Hoar, Gappens, Cyr Honored at ACT/Thunder Road Banquet

NHMS' Gappens "humbled" by MacTavish Award

SOUTH BURLINGTON -- A crowd of some 500 honored Brian Hoar of Williston on Saturday night at the Sheraton-Burlington Hotel & Conference Center, celebrating Hoar's sixth American-Canadian Tour championship.

Hoar, 37, captured his first championship on the series since 2000, driving for RPM Motorsports and car owner/crew chief Rick Paya. Paya previously won seven ACT championships with driver Jean-Paul Cyr; Cyr left the team after 2008 to drive for Joey Laquerrre and challenge for the track championship at Barre's Thunder Road, which he did successfully.

"The irony behind it all is that probably if [Cyr] hadn't decided to go with [Laquerre], I might not have the opportunity to be where I'm standing right now," Hoar said during his championship speech.

Jerry Gappens, Executive Vice President of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, was presented the prestigious Don MacTavish Award by ACT President Tom Curley, for the speedway's contributions to ACT racing.

Dover, Mass. native MacTavish, the 1966 NASCAR National Sportsman (present-day Nationwide Series) Champion, was killed in a crash at Daytona Int'l Speedway in 1969. MacTavish won his national title racing weekly at places like Catamount Stadium in Milton, and New York tracks including Airborne Speedway and Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Past recipients of the award include NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr., Thunder Road founder Ken Squier, Curley, and drivers Robbie Crouch, Jean-Paul Cabana, Hoar, and Cyr.

NHMS hosted the first-ever ACT Invitational in September during Sylvania 300 weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As a result, NHMS saw an increased Saturday crowd of 40,000 spectators, and ACT and its drivers gained national attention throughout the year.

"(The ACT Invitational) was a win-win for both parties," said Gappens, who grew up around the short tracks of Indiana. "Any time you get an award with Bill France, Sr.'s name on it, and all the other great people that have contributed to the success of short track racing, is quite an honor. I appreciate short track racing and haven't forgotten where I learned the sport from the grassroots up, so to get what I consider the highest honor, other than being the champion of the series, is very humbling and very much appreciated."

Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y., was crowned with his first ACT Tiger Sportsman Series championship. Duquette earned the title after a tie-breaker with St. Albans driver Jason Bonnett.

John Doiron of Berwick, Me., was given the ACT Crew Chief of the Year Award; Doiron coached his son, 16 year-old Joey, to the ACT Rookie of the Year title.

Tucker Williams of Hyde Park won the Dr. G.R. Nielsen Rookie Achievement Award as the top-performing freshman driver across all ACT/Thunder Road divisions; Williams, 18, was a four-time Street Stock winner at Thunder Road in 2009.

Cyr, of Milton, was honored with his first Thunder Road Late Model "King of the Road" championship in the track's 50th season. Thunder Road's support division champions were also honored: Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown (Tiger Sportsman), Gary Mullen of Tunbridge (Street Stock), and Donny Yates of North Montpelier (Junkyard Warrior). Rookies of the Year were Dylan Smith of Randolph (Late Model), Erik Steel of Barre (Tiger Sportsman), and Williams.

ACT/Thunder Road announcer Troy Germain was given the Ken Squier Award for his decade-long contributions to the sport.

Seth Leavitt of WCAX-TV Channel 3 was named the winner of the first-ever Pete Hartt Memorial Media Award. Mike McCune, Leavitt's colleague, accepted the award on his behalf. Hartt, the Sports Editor at the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, passed away in March.

Sportsmanship and "Most Improved Driver" awards were also given out in each division. Sportsmanship award winners were Chip Grenier (ACT Late Model Tour), Brooks Clark (TR Late Model), Brendan Moodie, Jr. (TR Tiger Sportsman), Mike Martin (TR Street Stock), and Ken Christman (TR Junkyard Warrior). Most Improved awards went to John Donahue (ACT Late Model Tour), Craig Bushey (TR Late Model), and Derrick O'Donnell (TR Tiger Sportsman).

