(Press release from Thunder Road International Speedbowl)
An incredibly hot night high atop Quarry Hill in Barre, Vermont set up for one of the most hotly contested Times Argus Midseason Championships on record. All four divisions battled it out to join the wins list along with the FloRacing double purse in store to boot with the intensity as soaring as the temperatures inside their stock cars. Several stars made their mark on Thunder Road’s Midseason Championships for the first time, cementing themselves in the history books at ‘The Nation’s Site of Excitement.’
The rk Miles Street Stocks started off the evening with longtime stalwarts Mike ‘The Biffer’ Gay and Scott Weston leading the charge full song into turn four. Milton’s Trevor Jaques would take the lead quickly leaving William ‘The Weiner’ Henniquin to duke it out with South Hero’s Taylor Hoar. Hoar would make quick work, setting her sights on Jaques as the two would get physical beside each other crossing the line on lap 20. ‘Weiner’ went for the spin cycle in turn one to bring out the first caution on lap 21 leaving the two youngsters to face-off at the front of the pack.
Jaques would go backwards on the outside, leaving Josh Lovely to start battling with Hoar just before the second and final caution would come on lap 30 for the dislodged exhaust off the Paul Rocheleau ride on the start-finish line. Setting up for a final five lap shootout, Hoar and Lovely battled hard side-by-side each and every lap with Lovely squeezing one final lap by just 0.010-seconds over Hoar to take the win. With Josh Lovely’s fourth career Times Argus Midseason Championship, Taylor Hoar would take a birthday runner-up finish with former champion Jamie Davis taking third.
The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers followed with a stellar flag-to-flag race that had everything! Top rookie Tyler Pepin and Williamstown’s Matt Ballard led the early goings, side-by-side for the first 15 laps of the Times Argus Midseason Championship. After firmly taking the lead, Milton’s Adam Maynard jumped in for some fun, peeking under the #33VT by lap 22. A last ditch move in turn one saw Maynard squeeze between the lapped car of Luke Peters and Ballard to eke out the lead by the end of turn two. While Maynard enjoyed his day in the sun out front, the point leaders were having a wild time in the back of the pack as laps dwindled. Adam Maynard would ride it out under the checkered flag for his first Times Argus Midseason Championship victory followed by Matt Ballard’s first podium finish in second and Kyle Streeter rounding out the podium.
The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models took to the track following the annual Autograph Night session with rookie Cody Schoolcraft and Cooper Bouchard heading the field. With the top 18 drivers in line behind them, Bouchard would begin to slip back on the outside allowing Justin Prescott, Nick Sweet, and Brandon Lanphear to move up on the inside. The first caution would slow the field on lap 11 with Scott Coburn slipping around in turn one. Now a rookie front row with Prescott outside Schoolcraft under the return to green, Prescott would get a run on the bottom as Sweet followed through.
Schoolcraft spun out of the top three on lap 18 and called out the second caution leaving Sweet, Prescott and Marcel Gravel to make the moves out front. Sweet would steal the lead away, closely stalked by Gravel as Stephen Donahue and defending Midseason Champion Chris Pelkey put the outside groove to good use in the back of the pack. The Sweet and Gravel show out front continued to be hot and heavy before a big caution on lap 43 slowed the field as Kyle Pembroke’s busted rear end spilled grease across the racing surface. In the melee, point leader Tyler Cahoon broke a sway bar mount which ended his Midseason Championship run.
Gravel and Sweet would take off with the restart once again, as Lanphear, Donahue and Pelkey trailed not far off their rear bumpers. The final caution flag would wave on lap 57 with a spinning Cody into the turn one grass as Brandon Lanphear spun ahead of him. Sweet and Gravel dueled it out one last time under the final return to green but it was Donahue and Dragon breathing down their necks from behind that put on the show. On lap 68, Donahue would jump to the outside of Sweet and took the lead with five laps remaining right down to the end. Stephen Donahue took down his first ever Times Argus Midseason Championship followed by Nick Sweet and Scott Dragon to round out victory lane.
The Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors wrapped up the Times Argus program with their 25-lap blitzer. First year duo Anderson Boyd and Karsen Murphy led the field to green while Brodie Frazier took the bonsai move under the pair to steal the lead on the backstretch on lap one. Frazier sped away from the crowd with fellow first-year driver David Wilder in tow. Just after the halfway point, early leader Boyd would plow into the backstretch wall with newcomer Corey Martin to call out the only caution. Frazier and Wilder duked it out at the front over the last 9 laps but it was Ben Bushey who flew in at the last minute to come under Frazier for his first ever Road Warrior win. Brodie Frazier would make it two podiums in a row with David Wilder taking his first to round out the top-three.
Up next is the 44th Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 presented by the Vermont Lottery on Thursday, July 13th. The 150-lap midsummer showdown for the Maplewood/Irving Late Models will pit the ‘King of the Road’ championship hopefuls against an onslaught of Northeast invaders alongside NASCAR Cup Series Star Daniel Suarez! The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and rk Miles Street Stocks will also be in action for the annual July bash!
