Racing: Woodard Comes on Strong Late to Take Triple Crown Opener at The Road

Courtesy Thunder Road

BARRE — Waterbury Center’s Jason Woodard put the power down late in the going to take the win in the Myers Container Service Triple Crown opener at Capitol City Auto Mart Night on Friday, June 7. Woodard took the lead from polesitter Tyler Austin on lap 47 of the 75-lap event and never let up en route to his seventh career Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger win.

Austin set the early pace as the field found its rhythm after a pair of quick caution. After Austin had pulled ahead, Woodard’s daughter Kelsea slowly reeled him in. Kelsea Woodard went to the outside of Austin on lap 23 and led several circuits, but Austin had the top spot back when Brandon Lanphear came to a halt with a bad wheel bearing to bring out the caution on lap 27.

Jason Woodard and Hardwick’s Jaden Perry had worked their way up to third and fourth by this time, and the front quartet maintained those positions through another yellow on lap 39 for Colin Cornell’s spin. When Perry began putting the pressure on after the restart, Jason Woodard decided it was time to go. He got around Kelsea Woodard on the outside on lap 45 and pulled in front of Austin two laps later.

Perry got underneath Austin for second after one final caution on lap 67 when Cameron Ouellette and Joe Steffen spun fighting for the sixth position. But while Perry was able to maintain pace in the final circuits, he couldn’t make a run as Woodard roared to the win.

Kelsea Woodard ended up third after a hard scramble in the final laps, giving the Woodard family a bookend of the podium. Kevin Streeter made a late run for fourth while Austin ended up fifth. Rookie Stephen Martin, Jason Pelkey, Kevin Boutin, Mike Martin, and Robert Gordon rounded out the top-10.

Montpelier’s Kyle Pembroke took the long way to victory in the 50-lap feature for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models. Pembroke started seventh and steadily worked his way to the front on the outside, eventually getting around early leader Tyler Cahoon on the 23rd circuit.

However, a lap-34 caution for a hard turn-one wreck involving Scott Dragon, Marcel J. Gravel, and Mason Mitchell put Barre’s Cody Blake to Pembroke’s outside. When the caution came out again seven laps later for Cahoon’s stalled machine, Pembroke went to the top line – but Jason Corliss was now sitting in third looking for his fifth straight win.

After running side-by-side with Corliss for several laps, Pembroke found the bite in the high groove that he had earlier in the event, taking the lead back from Blake with three laps to go and beating him by a nose in a shootout to the finish.

Blake came in second while Corliss’s winning streak came to an end in third. Brooks Clark, Eric Chase, Trampas Demers, Boomer Morris, Josh Masterson, Phil Scott, and Christopher Pelkey completed the top-10.

Lyndonville’s Dean Switser Jr. found a tonic for some tough early-season luck by winning the 25-lap Allen Lumber Street Stock feature. Switser got the jump on the opening circuit from polesitter Tom Campbell, but found himself under attack from Barre’s Jeffrey Martin and Williamstown’s Tommy Smith throughout the second half of the caution-filled event. While both drivers had cracks at Switser following restarts, the veteran held them both off for the win.

Martin finished second while Smith recovered from a scare on the final restart to grab the third-place trophy. Michael Gay, Kasey Collins, Kasey Beattie, rookie Keegan Lamson, Scott Weston, Bryan P. Wall, and J.T. Blanchard also earned top-10 finishes.

Berlin’s Eric “Pork” Chase earned a hard-fought first career Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior win in their 20-lap feature. Chase quickly got to the lead on the third lap, but faced serious pressure from E. Corinth’s Brian Putney following a pair of late restarts. While Putney laid a couple love taps on Chase, “Pork” was able to keep the car straight and take the victory.

Williamstown’s Sean McCarthy completed the podium in third. James Dopp, Chris Morse, Fred Fleury, Todd Raymo, Mike Mitchell, Mark Beaulieu, and Kyle Chapin also earned top-10 finishes.

Thunder Road officially begins the Thursday Thunder racing season on Thursday, June 13 at 7:00pm with Casella Waste Management Night. A full card of championship action is slated for the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks along with the annual appearance from the New England Antique Racers. 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.

CAPITOL CITY AUTO MART NIGHT
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