Avery Dominates Pre-Hangover 150 at Riverside

Bear Ridge regular wins on the snow

GROVETON, N.H. -- Ryan Avery put his dirt-track corner-sliding knowledge to use on Sunday at Riverside Speedway to win the postponed Pre-Hangover 150 enduro. Thirty-four drivers braved the snow and ice-covered quarter-mile oval as temperatures hovered around zero degrees Farenheit.

Avery, of Thornton, N.H., is a Sportsman Modified standout at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford and Canaan (N.H.) Dirt Speedway. He won the race by three laps over Oxford Plains Speedway regular Jamie Heath of Waterford, Me. Riverside regulars Jeff Ainsworth of Bethlehem, N.H., Jamie Swallow, Jr. of Stark, N.H., and hometown driver Pete Gilcris completed the top five.

Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl champion Donny Yates of North Montpelier finished sixth, eight laps off the pace. Colchester's Casey Houle was seventh, ten laps down.

OFFICIAL FINISH -- Pre-Hangover 150 Enduro
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H.
Sunday, January 10, 2010

Pos.-Driver-Hometown-Laps

1. Ryan Avery, Thornton, N.H., 150
2. Jamie Heath, Waterford, Me., 147
3. Jeff Ainsworth, Bethlehem, N.H., 146
4. Jamie Swallow, Jr., Stark, N.H., 145
5. Pete Gilcris, Groveton, N.H., 142
6. Donny Yates, North Montpelier, 142
7. Casey Houle, Colchester, 140
8. Cameron Tyler, Groveton, N.H., 135
9. Ben Hodgkins, Exeter, N.H., 133
10. Gerard Cote, Oxford, Me., 130
11. Mitch Emery, Lancaster, N.H., 129
12. Jerrad Ainsworth, Bethlehem, N.H., 124
13. Todd Derrington, Bethlehem, N.H., 118
14. Shauna Randall, Stark, N.H., 116
15. Todd Baker, Enosburg, 103
16. Louis Maher, Spencer, Mass., 100
17. Dave LaFleche, Barre, 86
18. Jimbo Shurkus, Meredith, N.H., 67
19. Dan Benoit, Sr., Lancaster, N.H., 65
20. Arland Tyler, Groveton, N.H., 55
21. Kevin Whittum, Jr., Dalton, N.H., 52
22. Alan Derrington, Bethlehem, N.H., 52
23. Doug Bandy, Lyndonville, 49
24. Cody Leblanc, Gorham, N.H., 28
25. Paul Hodge, Orleans, 32
26. Troy Randall, Wheelock, 10
27. Jonah Delgenio, Keene, N.H., 10
28. Bronson Roy, Berlin, N.H., 5
29. Nick Gilcris, Groveton, N.H., 4
30. Jamie Davis, Wolcott, 4
31. David Hartshorn, Lancaster, N.H., 1
32. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury Ctr., 0
33. Bruce McKay, Campton, N.H., no score card
34. Danny Ehlers, St. Johnsbury, no score card

Donahue in Good Company with Milk Bowl Win

Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines

BARRE -- Three years ago, John Donahue's name was often little more than a footnote in American-Canadian Tour race finishes or year-end point standings. And three short years later, the Graniteville driver has firmly established himself as a driver that will be remembered long after his final lap.

With a win in the 47th running of the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Donahue became just the tenth driver in history to win each of the track's "big three" events -- he won the Memorial Day Classic in 2008, the Labor Day Classic, the site of his first ACT Late Model Tour win, in 2007, and now Sunday's Milk Bowl. The victory means his name will be now etched in all three granite monuments at the Barre track honoring past winners of the events, alongside pioneers Larry Demar and Russell Ingerson, Hall of Famers Jean-Paul Cabana, Bobby Dragon, Dave Dion, and Robbie Crouch, and modern-day heroes Jean-Paul Cyr, Dave Pembroke, and Brent Dragon.

It's something Donahue spent a lot of time thinking about, too.

"This'll put the third one on there now," Donahue said after his Milk Bowl victory. "[It means] a lot. A month ago, Tom (Curley, ACT president) brought us all up there, the drivers, and I'm looking on down through and I'm on two of [the monuments], and I said, 'Boy, I'd really like to be on that Milk Bowl one, that way my name is on all three of them.' I've been thinking about it since then."

