Racing: Demers Puts the Power Down for Win at Thunder Road

Courtesy Thunder Road

Barre – South Burlington’s Trampas Demers scored a crucial blow in the latest round of the 2018 “King of the Road” prizefight by taking his second Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model win of the season on Thursday, August 2. The veteran made a breathtaking move just past the halfway mark to grab the top spot and eventually score the victory on WDEV Radio/Calkins Portable Toilets Night.

Demers started 10th in the 50-lap feature and had worked his way up to fourth when the first caution flew for Mike Foster’s spin on lap 28. On the restart, Barre’s Jim “Boomer” Morris worked his way around polesitter Tyler Cahoon of Danville to go to the point.

But Morris’s stay at the front was short-lived. Demers was in the third spot when the 31st lap began – but ended the lap in the lead. First, Demers went around Cahoon for second in turns 1 and 2. He then continued riding the rail and sailed around Morris in turn four. Demers would hold serve through two more restarts, including one with four laps to go, for his 10th career win.

Barre’s Jason Corliss got underneath Morris for second on the final restart and made a late bid at Demers. But it was too little, too late, as Corliss was the runner-up for the second straight week. Morris held off a charge from Milton’s Scott Dragon for third. Kyle Pembroke, Brendan Moodie, Phil Scott, Eric Chase, Darrell Morin, and Cahoon rounded out the top-10.

With the victory, Demers unofficially retakes the point lead by 13 over Dragon. Corliss unofficially sits 20 points back with three point-counting events remaining for the Late Models.

Hinesburg’s Cooper Bouchard took the long way around the high banks to earn his second Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger win of the season. The rookie started ninth in the 40-lap feature and steadily worked his way through the field on the outside, eventually getting around polesitter Micheal MacAskill of Williamstown on lap-24.

A lap-34 caution for an incident involving Colin Cornell and Mike Billado put Barre’s Cameron Ouellette alongside Bouchard. When the yellow flew again one lap later for Trevor Lyman’s spin, it was Ouellette ahead by a bumper. But the outside proved to be Bouchard’s friend again on the final run to the checkered, as a back-and-forth duel ended with Bouchard taking the win by a nose.

Grand Isle’s “Double O” Joe Steffen made a late charge to complete the podium. MacAskill finished a season best-fourth while Kyle Streeter nipped Kelsea Woodard at the line for fifth. Brandon Lanphear, Jason Woodard, point leader Joel Hodgdon, and Matt Potter also earned top-10 finishes.

In the Allen Lumber Street Stocks, Middlesex’s Logan Powers made the most of a final 5-lap sprint to earn his first win of the season and the third of his career. Powers was running a distant third to Barre’s Patrick Tibbetts and Tunbridge’s Gary Mullen on lap 20 of the 25-lap event. But Jeffrey Martin lost his right front wheel in turn four and made subsequent contact with the wall to bring out the caution.

On the restart, Powers made quick work of Mullen for second, then when to work on Tibbetts. Entering turn 2 with less than two laps remaining, Powers found daylight on the bottom, snatching away the lead and the win.

Tibbetts settled for second followed by Mullen in third. Tommy Smith, Bryan P. Wall, Jamie Davis, Stephen Martin, point leader Matthew Smith, Scott Weston, and Tim Hunt completed the top-10.

Northfield’s Josh Vilbrin earn his first win of the season in the 20-lap Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors feature. Vilbrin dogged polesitter Nate Brien of Brookfield for several laps following the event’s only caution as part of a multi-car battle. He finally got around the outside with three laps remaining as Brien started showing some smoke.

Wolcott’s Issac Spaulding followed Vilbrin around the outside for second while E. Montpelier’s Brodie Frazier shot up the inside on the final lap for third. Brien, Edward Bowen Jr., Chris Davis, Eric Chase, James Dopp, Sean McCarthy, and Jacob Hall-Larson were fourth through 10th.

Thunder Road continues its charge down the stretch run next Thursday, August 19 at 7:00pm with Cody Chevrolet Cadillac Night. The Myers Container Services Triple Crown Series for the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers will crown the first champion of the 2018 season with a special 75-lap event. The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will also have full championship action. Admission is $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and $25 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).

For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit www.thunderroadvt.com.

