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10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 Opens 49th Thunder Road Season
For Immediate Release TR-042908-1
BARRE, VT The 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 will open the 49th season of stock car racing at the Nations Site of Excitement, Barres Thunder Road, this weekend, Sat./Sun., May 3/4. The Merchants Bank 150 is the third round for the American-Canadian Tour Championship Late Models, and raises the curtain for Thunder Roads weekly NAPA Tiger Sportsman, Allen Lumber Street Stock, and Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior divisions. Festivities begin on Saturday morning in Barre City with the annual Merchants Bank Car Show at 9:00 am. Racing machines from all four classes will line Main Street for judging in the car show. A pit stop contest featuring the pit crews of Thunder Roads four defending champion drivers is scheduled to begin at 10:30 am, followed by a parade to the race track at 12:00 noon. Practice will be held at the track starting at 1:00 pm. Sunday kicks off with the traditional Champions Practice at 11:00 am, featuring all past Thunder Road Late Model Track Champions. The popular Class Day ceremonies begin at 1:00 pm, with as many as 120 race cars and drivers on display in the Thunder Road infield. Following the presentation of trophies to Saturdays car show winners, green flag racing action begins at 1:30 pm. The Merchants Bank 150 is a fun weekend filled with great racing, said Thunder Road General Manager Darla Hartt. The anticipation of the new season is very exciting and the car show and ceremonies have become highlights to our year. Were very pleased to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Merchants Bank 150 this year. Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, VT is the 2007 Late Model King of the Road, and will try for his second Merchants Bank 150 victory. He won the race in 2005. Nick Sweet of Barre, VT will not defend his NAPA Tiger Sportsman division title, as he joins Pembroke in the ACT Late Model ranks. The Allen Lumber Street Stock and Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior championships are also up for grabs, as champions Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, VT and Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick, VT, respectively, have also made jumps to higher divisions. The 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 weekend opens on Sat., May 3 at 9:00 am in Downtown Barre City, Barre, VT. Thunder Roads 49th stock car racing season opens on Sun., May 4 at 1:00 pm. General admission is $17 for adults, $5 of children (6-12), and just $35 for a family of four. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com. -30- Contact: Justin St. Louis Phone: (802) 244- 6963 Email: media@acttour.com Fax: (802) 244-1616
Top ACT Contenders Flock to Thunder Roads Merchants Bank 150
For Immediate Release ACT-050208-1
BARRE, VT The top Late Model stock car racers in the northeastern U.S. and Canada will be at Barre, VTs Thunder Road Intl Speedbowl for this weekends 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 (Sat./Sun., May 3/4), the third round of the 2008 American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Championship Series. Seven-time and defending ACT Late Model Tour Champion Jean-Paul Cyr and his cross-town Milton, VT neighbors, Scott Payea and Scott Dragon, have combined to win five of the previous nine Merchants Bank 150s. Cyrs victories came in 2002, 04, and 06. Payea earned his first ACT win at the event last year, while Dragons win came in 2003. After two events this season, Payea and Cyr rank seventh and eighth in ACT point standings, respectively, while Dragon sits tied for 10th overall with New Gloucester, MEs Ron Henry. Dragon sees the Merchants Bank 150 as not only a big event to win, but also a chance to set his quest for a championship on the right path. It would be great to win another Merchants Bank 150, he said. The whole weekend is fun, with Saturdays car show and parade, the ceremony on Sunday, and the race itself. To be honest, the start to my season hasnt gone as well as I planned it, and it would be great to turn it around by winning at Thunder Road this weekend. But theres going to be plenty of good competition to beat. Others expected at the Merchants Bank 150 include 18 