And perhaps appropriately, it was one of those names already carved into each piece of the rock -- Milton's Brent Dragon -- that Donahue had to outduel to win the Milk Bowl.

Dragon won the opening 50-lap round of the three-segment, cumulatively scored race, with Donahue third. Donahue finished ninth in the middle leg, one spot better than Dragon, and trailed Dragon by one point entering the final 50 laps. And that's when Donahue turned up the wick.

Both drivers raced three-wide through traffic, along with Scott Payea, Brian Hoar, and Brad Leighton, who each would be within striking distance under the right circumstances, near the one-third mark of the final segment. Dragon and Donahue traded jabs on the track, knowing their mid-pack battle was almost certainly for the overall victory.

Dragon pushed three-wide under Donahue and Glen Luce on lap 17, then swapped lanes on the next lap. Donahue seized the opportunity, returning the three-wide favor. In the intense action, Dragon's car was shoved momentarily off the backstretch, while Donahue was able to squeeze by. Two laps later, Payea spun off the track with Dave Whitcomb and Eric Chase to bring out the caution flag.

Donahue and Dragon realigned in 13th and 14th for the restart on lap 20, which proved to be the decisive moment of the race. Traffic in Donahue's inside lane moved faster than Dragon's high side group, and Donahue picked his way through the field to finish fifth in the segment. But Dragon, his car knocked out of alignment from the contact on lap 18, was only able to muster a tenth-place finish in segment. With the final tally added up, Donahue's 17 segment points secured him his first Milk Bowl win, four points better than Dragon's 21, and nine better than Eric Williams of Hyde Park.

Donahue began his career as a Flying Tiger/Sportsman racer at Thunder Road in the mid-nineties, winning more than his share of races and championships, but had little in the way of headline-grabbing success in the top-tier Late Model class -- and certainly with the touring ACT division -- until recently. His Milk Bowl victory and planting the traditional kiss on a "trophy queen" cow, he says, is the crowning achievement of his racing career.

"It's right at the top. I've had a lot of good races, I won a [Labor Day] 200 here, but this is different," he said. "You've got three different segments, you stop, you have to think about it, re-do your car. This is one I've been wanting for a long time. I'm just going to soak this one in and be happy."

Williams' third-place finish went virtually unnoticed, overshadowed by the Donahue-Dragon saga, but his segment finishes of seventh, fifteenth, and fourth were good enough for the podium spot. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. (28 points) and Brian Hoar of Williston (29 points) finished fourth and fifth overall. The top-ten was completed by Dave Pembroke, Jamie Fisher, Nick Sweet, Joey Laquerre, and Chip Grenier. Track champion Jean-Paul Cyr, who won the third segment finished 11th overall, while second-segment winner Wayne Helliwell, Jr. finished 18th overall in his first start at Thunder Road.

***

Eighteen year-old Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown became the youngest driver in history to win a championship in Thunder Road's famed Tiger Sportsman division on Sunday, taking a four-point victory over Tony Rossi of Barre. Hebert overcame a tense moment on lap 17 of the 50-lap finale when hard contact with Mark Barnier cut Hebert's left-rear tire, sending him into a spin down the frontstretch. After pitting under the caution period, Hebert recovered for a 13th-place finish.

"It's ten times better that I ever thought it would be," said Hebert. "Ever since I was little, I dreamed of this. I never thought I would race at 16, say nothing about winning a championship at 18. The first year we really struggled and everybody seemed discouraged, but last year we put together some good runs. This year we worked on consistency and it really paid off for us."

Shawn Fleury of Middlesex took the lead from upstart Jason Corliss on lap 28, then cruised to his second win of the season. Mike Ziter followed Fleury past Corliss, but was penalized with under ten laps remaining for spinning a lapped car off the backstretch. Ziter was placed last in the 28-car field. Danville driver Corliss, the 2008 Street Stock champion making only his fourth appearance in the Tiger Sportsman division, finished second officially, with Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell third, Rossi fourth, and Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg in fifth.

