BARRE, Vermont. — Barre’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl comes back to life this Thursday, June 20, headlined by the 45th annual Vermont Governor’s Cup presented by the Vermont Lottery. The 150-lap showdown serves as Round No. 2 in the Squier Cup Triple Crown Series and sets up a battle between the Maplefields/Irving Late Models, several expected invaders of the American-Canadian Tour and the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion , Cole Custer, along with the track championship. action for Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and rk Miles Street Stocks with a special post at 6:30 pm.
While Chip Grenier leads the Maplefields/Irving Oil Late Model King of the Road standings after his first win in more than a decade Thursday night, Cody Blake leads the Squier Cup standings. Using the Over/Under handicap system made famous by the American-Canadian Tour, it could be anyone’s game this Thursday night with the blind draw for qualifying position leveling the playing field for everyone, new and recurring. At the top of the ‘new’ list is NASCAR from Widowmaker and, of course, its robust competition.
While Grenier, Blake, Jimmy Hebert, Stephen Donahue and more look to cushion their points standings, there’s also history at stake. This season serves as the 45th edition of the Vermont Governor’s Cup, first contested by the flathead coupes that put Thunder Road on the map in 1961. Since then, the event has faced many formats and has been contested both on Thunder Road as well as the venerated Catamount. Stadium with icons like Dave Dion, Robbie Crouch, Jean-Paul Cabana, the late Bugsy Stevens and even current Thunder Road managing partner Cris Michaud. Who will be next in the old Vermont Governor’s Cup?
Colchester’s Sam Caron is back at the top of the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger leaderboard after his hard-fought victory over Kevin Streeter last week. Caron leads an ultra-competitive Chris LaForest in second and the tied third-place duo of Brandon Gray and Streeter in the standings. The Flying Tigers have had plenty of visitors in their 40-lap sprints so far this season, and the chance to win in front of the huge Vermont Governor’s Cup crowd is sure to elevate that competition even more on Thursday.
Milton’s Trevor Jaques continues his career-best season atop the rk Miles Street Stock standings with two wins on the season so far. In second place is 2022 champion Dean Switser Jr., who has also had a good run and has yet to finish outside the top five. Speaking of career-best seasons, both Kasey Collins and 2023 Rookie of the Year Ryan Foster are among the top five points chasers so far this season, with Foster looking to get his first win at rk Miles Street Stock on Vermont Governor’s Cup night.
The iconic roar of the Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl returns Thursday, June 20 with the 45th annual Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 presented by the Vermont Lottery! NASCAR The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and rk Miles Street Stocks will also continue their fight for the track championship with a special post time at 6:30 p.m. General admission for adults is set at $20, children ages 12 to 6 pay $5 and children under 5 are free. The family package for four (two adults, two children) is also available for $40.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.