Street Stock Spotlight on Action-Packed Community College of Vermont Night
Barre, VT — When Thunder Road opens its gates once again on Thursday, June 22nd it does so to celebrate an unsung hero. With the help of the Community College of Vermont, and alongside all four Thunder Road divisions, will be the 9th annual Marvin Johnson Memorial First Time Winners Race for the rk Miles Street Stocks. A 19-lap affair open only to non-winners in the region’s most competitive four-cylinder division, the Marvin Johnson Memorial honors one of the good ones taken far too soon before he, himself, could visit victory lane at the Nation’s Site of Excitement.
The Marvin Johnson Memorial has been held every year since 2015 in honor of the late Marvin Johnson, a well-liked underdog racer and professional pharmacist. Johnson never won a feature in his long career, but he loved racing and would do whatever it took to get to the track. His spirit was rewarded posthumously with the 2014 Ed Carroll Memorial Sportsmanship Award.
Since Johnson’s passing Thunder Road has held the Memorial First Time Winner’s Race in his honor, with the 19-lap distance inspired by his former car number. Leading Rookies Ryan Foster and Logan Farrell along with hard-charging Jesse Laquerre, Paige Whittemore, Todd Raymo, and Thomas Peck are among those looking to be a first-time winner in Marvin Johnson’s memory on Thursday.
In the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Cody Blake continues to lead the point’s path but the road is well traveled by those looking to pass him in the hammer lane. Christopher Pelkey sits just three points behind with a tied Brandon Lanphear and Chris Roberts just one point below the defending champion. All four looked to have stout equipment last Thursday, each of them hoping to continue that momentum right into Community College of Vermont victory lane this week.
The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers are just as hotly debated as they were one week ago. Even after a stellar battle at the end saw Jason Pelkey take fourth away from Sam Caron under the checkered flag, it wasn’t quite enough to edge out the defending track champion. Caron currently sits at a cool 274-points to Pelkey’s 273, both taking advantage of Logan Power’s hold-up in the back of the pack last week to gain a little distance on the points sheet. Both Pelkey and Caron are the only drivers to finish in the top-10 in all four events so far in 2023, setting up for yet another season-long battle in the ‘Number One Support Division in North America.’
Action returns to the Thunder Road highbanks on Thursday, June 22nd for Community College of Vermont Night. The 9th annual Marvin Johnson Memorial First Time Winner’s Race for Street Stock non-winner’s headlines CCV Night along with a full card of championship racing action for the Maplewood/Irving Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and rk Miles Street Stocks with the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors also added to the program! Grandstands open at 5:00pm with Post Time set for 7:00pm. Adult General Admission is available for $15, kids 12-6 for $5 and children 5 and under free! The Family Four Pack, two adults, and two children, is also available for $30.
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.
Sources: Cale King/Thunder Road Speedbowl PR
(IMG_7634.jpg): The Marvin Johnson Memorial First Time Winner’s Race for the rk Miles Street Stocks returns on Community College of Vermont Night to headline an action-packed Thursday Night of Racing on June 22nd. (Alan Ward photo)