten years ago next weekend, Pembroke likely would never have been able to get out of the mid-level Tiger Sportsman division at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, and subsequently never would have had the opportunity to race a Late Model car at NHMS.

After winning Rookie of the Year honors at Thunder Road in 2000, the Middlesex driver went on to score in the prestigious Milk Bowl, Memorial Day Classic, and Labor Day Classic events, a Thunder Road track championship, and at various ACT Late Model Tour races.

"No question, the spec engine is how we got into the Late Model division," said Pembroke, who will start 16th the ACT Invitational just after 5:30pm. "And now look at us."

Pembroke looked outside his trailer and smiled again as a rush of NASCAR Camping World Trucks screamed by. "Even now, I'm 38 years old and I still get all excited when I see these (NASCAR) guys race at this track.

"And in about an hour I get to be one of the guys racing here. And it's because of that spec engine."

Worst to First: Pembroke Dominates Labor Day Classic at Thunder Road

BARRE -- Dave Pembroke says there was one thing -- one very unexpected thing -- that made his day a good one at the ACT Late Model Tour's Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road in Barre on Sunday.

"Drawing 70th," Pembroke said, seemingly taking himself by surprise as the words came out of his mouth. The number-70 chip is usually the one in the ACT qualifying heat starting position draw bag that nobody wants; it means that the driver who chooses it will start from the last position in the final heat race. Nine times out of ten, it makes for a long day.

For Pembroke, however, it was a blessing. The Middlesex driver, who had previously etched his name in the granite monuments honoring former Milk Bowl and Memorial Day Classic winners at the track, drove from 11th starting position -- last, of course -- to finish third in his heat race, earning a '+8' handicap value and the pole position for the 200-lap main event.

"When we rolled in here this morning, the worst thing I thought that ever could have happened was pulling '70' out of [the draw bag], and it turns out being the thing that did it for us, absolutely," said Pembroke. "And then the heat race working out the way it did. You couldn't have scripted it any better to get through the heat race to third in 15 laps. I mean, it just doesn't happen. Our day started like that and we went from last on the board to first on the field in 15 laps."

From there, all he managed to do was lead every lap of the Labor Day Classic 200, putting all but the top five cars a lap down in the process. Pembroke ran at an unprecedented pace, as the first 181 laps were run without a caution flag. The only incident -- a minor spin by Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. and Eric Chase -- did little to slow the leader down.

"We went up this morning after the drivers meeting, Tom (Curley, the ACT/Thunder Road president) took all the Late Models up to the three stones up there [in the grandstands]. My name was on two of them at the beginning of the day, now it's on all three," Pembroke grinned. "That was my goal, I'm telling you, I wanted to get on that Labor Day Classic [monument]. I've been second, I've been third, and now we've won it. It's pretty special, it's pretty cool to be on all three of those up there."

Just prior to the lap 181 caution period, Pembroke used Eric Williams, who was running in fifth place at the tail end of the lead lap, as a guide through heavy lapped traffic. The situation reminded Pembroke of the 2006 edition of the race.

"The 200 that I finished second in, that's about the way we finished. I was on [Williams's] bumper, but he was on the lead lap that race," said Pembroke. "This one, we were chasing him around, he was on the tail end and he was opening the door, we were just kind of hanging with him and didn't really need to pass him at the time, so we were just patient. He was doing a good job, he was good on the bottom and he wasn't moving people, but he was just running around and we were following him and it worked out really good, I should probably go thank him."

Far behind Pembroke, nearly a half-lap away at times, Patrick Laperle and John Donahue had an entertaining, sometimes physical battle for second place. The two also had contact in their qualifying heat. After Laperle forced Donahue and the lapped car of Craig Bushey three-wide after the lap 181 restart, they raced side-by-side for the remainder of the event without further incident. Donahue, of Graniteville, nipped St-Denis, Qué. driver Laperle at the finish line for the runner-up spot. Brian Hoar of Williston finished a bumper ahead of Williams in fourth place.

ACT point leader Scott Payea, the outside polesitter, suffered badly worn tires due to the long green flag run, and finished 11th after running at the front with Pembroke early in the event. All 30 starters finished the 200-lap race, which was completed in a blistering 54 minutes.

Scott Coburn of Barre took down the 50-lap Tiger Sportsman feature for his second win of the year, beating Ricky Roberts and Pete Ainsworth, while rookie Tucker Williams of Hyde Park posted his fourth Street Stock win of the season over Tommy "Thunder" Smith and David Whitcomb. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the top Junkyard Warrior driver, beating Kevin Streeter and Ken Christman.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200
ACT Late Model Tour -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009

Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - indicates rookie)

ACT Late Model Tour (200 laps)
1. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
2. John Donahue, Graniteville
3. Patrick Laperle, St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué.
4. Brian Hoar, Williston
5. Eric Williams, Hyde Park
6. Cris Michaud, Northfield
7. Brent Dragon, Milton
8. Chip Grenier, Graniteville
9. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
10. Nick Sweet, Barre
11. Scott Payea, Milton
12. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
13. Phil Scott, Montpelier
14. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville
15. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
16. Travis Stearns, Auburn, Me.
17. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H.
18. Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H.
19. #Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H.
20. Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H.
21. Tony Andrews, Northfield
22. Trampas Demers, South Burlington
23. Tyler Cahoon, St. Johnsbury
24. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
25. Eric Chase, Milton
26. Dave Paya, North Clarendon
27. Gary Caron, Colchester
28. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction
29. Jerry Lesage, Winooski
30. Glen Luce, Turner, Me.