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT
Times Argus Midseason Championships
Thursday, July 6, 2023
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models – (75 Laps)
1. 31VT Stephen Donahue Graniteville, VT
2. 88VT Nick Sweet Williamstown, VT
3. 0VT Scott Dragon Milton, VT
4. 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT
5. 18VT #Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT
6. 64VT Chris Pelkey Graniteville, VT
7. 99VT Cody Blake Barre, VT
8. 17VT Darrell Morin Westford, VT
9. 94VT Brendan Moodie Wolcott, VT
10. 01VT Stephen Martin Craftsbury Common, VT
11. 9VT Chip Grenier Orange, VT
12. 16VT Brandon Lanphear Morrisville, VT
13. 14VT Phil Scott Berlin, VT
14. 04VT #Justin Prescott Milton, VT
15. 8VT Chris Roberts Washington, VT
16. 7VT Cooper Bouchard Hinesburg, VT
17. 31KS #Cody Schoolcraft Claremont, NH
18. 69VT Blair Bessett Barnet, VT
19. 60NH Derrick O’Donnell N. Haverhill, NH
20. 38VT Tyler Cahoon Danville, VT
21. 27VT Kyle Pembroke Montpelier, VT
22. 4VT Scott Coburn Barre, VT
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – (50 Laps)
1. 45VT Adam Maynard Milton, VT
2. 33VT Matt Ballard Williamstown, VT
3. 37VT Kyle Streeter Waterbury Ctr., VT
4. 07VT Sam Caron Milton, VT
5. 00VT Brandon Gray E. Thetford, VT
6. 68VT Jason Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT
7. 3VT Michael MacAskill Williamstown, VT
8. 56VT Chris Laforest Barre, VT
9. 4ME Cooper French Northfield, VT
10. 64VT Jason Pelkey Barre, VT
11. 67VT Kevin Streeter Waitsfield, VT
12. 8NH Rich Lowrey South Hero, VT
13. 20VT Robert Gordon Milton, VT
14. 54VT Colin Cornell E. Burke, VT
15. 90VT Cameron Ouellette Barre, VT
16. 08VT Phil Potvin Underhill, VT
17. 8VT Mike Billado Grand Isle, VT
18. 23NY Cam Gadue Highgate, VT
19. 78VT #Tyler Pepin Barre, VT
20. 26VT #Luke Peters Groton, VT
21. 31VT Logan Powers Middlesex, VT
22. 9VT #Zach Audet Morrisville, VT
rk Miles Street Stocks – (35 Laps)
1. 54 Josh Lovely Williamstown, VT
2. 48 Taylor Hoar South Hero, VT
3. 43 Jamie Davis Johnson, VT
4. 16 Dean Switser, Jr. Waterford, VT
5. 57 Trevor Jaques Milton, VT
6. 7 Kyle MacAskill Williamstown, VT
7. 08 #Ryan Foster Waterbury, VT
8. 30 Cameron Powers E. Montpelier, VT
9. 0 James Dopp Northfield, VT
10. 71 Jesse Laquerre Berlin, VT
11. 24 Todd Raymo Swanton, VT
12. 22 Eric Johnson Randolph, VT
13. 5 Kyle Gravel Wolcott, VT
14. 34 Patrick Tibbetts Plainfield, VT
15. 98 Kasey Collins Berlin, VT
16. 8 Jeffery Martin Barre, VT
17. 9 #Logan Farrell Barre, VT
18. 39 Derek Farnham Bethel, VT
19. 79 Juan ‘Paco’ Marshall Pittsfield, VT
20. 96 Thomas Peck Waterbury, VT
21. 50 Eric MacLaughlin Milton, VT
22. 3 Michael Gay S. Burlington, VT
23. 04 Scott Weston Berlin, VT
24. 2 Haidyn Pearce Chelsea, VT
25. 33 Curtis Franks Topsham, VT
26. 1 #Shea Wheeler Waterbury, VT
27. 88 #Paul Rocheleau Georgia, VT
28. 47 William Hennequin Morrisville, VT
DNS 73 Paige Whittemore Graniteville, VT
DNS 69 Christopher Davis Berlin, VT
DNS 74 Tyler Whittemore Barre, VT
DNS 13 #Travis Gay S. Burlington, VT
Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – (25 Laps)
1. 07 Benjamin Bushey Springfield, VT
2. 17 Brodie Frazier E. Montpelier, VT
3. 18 David Wilder Barre, VT
4. 31 Tyler Wheatley Brookfield, VT
5. 19 Neal Foster Moretown, VT
6. 16 Nate Brien Williamstown, VT
7. 88 Frank Putney Graniteville, VT
8. 99 Fred Fleury Graniteville, VT
9. 42 Karsen Murphy Northfield, VT
10. 77 Zach Garvey Milton, VT
11. 71 Jason Kirby Milton, VT
12. 74 Keegan Tabor Williamstown, VT
13. 54 Dan Garrett, Jr. Berlin, VT
14. 26 Corey Martin Northfield, VT
15. 23 Jennesta Garrett Middlesex, VT
16. 50 Nick Copping Barre, VT
17. 33 Brayden Murphy Barre, VT
18. 43 Anderson Boyd Berlin, VT
DNS 54 Dan Garrett, Jr. Berlin, VT
DNS 44 Chris Couture Barre, VT
DNS 94 Ryan Sayers Barre, VT
DNS 13 Kevin Wheatley Brookfield, VT
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