Pete Ainsworth, who entered the final weekend with an eight-point lead in the division, failed to qualify for the main event. He slumped to a fourth-place championship finish behind Hebert, Rossi, and Brendan Moodie.

Tommy "Thunder" Smith of Williamstown moved into sole possession of first-place all-time in the Street Stock division with his 20th career win, his third of the season. Mike Martin of Craftsbury Common was the runner-up, with rookie Danny Doyle of Hancock third, Garry Bashaw of Lincoln fourth, and Randolph's Markus Farnham fifth. Veteran driver Gary Mullen of Tunbridge captured his first championship with a ninth-place finish, beating Martin for the title by 26 points.

Like Ainsworth, Junkyard Warrior point leader Donny Yates of North Montpelier failed to qualify for the Milk Bowl finale, but was still able to clinch his division's championship on the strength of six wins during the season. Ken Christman of Cabot took his third victory, over Keith Fortier of Hinesburg, Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield, Northfield's John Prentice, and Tommy Elwood of Morrisville.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- 47th Annual Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, October 4, 2009

Pos.-Driver-Hometown-(Segment Finishes/Total Score)
1. John Donahue, Graniteville (3+9+5=17)
2. Brent Dragon, Milton (1+10+10=21)
3. Eric Williams, Hyde Park (7+15+4=26)
4. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H. (4+22+2=28)
5. Brian Hoar, Williston (16+4+9=29)
6. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex (5+19+7=31)
7. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne (10+13+8=31)
8. Nick Sweet, Barre (2+17+12=31)
9. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier (11+8+15=34)
10. Chip Grenier, Graniteville (9+25+3=37)
11. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton (8+29+1=38)
12. Phil Scott, Montpelier (6+27+6=39)
13. Scott Payea, Milton (12+5+23=40)
14. Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H. (13+6+22=41)
15. Tyler Cahoon, St. Johnsbury (22+2+20=44)
16. Glen Luce, Turner, Me. (18+16+11=45)
17. Tony Andrews, Northfield (24+3+18=45)
18. Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dracut, Mass. (27+1+19=47)
19. Joey Doiron, Berwick, Me. (14+7+26=47)
20. Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H. (21+12+17=50)
21. Matt White, Northfield (15+28+16=59)
22. Chad Wheeler, Waterbury Center (19+30+13=62)
23. Mark Hayward, Unity, N.H. (25+11+27=63)
24. Mike Olsen, North Haverhill, N.H. (17+18+28=63)
25. Eric Chase, Milton (20+14+29=63)
26. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville (23+21+21=65)
27. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville (28+24+14=66)
28. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte (26+20+25=71)
29. Mike Bailey, South Barre (30+23+24=77)
30. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction (29+26+30=85)

NAPA Tiger Sportsman (# - denotes rookie)
1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. #Jason Corliss, Danville
3. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
4. Tony Rossi, Barre
5. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
6. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
7. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
8. Tommy Therrien, Hinesburg
9. Josh Demers, Middlesex
10. Lance Allen, Barre

Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (# - denotes rookie)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
1. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
2. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common (SS)
3. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)
4. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS)
5. Markus Farnham, Randolph (SS)

20. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
21. Keith Fortier, Hinesburg (JW)
22. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield (JW)
23. John Prentice, Northfield (JW)
24. Tommy Elwood, Morrisville (JW)

(PHOTOS: 1. John Donahue hoists the Milk Bowl trophy after his first win in the classic event; 2. Donahue smooches Larolupine, the Milk Bowl trophy queen, as Governor Jim Douglas looks on; 3. Tiger Sportsman champion Jimmy Hebert; 4. Street Stock champion Gary Mullen. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

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)

Lowrey Scores Again at Thunder Road

BARRE -- Rich Lowrey of Charlotte waited two years to get back to victory lane at Thunder Road. The next one came without much a delay. Eight days, to be exact.

Dave Whitcomb of Essex Junction led most of the Pepsi 50-lap Late Model feature on Friday night, but Lowrey took command with two laps remaining to take the win. Lowrey also won last Thursday's event.

