BARRE – Thunder Road’s final Thursday night event this season will see tight championship battles as the track heads into its penultimate title event.
Scott Dragon leads Nick Sweet by 20 points in the Late Model standings after Sweet cut 15 point out of the Dragon’s lead one week ago.
Dragon, of Milton, has been a model of consistency this season as he has posted 10 top-five place finishes and 12 top-10 place finishes in 13 races, with his worst finish being a 12th place effort. Dragon has also notched two wins, including a memorable photo finish over Sweet in the Vermont Governor’s Cup, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Richard Green Racing ride.
Sweet, the two-time track champion and hometown driver, has posted one win this season, along with nine top-five place finishes and 11 top-10 place finishes.
A tight battle for third has shaped up with three drivers separated by just 11 points with two races remaining.
Vermont Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, Jason Corliss, and Trampas Demers hold down the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively.
Scott, in what will likely be his final weekly Thursday night race should he be elected Vermont’s Governor in November, has put forth his best season in recent memory and sits seven points ahead of Corliss. Corliss has posted 11 top-ten place finishes this season and sits four points in front of Demers.
Mid-Season championship winner Kyle Pembroke sits in sixth with two wins and 10 top-10 place finishes with Eric Badore in seventh, six points ahead of Cody Blake. Eric Chase and Shawn Fleury complete the top-ten point drivers with Matt white just ten points back of Fleury in 11th.
In the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman, five drivers sit separated by 22 points at the top of the standings.
Youngster Stephen Donahue holds a slim eight-point advantage over defending champion Brendan Moodie with two races remaining.
Donahue has posted one win this season, but has earned 10 top-five place finishes and has not finished outside the top-10 this season. Moodie has posted two wins this season along with eight top-five’s and 13 top-10’s.
Mike Martin sits in third, five points back of Moodie, while Cameron Ouellette sits fourth, six points shy of Moodie. Former champion Jason Woodard sits fifth, three points back of Ouellette.
The largest championship gap comes in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks as Jamon Perry has a 27-point advantage over older brother Jaden Perry. Garry Bashaw sits third in the standings, five points shy of Jaden Perry.
Sophomore campaigner Matthew Smith sits fourth in the standings, 17 points back of Bashaw, while Alan Maynard is fifth, 8 points away from Smith.
Bunker Hodgdon sits just five points out of the top-five, with Will Hennequin two points back of Hodgdon in seventh. Rookie driver Brandon Lanphear is eigith, eight points shy of Hennequin.
Rookie Cooper Bouchard and Thomas Merchant complete the top-ten.Thunder Road’s final Thursday night event this season will see tight championship battles as the track heads into its penultimate title event.
The final Thursday night event of the season will go green at 7:00pm on August 25 while the championship event will take place during the Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic on Sunday, September 4.
PHOTO: Scott Dragon (#16) leads Nick Sweet (#88) by 20 points in the Late Model standings entering the final Thursday night race while Phil Scott (#14) and Trampas Demers (#85) are locked in a fight for the third spot with Jason Corliss. (Alan Ward photo)
