Milton’s Scott Dragon (#16VT), a two-time Thunder Road track champion, is trying to finally win a “Monument Race” at this Sunday’s Optical Expressions Berlin Labor Day Classic. (Buzz Fisher/Creative Outbursts photo)
Local racers such as Kyle Pembroke (#27VT) and Brendan Moodie (#94VT) will try to pull an upset while also battling for crucial Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model championship points. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, VT — Barre’s Thunder Road is ready to celebrate Labor Day the only way it knows how — by going racing. The 42nd Optical Expressions Labor Day Classic this Sunday, September 6 is the track’s longest race of the year and will feature the region’s biggest Late Model stars for 200 laps of heart-pounding action.
Sunday’s event counts toward the championship for both the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and the weekly Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models. That means local heroes like Jason Corliss, Scott Dragon, Bobby Therrien, and Trampas Demers will take on the likes of Jimmy Hebert, D.J. Shaw, Ryan Kuhn, Bryan Kruczek, and other traveling ACT invaders.
The history of the Labor Day Classic goes back to Thunder Road’s inaugural 1960 season. Following a period where the Vermont Milk Bowl was held Labor Day weekend, the Classic was restored in 1997 and has been a staple of the schedule in various forms ever since.
Along the way, racing legends such as Larry Demar, Jean-Paul Cabana, Robbie Crouch, Dave Dion, and Brian Hoar have carried the checkered flag on Labor Day weekend. Each of the 41 previous winners has their name inscribed on a granite monument behind the track’s main tower. Sunday’s champion will be added to this prestigious list.
History says the locals have the edge when the ACT Late Model Tour comes to town. In the 13 previous years the event was part of the Tour schedule, 12 victors had previously won a race at Thunder Road, and nine were current or former weekly competitors. That leaves 2019 winner Rich Dubeau, the eventual ACT champion, as the only true “outsider” to capture the trophy.
These numbers clearly favor top weekly runners such as Jason Corliss, Scott Dragon, and Bobby Therrien. Barre’s Corliss, the defending track champion and current point leader, has won four of the last five ACT Tour events at Thunder Road. This includes the 2018 Labor Day Classic. As such, it would be folly not to consider Corliss one of the favorites on Sunday.
Milton’s Dragon is looking to finally close the deal on a “Monument Race”. The two-time “King of the Road” somehow has yet to win any of the track’s three biggest events: The Labor Day Classic, the Milk Bowl, or the Memorial Day Classic. Dragon has had several close calls, including a runner-up in last year’s Labor Day Classic, and is surely itching to fill that hole on his resume.
Other drivers need a win on Sunday to stay in title contention. Former Memorial Day Classic winner Trampas Demers, 2017 “King of the Road” Therrien, and early point leader Marcel J. Gravel all took a hit in the final Thursday night event. With just two point-counting events remaining, they know it’s now or never for their championship aspirations.
A surprise winner could also emerge from the weekly warriors. Montpelier’s Kyle Pembroke finished second in the 2015 Classic and is looking for his first win of the year. Matt White and Christopher Pelkey each have multiple podiums this year and want to break into Victory Lane. Tyler Cahoon, Boomer Morris, and rookie Matthew Smith have also shown they are capable of being the top dog any given week. For these drivers and many others, a Labor Day Classic triumph could be a career-defining victory.
Sunday’s event also features weekly action for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors. In the Flying Tigers, Waterbury Center’s Jason Woodard may be on his way to an unprecedented fourth championship. While the veteran hasn’t been as flashy as in years past, his consistency has built a 36-point lead over Craftsbury Common’s Mike Martin. Barre’s Cameron Ouellette is 39 points behind Woodard.
Meanwhile, E. Thetford’s Brandon Gray has quickly recovered from his one stumble to hold a 42-point lead over his nearest Street Stock competition. James Dopp, Tanner Woodard, and rookie Kaiden “Tropical Storm” Fisher are trying to make one last push. The Road Warriors always pull a big field for holiday weekend events and should do so again with standouts like Brian Putney, Josh Vilbrin, Sean McCarthy, and Dan Garrett Jr. leading the way.
The 42nd Optical Expressions Berlin Labor Day Classic at Barre’s Thunder Road goes to post on Sunday, September 6 at 1:00pm. The American-Canadian Tour and Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models go 200 green-flag laps with a full card for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors.
Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for kids ages 12 and under with limited fan attendance. Advance tickets are on sale now at https://happsnow.com/event/Thunder-Road-Speedbowl. Please visit www.thunderroadvt.com for the track’s face mask policies plus other health and safety guidelines. For those who can’t make it to Barre, the Northeast Sports Network is offering a $25 live pay-per-view broadcast at www.NSNsports.net/sponsors/racing.
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ThunderRoadVT.
For more about the Northeast Sports Network, visit www.NSNsports.net or follow them on Facebook and Twitter at @NSNsports.
Source: American-Canadian Tour Media Director