Luce Wins PASS North Race At 54th Annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic At Thunder Road
Barre, VT- Glen Luce out of Turner, ME would win the Pro All Star Series North Super Late Model event during the 54th annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic Thunder Road Speedbowl on Sunday afternoon. Travis Benjamin would start on the pole and lead the first 100 laps in the event. Jeremy Davis would take over the lead. Davis had mechanical problems during a caution and would not return in the event. Wayne Helliwell, JR started in 18th would take over the lead.
On the restart on lap 119, Glen Luce would take the lead and never look back as he would lead the final 31 laps and win the PASS Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic as it would be his first win of the year. For Luce, this was a very special win at Thunder Road as he used to race on the ACT Tour. Luce talked about the last restart. “ I knew Wayne is a tough competitor. Raced with him for years on the ACT Tour as well as the PASS Tour. I was surprised I got him a little bit. He spun the tires. I thought I’d go to the bottom and try to protect that. I see immediately he came right back on the top. I’d knew I had to take his line away. He was running really well up top. I was able to get there and pull away.” Luce Said
For Luce, this was a very special win on Sunday at Thunder Road as he used to race on the ACT Tour. It was a very hard decision for him to leave the ACT Tour. “ It was a lot more traveling issue for me. All these friends, officials, Tom Curley, and that’s what got me emotional just the thought of Tom. He’s still hanging in there and he’s a tough competitor and what he’s done for this sport. To see all of my friends from Vermont cheering in the background. I got a little emotional. It’s unbelievable to win here. It’s probably right up there with the 250.” Luce Said
Luce became a grandfather back in October as his daughter Briana gave birth to a baby boy named Jace.
Wayne Helliwell, JR started in 18th place and would work his way to the front and finish second. He thought he wasn’t good during the late practice and in the heat race but they made some changes. He let 20 laps go by and knew he had something good and he could run the top. He hated to see the caution come out at the end because he felt he was so good on the long runs. “ Glen (Luce) was able to get the jump. I smoked the tires. He was able to dominate the top lane.” Helliwell, JR Said
Helliwell, JR is hoping to turn the luck around this weekend when the ACT Tour returns to Devils Bowl Speedway in Vermont for the People’s United Bank 100. He sits fourth in points 53 points behind Eddie MacDonald. “ The biggest issues is we just have been bogged up in the middle of the pack. I kind of put it that towards the qualifying not getting enough pluses and minuses. You call it a bad draw. Winning the heat race and only getting a plus one and getting stuck in the teens. It’s seem to be we get caught up with stuff. Just bad luck as well.” Helliwell, JR Said
Helliwell, JR is looking at 4-5 PASS Races. His next race with PASS will be at the Lee USA Speedway on Friday night June 24th.
Travis Benjamin would finish in third place on Sunday. To Benjamin Sunday’s third place finish felt like a win. “ We’ve had a really fast car week in and week out. We haven’t been able to complete the deal. This car is really good. These (crew) guys are really good. It’s gonna happen. It’s just a matter of time.
Joey Polewarczyk, JR would finish 14th on Sunday 1 lap down. This was the first time with the brand new car. He knew there might be some things to work with. All in all he was really happy. He did lose power steering during the race at lap 40 and he will tell you it is not easy to drive Thunder Road with no power steering. He was doing all he could to hang on.
Mike Hopkins would finish 13th in Sunday’s event. Hopkins won at Star Speedway back on May 21st. Hopkins thought Thunder Road was pretty cool but felt it would take him time for him to learn the track
Tyler Cahoon would take the lead on lap 6 and lead final 94 laps of the 100 lap race at Thunder Road Speedbowl on Sunday afternoon. Cahoon would have challenges from Scott Dragon. When Cahoon unloaded the car at the track, he did not think he would be in victory lane after the 100 lap event. He knew he would have a solid run as he was shooting for a top 5 run. He ran a 50 lap mock run during practice and would fall off maybe a tenth during that mock run. When he felt that the other drivers weren’t coming from behind. He felt that it was real to win the event.
As soon as Cahoon saw Dragon go off in his mirror, Cahoon knew that Dragon was pushing his car as hard as he could. “ So with him fighting that hard. I knew that we were going to be ok. He might catch me. We were starting to free up at the end of the race. I was slowing down to keep the bite in the car.” Cahoon Said
Cahoon knows that Dragon would not do a bump and run as they have raced well together over the years.
What was going through Cahoon’s mind when Dragon was catching up to him late in the race. “ Please rain.” Cahoon Said with a laugh
Cahoon knew Dragon was coming up hard and fast. “ He’s (Dragon) a fantastic driver, very talented. If he could get to me, he was going to find a way around me. Fortunately when he caught me, we both used up our tires and he didn’t have any bite to go on the inside. If I’d just maintain on the outside like I di I was very consistent up there. The last couple laps of the race. I was actually pulling away which gave me a little bit of relief and breathing room.” Cahoon Said
Scott Dragon would finish in second in the 100 lap Late Model race. Dragon was happy and disappointed at the same time. “ Tyler (Cahoon) was really good. I kept waiting and slowly reel him in. He never made any type of mistake at all. I’d figured if he did. It would be my chance. He was good and we were good. We were both kind of stuck on the high line. Whenever I moved down, the car would loosen up. I was kind of stuck in the high line.” Dragon Said
Jason Corliss would finish third in the 100 lap Late Model race on Sunday afternoon. He was able to use the outside lane. He felt there wasn’t much of an inside lane. He was able to work the bottom when he was able to and get back up to the top when he needed to. “ Thunder Road, It’s amazing. The competition of these ACT Late Models and on this race track. You go to some race tracks and you got two or three guys that’s gonna win the feature and this place you got 12 almost 15 cars on a given night that can win a feature. I am proud of my Burnett’s Scrap Metal team. Our Ford Fusion was really good today. Came up just a little bit short but good point’s day for us going forward.” Corliss Said
Nick Sweet would finish in the top 5 in the 100 Late Model race. Sweet felt he had a really fast race car. “ Got bottled up in traffic a little bit too long. Therefore we just lost the field a little bit at the end there. It was really quick at the end. Just ran out of time. We were gaining and gaining. We needed a couple of cautions. That’s the way the race turned out. Will take 5th. It’s a good day all in all.” Sweet Said
Sweet is planning to run a full time schedule at Thunder Road Speedbowl on the ACT Tour. Sweet is 21 points behind Eddie MacDonald as the ACT Tour will head to Devils Bowl Speedway on Saturday night.
John Donahue would finish in sixth in the 100 Lap Late Model race. Donahue felt he had a pretty good car. It was tight for him at the beginning and it loosen up. He felt it was fun to drive. He felt it was a different track with the different rubber being run on it.
The next event for the Pro All Star Series North Super Late Models will be held on Saturday night June 11th at White Mountain Motorsports Park. The next event for Thunder Road Speedbowl will be held on Sunday June 12th with the race program beginning at 2:00 P.M.
Story And Photos By: Matthew Wiernasz/Yankeeracer.com