Special To The Eagle Times
BARRE, Vt. — Finally greeted by a beautiful day of weather, Thunder Road opened it’s gates Sunday to an overflow crowd for the 39th annual Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200.
The race was far from disappointing with ninety of the most ridiculous looking machines in the Green Mountain State looking to tackle the Thunder Road highbanks for 200 laps. When it was all said and done, after many years of trying, a Bay State driver finally made his mark.
Sunday began with the rk Miles Street Stock Special going for a long fifty-lap distance. Following the single round of heat race qualifying and their introductions before the capacity crowd on hand, Thomas Peck and Kyle Gravel led the thirty-four-car field to green. Trouble brewed early as point leader Cameron Powers tangled with Trevor Jaques, Justin Blakely and Eric Johnson in turn three. Jumping pit-side, the Powers crew jumped under the hood to replace a lower tie-rod and get him back on track.
Nearly finished, the field returned to green only to slam the brakes once more as Peck and Jamie Davis flew sideways across the incoming onslaught of cars. Jeffrey Martin was unable to return with a destroyed rear-end as several others followed him into the pits to knock out fenders, tape down hoods and change flat tires. Gravel and Juan ‘Paco’ Marshall would restart the field as Josh Lovely and Dean Switser Jr. followed Gravel on the high side around Paco.
Lovely took command at the line on lap 13 before the lap 16 caution for an overheating, and spinning, Derek Farnham slowed the field once more. Powers was awarded the Lucky Dog in the special event and placed back on the lead lap at the tail of the field. Josh Lovely rocketed off with the lead on the final restart and sliced his way through lap traffic to the bitter end of the 50-lap main event. The race was for second between Gravel and Switser until Gravel got tangled with lap-car Robert Audet on the backstretch and Switser got the outside jump to take second. At the line, Lovely took the win followed by Switer and Gravel but post-race technical inspection changed that. An unapproved exhaust on the Lovely machine disqualified him from the win, giving Dean Switser, Jr. the victory followed by Kyle Gravel and James Dopp.
With ninety cars on the grid for the Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200, it’s anyone’s game. Around the halfway point, front-runners begin to shine through the carnage of the first 100 laps of metal-crunching thrills. Brandon Gray’s #023, Nick DeBlois’ 97VT, the car-show-winning Frog Car of Kyle Botela, Chris LaForest’s #15 and Adam Gray’s #23 Buick Regal were all beginning to catch the eye of onlookers. Perhaps no-one shared more cheers than Highgate’s Dalton LaPlante. Although many laps down, his patriotic #114 made more spin-stop-go cycles than anyone and a late race collision with the turn one tire barrier only to back out and pound the throttle once more brought the pit grandstands to their feet! Unfortunately, LaPlant would bring out the final of four red-flag stoppages for a smoldering fire in his right-rear fender well.
Another heartbreaker came just a few laps into the return to green-flag racing with a blown engine under Brandon Gray’s hood stalling him out in turn three, ruining a seven-lap lead and a second Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 win. Nick DeBlois and Adam Gray started to make those laps up as they raced out the final circuits among both stationery and rolling roadblocks ahead. After many years of making the trek from Granby, Massachuestts, Adam Gray would take down the 39th annual Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 and the $3,000 check over DeBlois and former champion Kyle Botela.
Thunder Road is back in action tonight for the fifth annual Road Warrior 50-lap Challenge on Nolato GW Night. Along with the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior special, the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and rk Miles Street Stocks return to championship-defining action with the Streets ready for Round #2 of their three-in-a-row Triple Crown Series before Saturday, August 12th championship finale.
For more information, call 802-244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.thunderroadvt.com.
Results
Bolduc Metal Recycling Street Stock Special: 50 Laps
Dean Switser Jr., Waterford, Vt..
Kyle Gravel, Wolcott, Vt..
James Dopp, Northfield, Vt..
Haidyn Pearce, Chelsea, Vt.
Eric Johnson, Randolph, Vt.
Trevor Jaques, Milton, Vt.
Logan Farrell, Barre, Vt.
Kyler Davis, Berlin, Vt.
Cameron Powers E. Montpelier, Vt.
Juan ‘Paco’ Marshall Pittsfield, Vt.
Taylor Hoar, South Hero, Vt.
Kyle MacAskill, Williamstown, Vt.
Todd Raymo, Swanton, Vt.
Parker Gagne, Fairfax, Vt.
Curtis Franks, Topsham, Vt.
Michael Gay, S. Burlington, Vt.
Patrick Tibbetts, Plainfield, Vt.
Paul Rocheleau, Georgia, Vt.
