BARRE, Vt. — The Thunder Road faithful let the podium finishers know their feelings Sunday afternoon with the 48th EastRise Credit Union Labor Day Classic feeling more like the 15th.
If you’d heard the crowd, you’d think it was Bobby Dragon and Dave Dion instead of Jason Corliss and Brandon Gray. The Nation’s Site of Excitement went all out Sunday and it showed.
Nick Sweet led the way for the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour in the opening circuits of the 48th EastRise Credit Union Labor Day Classic. Sweet faced fierce competition from Brandon Gray as the two battled side-by-side before Sweet gave way as they drove toward the lap 50 competition caution for fuel.
Milton CAT point leader Gabe Brown experienced brake failure to bring out the lap 61 caution but it was the big-one on lap 67. Cooper Bouchard, Erick Sands and Cole Littlewood all piled into turn one to call the second caution.
Sweet maintained the top spot following the fuel stop but Gray powered back to the head of the pack by lap 75. Various tire strategies came into play throughout the mid-race caution periods and it was going all Justin Prescott’s way until lap 132. Prescott had maintained a top-five run until a blown right front tire sent him hard into the turn two wall and ended is day early.
What came next was a thrilling showdown throughout the final fifty laps between Maplefields/Irving Late Model top dogs putting on a show with the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour.
Jason Corliss picked up the lead on the lap-132 restart with Gray running side-by-side from then on out. Contact between the two in the final 10 laps sent them to the boiling point but it was all orliss out front to take the win ahead of Gray at the line.
Brown came back from a blown motor in practice and a the midway brake issue to take third.
The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers got feature action underway Sunday afternoon with their 50-lap EastRise Credit Union feature event. Mike MacAskill and Jaiden Del Toro ran side-by-side through the opening laps until Eric ‘Mongo’ Messier took control on lap 7. As Messier ran away, MacAskill fell under attack from Rob Gordon to his inside with Cooper French and Matt Ballard side-by-side behind him in a four-way battle for second.
It was youngsters against the veterans in the rk Miles Street Stocks. With laps winding down toward the end it was Hayden Morris v. Connor Rueda with Tommy ‘Thunder’ Smith in tow. Morris stood on the skinny pedal as Smith and Rueda ran hard side-by-side for second with point leaders Hayden Bushey and Tyler Wheatley running nose-to-tail on the outside lane just behind them. Hayden Morris made the most of a sunny Labor Day weekend to take the win over Tommy Smith and Connor Rueda just barely edged Bushey at the line for third.
Cayden Green made the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors look like childs play as soon as his #18 Cavalier saw daylight out front. Green, unable to start Thursday’s feature due to mechanical woes, took advantage of the handicap and made it home first with Mike Slingerland and Taylor Sayers rounding out the podium.
Trevor Jaques launched out ahead at the start of the Crown Vic division debut at Thunder Road to round out Sunday’s racing program. The former weekly warrior of the Nation’s Site of Excitement led the 35-lap showcase from the drop of the green while Kamden Robinson and Florida long-hauler Cody Benoit followed in hot pursuit! Robinson’s spin off turn four on lap 14 and his later ruined right front also took down Justin St. Louis sideways across the line on lap 27. When the dust, rust and sparks finally settled it was Jaques that took the win over Crown Vic journeyman Jaret Curtis and former Flying Tiger racer JT Blanchard.
