Meet Thunder Road Late Model Driver Chip Grenier
#9VT Grenier Motorsports Toyota Camry
Hometown: Graniteville, VT
Date of Birth: October 26, 1977
Chip lives with his wife Larissa and their two cats. He works as a foundation mason during the summer and a racecar
fabricator during the winter.
2009 Season: Chip competed on the ACT Tour full-time for the first time during the 2009 season. He earned four top tens in his 12 starts and earned ninth place in the final point standings. He also finished tenth in the 47th Annual Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl. At the 2009 ACT Banquet of Champions he received the 2009 ACT Tour Sportsmanship Award. Chip could also be seen every Thursday night at Thunder Road as the crew chief for Rich Lowrey.
Continue reading ‘Meet Thunder Road Late Model Driver Chip Grenier’
American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model stock car Champion Brian Hoar of Williston was honored for his sixth career ACT Late Model Tour Championship on Saturday, January 16 at the Sheraton-Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in South Burlington, VT. Hoar currently holds the record for the most career wins in ACT Late Model Tour history with 25, including back-to-back wins at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and Waterford Speedbowl in 2010. These wins, plus 11 top tens in 13 starts, helped Hoar edge out runner-up Scott Payea. Hoar was joined by over 500 teams, fans and officials as he celebrated his first championship with new car owner Rick Paya. Paya also has previous ACT Tour championships as a crew chief and car owner with Jean-Paul Cyr.
The 41st Annual MacTavish Award was given to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) for their contribution to Northeast stock car racing. The prestigious MacTavish Award is named for legendary New England racer Don MacTavish who was killed in 1969 while racing at Daytona International Speedway. In 2010, NHMS hosted the first annual ACT Invitational, which invited 36 of the best Late Model competitors from around the region. It was the showcase event for ACT Late Model competition during the 2010 season.
Continue reading ‘Hoar, Cyr and NHMS Honored at ACT/Thunder Road Banquet of Champions’
New Englanders Heather DesRochers, Katie Hagar, Dylan Smith & Jonathan Smith Among Participants
Huntersville, NC — Thirty drivers from different forms of racing across the United States will showcase their skills in front of NASCAR executives and officials at the annual Drive for Diversity Testing & Evaluation Combine presented by Sunoco, as they vie for one of 10 spots with Revolution Racing for the 2010 season.
The Combine kicks off the new academy-style development for Drive for Diversity, with 10 drivers competing for the program under a single team ownership structure. The scouting event will take place October 16-20 in Charlotte, N.C., and Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va.
“The drivers invited to the Combine will compete for an opportunity to be a part of the inaugural class in the D4D programs new academy-style driver development program,” said Marcus Jadotte, Managing Director of Public Affairs for NASCAR, who oversees the sanctioning body’s diversity initiatives, “As the Drive for Diversity initiative enters its seventh year, the program’s focus on driver testing and training will better position drivers to succeed and advance in our sport.”
Continue reading ‘D4D Kicks-Off With Annual Testing & Evaluation Combine’
Hebert, Mullen and Yates Crowned 2009 Champions
Graniteville’s John Donahue won the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Sunday, October 4. Donahue’s fifth place finish in the third segment was enough to edge out Brent Dragon by just four points. Dragon went into the third segment as the overall leader after winning the first segment and placing 10th in the second segment. His tenth place finish in the third segment gave him an overall score of 21 points for the three segment event.
Donahue took the green in the final segment trailing Dragon by just one point. The two fought hard through traffic to get to the front but Donahue got into the open air quicker and made it up to fifth and secured the win with a combined score of 17.
Eric Williams finished third overall with 26 points, followed by Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. (28), Brian Hoar (29), Dave Pembroke (31), Jamie Fisher (31), Nick Sweet (31), Joey Laquerre (34), and Chip Grenier (37) rounded out the top ten.
Continue reading ‘Donahue Takes 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl’
Barre, VT — Seven former Milk Bowl Champions have secured a spot in the starting grid for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl rescheduled for this Sunday (October 4) at Thunder Road International Speedbowl. Brent Dragon, Dave Pembroke, Eric Williams, Cris Michaud and Jean-Paul Cyr each have their name etched in the Milk Bowl Champions granite monument once, while Phil Scott and Brian Hoar have two wins apiece. This leaves 23 drivers aiming for their first career Milk Bowl win.