Whitcomb held on to finish in second place for his best result of the season. Jamie Fisher of Shelburne continued his hot streak with a third-place finish. Grant Folsom and Cris Michaud were next in line. The unofficial top-ten was completed by point leader Jean-Paul Cyr, last night's winner, Nick Sweet, Matt White, Craig Bushey, and Jerry Lesage.

Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg won the Tiger Sportsman feature over Matt Potter of Marshfield and Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell.

M.C. Ingram of Essex Junction led the Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior feature from start to finish for his first career Street Stock win. Rookie Tucker Williams finished second with Michael Moore third.

Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the top Junkyard Warrior driver for the second night in a row.

Sweet Breaks Through in Late Models

Pembroke's crash hurts title chances


BARRE -- A long list of first-time feature winners at Thunder Road in 2009 got one name longer on Thursday night. Hometown sophomore Nick Sweet drove from 12th starting position to knock off his first career Late Model victory, becoming the fourth first-time winner in the division this season and the tenth consecutive non-repeat winner at the track.

Mike Bailey of South Barre led the majority of the first 30 laps, only letting Eric Chase nose ahead on three circuits after a lap 8 restart. Bailey was drilled in the right-side door on lap 29 by the lapped car of Matt White, however, and gave way to Sweet's Saint J Auto Pontiac one lap later. Sweet led the final 20 laps virtually uncontested, but was forced to outrace former track champions Jamie Fisher, Phil Scott, Cris Michaud, Reno Gervais, and point leader Jean-Paul Cyr to take the win, as a final restart of lap 40 bunched the field.

Fisher held on for his second runner-up finish in a row, with Michaud third, Scott fourth, and Cyr fifth. Bailey limped home in 20th place.

Sweet suffered engine problems last week and his team was still trying to solve the issue as of Thursday afternoon. "I can't say enough about the guys, they worked their butts off this week," said Sweet. "We were [at the shop], heck, I was going home before them and I usually don't do that. I'm usually one of the last guys there, and I was like, 'Guys, I gotta go to work in the morning,' and they would just stay down there.

"We lose as a team, we win as a team, and you really find out who your real friends are when you're down. I mean, look at us, we were down tonight. This is what happens in racing. You're at your lowest point in the season, you don't think it can get any worse, all of sudden you're like, 'I'm so sick of it, I can't wait for it to be over,' and then you win a race. And look at us now, I've got a grin on my face, I'm on the ninth cloud, and we're going to come back tomorrow."

The caution flag that flew on lap 40 was for championship contender Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, who was shoved off the track by White in Turn 2 and slid down the embankment before slamming into a dirt retaining wall. Pembroke's crew attempted to make repairs and sent their driver back to the track, but after driving down pit road, Pembroke parked the Vt. State Employees Credit Union Chevrolet before with heavy suspension damage. Pembroke entered the event second in points, just 11 markers behind Cyr. To make matters infinitely worse for Pembroke, top-five race finishers Scott, Michaud, Sweet, and Fisher are also tightly grouped in order behind Pembroke in the point standings, and the next green flag is set to fly at 6:00pm on Friday -- approximately 20 hours after Pembroke's crash, therefore severely limiting time for repairs.

Pembroke offered no comment on the incident, but his team plans to work throughout the day on Friday in order to race.

Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. clinched the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship in a tie-breaker with Jason Bonnett despite crashing in the division's ACE Hardware 100. Shawn Fleury of Middlesex won the race after a late pass of Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell. Click here for the Tiger Sportsman event story.

Garry Bashaw of Lincoln earned his first career Street Stock win in the nightcap feature. Bashaw began racing in 2000 and had never won a main event. The win came in the first Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior combined 'A' feature run at Thunder Road since July 5. David Whitcomb of Elmore finished second over Tucker Williams, Michael Moore, and Mike MacAskill. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the top-finishing Warrior driver in 21st place, taking his fourth win of the season in the division. Kevin Dodge of Barre was second, with Waitsfield's Kevin Streeter third. Street Stock driver Scott Maynard of South Burlington walked away from a multi-time rollover off Turn 2 that destroyed his car. MacAskill won the 'reserve' feature to qualify for the main event.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- ACE Hardware Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 13, 2009

