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Merchants Bank 150 Notebook

By Phil Whipple

            Sunday’s 11^th annual Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road delivered some of the best green-flag Late Model racing I’ve had the pleasure of watching in quite some time.

            While some fans prefer a caution every 20 laps or so to stir up the mix, I’ve always loved long green-flag runs because it shows you two big factors in racing - car preparation and driver skill. To run up front or work your way there (like Patrick Laperle did last Sunday) during a 106-lap sprint takes a well-prepared machine and a driver that doesn’t lose his cool in lapped traffic.

            In addition to the clean race we enjoyed, there were a number of other stories worth noting from the second ACT Late Model Tour event of 2009.

            First up on my list was the big crowd at Thunder Road. I know, a big crowd for an ACT race at T-Road isn’t a surprise, but for that many fans to turn out during tough economic times is remarkable. Especially since Vermont has been hit hard by this financial downturn.

            When teams showed up for the first practice session of 2009 on Tuesday, April 14, Nick Sweet was fast on everybody’s stopwatch. The sophomore driver from Barre backed that up in the season opener, easily qualifying for the 150 (unlike 12 drivers who did not) through his Heat (he was third in Heat 2 behind Joey Pole and Cris Michaud) and racing to a solid sixth-place finish in the feature. Sweet pilots the St. Jay Auto No. 88 Chevrolet and is one of the brightest among many rising stars in ACT competition.

            On the opposite end of the spectrum is young Tyler Cahoon, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont. His 17^th place finish at Lee USA on April 19 doesn’t really reflect his improvement over 2008. Cahoon won his qualifying heat earlier in the day and appeared to have the car dialed in. Yet last Sunday, the R&R Fireworks/Alomax Technologies No. 38 entry failed to qualify for the 150. In three tries (Qual. Heat, Consi and B Feature), Cahoon could not get the car into a transfer position and had to load it up early along with 11 other teams. I hope this coming Saturday at the all-new Airborne Speedway goes a lot better for the dedicated team from the Northeast Kingdom.

            Going in to the 2009 ACT season, Groveton, NH, veteran Randy Potter was on my short list for drivers to contend for the tour championship. Potter has matured a great deal the last few years and is now a legitimate title contender. On Sunday at Thunder Road, the No. 02 P&R Excavating/JML Trucking Chevrolet was on a rail as Potter finished fourth in Heat No. 2 to transfer into the feature. After starting 16^th on the 30-car grid, Potter smoothly wheeled his way up to eighth at the finish, the first car one lap down to the leaders.

            Other drivers of note in Sunday’s Merchants Bank 150 include Brian Hoar, who drove from 13^th to fifth in the Goss Dodge/RPM Racing Engines Dodge; Maine native Glen Luce, who piloted his TK & Sons Concrete Chevrolet to a solid 10^th place finish; former Oxford Plains Speedway champion Ricky Rolfe, who finished 23^rd after struggling all day; and seven-time ACT champion Jean-Paul Cyr, now driving his own No. 11 Chevrolet, who wound up 27^th after completing just 114 laps. While he isn’t chasing tour points in 2009, I really expected a better outcome for Cyr in the season opener.

            And last but certainly not least, I was interested to learn about the memorials that will be in place when we all get back to Thunder Road on Memorial Day weekend. During the Driver’s Meeting last Sunday, ACT president Tom Curley talked about plans he and Ken Squire have to erect some very classy memorials (remember, Barre is the Granite Capital of the World) to recognize some of the pioneers and stars from Thunder Road’s 50-year history.

            Having attended races at Thunder Road since 1976 and studying its rich history for years, I am very excited about these planned memorials. To me, any track with that much history is right on target when they recognize the men who laid the foundation for the sport we enjoy today.