NAPA Tiger Sportsman (50 laps)
1. Scott Coburn, Barre
2. Ricky Roberts, Washington
3. Pete Ainsworth, Jr., Middlesex
4. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
5. Tommy Therrien, Hinesburg
6. Lance Allen, Barre
7. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
8. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
9. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
10. Matt Potter, Marshfield

Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (25 laps)
1. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park (SS)
2. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
3. David Whitcomb, Elmore (SS)
4. Jason Corliss, Danville (SS)
5. Lloyd Blakely, Barre (SS)

21. Donny Yates, North Montpelier (JW)
22. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield (JW)
23. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
24. Keith Fortier, Hinesburg (JW)
25. Kevin Dodge, Barre (JW)

Classic Drive By Cyr Nets Mid-Season Win at Thunder Road

BARRE -- Seven-time American-Canadian Tour champion Jean-Paul Cyr made it known on a soggy Thursday night that he was serious. The Milton racer quit racing regularly with the tour that he dominated for so many years to focus on two goals in 2009: the first, to complete a solo motorcycle run in the Baja 500 desert race; the second, to become the "King of the Road". With the first goal completed in June, Cyr took one big step closer to that second check mark on the list Thursday, winning the double-points Times Argus Mid-Season Championship race at Barre's Thunder Road.

Cyr started 13th in the 24-car field, and by the time the first caution flag flew on lap 9, he was in eighth place. Twelve laps later, he was fourth. By lap 25, he was battling for second place, and when he finally took the lead from Doug Murphy on lap 37, he never looked back. And not only did Cyr take his first win of the season, he moved to within seven points of leader Dave Pembroke, unofficially.

"It's been an uphill battle this season," said Cyr, who is driving a newly constructed car owned by driver Joey Laquerre and tuned by Laquerre's accomplished crew chief son, Jeff. "But Jeff's timing is impeccable with this being Times Argus night with double points. We needed this win." While figuring out a new car and team combination during the season's first half, Cyr has endured some bad luck along with the growing pains: he slumped to a 27th-place finish at the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150 last month, and had just one finish better than seventh prior to the win.

Murphy, of Tunbridge, looked like a potential spoiler for the third-straight Late Model event at Thunder Road, leading the first 36 laps from the pole position and holding his own against the likes of Cyr, Craig Bushey, and eventual runner-up Pembroke. After Cyr methodically worked his way around the outside lane and into the lead, Murphy had his hands full of competition. Pembroke was only able to get by Murphy for second place on the final circuit of the 50-lap race.
"It's been since 2006 that I've been here [in victory lane]," said Murphy, whose last podium finish was in 2006 in a Tiger Sportsman car. "To be honest, I never really thought I would get a top-three in a Late Model. We race week-to-week, just trying not to tear it up. I owe this one to the crew."

Pembroke, of Middlesex, was elated with his runner-up finish behind the driver that is now his closest rival for the championship. "This is great," he said. "We did just what we needed to do tonight."

Bushey finished fourth behind Cyr, Pembroke, and Murphy, with Phil Scott fifth. Nick Sweet finished sixth, with the balance of the unofficial top ten completed by Dave Whitcomb, Steve Fisher, Joey Becker, and Rich Lowrey.

Kris Grout of Waterbury won a crash-filled 35-lap Tiger Sportsman feature, breaking a winless drought that lasted four years to the date of his last victory, July 16, 2005. Grout took the lead from polesitter Mike Billado on lap 3 and cruised to the win. A massive pileup on lap 6 included the cars of Shawn Fleury, Josh Demers, Joey Laquerre, and no less than seven others, and was followed by a four-car wreck on lap 10 and a five-car wreck on lap 18.

A final restart was needed on lap 21, but the racing was clean and close for the remainder of the race. Behind leader Grout, drivers Joey Roberts, Matt Potter, and Pete Ainsworth, Jr. constantly swapped the second, third, and fourth positions. Potter made a final charge on the outside over the final eight laps to steal the runner-up position, and both he and Roberts finished the race sideways as they leaned on each other. Ainsworth and Brendan Moodie completed the top-five.

Gary Mullen of Tunbridge earned his first Street Stock win of the season over rookie Travis Hull and Mike Martin. Josh Erwin of Waterbury was named the Junkyard Warrior winner after apparent first-place finisher Bryan Nykiel was disqualified for illegal wheel camber. Kevin Dodge was second with Donny Yates third. The Street Stock and Warrior divisions ran seperate features for the second week in a row.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Times Argus Mid-Season Championships
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, July 16, 2009

(Pos.-Driver-Hometown; # - denotes rookie)

ACT Late Model
1. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
2. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
3. Doug Murphy, Tunbridge
4. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
5. Phil Scott, Montpelier
6. Nick Sweet, Barre
7. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Jct.
8. Steve Fisher, Shelburne
9. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
10. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte

NAPA Tiger Sportsman
1. Kris Grout, Waterbury
2. Matt Potter, Plainfield
3. Joey Roberts, Georgia
4. Pete Ainsworth, Jr., Middlesex
5. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
6. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
7. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
8. Lance Allen, Barre
9. #Erik Steel, Barre
10. Joe Steffen, Essex Jct.

Allen Lumber Street Stock
1. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge
2. #Travis Hull, Graniteville
3. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common
4. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln
5. Michael Moore, East Haven

Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior
1. Josh Erwin, Waterbury
2. Kevin Dodge, Barre
3. Donny Yates, North Montpelier
4. Lance Donald, Williamstown
5. Keith Fortier, Hinesburg

(Cyr photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)