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Alan Ward photo
Barre, VT — While a rightfully dreary forecast tattered Sunday plans for the American-Canadian Tour at Thunder Road, Mother Nature laid the groundwork for something New England race fans had been craving since last October. The 26th annual Community Bank, N.A. 150 was the first of its existence to be under the lights of the Nation’s Site of Excitement on Saturday night, and exciting it was. Thirty-nine American-Canadian Tour Late Models were whittled down to a twenty-nine car starting field for a fantastic showing at the Tour’s homebase with many storylines competing for the top spot!
A pair of three-peat King of the Road champions in Derrick O’Donnell and Jason Corliss brought the Community Bank 150 to green after leading the pack in ACT Plus/Minus handicaps earned through the heat race qualifiers. The early laps provided a competitive front pack, adding in fellow former Kings Scott Dragon and Chris Pelkey and former ACT champion Jimmy Hebert. Both Dragon and Hebert jumped to the outside lane looking for the edge with Hebert taking over the lead on lap 15.
Dragon and O’Donnell put on a spirited back and forth, lane-switching battle for second until a catastrophic sway bar snap took Scott Dragon out of contention and ended a strong run early in the Community Bank 150. Hebert continued to prove himself on the restart, holding his own at the front of the field and showcasing some well-done winter’s homework for the Williamstown, Vermonter.
By the halfway point the homegrown Thunder Road heroes continued to shine with Center Conway, New Hampshire’s Gabe Brown leading the Touring roster of drivers running in fifth-place. The unpredictability of the after-dark effects on the Barre highbanks proved tough on some of the American-Canadian Tour regulars, but certainly not all. Brown, Jamie Swallow Jr., D.J. Shaw and Derek Gluchacki kept pace in the top ten, waiting for a caution by lap 100 for another chance at the top spot.
As lap traffic plagued the leaders for multiple laps, Oxford Plains Speedway winner Jesse Switser smacked the widowmaker frontstretch wall and nearly collected the leaders in turn one to bring up the caution on lap 114. The restart saw Marcel Gravel enter the top three mix after coming up from a 14th place starting spot and making his way methodically through the pack. Gravel rounded Pelkey for second and began stalking Hebert for the lead with thirty-laps remaining.
A world-class side-by-side battle at the front went haywire with both laps, and time, running low on lap 144. Gravel, Hebert and O’Donnell were all collected into the turn four wall to bring out the red flag with fluids under O’Donnell’s car catching fire and calling out Speedway Safety Services. With the three principle players out of contention, Chris Pelkey would get the run on the restart under Gabe Brown to collect his first American-Canadian Tour victory with the Community Bank 150! Brown would be relegated to third with Chip Grenier taking second. Jamie Swallow, Jr. came home fourth with rookie contender Kaiden Fisher earning his best finish of the season in fifth.
The American-Canadian Tour takes a week off before all eyes turn north for the Claude Leclerc 150 at Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jonction, Quebec on Saturday, May 18. The knights of the United States will head across the border for the first of two events staged in Canada this summer to battle with the Quebec home front on their own turf. The trip to Chaudiere on May 18 will honor the Iron Man of American-Canadian Tour competition Claude Leclerc who has over 600 ACT-sanctioned starts in his decades-long career!
For more information about the American-Canadian Tour, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @ACTTour.
The 26th Community Bank, N.A. 150
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT
Sunday, May 5, 2024
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
1. 68NH Christopher Pelkey S.Barre, VT
2. 9VT Chip Grenier E.Barre, VT
3. 47NH Gabe Brown Center Conway, NH
4. 4NH Jamie Swallow Jr. Lancaster, VT
5. 18VT #Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT
6. 03MA Derek Gluchacki Dartmouth, MA
7. 55VT Keegan Lamson Berlin, VT
8. 66VT Jason Corliss Barre, VT
9. 04VT DJ Shaw Center Conway,NH
10. 04NH Shawn Swallow Groveton, NH
11. 45NH #Kasey Beattie St.Johnsbury, VT
12. 68VT Brooks Clark Fayston, VT
13. 77NH Bryan Wall Jr. E. Kingston, NH
14. 41QC Jonathan Bouvrette Blainville, QC
15. 7VT Cooper Bouchard Hinesburg, VT
16. 36NH Erick Sands Derry, NH
17. 25NH Jesse Switser W. Burke, VT
18. 0NH Brandon Barker Windham, ME
19. 21QC Alexendre Tardif Quebec, Canada
20. 58VT Jimmy Hebert Williamstown, VT
21. 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT
22. 60NH Derrick O’Donnell N. Haverhill, NH
23. 16VT Brandon Lanphear Morrisville, VT
24. 01VT Stephen Martin Craftsbury Common, VT
25. 28ME Rowland Robinson, Jr. Stueben, ME
26. 5VT Bobby Therrien Hinesburg, VT
27. 7MA #Jeremy Sorel Westfield, MA
28. 0VT Scott Dragon Milton, VT
29. 99VT Cody Blake Barre, VT
DNQ 36VT Joel Hodgdon Craftsbury Common, VT
DNQ 71VT #Jesse Laquerre E. Montpelier, VT
DNQ 27NH Cam Huntress Rochester, NH
DNQ 73MA #Cole Littlewood Orange, MA
DNQ 11QC Claude Leclerc Lanoraie, QC
DNQ 33QC Remi Perrault St. Paul, QC
DNQ 21MA Pete Yetman Peru, MA
DNS 26VT Stephen Donahue Graniteville, VT
DNS 17VT Darrell Morin Westford, VT
DNS 27VT Kyle Pembroke Montpelier, VT
