Three First-Time Track Champions Crowned on 63rd WDEV/Calkins Thunder Road Championship Night
Barre, VT — One of the most important events of the Thunder Road season did not disappoint as drivers in all divisions went all out on WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Championship Night. With founder Ken Squier in the house to view the culmination of the 63rd season of racing at the track he helped build and maintained for well over 50 years, the drivers sure put on a show to remember. In the end, three first-time track champions were crowned to put a pin in a stellar points season.
Following heat race action for the three championship divisions, the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger track championship was the most hotly contested with Sam Caron leading Justin Prescott by just ten points. Christopher Pelkey continued to lead a tied Kyle Pembroke and Scott Dragon by 17-points while the rk Miles Street Stocks were still led by Dean Switser Jr. over Kyler Davis to the tune of 39-points.
The annual Port-a-Potty Grand Prix began feature action on WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Championship Night with point leaders Pelkey, Caron, Switser, and the Road Warrior team driven by Frank Putney starting four abreast at the start/finish line. Christopher Pelkey’s Memorial Sandblast team
The just-for-fun, non-point Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors joined the field led by Josh Vilbrin and Jason Kirby. As the field spread out in the early stages, a lap 9 scuffle in turn three sent Dan Garrett Jr. and Tyler Wheatley pit-side with wiggly and wobbly wheels while frontrunner Kirby took his Bobby Dragon-inspired ride to the infield, unable to steer. Even after the scuffle, the field remained green until the first caution on lap 16 when a gaggle of cars, all battling hard for fourth-place position, went crashing into the turn four Widowmaker frontstretch wall. Rodney Campbell and Ryan Sayers were casualties of the crash, both taking wrecker rides back to their pit stalls.
The final caution on lap 17 for the spinning Ryan Foster off the front bumper of Nick Copping set up a dogfight for first between Vilbrin and Nate ‘Tater’ Brien. Over the final three laps, both top runners duked it out until ‘Tater’ powered up on the backstretch and waved goodbye with the lead in hand. Williamstown’s Nate Brien took down the WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets win followed by Josh Vilbrin and Neal Foster.
Twenty-eight rk Miles Street Stocks showed up for the 63rd Championship Night at Thunder Road with only one leaving as the champion. On the start, Haidyn Pearce took off from ‘The Farmer’ Gary Mullen with the field following quickly on his heels. The first yellow flag would wave on lap 8 for a rogue wheel rolling down the backstretch, 50-yards away from its home the right-rear hub of the Tommy ‘Thunder’ Smith-machine. Following the restart, a charging Taylor Hoar powered up the outside of Pearce side-by-side for the race of her career.
Through two more cautions for spins from the Jesse Laquerre machine and Mike ‘Biffer’ Gay, Hoar prevailed on each restart against all comers while on the final green flag stretch 5th through 18th battled side-by-side, bumper-to-bumper behind her. Under the twin checkers, Taylor Hoar earned her first career Thunder Road victory and joined an exclusive club of Female Winners at The Road. Scott Weston took home second with Haidyn Pearce hanging on for third.
While Hoar dominated the front, Dean Switser Jr. patiently bide his time in the mid-pack, making moves only when he had to. Coming away with a 10th-place finish was enough to secure the Waterford driver’s place in the history book as he took down the 2022 rk Miles Street Stock Thunder Road Track Championship. Using a strong run at the beginning of the year that saw back-to-back victories and staying in the hunt all summer long, Switser took down his first Thunder Road track championship by 45 points over Berlin’s Kyler Davis.
The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers were true to their name on WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Championship Night, nearly taking flight from the pavement as they went 40 green flag laps without so much as a hint of a caution. Leaping from the pole position, Kyle Streeter pounced under the green and drove his heart out. After calling New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park home for much of the 2022 season, Streeter only recently returned to his roots at Thunder Road. Even under constant pressure from Rookie of the Year Kaiden Fisher, Streeter never faltered. Kyle Streeter took down his first Flying Tiger win of the season followed by Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger Rookie of the Year Kaiden Fisher and a hard-charging Mike MacAskill in third.
After first entering the ACT/Thunder Road landscape over twenty years ago, Milton’s Sam Caron used nothing but determined consistency to take down his first ever Thunder Road top prize as the 2022 Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger Track Champion. Caron had been growing as a driver in the famed support division over the last several years and really turned some heads this summer, certainly more so now as a Champion in the Number One Support Division in North America.
Like the Tigers, the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models decided to take it right to the checkered flag, letting the pieces fall as they may. While Stephen Donahue stalked Chris Roberts throughout the race, all eyes were on the constant two-wide mid-pack battle between the top three in points. It seemed as if Scott Dragon, Kyle Pembroke, and Christopher Pelkey were inseparable, leaving scorers pouring over the tie-breaking policy on the ever-evolving fight for position. At halfway, something extra seemed to slip in the gas tanks of these top three with Pembroke and Dragon hammering to the front of the strung-out field and Pelkey content to rim-ride the outside, looking for guarantees.
The final ten laps saw Roberts and Donahue side-by-side, Donahue pushing for every ounce of speed he could muster on the outside groove. On the final corner Roberts moved up on Donahue and under the checkered flags they would run out of real estate. Both cars slammed the ‘Widowmaker’ frontstretch wall with Donahue on his driver’s side door as flames erupted from a ruptured fuel line. Coming to rest on its roof in turn one, safety crews dumped cans of extinguisher across the overturned car with Donahue climbing out the right side window.
At press time Donahue is in the hospital with no burns awaiting an X-ray for a possible broken hand. Although first across the line, Roberts was penalized for contact which resulted in the last lap accident and relegated to last on the lead lap. It was initially incorrectly reported as “Contact with Intent” which would have resulted as a complete disqualification from the event.
Stephen Donahue has been declared the winner of the WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets trophy dash with Kyle Pembroke taking second and Brandon Lanphear coming home third, triumphant after a hard wreck last time out two weeks ago.
Although Pembroke drove hard for his second-place finish, it wasn’t enough for Pelkey. Pelkey’s two wins, including one on Midseason Championships, and eleven top-10 finishes helped secure his first Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model Thunder Road Track Championship by just 5-points over Pembroke. Graniteville’s Christopher Pelkey is officially the 2022 King of the Road, joining a prestigious list of premier track championship drivers in a 63-year history of stock car racing here on Quarry Hill in Barre, Vermont.
With the championship season finished at Thunder Road, that only means one thing. Three-days of stock car racing are on tap to celebrate the big 60th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank starting Friday, September 30th. Alongside the $103,000 Vermont Milk Bowl, the spotlight will shine on the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, rk Miles Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors as they hunt down career-defining ‘Mini Milk Bowl’ victories at the The Road. Special appearances for the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models, PASS Mods, New England Supermodified Series, White Mountain Motorsports Park’s Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Minis and Dad’s 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Division! Full schedule and pricing for the three-day extravaganza will soon be available online at www.thunderroadvt.com/schedule.
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT
WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets 63rd Season Championship Night
Friday, September 9, 2022
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Port-a-Potty Grand Prix Winner – Christopher Pelkey and Crew
Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models – 50 Laps
Champion – Christopher Pelkey +5 Points
- 2VT Stephen Donahue Graniteville, VT
- 27VT Kyle Pembroke Montpelier, VT
- 16VT Brandon Lanphear Morrisville, VT
- 7VT Cooper Bouchard Hinesburg, VT
- 0VT Scott Dragon Milton, VT
- 04VT Matt Smith Fairfax, VT
- 01VT #Stephen Martin Craftsbury Common, VT
- 64VT Chris Pelkey Graniteville, VT
- 9VT Chip Grenier Orange, VT
- 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT
- 55VT #Keegan Lamson Berlin, VT
- 17VT Darrell Morin Westford, VT
- 18VT Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT
- 14VT Phil Scott
- 40VT Eric Chase Milton, VT
- 55TL Blair Bessett Barnet, VT
- 4VT Scott Coburn Barre, VT
- 3VT Chris Roberts Washington, VT *
*General Contact Penalty – Relegated to Last on the Lead Lap
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – 40 Laps