WDEV RADIO/CALKINS PORTABLE TOILETS NIGHT
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

MAPLEWOOD/IRVING OIL LATE MODELS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Trampas Demers ( 85VT ) Shelburne, VT
2. Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) Barre, VT
3. Boomer Morris ( 13VT ) Barre, VT
4. Scott Dragon ( 16VT ) Milton, VT
5. Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) Montpelier, VT
6. #Brendan Moodie ( 94VT ) Wolcott, VT
7. Phil Scott ( 14VT ) Middlesex, VT
8. Eric Chase ( 40VT ) Milton, VT
9. Darrell Morin ( 17VT ) Richmond, VT
10. Tyler Cahoon ( 38VT ) Danville, VT
11. Christopher Pelkey ( 64VT ) Barre, VT
12. Stephen Donahue ( 2VT ) Graniteville, VT
13. Cody Blake ( 99VT ) Barre, VT
14. Mike Bailey ( 00VT ) S. Barre, VT
15. Marcel Gravel ( 86VT ) Wolcott, VT
16. #Evan Hallstrom ( 1VT ) Northfield, VT
17. Mike Foster ( 7VT ) Montpelier, VT

LENNY’S SHOE & APPAREL FLYING TIGERS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. #Cooper Bouchard ( 7 ) Hinesburg, VT
2. Cameron Ouellette ( 90 ) Barre, VT
3. Joe Steffen ( 00 ) Grand Isle, VT
4. Michael MacAskill ( 33 ) Williamstown, VT
5. Kyle Streeter ( 37 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
6. #Kelsea Woodard ( 55 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
7. #Brandon Lanphear ( 11 ) Morrisville, VT
8. Jason Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
9. Joel Hodgdon ( 36 ) Craftsbury Common, VT
10. Matthew Potter ( 23 ) Marshfield, VT
11. Tyler Austin ( 5 ) East Calias, VT
12. Robert Gordon ( 20 ) Milton, VT
13. Mark Barnier ( 0 ) Essex Jct., VT
14. #Kevin Streeter ( 67 ) Waitsfield, VT
15. Sid Sweet Jr. ( 51 ) Williamstown, VT
16. Michael Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury Common, VT
17. Chris Chambers ( 14 ) Brookfield, VT
18. Brett Wood ( 29 ) Georgia, VT
19. Trevor Lyman ( 17 ) Hinesburg, VT
20. Jason Pelkey ( 64 ) Barre, VT
21. Colin Cornell ( 54 ) E. Burke, VT
22. Sam Caron ( 07 ) Milton, VT
23. #Jeff Murray ( 35 ) Georgia, VT
24. Mike Billado ( 8 ) Essex, VT
25. Nick Pilotte ( 57 ) Jefferson, NH

ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCKS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Logan Powers ( 31 ) Middlesex, VT
2. Patrick Tibbetts ( 48 ) Barre, VT
3. Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT
4. Tom Smith ( 50 ) Williamstown, VT
5. #Bryan P. Wall ( 77 ) E. Kingston, NH
6. Jamie Davis ( 43 ) Wolcott, VT
7. Stephen Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury Common, VT
8. Matthew Smith ( 44 ) Essex Jct., VT
9. Scott Weston ( 04 ) Berlin, VT
10. Tim Hunt ( 93 ) Derby, VT
11. #Juan Marshall ( 79 ) Pittsfield, VT
12. William Hennequin ( 47 ) Hardwick, VT
13. #Trevor Rossi ( 54 ) Washington, VT
14. Brandon Gray ( 00 ) E. Thetford, VT
15. #Tyler Pepin ( 78 ) Barre, VT
16. Kasey Beattie ( 45 ) St. Johnsbury, VT
17. Justin Blakely ( 17 ) Graniteville, VT
18. #J.T. Blanchard ( 66 ) Graniteville, VT
19. #Royce Lussier ( 95 ) Berlin, VT
20. Thomas Peck ( 96 ) Barre, VT
21. Jeffrey Martin ( 8 ) Barre, VT

BURNETT SCRAP METALS ROAD WARRIORS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Josh Vilbrin ( 77 ) Northfield, VT
2. Issac Spaulding ( 96 ) Wolcott, VT
3. Brodie Frazier ( 17 ) E. Montpelier, VT
4. Nate Brien ( 16 ) Brookfield, VT
5. Edward Bowen Jr. ( 12 ) Morrisville, VT
6. Chris Davis ( 69 ) Berlin, VT
7. Eric Chase ( 13 ) Berlin, VT
8. James Dopp ( 0 ) Northfield, VT
9. Sean McCarthy ( 86 ) Williamstown, VT
10. Jacob Hall-Larson ( 42 ) Northfield, VT
11. Todd Raymo ( 26 ) Swanton, VT
12. Derek Farnham ( 5 ) S. Royalton, VT
13. Haidyn Pearce ( 4 ) Berlin, VT
14. Ryan Blaney ( 21 ) Craftsbury Common, VT
15. Rodney Campbell ( 10 ) Worcester, VT
16. Frank Putney ( 88 ) Graniteville, VT
17. Jayme Lee ( 18 ) Williamstown, VT
18. Ethan Howes ( 24 ) Fayston, VT