BARRE, Vt. — Two of the most decorated Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model drivers in Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl history, Scott Dragon and Phil Scott, put another notch in their belts on Thursday night.
Two-time “King of the Road” Dragon earned his second straight win in the Casella Waste Systems make-up feature to start the evening, while Vermont Governor Scott captured his 31st late model victory at the quarter-mile track in the nightcap.
Dragon began the double-feature event by dominating the 50-lap Casella feature that had been rained out June 14. Starting third after qualifying held two weeks before, Dragon lay back early while Montpelier’s Josh Demers set the early pace. But it wasn’t long before the “Dragon Wagon” was closing the gap, and Dragon swept around the outside of Demers for the lead just before the halfway point.
The defending champion began pulling away following a lap-27 caution for Chris Pelkey’s spin while Demers faded in the high lane. Dragon had a straightaway-plus lead over a multi-way battle for second when another yellow flew for Trevor Lyman’s spin with just five laps to go. The pause was no problem for Dragon has he marched back away in the final sprint for his eighth victory at Thunder Road.
Polesitter Tyler Cahoon ran up front the whole race and finished second. Brooks Clark completed the podium while Trampas Demers nosed out Cody Blake for fourth.
In the second 50-lap feature, Scott rebounded from late problems in the first main event to make a late charge for the win.
Scott started sixth and rode in fourth for much of the race’s first half as Darrell Morin, Eric Chase, and Christopher Pelkey went nose-to-tail at the front. As time began to wind down, Scott wound it up on the outside groove, eventually snatching the lead from Morin on lap 35.
Chase eventually followed Scott’s lead to take second and began closing on the three-time “King of the Road” in the closing circuits. But it was too little, too late as Scott earned his second victory at Thunder Road since being elected Governor of Vermont.
Pelkey ended up grabbing third in the late going while Morin barely held off Trampas Demers for fourth.
Milton Sam Caron finally earned his first career Thunder Road victory by taking the win in the 40-lap Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger feature.
Jamie Davis was in the right place at the right time to get his first Allen Lumber Street Stock win of the season.