Thunder Road International Speedbowl works with local sponsors in an effort to increase marketing for both the track and the sponsor.

The 2017 Thunder Road season kicks into high gear this Thursday, June 29 with Community College of Vermont Night. The program marks the first of three events in an eight-day span on the Barre high banks, and title aspirations will begin to get serious in the Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks.

In addition to a full card of action for all weekly divisions, the Community College of Vermont event will feature the 2^nd Annual Vermont Brewers Cup. Craft beer brewers from around the state will compete in an event to determine “The Best Brewer on Wheels”.

Defending “King of the Road” Scott Dragon finds himself atop the Late Model standings once again after four races. The Milton veteran has posted consistent top finishes amidst some wild on-track action to stake a 13-point lead over Casella Night winner Kyle Pembroke of Montpelier, who is looking to establish himself as a title contender in his fifth season in the division.

“We gotten some wins here and there, but we’ve never really put together a full season before,” Pembroke said. “Most of the improvement we’ve made is because of my team and how we’ve grown. I think it’s safe to say I have the youngest average age for a crew there, and it speaks to them – they’ve just gotten that much better. I don’t think it’s all just me as a driver. A lot of it is the crew stepping up and taking bigger roles. But I can see myself being a contender this year – I think we’ve proven we can at least be competitive with some of these top guys. If we can survive this stretch of three races now, I think we’re going to be in good shape.”

Barre’s Jason Corliss vaulted to third in the standings with a win on North Country Federal Credit Union Night while Hinesburg’s Bobby Therrien has offset some tough feature results with three straight semi-feature victories. Milton’s Eric Chase completes the top-five.

In the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, former Champions Brendan Moodie of Wolcott and Dwayne Lanphear of Morrisville continue to lead the pack. Both drivers have finished inside the top-10 in each their five events this season. Waterbury Center’s Jason Woodard used a pair of feature wins on North Country Federal Credit Union Night to catapult to third in the standings and will look for a third straight win this Thursday. Rookie Jaden Perry of Hardwick sits fourth in points followed by Craftsbury Common’s Mike Martin.

Morrisville’s Brandon Lanphear tops the Allen Lumber Street Stock standings, and like his father Dwayne, has a perfect record of top-10 finishes. Hardwick’s Will Hennequin has used four straight top-five results to move up to second in the standings just two points in arears. Duxbury’s Reilly Lanphear holds third with Fairfax’s Alan Maynard and Tunbridge’s Gary Mullen completing the top-five.

The action on Community College of Vermont Night begins at 7:00 pm, with a full card of racing for the Thunder Road Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks plus the 2^nd Annual Vermont Brewer’s Cup. The pit gates open at 4:00 pm and the general admission gates open at 5:15 pm. Admission is $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and $25 for a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids).