BARRE — Russ Ingerson. Kevin Lepage. Patrick Laperle. Brian Hoar. And according to the members of the assembled media, Nick Sweet.
The hometown driver and current ACT Late Model Tour point leader has been identified as the favorite to win this weekend’s 54th Annual Northfield Savings Bank Milk Bowl by the media as polled by VtMotorMag.com which would place him in a tie for second on the all-time Milk Bowl wins list with the list stated above.
Sweet pulled off a thrilling, come-from-behind victory one year ago and came on strong late in the season at Thunder Road to nearly pull off championship win after being down 35 points with three races left. He ultimately finished one point short.
The two-time Milk Bowl champion was named the favorite on five (5) of 13 ballots returned to VtMotorMag.com.
Recently crowned Thunder Road champion Scott Dragon was named the favorite on two ballots, as was Jason Corliss, who finished third in the Late Model standings this season.
One member of the media predicts that Laperle will join Robbie Crouch as the only four-time winner of the Milk Bowl, while another predicts that Phil Scott, not Nick Sweet, will join the list of three-time winners in what could be his final Thunder Road race. ACT Late Model Tour championship contender Scott Payea and former Serie ACT Quebec champion Alex Labbe also received a vote.
Qualifying for the 54th Milk Bowl will begin with Booth Bros./HP Hood qualifying day at 1:00 pm on Saturday.
The Milk Bowl will begin at 1:00pm on Sunday with opening ceremonies. That will be preceded by a last chance qualifying race that begins at 12:15pm.
PHOTO: Nick Sweet has been named the favorite to win the 54th Milk Bowl this weekend by a poll conducted by VtMotorMag.com of media members that are familiar with Thunder Road and the ACT Late Model Tour. (Alan Ward photo)
Terrill Covey
Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald
Pick: Nick Sweet
Nick Sweet is on a tear this year. He is on pace for his first ACT championship, and he might feel like he has something to prove (though he really doesn’t) after coming up just one-point shy in his bid for another Thunder Road track Championship. There would be no better way to wrap up a great season than to cap it with a Milk Bowl win, and I anticipate that Sweet, fresh off a win in the Labor Day Classic on the high banks, will do just that. A win would be his third in the past four years and would further cement the hometown boy as one of the best to ever turn left at Thunder Road.
Bob Dillner
Speed51.com
Pick: Nick Sweet
How can you not pick Nick Sweet? He’s on top of his game and is simply too good right now to not be considered the favorite. Anything can happen, but I believe Nick has a great shot at scoring the hat-trick in the Milk Bowl this weekend.
Buzz Fisher
CreativeOutbursts.com
Pick: Jason Corliss
2016 was a great year for the Late Models at Thunder Road. Nick Sweet looked like he was going to win the Championship going away only to have Scott Dragon chase him down and wrest the title away by a single point (even though Sweet won the final points race of the year). Either of those guys would be great picks (and I’m sure will be the popular votes). I’m going to go with Jason Corliss. Everyone likes an underdog…but this one has some bite. He’s due for a big win….and they don’t get any bigger than the Milk Bowl.
Tom Herzig
Barre-Montpelier (Vt.) Times Argus; Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader
Pick: Scott Dragon
According to the Chinese calendar, it’s the Year of the Monkey. But in Vermont, it seems like the Year of the Dragon. The Milk Bowl is about passing cars and Scott Dragon in Richard Green’s No. 16 has been the best at it. He had better time trial well though. There’s no shortage of drivers capable of coming out on top, including some past winners.
T.J. Ingerson
VtMotorMag.com
Pick: Alex Labbe
The Milk Bowl trophy will be going back north of the border this year, but with a new face in Alex Labbe. He has been quick before and Labbe has what it takes to win a Milk Bowl — speed and aggression. He may have only run a handful of ACT Late Model races this season, but in that short time he still showed he had what it takes tow in. The Larue Motorsports team are no slouches either as it showed one week ago at New Hampshire. Labbe continue on that podium finish and park that black No. 48 in victory lane on Sunday.
Lee Kittell
Radio Vermont
Pick: Scott Dragon
I’ll go with Scott Dragon. He and Nick Sweet will probably be battling for the overall with 5 laps to go. Season to remember for the Richard Green Team. First title and First Milk Bowl in 2016?
Eric LaFleche
Victory Lane Radio
Pick: Jason Corliss
I think Jason is going to shock a lot of people by capturing the 54th annual Milk Bowl. We have seen this young man move through the ranks at Thunder Road and he has become a legitimate threat for the Late Model ‘King of the Road’ title. The Milk Bowl format is conducive to the weekly 50-lap feature racer that Jason has been all year. He’s proven he can win on the big stage at Thunder Road and I think he’ll open some eyes this weekend.
Craig Murto
Late Model Racer Magazine
Pick: Phil Scott
My choice for this year’s Milk Bowl win is Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott. The Milk Bowl is a race that provides plenty of drama, and I can think of nothing as dramatic as Scott winning before he finds out if he wins the race for governor. And though he’s had his share of victories and championships, his win would be a long shot; I’d like to see it.
Carl Parton
CVTSport.net
Pick: Nick Sweet
Nick really came on strong toward the end of the 2016 Thunder Road season. He always has his car operating at its optimal performance level and this year Sweet has what I see as a bit of an edge to his driving. I am not sure if it because he now falls into the category of an experienced veteran or that he has seen and experienced a lot over the years. For those of us who remember the show “Happy Days,” I will explain it like this: Nick used to be Richie Cunningham behind the wheel now he is more like the Fonz! To further illustrate, I would, as a video guy, set Nick’s driving video montage to the sound track “No more Mr. Nice Guy” by Alice Cooper. Nick still races clean but he now has an aggressive, take-no-bull, intensity that I think will equate to more victories, including at this year’s Thunder Road Milk Bowl.
Brandon Paul
Speed51.com
Pick: Nick Sweet
I could try to be daring. I could try to go outside of the box. But I’m not; I’m picking Nick Sweet. He is the only driver in the field that I have the utmost confidence in saying that he’ll be in contention for the win entering the final segment. He knows how to get it done at Thunder Road, he knows how to get it done in big races and he knows how to get it done in the Milk Bowl. Put it in the books. Nick Sweet will kiss the cow for the third time.
Marc Patrick Roy
Oval-Racing.blogspot.com
Pick: Patrick Laperle
Well it’s d-day minus 2 days. By the time you get to read this it will be d-day minus 1. Its still not official, but we heard from reliable sources Patrick Laperle will be racing the Milk Bowl. The 3-time winner (2005, 2007 and 2008) is due for a good French kiss with Vermont’s finest bovine Queen. Now if the boys can stay focused… Fresh off a fifth Série ACT title, he gets my vote.
Justin St. Louis
Barre-Montpelier (Vt.) Times Argus; Burlington (Vt.) Free Press; Rutland (Vt.) Herald; WDEV Radio
Pick: Scott Payea
Scott Payea will win the Milk Bowl. I know that Scott Dragon has been fantastic at Thunder Road this year, and Nick Sweet dominated the Labor Day Classic and won the Milk Bowl last year, but Scott Payea has had an excellent season in the RPM car and I just feel like he’ll be one of the drivers to beat all weekend. He’s due for a win at Thunder Road anyway.
Alan Ward
Big Al’s Photos; Victory Lane Radio
Pick: Nick Sweet
I am going with one of the “Safe” picks. It came down to the 2 main adversaries during the season, Nick Sweet and Scott Dragon. Both are used to having only 50 laps to get to the front, and that makes a difference as well as track familiarity. My gut says Nick Sweet, although I cannot pick a specific reason for favoring him over Scott Dragon.