Jesse Laquerre, Berlin, Vt.
Tyler Whittemore, Barre, Vt.
Scott Weston, Berlin, Vt.
Thomas Peck, Waterbury, Vt.
Robert Audet, Morrisville, Vt.
Jamie Davis, Johnson, Vt.
Ryan Foster, Waterbury, Vt.
Mekaylah Bowen, Morrisville, Vt.
Derek Farnham, Bethel, Vt.
Jeffery Martin, Barre, Vt.
Kasey Collins, Berlin, Vt.
Travis Gay, S. Burlington, Vt.
Justin Blakely, Graniteville, Vt.
Eric MacLaughlin, Milton, Vt.
Thomas Smith, Williamstown, Vt.
Josh Lovely, Williamstown, Vt.
39th annual Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro: 200 Laps
Adam Gray, Granby, MA
Nicholas Deblois, Barre, Vt.
Kyle Botela, Grand Isle, Vt.
Caleb Bedard, Milton, Vt.
Brian Rogers Jr., Milton, Vt.
Brandon Grey, Thetford, Vt.
TJ Bohannon, Wolcott, Vt.
Andy Benoit, Barre, Vt.
Brodie Frazier, Barre, Vt.
Chris Laforest, Barre, Vt.
James Corr, Newport, Vt.
Alec Lemieux, Orange, Vt.
Kyle Willis, Derby Line, Vt.
Danny Doyle, Northfield, Vt.
Carson Desrealeau Milton, Vt.
Levi Jackson, Milton, Vt.
Kira Jennings, Milton, Vt.
Richie Turner, Highgate, Vt.
Dalton LaPlant, Highgate, Vt.
Bill Davis, Monson, MA
Peter Perkins, Worcester, Vt.
Jeffrey DeGrasse, Sunapee, NH
Andrew Botala, Grand Isle, Vt.
Cameron Comstock Orange, Vt.
Matt Raboin, Newport, Vt.
Tim Cookson, Johnson, Vt.
Kyle Johnson, S. Hadley, MA
Bradley Duke, Marshfield, Vt.
J.T. Blanchard, Georgia, Vt.
Tracy Gaudette, Milton, Vt.
Kyle Bedard, Milton, Vt.
Justin Langlois, Northfield, Vt.
Dylan Palmer, Northumberland, N.H.
Cole Boutah, Alburgh, Vt.
Jeremiah Hathaway, Georgia, Vt.
Ryan Benoit, Milton, Vt.
Josh Kennett, E. Barre, Vt.
Justin Town, Washington, Vt.
Dylan MacRitchie, Williamstown, Vt.
Cole Gaudette, Milton, Vt.
Eric Godin, Milton, Vt.
Gene Salvador, Monson, MA
Austin Jacobs, Orange, Vt.
John Drown, Littleton, NH
Taylor Sayers, Barre, Vt.
Colin Kelley, Sheffield, Vt.
Bobby Bell, Danville, Vt.
Jay Mason, Palmer, MA
Andrew Lopes, Swanton, Vt.
Jerry Davis, Cambridge, MA
Kasey Beattie, St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Nick Cain, Milton, Vt.
Braden Mathieu
Travis Collins, Newport, Vt.
Gavin McGinnis, St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Steven Corbett, Williamstown, Vt.
Davy Dragon, Franklin, Vt.
Matthew Kelley, Barre, Vt.
Jared Blakely, Barre, Vt.
Keith Benoit, Colchester, Vt.
John Gay, Barre, Vt.
Brayden Murphy, Barre, Vt.
Jordan Matte, Winooski, Vt.
Wendell Davis, W. Berlin, Vt.
Josh Adams, Plattsburgh, NY
Warren Morgan, Northfield, Vt.
Hunter Garduno, Marshfield, Vt.
Dillon Botala, Grand Isle, Vt.
Slade MacAuley, Barre, Vt.
Robert Langlois, Randolph, Vt.
Wesley Stedt, Palmer, MA
Amber Rich, Graniteville, Vt.
Craig Jennings, Milton, Vt.
Jason Vezina, N. Hero, Vt.
Allen Botala, Grand Isle, Vt.
Gregory Davis, Randolph, Vt.
John Gay, Barre, Vt.
Brayden Murphy, Barre, Vt.
Jordan Matte, Winooski, Vt.
Wendell Davis, W. Berlin, Vt.
Josh Adams, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Warren Morgan, Northfield, Vt.
Hunter Garduno, Marshfield, Vt.
Dillon Botala, Grand Isle, Vt.
Slade MacAuley, Barre, Vt.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.