year-old Hudson, NH driver Joey Pole Polewarczyk, Jr., the ACT point leader and a winner at Lee USA (NH) Speedway two weeks ago, Thunder Road Track Champions Cris Michaud and Dave Pembroke, defending Série ACT Castrol Champion Patrick Laperle of Montréal, Henry, who finished a career-best second in last years Merchants Bank 150, and a talented rookie crop that includes New Hampshires Ricky Wolf, Jr., Ontarios Jonathan Urlin, and hometown Barre, VT driver Nick Sweet, the 2007 Thunder Road NAPA Tiger Sportsman division champion. The annual Merchants Bank Car Show will be held in Downtown Barre City on Saturday, May 3 from 9:00 am until 12:00 noon, where nearly 100 race cars from all four ACT/Thunder Road racing divisions will line Main Street. A pit stop contest will begin at 10:45 am, followed by a two-mile parade up to the race track at noon. Practice will follow at 1:00 pm. Opening Class Day ceremonies at Thunder Road begin at 1:00 pm on Sunday, May 4, with racing action for the 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 scheduled to start at 1:30 pm. General admission if $17 for adults, $5 for children (6-12), and just $35 for a family of any two adults and two kids. Gates open on Sunday at 10:00 am. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com or www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com. -30- Contact: Justin St. Louis Phone: (802) 244- 6963 Email: media@acttour.com Fax: (802) 244-1616
Rookie ACT Late Model Tour Team Wins Thunder Road Pit Stop Contest Over 100 teams brave weather for Saturday car show, Merchants Bank 150 runs Sunday
For Immediate Release ACT-050308-1
BARRE, VT A rookie American-Canadian Tour Late Model stock car pit crew defeated the reigning ACT championship team to win Saturdays Thunder Road Intl Speedbowl Pit Stop Contest in downtown Barre City, VT, part of the 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 and Car Show weekend. The STJAuto.com/Fortiers Community Care Home #88 team, led by Crew Chief Shayne Sweet, completed a two-tire change, washed the windshield, and simulated a fuel refill in 25.44 seconds to take the victory over the seven-time ACT Champion Ehlers RV/RPM Racing Engines #32 team. Pitting a race-ready Late Model show car owned by veteran Joey Laquerre, the seven-man over the wall crews were each tested by Mother Nature as a light mist fell during the competition. The winning crew members were jackman Brandon Surprenant, tire changers Craig Deyo and Keith Fortier, tire carriers Anthony Sweet and Nathan Sweet, gasman Normand Fortier, and windshield cleaner Aaron Holden. Their driver, ACT rookie and 2007 Thunder Road NAPA Tiger Sportsman Champion Nick Sweet of Barre, was proud of his team. Ill take credit for that win, he joked. As many mistakes as Ive made learning how to drive these cars this year, those guys have learned how to fix things in a hurry. They did a great job. The runner-up team, led by Crew Chief Rick Paya, turned in a time of 27.28 seconds. The Paya team, who pits for ACT Champion driver Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT, won this contest one year ago. Third place went to the Hess Used Cars #83 Street Stock team led by 2007 Power Shift Warrior Champion Bunker Hodgdon, with a time of 29.03 seconds. The field of six teams was completed, in order, by the Lyman Excavating/Sign-A-Rama #4 Tiger Sportsman team of 2007 Allen Lumber Street Stock Champion Bobby Therrien, the Merchants Bank/Burrell Roofing #6 ACT Late Model team of three-time Thunder Road Champion Cris Michaud, and the VSECU/Cabot #44 ACT Late Model team of defending King of the Road Track Champion Dave Pembroke. Despite the damp weather, more than 100 race cars from four divisions were on display on Main Street in downtown Barre City, with well over a thousand race fans in attendance. The 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 opens Thunder Roads 49th season of stock car racing on Sunday, May 4. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 1:00 pm, with racing action beginning at 1:30 pm. General admission is $17 for adults, $5 for children (6-12), and just $35 for a family of four. Gates open at 10:00 am. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com or www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com. -30- Contact: Justin St. Louis Phone: (802) 244- 6963 Email: media@acttour.com Fax: (802) 244-1616
