BARRE, Vt. — While parts of Vermont were covered in chilly mist and rain showers, Barre’s Thunder Road was nothing but sunshine and steamy summer heat for Sunday’s 44th New England Federal Credit Union Labor Day Classic.
As one of the crown jewel events on the annual Thunder Road calendar, the NEFCU Labor Day Classic brought out the best and brightest in the four divisions present leading to hard charging battles on the iconic holiday weekend event.
The American-Canadian Tour ranks were once again flooded with the Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model faithful.
Although not a point-counting event for the Thunder Road track championship, all the top runners were present including points leader Christopher Pelkey and top contenders Scott Dragon, Kyle Pembroke and Stephen Donahue.
The Labor Day Classic itself was brought to the green flag by longtime Thunder Road supporters Chip Grenier and Brendan Moodie followed closely by three-peat Kings of the Road Jason Corliss and Derrick O’Donnell.
Throughout the race top-four weekly drivers Pelkey, Dragon, Pembroke and Donahue were in a constant mid-pack gaggle looking for position while fifth-place point chaser Marcel Gravel had the rollercoaster ride of his life.
In the early stages Gravel had fallen back to last on the field before turning up the wick on his Pete’s Equipment Toyota Camry. After driving up to second-place behind Jason Corliss, tragedy struck on lap 184 as something went amiss.
Gravel ended his day early, a true contender for the win but nevertheless stuck pit-side to watch the final laps.
Corliss would lose his left-front tire on the same lap, allowing Granite Staters Shawn Swallow and D.J. Shaw to duke it out for the final fifteen laps.
After staying side-by-side till the end, Shaw narrowly edged Swallow at the line to etch his name beside his father, Dale Shaw, on the Labor Day Classic Granite Monument.
At the end of the day, rookie contender Stephen Martin held the best finish of Thunder Road regulars after earning seventh place.
The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers event was won by Cameron Ouellette.
Rk Miles Street Stock event was won by James Dopp, while the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors top spot went to Frank Putney.