Thunder Road to Crown Champions at 37th Labor Day Classic
Barre, VT – The 2015 “King of the Road” will be crowned this Sunday, September 6 in the 37th Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic 200. N. Haverhill, NH’s Derrick O’Donnell is set to claim his third consecutive Thunder Road Late Model Championship, while the title battles in the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will come down to the final laps.
O’Donnell sped to his fourth victory of the season last Thursday at Thunder Road. The win mathematically clinched a record-tying third straight Late Model title. O’Donnell joins Chuck Beede (1992-1994) as the only drivers to be “King of the Road” three years running.
“Each championship has had its own story behind it,” O’Donnell reflected. “It’s been an up-and-down year, and we weren’t really positive for a while whether we were going to run the full season for points. We finally had to make the decision that that we were going to do it and go ‘all in’.
“It’s great to wrap up the title early,” he added. “It’s made our week a lot better not having any pressure.”
O’Donnell’s #60VT car was subject to a full teardown following last Thursday’s event with the car’s engine, transmission, shocks, and MSD ignition box sent to facilities throughout the United States for independent inspection. The car’s rear end was also disassembled on-site. All parts were found to be in compliance with ACT rules and regulations.
O’Donnell now seeks his first Labor Day Classic victory, joining the rest of the Thunder Road Late Model regulars along with a number of expected invaders for their longest event of the season. The historic Labor Day Classic dates back to 1960 with the inaugural racing season at Thunder Road. Early winners on Labor Day include northeast racing legends Dave Dion, Robbie Crouch, Larry Demar, and Jean-Paul Cabana.
A new generation of drivers now looks to add their names to the winner’s roll. Barre’s Nick Sweet will try to become the first three-time winner of the Labor Day Classic, while 2015 weekly winners Cody Blake, Jason Corliss, and Kyle Pembroke seek their first Labor Day wins. 2007 winner John Donahue will go for his second win. Milton’s Scott Dragon could become the fourth member of the Dragon family to win the Labor Day Classic.
The Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will crown their champions on Sunday. Last year’s Tiger Sportsman runner-up Brendan Moodie of Wolcott holds an 11-point lead over defending champion Jason Woodard of Waterbury Center heading into the regular-season finale. Barre’s Christopher Pelkey and Milton’s Dylan Payea are also mathematically alive. Stephen Donahue completes the top-five.
Wolcott’s Jamie Davis broke open a tight race with Hardwick’s Jaden Perry in the Street Stocks last Thursday. Davis finished fourth while Perry was involved in an early incident, giving Davis a 36-point lead. Marcel J. Gravel sits third in the standings followed by Tyler Austin and Alan Maynard.
The 37th Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic 200 is this Sunday, September 6 at 1:30pm. The Thunder Road Late Models will go 200 green-flag laps with the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stocks also in action. Admission is $25 for adults and free for kids 12 and under.
For more information contact the Thunder Road offices at 802.244.6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
Sources:Michael Stridsberg/ACT PR