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

ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre
2. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
3. Cris Michaud, Northfield
4. Phil Scott, Montpelier
5. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
6. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
7. Eric Chase, Milton
8. Pete Fecteau, Morrisville
9. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
10. Jerry Lesage, Winooski

NAPA Tiger Sportsman (100 laps)
1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
3. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
4. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
5. Scott Coburn, Barre
6. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans
7. David Finck, Barre
8. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
9. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
10. Josh Demers, Middlesex

Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior 'A' Feature (25 laps)
1. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS winner)
2. David Whitcomb, Elmore (SS)
3. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Michael Moore, East Haven (SS)
5. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)

21. Donny Yates, North Montpelier (JW winner)

Street Stock/Warrior 'Reserve' Feature (25 laps)
1. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
2. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
3. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge (SS)
4. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common (SS)
5. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)

VIDEO: The Port-A-"Petty" Grand Prix?

"The King" Richard Petty, seven-time NASCAR champion, came to Barre's Thunder Road on Thursday night for the annual WDEV Radio/Calkins Portable Toilets "Port-A-Potty Grand Prix." In case you're out of the loop, the annual race is more than a decade old, and pits the point leaders from each division against each other in potty-themed push carts down the frontstretch.

Here, the crowd chooses the Best Appearing Potty from the four entries: Jean-Paul Cyr and the Late Model push team, Jimmy Hebert and the Tiger Sportsman group, Gary Mullen's Street Stock team, and Donny Yates and the Junkyard Warriors (sounds like an '80s garage band, no?).

Mullen's racing outhouse -- complete with sink! -- was chosen the winner by applause, and Petty clearly had fun presenting the "Golden Plunger" award.

And, of course, what kind of news outlet would this be without a video of the actual race? Hebert's snazzy orange and black tiger-striped crapper was the first to cross the T.P. finish line (we think that's crewman Jared Hart pushing at 100mph), for what is undoubtedly the most important victory of Hebert's young racing career. Unofficially, Yates was a close second, Mullen third, and Cyr -- in a ride that more closely resembles Santa's sleigh and a team of four dilapidated reindeer-bicyclists -- a distant fourth.

Polewarczyk Finally Gets One At The Road

BARRE -- Maybe it was a bit late, but that made Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.'s first win in the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150 at Thunder Road on Thursday night all that much sweeter. The Hudson, N.H. driver, who turned 20 years old less than a month ago, crashed off the backstretch and out of an almost certain victory at the Barre track on Memorial Day weekend. He'd lost a couple of shots at winning the season-ending Milk Bowl. He'd been wrecked there countless times.

But now that's all behind him.

You couldn't ask for a better setting: Spectacular weather with a twilight start to a big event, a visiting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion in Tony Stewart, a packed house -- maybe an all-time record crowd -- jamming the hillside seats at the track. And Polewarczyk, despite what he might have said earlier, was still seething over his latest loss at Thunder Road.

The youngster wasted no time in getting to the front; after starting in eighth place on the 30-car grid, he was fifth by the end of lap 5. By lap 18, he was third. On lap 57, he was in the lead, a position he would never relinquish. But although he was never passed for the top spot, Polewarczyk was never really comfortably out front until lap 148.

A 45-lap duel with sophomore hometown favorite Nick Sweet, beginning at lap 101, kept the crowd holding its breath -- Sweet hugging the low lane trying to nose ahead, Polewarczyk rim-riding the high side, leading the race by a matter of only a foot at times -- and could likely be thought of as one of the finest battles for a victory in recent Thunder Road memory. A late caution period, followed by a surprise visit to the front by defending Governor's Cup winner Cris Michaud only hightened the tension.

After all, Polewarczyk was running the same high line on Memorial Day when he crashed. Sweet had never won in Late Model competition and was hungry to break through, and both he and Michaud were itching to earn a possible qualifying berth for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, one of the prizes awarded to the winner of the Governor's Cup 150. And with the caution and impending restart bunching the field with just five laps to go, who knew what was going to happen?