Two favorites will start segment one from the front row. Barre’s Nick Sweet starts on the pole after earning the Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Pole award last Saturday. His lap was the fourth fastest to earn the pole since Late Models took over the Chittenden Milk Bowl in 1996. Sweet will attempt to become the tenth driver in the history of the Milk Bowl to win from the pole. It is only his second career start in the prestigious event. His ninth place finish in last year’s event helped him earn the 2008 ACT Tour Rookie of the Year honors.
Continue reading ‘Seven Past Milk Bowl Champions Qualify for 47th Chittenden Milk Bowl’
Barre, VT — The 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl at Barre’s Thunder Road originally scheduled for Sunday, September 27th, has been postponed due to rain. The event has been rescheduled for next Sunday, October 4th.
The 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl is the final event of Thunder Road’s 50th Anniversary Season. Barre’s Nick Sweet will start on the pole of the first segment next Sunday, after earning the Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Pole award on Saturday, September 26. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. will start on the outside pole after coming up just short in his bid for a fourth straight pole award. A total of 54 cars attempted to qualify for the non-point counting event. The field of 30 has been set for the first segment.
Next Sunday’s event will be the final point counting event for the NAPA Tiger Sportsman, Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Power Shift Junkyard Warriors. Post time is set for 1 p.m.
Photo Galleries
[Milk Bowl Sat.] by Eric LaFleche
[ACT Milk Bowl Sat.] by Eric LaFleche
[Milk Bowl Sat.] by Leif Tillotson
Continue reading ‘47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl Postponed’
Barre’s Nick Sweet earned the Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Pole award at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Saturday, September 26. Sweet ran a lap of 13.110 on the ¼ mile speedbowl and will sit on the pole for the first segment of the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl on Sunday, September 27. Sweet earned $1000 from Booth Bros./H.P. Hood for his qualifying efforts.
Only four other times Milk Bowl history has a Barre driver claimed pole position. Chester T. Woods set the fast time in 1970, Dan Beede sat on the pole in 1991 and 1992 while brother Chuck Beede started at the front in 1996.
Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk, Jr. came up just short in his attempt for four straight pole awards. His fastest lap was just 54 one-thousandths of a second off of Sweet’s fast time. Pole had to settle for the outside pole position.
Continue reading ‘Nick Sweet Claims Milk Bowl Pole’
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009
8:00 LM Pits Open
Tire Compound
Tech Inspection
9:00 Pits Open—Sportsman, SS, JYW
10:00 MANDATORY DRIVER MEETING
Spectator Gate Opens
11:00 Practice
-ACT Late Models
-NAPA Tiger Sportsmen
-Allen Lumber SS/Power Shift JYW
-ACT Late Models
-NAPA Tiger Sportsmen
-Allen Lumber SS/Power Shift JYW
-ACT Late Models
Continue reading ‘47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl Schedule of Events’
Barre, VT — Lots of new names will be at Barre’s Thunder Road this weekend for their first Chittenden Milk Bowl experience. These “outsiders” will invade the Barre highbanks to take on the Thunder Road and American Canadian Tour regulars in the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl on Sunday, September 27.
Newcomers Wayne Helliwell, Jr. (2009 Lee USA Champion), Quebec’s Daniel Bergeron, stock car builder Jeff Taylor, White Mountain’s Bernie Lantagne and Travis Fadden will take on local favorites Dave Pembroke, 2009 King of the Road Jean-Paul Cyr, Nick Sweet, Phil Scott, Jamie Fisher and Eric Williams among others.
“Its fun competing against new faces and we proved at Loudon last weekend that you don’t have to know one another to race each other with respect,” said Barre’s Nick Sweet. Sweet turned heads when he finished second at the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH last Saturday, September 19.
Continue reading ‘New Faces Take on Chittenden Milk Bowl’
Dave Pembroke of Montpelier led all 200 laps of the American Canadian Tour Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT. Pembroke started on the pole after earning a +8 handicap by moving from 11th to 3rd in his heat race. John Donahue and Patrick Laperle battled hard for the final 19 laps with Donahue getting the edge by a bumper at the line. Brian Hoar and Eric Williams were the final two cars on the lead lap and rounded out the top five.
