Corliss Making His Mark in Thunder Road Late Models
Barre, VT – Before his 2013 rookie season in the Thunder Road Late Models, Barre’s Jason Corliss hoped that his team would be a championship contender in five years’ time. Corliss is now entering his third year in the top division, and already finds himself high on the list of title threats.
Corliss enters the upcoming season after a 2014 campaign in which he captured the first two wins of his American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model championship career. He finished fourth in the point standings. His defining moment came at the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. Corliss muscled underneath two-time “King of the Road” Nick Sweet on the final circuit of the 100-lap event, beating him to the checkered flag by a bumper for his first win. The victory sent a message: he and his Chris Burnett–owned team have arrived.
“The goal this year is definitely to race and compete for the title,” Corliss said. “That’s where our sights are set on. It’s what we’re working and have worked all winter for. We feel that, with the season we had last year, we’re in a really good place as a team to be able to do that.”
Corliss and Burnett moved up to the Late Models from the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen after the 2012 season. They showed flashes of potential in 2013, posting three top-5 finishes in their rookie year. At the end of the season, the team purchased an RPM Motorsports car formerly driven by 8-time American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Champion Brian Hoar, setting up their standout 2014 campaign.
“The first car we bought was kind of just dipping our toes in it, and let’s do it and have fun,” Corliss recalled. “Obviously we’re there to be competitive and race to win, but it just wasn’t the same car that I’m racing now. When they decided to purchase the (current) car, that’s really when things got serious with our program.
“It’s not just equipment. You can’t just throw anybody or any team against a race car and expect results. But we gained crew members, and we just put a lot more effort into our program.”
Corliss is a former basketball player at Twinfield High School whose character is exemplified by the Vermont Principal’s Association award he received for conduct on and off the court. The self-described “hyper-competitive” racer got his start as a crew member for three-time Thunder Road Late Model Champion Cris Michaud. Jason’s father Jim first joined Michaud’s crew after competing in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and soon got Jason involved as well.
“He’s come up through Tom Curley’s system, which so many of us believe in,” said Michaud, who is now Thunder Road’s race director. “He’s done the whole ladder from the beginning. He hasn’t had the big sponsors. He’s worked hard, started out with low or medium equipment, and just worked his way up. A lot of his edge was his driving ability. He didn’t have the silver spoon. He’s worked hard for his talent and success in racing.”
When he turned 16, Corliss jumped into a 4-cylinder Street Stock for the 2005 season. He progressed and eventually won the 2008 Street Stock championship. Corliss moved up to the V8-powered Tiger Sportsmen in 2010 and won the Rookie of the Year Award. A hard crash late that year led to his partnership with Burnett. Corliss finished in the top-10 in points in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
“There’s always those teams that surprise you,” two-time Late Model Champion Nick Sweet said. “Last year I thought it was the Corliss team. They might not have won the championship, but they did a phenomenal job coming on. It was great to see them make strides.”
The work has paid off to date. Corliss is eager to start the season – so much so he was the first Thunder Road competitor to enter the season-opening Merchant’s Bank 150 on Sunday, May 3.
Corliss, defending track champion Derrick O’Donnell, and the rest of the Thunder Road Late Model stars will take on the talent of the American-Canadian Tour on May 3, including 2014 Tour Champion Joey Polewarczyk Jr., defending Merchant’s Bank 150 winner Wayne Helliwell Jr., and Milk Bowl Champion Eddie MacDonald. The weekend will begin on Saturday, May 2 with the Thunder Road Car Show in downtown Barre and race car parade up Quarry Hill, followed by an open practice for all divisions. Post time on Sunday is 1:00pm.
For additional information contact the Thunder Road office at 802.244.6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
Sources: Michael Stridsberg/ACT PR