BARRE, Vt. — Tanner Woodard pulled the year’s biggest upset to date by earning his first Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger victory in the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series feature on Friday at Thunder Road int’l Speedbowl.
The rookie withstood fierce pressure from veterans Stephen Martin, Sam Caron, and Joel Hodgdon to go wire-to-wire in the 75-lap main event.
Woodard earned the pole after charging from ninth to fourth in his qualifying heat for a “plus-five.” Right from the get-go, he was under attack, with Caron glued to his rear bumper as they pulled away from the field.
Hodgdon eventually got out of the pack and reeled in the duo. When Caron tried to go inside Woodard on lap 31, the longtime ice hockey player deked the veteran by using the lapped car of Jamon Perry as a pick. Hodgdon took advantage as well and moved past Caron for second.
Just before halfway, the event’s only two caution flags flew. Jeff Oeschger spun on the frontstretch to bring out the first yellow, then Justin Prescott and Phil Potvin tangled coming to the restart — with fifth-place runner Cameron Ouellette getting a piece as the field came back around. When the race got going again, Hodgdon struggled on the outside groove, sliding all the way to fifth as Caron, Stephen Martin, and Robert Gordon got by.
Caron and Martin began a two-barreled assault on Woodard, with Hodgdon eventually righting the ship and running down the leaders with 10 laps to go. But Woodard could not be rattled. He again used Perry as a pick on Caron, and when Caron went to the outside with seven laps remaining, he was unable to find the grip he needed. Martin moved into second and pressed Woodard the rest of the way, but the 17-year-old ran the perfect race and brought home a Triple Crown winner’s trophy to show for it.
Martin took second in the final rundown. Caron crossed the line third but was later disqualified for a tread width violation, giving Hodgdon the position. Gordon, Logan Powers, Mike Martin, Jaden Perry, Kelsea Woodard, Derrick Calkins and Jason Pelkey rounded out the top 10.
Christopher Pelkey raced to his second career Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model victory and first since 2017. Pelkey started seventh in the 50-lap feature and was already up to the second spot by lap nine. He then quickly reeled in polesitter Jim “Boomer” Morris of Barre before swinging outside and poking the bumper out front with 15 complete.
Morris hung with Pelkey for several circuits before the new leader finally got clear. With the race going green to checkered, though, Pelkey seemingly got stronger as it went on, running away from the heated action behind him to score the win.
Matthew Smith came on strong late in the race. Despite brushing the frontstretch wall with six laps to go, the sophomore was able to get around Morris three laps later for the runner up spot. Morris came home third while point leader Jason Corliss stole fourth inside Scott Dragon on the final lap. Brendan Moodie, Trampas Demers, Kyle Pembroke, Cooper Bouchard, and Brandon Lanphear finished sixth through 10th.
Tyler Whittemore became a first-time RK Miles Street Stock winner by roaring to victory in their 25-lap feature. Whittemore haunted polesitter Kasey Collins like a ghost as they motored away from the field over the first 13 laps. Just after getting the halfway signal, Whittemore slingshot inside Collins on the backstretch to take the top spot.