Green flag: Sweet gets the jump in the outside lane, a place he hasn't seen -- other than in lapped traffic -- since the 1/3-mark of the race. Sweet tries his best to hold his advantage, but Polewarczyk is too strong and leads the lap. Suddenly -- and everyone saw it coming, it seems -- the pair swap lanes, trying to get back to familiar territory. It works, but only for a moment, as Sweet opens the door and Michaud ducks underneath him, taking away second place. As the two-to-go signal comes from the flagstand, Polewarczyk eases into a two car-length lead.

White flag, almost there. What could go wrong now?

Turn 1: Tore the whole nose off on Labor Day here last year.

Turn 2: Popped a radiator here in 2005.

Backstretch: Remember Memorial Day?

Turn 3: Got into it with Karl Allard here at the Milk Bowl last year and got black-flagged.

Turn 4: Ouch, that first trip in 2004. A chunk of the wall ended up inside the car that night.

Frontstretch: And none of that matters anymore. Checkered flag. It's over.

The victory lane interview with Ken Squier was barely audible over the thousands of cheering fans that had not only come to see Tony Stewart, but to see if this kid Polewarczyk had what it took to win at one of the toughest race tracks around. He was drained, physically, emotionally, mentally. In 85-degree heat, he had raced his tail off for the win, and all the memories had undoubtedly haunted him to no end.

In the inspection area a few minutes later, he'd had a bit more time to let it sink in. So Joey, you've won at Thunder Road, how does it feel? Sweat-soaked, beat red, and wearing a winner's medal around his neck with the CARQUEST logo on it, a big grin comes across his face: "Pretty friggin' good."

And that's all he needed to say.

***

In support action, Pete Ainsworth and Jimmy Hebert celebrated split Tiger Sportsman feature victories in two very different ways. Middlesex racer Ainsworth was more or less uncontested as he notched the 10th win of his career in the division, boosting him into elite status among the all-time winners of Thunder Road's oldest class of race car. For him, it was just another day at the office. However, 18 year-old Hebert, of Williamstown, battled another youngster, Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell, and earned his first-ever win. He paused during his victory lap for a impromptu smoke show and donut on the backstretch.

"I bent my steering shaft down punching [the steering wheel] I was so excited," laughed Hebert. "I couldn't hardly turn doing the burnout."

Ainsworth was trailed across the finish line by Shawn Fleury and Doug Crowningshield, and a razor-close finish between David Finck and Joey Laquerre; Finck got the position. Following Hebert and O'Donnell were Mike Ziter, Eric Badore, and Jeff French.

Tommy "Thunder" Smith of Williamstown drove his Thunder Road 50th Anniversary-themed car to his first win of the year in the first of two Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior features after starting 19th. Bruce Melendy finished second after contact with David Greenslit approachign the final lap sent Greenslit spinning into the infield; Greg Adams, Jr. was third over Joe Blais and Troy Gray. David Whitcomb of Elmore earned his first Street Stock main event win in the nightcap, over Tim Campbell, Mike MacAskill, Ron Gabaree, and Gary Mullen.

Donny Yates of North Montpelier and Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield were the top Junkyard Warrior drivers in the respective features; each driver took his third win of the season.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, June 25, 2009

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

Late Model
1. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H.
2. Cris Michaud, Northfield
3. Nick Sweet, Barre
4. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
5. John Donahue, Graniteville
6. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
7. Trampas Demers, South Burlington
8. Phil Scott, Montpelier
9. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
10. Eric Williams, Hyde Park
11. Rich Lowrey, Williston
12. Brent Dragon, Milton
13. Tony Andrews, Northfield
14. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans
15. Eric Chase, Milton
16. Tony Stewart, Rushville, Ind.
17. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
18. Dennis Demers, Shelburne
19. Mike Bailey, South Barre
20. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
21. Dave Paya, Milton
22. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
23. Steve Fisher, Shelburne
24. Brooks Clark, Fayston
25. Doug Murphy, Tunbridge
26. Cal Poulin, Braintree
27. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
28. Matt White, Northfield
29. Patrick Laperle, St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué.
30. Robbie Crouch, Tampa, Fla.