The thirty car field made it through the first 181 laps caution free while Pembroke put all but the top five cars down a lap. Pembroke felt no competition as the closest car on the lead lap was nearly a half a track behind as they both worked their way through lap traffic. All thirty cars were still on the track when the checkered flag flew.
Continue reading ‘Dave Pembroke Dominates the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic’
The upcoming Labor Day weekend will bring a major test for the American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model race teams. The first double-header weekend of the season takes place with a rain make up event at the Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH on Friday night, September 4. Post time is 7 pm. Following the event at Twin State; the TOUR will head to Thunder Road for the 31st running of the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 on Sunday, September 6, 2009.
“This is just like the old days, when we used to race lots of double header weekends”, said Tom Curley, President of the ACT. “I actually liked doing a couple of races a weekend back when we ran the old NASCAR North and ACT Pro-Stock Tours. It seemed to build great camaraderie among the teams who helped put the cars together with each other, and certainly those weekends created some interesting short term rivalries”, continued Curley.
Continue reading ‘ACT Double Header Labor Day Weekend’
Unadilla, Georgia’s David Ragan will pull into Thunder Road for Thursday night’s final race of the 50th season on a high after a morale boosting victory in Bristol, Tennessee this past weekend over Carl Edwards. The 23 year old prospect for NASCAR stardom won his second Nationwide series of the season after his victory at Talladega, Alabama earlier this summer. The 100 lap main event will put the “scourge” of Georgia short tracking up against Thunder Road’s top talent. Along with his Nationwide series success, he’s been a top ten finisher in the past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 11 times, driving for John Henry (Red Sox Owner) and Jack Roush. He has already been signed for another year in their UPS car for Sprint Cup Racing.
“I am truly excited about the prospect of running at Thunder Road. Tony Stewart told me that seldom in his experience has he raced against guys that drive harder and are more respectful of each other than the guys at Thunder Road”, he said. But he cautioned that you need track time to get in the rhythm of the famed Barre high banks. “I intend to be there early and really work on what everyone tells me is as challenging a short track as one can find in the US”, he said.
Continue reading ‘Ragan Ready for Final Thursday Night at T-Road’
Young Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, NH scores his first career win at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in the CARQUEST Governor’s Cup 150. Pole got by Jamie Fisher to take the lead shortly after a restart with just under 100 laps to go. Nick Sweet then worked his way to second and setup the battle of the race. Pole and Sweet ran side by side and worked their way through lap traffic before a lap 145 caution staged a shootout for the win. Pole proved to be too much for Sweet as he held onto the lead for the final 5 laps. Cris Michaud passed Sweet with two to go for second to come home with the best finish ever for a Ford crate motor in ACT Late Model competition. Sweet settled for third followed by Jamie Fisher and John Donahue finishing in the top five. Sixth through tenth was filled by Dave Pembroke, Trampas Demers, Phil Scott, Joey Laquerre and Eric Williams.
Pole is a regular of the American Canadian Tour, where he has three career wins. He has already qualified for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 19th by winning an ACT Tour race earlier this the season at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Continue reading ‘Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. Wins CARQUEST Governor’s Cup 150′
Schedule of Events
Wednesday 6.24
5:00pm-6:30pm Optional Local Teams Pits Open – Park Haulers
Thursday 6.25
2:00 Pits open
Tires – Tech Draw
2:00 Non-VT RV PARKING ONLY with Loudon Tix
RV must show Loudon tix – park farmhouse
2:45 Season Pass Front Gate Open
3:00 Front Gate Open
Continue reading ‘CARQUEST Governor’s Cup 150 Schedule’
The Harvest Equipment stock car racing program set for Thursday, June 18 at Barre’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl has been washed away by rain. The four-division card has been rescheduled for Friday, June 19 at 6:30pm. Gates will open at 5:00pm, regular admission rates will be in effect at $9.50 for adults, $3 for children (6-12), and just $20 for a family of any two adults and any two kids.
