BARRE, Vt. — Stephen Martin topped one of the closest championship battles in recent Thunder Road history by winning the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series finale at Cody Chevrolet-Cadillac Night on Thursday.
Martin wrestled the lead away from his dad Michael in the closing stages of the 75-lap Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger feature to win both the race and the Triple Crown title in one fell swoop.
The 19-year-old entered the night as one of eight drivers within 12 points of the Triple Crown lead. With eight points between himself and co-leaders Robert Gordon, Kelsea Woodard, and Jaden Perry, Martin knew he had his work cut out.
After starting the feature sixth and biding his time for the early stages, Martin went to work and took the third spot from Cameron Ouellette with 19 laps complete.
By that time, front row starters Michael Martin and Tanner Woodard had opened a huge lead over the field. The younger Martin finally got to close up when Adam Maynard spun in turn four with 45 laps complete. Ouellette, Jason Pelkey, and Mike Billado all slid into the accident with Ouellette cutting a tire.
On the restart, Stephen Martin and Derrick Calkins got past Tanner Woodard while Kelsea was shuffled back from the fourth spot. Son stalked father for several laps before getting underneath him on the back straightaway with 24 laps remaining. The Martins then swapped the lead back and forth several times, each knowing a victory in the race would all but assure them the title.
It was Stephen who had the bumper out front when Colin Cornell and Pelkey looped it to bring out the final caution with 15 laps to go. Stephen quickly jumped in front on the restart as it became apparent the handling had gone south on his dad’s car. Michael Martin, who entered the night leading the season-long point standings, was thus forced to play defense on Calkins for second.
This let Stephen speed away to the biggest win of his Flying Tiger career. By capturing the Triple Crown victory, Martin also won the series championship by three points over Kelsea Woodard, who slipped beneath Perry in the final corner for a fourth-place finish on the night.
Michael Martin successfully held off Calkins to retain his overall Tiger point lead.
Jason Corliss rebounded from a Midseason Championship disaster by grabbing the win in the 50-lap Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model feature. His last-place finish on double-points night due to a wreck  meant the two-time champion started sixth in the 23-car field.
Corliss waited out an early dogfight between Chip Grenier and Cooper Bouchard for the second spot, then drove like he was shot out of a cannon, running down polesitter Chris Roberts to take the lead on lap 20.
The new leader wasn’t out of the woods yet, though. With 14 laps to go, Brandon Lanphear and Matthew Smith got together as part of a multi-way battle for third. Lanphear spun in third three to bring out the caution and both drivers went to the rear for the restart. One lap later, Brendan Moodie got crossed up on the backstretch, and Trampas Demers went up in a shower of sparks after making contact with Moodie.
Kyle Pembroke, who roared from 13th to second, erased the huge deficit to Corliss. Pembroke hung on the outside of Corliss for several laps after the race got going again. Once Corliss cleared him for the lead, Pembroke remained stapled to the leader’s rear bumper. But Corliss rambled to his fourth Thunder Road win of the year.
Point leader Christopher Pelkey, who was barely hanging onto the top-10 before the pair of cautions, made a late run to finish third. Brendan Moodie edged out Stephen Donahue for fourth after a brief tussle.
Jeffrey Martin sped to his third RK Miles Street Stock win of the year after a wild homestretch.
Paige Whittemore picked up her first career victory in the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors.
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