Tiger Sportsman Feature #1
1. Pete Ainsworth, Middlesex
2. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
3. Doug Crowningshield, Barre
4. David Finck, Barre
5. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier

Tiger Sportsman Feature #2
1. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
2. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
3. Mike Ziter, Williamstown
4. Eric Badore, Georgia
5. Jeff French, Northfield

Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior Feature #1
1. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS winner)
2. Bruce Melendy, Danville (SS)
3. Greg Adams, Jr., Hardwick (SS)
4. Joe Blais, East Barre (SS)
5. Troy Gray, Fairlee (SS)

12. Donny Yates, North Montpelier (JW winner)

Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior Feature #2
1. David Whitcomb, Elmore (SS winner)
2. Tim Campbell, West Topsham (SS)
3. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
4. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
5. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge (SS)

14. Kevin Streeter, Watisfield (JW winner)


(PHOTOS: 1. An exhausted Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (right) is joined in victory lane by Vt. Governor Jim Douglas after Polewarczyk's win at Thunder Road on Thursday night; 2. Tiger Sportsman winner Pete Ainsworth. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

"Retired" Demers Wins First of '09 at Thunder Road

BARRE -- Veteran Late Model driver Dennis Demers of Shelburne dominated the 50-lap Harvest Equipment feature at Thunder Road on Friday night for his first win of the season, on a night when NASCAR legend Bobby Allison paid a visit the track to celebrate its 50th season. The event was pushed back a day by rains on Thursday, and was delayed again by weather early in the program on Friday.

Following a podium finish part-way through the 2008 season, Demers announced his retirement from the sport; he returned for two races later in the year, however, and has yet to miss an event at Thunder Road this season.

Polesitter Robbie Crouch finished second, while Phil Scott began to turn his frustrating season around with a third-place finish. Joey Becker and Trampas Demers, Dennis' son, finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Brooks Clark, Jean-Paul Cyr, Grant Folsom, Matt White, and Eric Chase completed the top ten in order, unofiicially.

Sophomore Tiger Sportsman competitor Mike Ziter of Williamstown was in the right place at the right time, as leader Ricky Roberts' car shut down with two laps remaining in the division's 35-lap feature. Ziter held off fellow second-year racer Bobby Therrien in a green-white-checkered finish with Tony Rossi a career-best third. Derrick O'Donnell and David Finck rounded out the top five.

Street Stock racer Michael Moore of East Haven survived a wild final lap in the Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior 'A' feature for his first win of the year. Tim Campbell and Joe Blais earned their first podium finishes of the season in second and third, ahead of Garry Bashaw and Bunker Hodgdon. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the lone Warrior driver to qualify for the main event and was awarded the win for his division.

Street Stock driver Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick won his second-straight Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior 'reserve' feature, with rookie Jamie Davis, Shawn Cook, Dave LaFleche, and Warrior driver Ken Christman in tow.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Harvest Equipment Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Friday, June 19, 2009

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

Late Model Feature (50 laps)
1. Dennis Demers, Shelburne
2. Robbie Crouch, Tampa, Fla.
3. Phil Scott, Montpelier
4. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
5. Trampas Demers, South Burlington
6. Brooks Clark, Fayston
7. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
8. Grant Folsom, Waitsfield
9. Matt White, Northfield
10. Eric Chase, Milton

Tiger Sportsman Feature (35 laps)
1. Mike Ziter, Williamstown
2. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
3. Tony Rossi, Barre
4. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
5. David Finck, Barre
6. Joey Roberts, Georgia
7. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
8. Matt Potter, Marshfield
9. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
10. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury

Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior 'A' Feature (25 laps)
1. Michael Moore, East Haven (SS winner)
2. Tim Campbell, West Topsham (SS)
3. Joe Blais, East Barre (SS)
4. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS)
5. Bunker Hodgdon, Hardwick (SS)

20. Donny Yates, North Montpelier (JW winner)

Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior 'Reserve' Feature (25 laps)
1. Greg Adams, Jr., Hardwick (SS)
2. #Jamie Davis, Wolcott (SS)
3. Shawn Cook, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Dave LaFleche, Graniteville (SS)
5. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)