Champion – Sam Caron +22 Points
1 37VT Kyle Streeter Waterbury Ctr., VT
2 18VT #Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT
3 3VT Michael MacAskill Williamstown, VT
4 01VT Michael Martin Craftsbury, Common, VT
5 31VT Logan Powers Middlesex, VT
6 08VT Phil Potvin Underhill, VT
7 56VT Chris Laforest Barre, VT
8 90VT Cameron Ouellette Barre, VT
9 07VT Sam Caron Milton, VT
10 15VT Derrick Calkins Hinesburg, VT
11 20VT Robert Gordon Milton, VT
12 68NH Tanner Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT
13 64VT Jason Pelkey Barre, VT
14 67VT Kevin Streeter Waitsfield, VT
15 44VT Justin Prescott Williston, VT
16 45VT Adam Maynard Milton, VT
17 8VT Mike Billado Grand Isle, VT
18 73VT Larry Underwood Fairfax, VT
19 35DG Travis Calkins Danville, VT *
20 33VT #Matt Ballard Williamstown, VT
21 23NY Cam Gadue Highgate, VT
22 22VT Travis Patnoe Wolcott, VT
23 13VT Ty Delphia Duxbury, VT
24 0VT Mark Barnier Essex Jct., VT
25 8NH Rich Lowrey South Hero, VT
DNS 2VT Eric Johnson Randolph Ctr., VT
*Sub Driver for Colin Cornell
rk Miles Street Stocks – 25 Laps
Champion – Dean Switser, Jr. + 45 Points
- 48 Taylor Hoar South Hero, VT
- 04 Scott Weston Berlin, VT
- 2 Haidyn Pearce Chelsea, VT
- 24 Todd Raymo Swanton, VT
- 29 Gary Mullen Tunbridge, VT
- 17 Justin Blakely Graniteville, VT
- 26 Luke Peters Groton, VT
- 33 #Curtis Franks Topsham, VT
- 34 Patrick Tibbetts Plainfield, VT
- 16 Dean Switser, Jr. Waterford, VT
- 43 Jamie Davis Johnson, VT
- 74 Tyler Whittemore Barre, VT
- 68 Kyler Davis Berlin, VT
- 7 Kyle MacAskill Williamstown, VT
- 98 Kasey Collins Berlin, VT
- 0 James Dopp Northfield, VT
- 8 Jeffery Martin Barre, VT
- 77 Bert Duffy Milton, VT
- 47 William Hennequin Morrisville, VT
- 3 Michael Gay S. Burlington, VT
- 73 #Paige Whittemore Graniteville, VT
- 96 Thomas Peck Waterbury, VT
- 6 Eric MacLaughlin Milton, VT
- 9 Jesse Laquerre Berlin, VT *
- 30 #Cameron Powers E. Montpelier, VT
- 22 Thomas Smith Williamstown, VT
DNS 79 Juan ‘Paco’ Marshall Pittsfield, VT
DNS 54 Josh Lovely Williamstown, VT
*Sub Driver for Zach Audet
Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – 20 Laps
- 16 Nate Brien Williamstown, VT
- 77 Josh Vilbrin Northfield, VT
- 19 Neal Foster Moretown, VT
- 38 Jamie Buick E. Barre, VT
- 88 Frank Putney Graniteville, VT
- 8 Ryan Foster Waterbury, VT
- 50 Nick Copping Barre, VT
- 10 Rodney Campbell Worcester, VT
- 94 Ryan Sayers Barre, VT
- 44VT Jesse Bundy Hinesburg, VT
- 54 Dan Garrett, Jr. Berlin, VT
- 99 Fred Fleury Graniteville, VT
- 31 Tyler Wheatley Brookfield, VT
- 71 Jason Kirby Milton, VT
DNS 44 Chris Couture Barre, VT
Sources: Cale King/Thunder Road Speedbowl PR
(IMG_8836.jpg): Annual Port-a-Potty Grand Prix Champion Christopher Pelkey & Crew!
(IMG_8856.jpg): Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors Podium in WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Victory Lane (L-R) Neal Foster (3rd), winner Nate Brien, Josh Vilbrin (2nd).
(IMG_8890.jpg): rk Miles Street Stock Podium in WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Victory Lane (L-R) Haidyn Pearce (3rd), winner Taylor Hoar, Scott Weston (2nd).
(IMG_8901.jpg): Waterford’s Dean Switser Jr. took down his first Thunder Road track championship after starting off the season with back-to-back wins and keeping it consistent throughout the season.
(IMG_8953.jpg): Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger Podium in WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Victory Lane (L-R) Mike MacAskill (3rd), winner Kyle Streeter.
(IMG_8977.jpg): After years on the ACT/Thunder Road landscape, Milton’s Sam Caron finally took down his first championship after consistency and hard work took place over the last few seasons here at The Road.
(IMG_9004.jpg): After coming so close last season, Graniteville’s Christopher Pelkey is now a Thunder Road ‘King of the Road,’ joining a list of local and Northeast icons on the Thunder Road granite.
(Alan Ward photos)
It was incorrectly reported last night that Chris Roberts was disqualified with “Contact with Intent” after the final lap accident on the Late Model portion of WDEV/Calkins Championship Night at Thunder Road on 9/9/22.
Roberts was relegated to Last on the Lead lap for a Contact Penalty that resulted in the accident. “Contact with Intent” penalties result in complete disqualification from the event, which Roberts was not.
The podium is as reported with Stephen Donahue winning the event, Kyle Pembroke in second and Brandon Lanphear taking third.