Alan Ward photo
Barre, VT – Kyle Pembroke scored the surprise of the 2015 Thunder Road weekly season with his first career Late Model victory in the CVMC ExpressCare Trophy Dash on Sunday, July 5.
The third-year Late Model competitor and St. Michael’s College student took the lead around the outside from veteran Shawn Fleury on lap 43 of the 50-lap event. Pembroke then pulled away in the final laps for his first win in a full-bodied stock car.
“We’ve missed quite a few opportunities, so to finally cap off a win here at Thunder Road means a lot,” Pembroke said. “It’s my home track, a place I basically grew up. I’ve been racing for 14 years, and it all started here, and I’m glad we got the first win here.”
Fleury started on the pole and pulled away in the first half of the event as Pembroke and Mike “Beetle” Bailey looked horns in a battle for second. The duo soon found top point drivers John Donahue, Nick Sweet, and Derrick O’Donnell lurking behind them as well.
Pembroke had a bumper up on Bailey when the race’s only caution flew on lap 27 after Eric Chase went sliding off the top of turn 2, putting Pembroke outside of Fleury on the restart. Though Fleury gained the upper hand at first, Pembroke slowly fought back, finally securing the point after a 16-lap duel.
“At first it wasn’t going so well,” Pembroke said. “It took a few laps for the car to come into it. Once it did, my (spotter) said I could go low because a hole had opened up, but I knew I could give Fleury a run – so I just hung it out there.”
Donahue rebounded from his rollover on Thursday night to edge Sweet at the line for second place. Point leader O’Donnell finished fourth while Fleury faded to fifth. Bailey, Scott Dragon, Brett Gervais, Cody Blake, and Trampas Demers finished sixth through 10th.
Wolcott’s Brendan Moodie earned his third win Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman win of the season and 12th of his career. The veteran inherited the lead on lap 23 of the 35-lap event when Jason Woodard and Mike Billado lost control racing for the top spot and spun exiting turn 4. Moodie then cruised to the win, which gives him sole possession of third place on the all-time Tiger Sportsman wins list.
Barre drivers Chris Pelkey and Cameron Ouellette finished second and third. Doug Crowningshield, Mike Martin, Jeffrey Bousquet, Derek Barker, Dylan Payea, Woodard, and Billado completed the top-10.
Bunker Hodgdon picked up his second win of the season in the Allen Lumber Street Stock feature. Hodgdon grabbed the lead early in the 25-lap event, then held off a charging pack that included Jamie Davis, Donny Yates, and Matthew Smith for the victory.
Davis nipped Yates for second followed by Smith. Kevin Streeter, Jaden Perry, Kyle Streeter, Chris LaForest, Marcel J. Gravel, and Will Hennequin rounded out the top-10. Thomas Merchant took a dominating win in the Marvin Johnson Memorial.
Next up for Thunder Road is the 35th VP Fuels Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 on Thursday, July 9. The Thunder Road Late Models will go 150 laps with the Tiger Sportsmen and Street Stocks also in action at a special 6:00pm post time. Admission is $20 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 www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
CVMC EXPRESSCARE NIGHT
UNOFFICIAL FINISH
THUNDER ROAD LATE MODELS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) Montpelier, VT
2. John Donahue ( 26VT ) Graniteville, VT
3. Nick Sweet ( 88VT ) Barre, VT
4. Derrick O’Donnell ( 60VT ) N. Haverhill, NH
5. Shawn Fleury ( 1VT ) Middlesex, VT
6. Mike Bailey ( 00VT ) S. Barre, VT
7. Scott Dragon ( 16VT ) Milton, VT
8. Brett Gervais ( 11NH ) Island Pond, VT
9. Cody Blake ( 99VT ) Barre, VT
10. Trampas Demers ( 85VT ) S. Burlington, VT
11. Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) Barre, VT
12. Josh Demers ( 10VT ) Montpelier, VT
13. Matt White ( 42VT ) Northfield, VT
14. Phil Scott ( 14VT ) Middlesex, VT
15. David Whitcomb ( 25VT ) Essex Jct., VT
16. #Darrell Morin ( 17VT ) Westford, VT
17. Ricky Roberts ( 3VT ) E. Barre, VT
18. Jason Allen ( 29VT ) Barre, VT
19. #Scott Coburn ( 72VT ) Barre, VT
20. Eric Badore ( 4VT ) Milton, VT
21. Jay Laquerre ( 15VT ) Barre, VT
22. Eric Chase ( 40VT ) Milton, VT
23. Boomer Morris ( 13VT ) Barre, VT
BOND AUTO TIGER SPORTSMEN
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Brendan Moodie ( 94 ) Wolcott, VT
2. Christopher Pelkey ( 64 ) S. Barre, VT
3. Cameron Ouellette ( 90 ) Barre, VT
4. Doug Crowningshield ( 14 ) Barre, VT
5. Mike Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury, VT
6. Jeffrey Bousquet ( 44 ) Worcester, VT
7. #Derek Barker ( 15 ) Post Mills, VT
8. Dylan Payea ( 7 ) Milton, VT
9. Jason Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
10. Mike Billado ( 8 ) Essex, VT
11. Stephen Donahue ( 26 ) Graniteville, VT
12. Joe Steffen ( 00 ) Grand Isle, VT
13. Brian Delphia ( 27 ) Duxbury, VT
14. Tommy Smith ( 50 ) Williamstown, VT
ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCKS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Bunker Hodgdon ( 83 ) Hardwick, VT
2. Jamie Davis ( 43 ) Wolcott, VT
3. Donny Yates ( 05 ) N. Montpelier, VT
4. #Matthew Smith ( 04 ) Essex Jct., VT
5. Kevin Streeter ( 67 ) Waitsfield, VT
6. Jaden Perry ( 92 ) Hardwick, VT
7. Kyle Streeter ( 37 ) Waitsfield, VT
8. #Chris LaForest ( 56 ) Barre, VT
9. Marcel J. Gravel ( 86 ) Wolcott, VT
10. Will Hennequin ( 47 ) Morrisville, VT
11. Tyler Austin ( 5 ) E. Calais, VT
12. Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT
13. Alan Maynard ( 10 ) Fairfax, VT
14. Garry Bashaw ( 4 ) Lincoln, VT
15. Patrick Tibbetts ( 48 ) Barre, VT
16. Richard Gravel ( 68 ) Wolcott, VT
17. Jamon Perry ( 62 ) Hardwick, VT
18. Ken Stridsberg ( 6 ) Berlin, VT
19. Jennifer Getty ( 25 ) Cambridge, VT
20. Thomas Merchant ( 38 ) Eden Mills, VT
21. #Chris Cardarelli ( 9 ) St. George, VT
22. Justin Town ( 53 ) East Barre, VT
23. Scott Weston ( 40 ) Berlin, VT
DNS Travis Streeter ( 61 ) Waitsfield, VT
DNS Ronald Fecteau ( 75 ) Granbee, QC
DNS Kelly Miller Jr. ( 0 ), Johnson, VT
DNS Steve Bennett Jr. ( 76 ) Northfield, VT
MARVIN JOHNSON MEMORIAL
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Thomas Merchant ( 38 ), Eden Mills, VT
2. Matthew Smith ( 04 ), Essex Jct., VT
3. Ken Stridsberg ( 6 ), Berlin, VT
4. Chris LaForest ( 56 ), Barre, VT
5. Kevin Streeter ( 67 ), Waitsfield, VT
6. Chris Cardarelli ( 9 ), St. George, VT