BARRE, VT – Troy Gray earned a soggy $2,000 check at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday night after winning the 24th Annual M&M Beverage Enduro 200, a survival-of-the-fittest stock car race that featured a half-hour rain storm and two rollovers. Gray, 40, of Fairlee drove a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse #00 sponsored by C.W. Gray & Sons and Connecticut Valley Auto Auction.
Gray’s victory at Thunder Road was the second of career. The driver won a feature race in 1987 on his way to the Street Stock division’s season championship. He is now a regular competitor in the Modified class at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford.
Rory Partlow of Northfield finished second, unofficially, with 200 laps complete. He drove his Gillespie’s Fuel & Propane 1996 Chevrolet Corsica #51 to a $500 pay day. Barre’s Keith Fortier and Ryan Zeno of Fairfax finished third and fourth with 199
laps complete, with Danny Doyle of Hancock fifth at 197 laps. The unofficial top ten was completed in order by Richie Turner of Fairfax (194 laps), Brett Wood of Georgia (194), Terry Pearce, Jr. of Berlin (193), Kaleb Shepard of Bristol (191), and David
Lamell of Johnson (190).
Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick dominated the Allen Lumber Street Stock division’s biggest event of the year, a 50-lap, $300-to-win race. Adams started 20th and quickly worked to the front of the pack, taking the lead before halfway. Erik Steel of Barre
posted a career-best runner-up effort ahead of Danville’s Bruce Melendy. Jason Corliss of Plainfield finished fourth, unofficially, with Hardwick’s Bunker Hodgdon fifth.
Jeremy Fleury of Williamstown won the first of two 15-lap Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior races. Neal Foster of Waterbury finished second over Berlin’s Scott Weston. In the second race, Jeff Martin, Jr. of Moretown held off a close challenge
from Ken Christman of Cabot and Travis Hull of Graniteville.
Thunder Road is back in action on Thursday, July 31 with the annual “Port-A-Potty Grand Prix” presented by Calkins Portables and WDEV Radio. There will also be a match race between Montpelier Mayor Mary Hooper and Barre City Mayor Thom Lauzon,
in addition to regular championship events for the Late Model, NAPA Tiger Sportsman, Allen Lumber Street Stock, and Power Shift Warrior divisions. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
UNOFFICIAL FINISH – 24th Annual M&M Beverage Enduro 200
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT – Sunday, July 27
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
M&M Beverage Enduro 200
1. Troy Gray, Fairlee – 200 laps
2. Rory Partlow, Northfield – 200 laps
3. Keith Fortier, Barre – 199 laps
4. Ryan Zeno, Fairfax – 199 laps
5. Danny Doyle, Hancock – 197 laps
6. Richie Turner, Fairfax – 194 laps
7. Brett Wood, Georgia – 194 laps
8. Terry Pearce, Jr., Berlin – 193 laps
9. Kaleb Shepard, Bristol – 191 laps
10. David Lamell, Johnson – 190 laps
Allen Lumber Street Stock (50 laps)
1. Greg Adams, Jr., Hardwick
2. Erik Steel, Barre
3. Bruce Melendy, Danville
4. Jason Corliss, Plainfield
5. Bunker Hodgdon, Hardwick
6. Tim Campbell, West Topsham
7. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge
8. David Allen, North Troy
9. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common
10. Justin Gordon, Berlin
Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior – Feature #1 (15 laps)
1. Jeremy Fleury, Williamstown
2. Neal Foster, Waterbury
3. Scott Weston, Berlin
4. Mark LaFleche, Graniteville
5. Donny Yates, North Montpelier
Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior – Feature #2 (15 laps)
1. Jeff Martin, Jr., Moretown
2. Ken Christman, Cabot
3. Travis Hull, Graniteville
4. Jamie Davis, Wolcott
5. Mike Gay, South Burlington