LENNY’S SHOE & APPAREL FLYING TIGERS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Jason Woodard ( 68VT ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
2. Jaden Perry ( 92VT ) Hardwick, VT
3. Kelsea Woodard ( 55VT ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
4. Kevin Streeter ( 67VT ) Waitsfield, VT
5. Tyler Austin ( 5VT ) East Calias, VT
6. #Stephen Martin ( 9VT ) Craftsbury Common, VT
7. Jason Pelkey ( 64VT ) Barre, VT
8. Kevin Boutin Jr. ( 25NH ) Fairfax, VT
9. Michael Martin ( 01VT ) Craftsbury Common, VT
10. Robert Gordon ( 20VT ) Milton, VT
11. Cooper Bouchard ( 7VT ) Hinesburg, VT
12. Mark Barnier ( 0VT ) Essex Jct., VT
13. Brian Delphia ( 25VT ) Duxbury, VT
14. Mike Billado ( 8VT ) Grand Isle, VT
15. Joe Steffen ( 00VT ) Grand Isle, VT
16. Brett Wood ( 29VT ) Georgia, VT
17. Cameron Ouellette ( 90VT ) Barre, VT
18. Colin Cornell ( 54VT ) E. Burke, VT
19. M.C. Ingram ( 02VT ) Essex Jct., VT
20. Lance Rabtoy ( 12VT ) Fairfax, VT
21. Kevin Dodge ( 88VT ) Barre, VT
22. Micheal MacAskill ( 33VT ) Williamstown, VT
23. #Logan Powers ( 31VT ) Middlesex, VT
24. Matthew Potter ( 23VT ) Marshfield, VT
25. Brad Bushey ( 52VT ) Vergennes, VT
26. Sid Sweet Jr. ( 93VT ) Williamstown, VT
27. Brandon Lanphear ( 11VT ) Morrisville, VT
28. Eric Messier ( 3VT ) Hinesburg, VT

MAPLEWOOD/IRVING OIL LATE MODELS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) Montpelier, VT
2. Cody Blake ( 99VT ) Barre, VT
3. Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) Barre, VT
4. Brooks Clark ( 68VT ) Waitsfield, VT
5. Eric Chase ( 40VT ) Milton, VT
6. Trampas Demers ( 85VT ) Shelburne, VT
7. Boomer Morris ( 13VT ) Barre, VT
8. Josh Masterson ( 11VT ) Bristol, VT
9. Phil Scott ( 14VT ) Middlesex, VT
10. Christopher Pelkey ( 64VT ) Graniteville, VT
11. Matt White ( 42VT ) Northfield, VT
12. Stephen Donahue ( 2VT ) Graniteville, VT
13. Josh Demers ( 10VT ) Montpelier, VT
14. Darrell Morin ( 17VT ) Westford, VT
15. Brendan Moodie ( 94VT ) Wolcott, VT
16. Ricky Roberts ( 3VT ) Washington, VT
17. Marcel J. Gravel ( 86VT ) Wolcott, VT
18. Joel Hodgdon ( 36VT ) Craftsbury Common, VT
19. Tyler Cahoon ( 38VT ) Danville, VT
20. Scott Dragon ( 16VT ) Milton, VT
21. Mason Mitchell ( 28VT ) West Des Moines, IA

ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCKS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Dean Switser Jr. ( 16 ) Lyndonville, VT
2. Jeffrey Martin ( 8 ) Barre, VT
3. Thomas Smith ( 22 ) Williamstown, VT
4. Michael Gay ( 3 ) So. Burlington, VT
5. Kasey Collins ( 98 ) Berlin, VT
6. Kasey Beattie ( 45 ) St. Johnsbury, VT
7. #Keegan Lamson ( 55 ) Berlin, VT
8. Scott Weston ( 04 ) Berlin, VT
9. Bryan P. Wall ( 77 ) E. Kingston, NH
10. J.T. Blanchard ( 66 ) Graniteville, VT
11. Tom Campbell ( 85 ) Middlesex, VT
12. #Derek Farnham ( 5 ) S. Royalton, VT
13. Tim Hunt ( 93 ) Derby, VT
14. #Cooper French ( 4 ) Northfield, VT
15. #Tanner Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT
16. Frank Putney ( 88 ) Graniteville, VT
17. Royce Lussier ( 95 ) Berlin, VT
18. Thomas Peck ( 96 ) Barre, VT
19. Justin Blakely ( 17 ) Barre, VT
20. Eric MacLaughlin ( 6 ) Milton, VT
21. Jacob Roy ( 11 ) Danville, VT
22. Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT
23. Juan Marshall ( 79 ) Pittsfield, VT
24. Tyler Pepin ( 78 ) Barre, VT
25. Jamie Davis ( 43 ) Wolcott, VT
26. Hunter King ( 64 ) E. Calais, VT
27. Hunter Garduno ( 13 ) W. Fairlee, VT

BURNETT SCRAP METALS ROAD WARRIORS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Eric Chase ( 13 ) Berlin, VT
2. Brian Putney ( 87 ) E. Corinth, VT
3. Sean McCarthy ( 86 ) Williamstown, VT
4. James Dopp ( 0 ) Northfield, VT
5. Chris Morse ( 88 ) Graniteville, VT
6. Fred Fleury ( 99 ) Graniteville, VT
7. Todd Raymo ( 26 ) Swanton, VT
8. Mike Mitchell ( 1 ) Essex Jct., VT
9. Mark Beaulieu ( 12 ) Essex Jct., VT
10. Kyle Chapin ( 27 ) Barre, VT
11. Rodney Campbell ( 10 ) Worcester, VT
12. Jason Kirby ( 71 ) Milton, VT
13. Nate Brien ( 16 ) Brookfield, VT
14. Josh Vilbrin ( 07 ) Northfield, VT
15. Davey Chase ( 11 ) Hardwick, VT
16. Haidyn Pearce ( 4 ) Middlesex, VT
17. Kyler Davis ( 68 ) Berlin, VT