Harvest Equipment Night was scheduled to be the second Thursday night event of the 50th Anniversary Season. It is the fourth race of the year for the NAPA Tiger Sportsman, Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Powershift Junkyard Warriors. The ACT Late Models will run their second weekly event of the season at tomorrow’s Harvest Equipment event.
Continue reading ‘Thunder Road Pushed Back by Rain to Friday’
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) defending Champion Patrick Laperle from St Denis, Quebec has entered the CARQUEST Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 on June 25th at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT. Laperle not only won his first ACT US title at the ¼ mile bullring in 2008, but he has a knack for winning the big shows at what many call the toughest quarter mile in America. Laperle is defending Champion of the 2008 Chittenden Milk Bowl, which he also won in 2006.
The challenge to race against one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, Tony Stewart, who will also compete in one of the most exciting 150 lap events of the season on Thursday, June 25th was just what the JPN Laperle Racing team enjoys. “I can’t wait to race against Tony Stewart. My brother and I are huge fans of his and this is going to be one of my best racing memories. The idea that I can just race and not worry about ACT Série Castrol points or anything like that is what I love to do. I hope we come to the wire side-by-side for the win after 149 laps. It would be the thrill of a lifetime”, said Patrick Laperle.
Continue reading ‘Laperle First Entry for CARQUEST Vermont Governor’s Cup’
Hudson, NH – The action at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT will be at a fever pitch on Thursday June 25th. Why you ask? Well; could the announcement of a 2-Time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion racing at the ¼ mile oval have anything to do with it? You bet!
It was announced some time ago that Tony “Smoke” Stewart was going to be racing at Thunder Road in the 2009 Carquest Governor’s Cup 150. So, the question loomed will “Smoke” build his own car, much like fellow Sprint Cup Driver Kevin Harvick did for the T.D. Banknorth 250 or will he “borrow” a car?
That question was answered quickly when it was announced that Tony will be piloting the Thunder Road Track Record holding car of Young ACT Standout #97 Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk Jr. The car is named “Betsy” and she has received a new body and many other new parts in preparation for the upcoming race.
Continue reading ‘Joey Pole Racing puts finishing touches on Tony Stewart’s ride for Thunder Road’
To Beat The Beaver by Bill Ladabouche
BOOK PRICES:
Vermont Resident – $24.00 [Includes 6% sales tax]
Vermont Resident – $29.83 [includes sales tax and shipping]
Non– Resident – $28.45 [includes shipping]
Canadian Orders – $34.00 [includes shipping]
Questions please email: Imadragn@together.net
For orders by mail: send a check or money order to:
To Beat the Beaver
7 Algonquin Reef Road
Milton, VT 05468
Continue reading ‘Beaver Dragon Book Now Available’
NASCAR Sprint Cup point leader Tony Stewart told GWC blogger Travis Barrett at Dover, Delaware last week that he is excited about his upcoming June 25th visit to Thunder Road. Stewart will compete in the CARQUEST Governor’s Cup 150 with 30 of the best Late Model teams of the American Canadian and Thunder Road regulars.
Stewart, coming off his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory as a car owner at Pocono Raceway last Sunday, is now perhaps the premiere racing star of the NASCAR Cup circuit. Stewart transcends ‘old school’ drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip and the new breed drivers like Carl Edwards, the Busch brothers and Jimmy Johnson. Stewart has raced in multiple disciplines of racecars, including Indy open wheel cars, sprint cars, and all forms of stock cars. He has made it clear to track owners that he is coming to Thunder Road to race.
Continue reading ‘NASCAR’S Tony Stewart Excited about Thunder Road Governor’s Cup’
Barre, VT — What a difference a year makes. Last May, the historic Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, VT., was tough to conquer for Steven Masse. Sunday afternoon, mission accomplished.
The 19 year old racer from Bellingham, MA., in only his second year of competition with the True Value Modified Racing Series, passed race leader Chris Pasteryak on lap 87, and went on to win the 100 lap Memorial Day Classic at the famed Vermont speedway before a huge holiday weekend crowd. Not only was it Masse’s first win, the victory moved him into first place in the point standings.
Continue reading ‘Masse Scores First Win In Crash Filled Thunder Road Race’
