Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic Notebook

By Phil Whipple

            After driving four hours through varying degrees of rainfall, we were more than delighted to see the clouds depart and sunshine prevail last Sunday afternoon at Thunder Road.

            Oxford’s regular Saturday night program ran as clean as we hoped, capped by a huge fireworks display for the holiday weekend crowd. That put us in a favorable frame of mind as we headed west, and the action at T-Road sure didn’t disappoint.

            Along with David Pembroke’s thrilling win in the ACT 100, the big story of the day was obviously the tremendous heartbreak suffered by Joey Polewarczyk and team when he spun out of the lead at lap 82.

            Fresh from his victory the previous Sunday at Oxford, Pole was working his way through traffic like a seasoned veteran. The 19-year-old New Hampshire native was using the outside lane to stay out front, much as he did the previous week at Oxford.

            Yet this time, he got a little too far out carrying a whole lot of speed into Turn 3. The resulting spin and crash cost him a second straight win, one he dearly wanted at ACT’s toughest track. Pembroke took his gift from above and ran with it — straight to Victory Lane.

            Another big attraction beyond the great racing Sunday at Thunder Road was the classy memorials that have been constructed at the speedway. Six large pieces of polished Barre granite are inscribed with the names of track champions and major event winners.

            The three pieces put up in front of the track entrance feature track champions, from Ronnie Marvin in 1960 to Eric Williams in 2008. Located right behind the officials’ tower at the base of the banking is a new display featuring three more pieces. These are pink granite inscribed with the names of winners in T-Road’s three major races; Memorial Day Classic, Vermont Milk Bowl and the famed Labor Day Classic.

            I took some time to look over these displays and must say they are very nicely done. Since Barre is the undisputed Granite capitol of the world, these memorials are quite fitting.

            There are even two new signs welcoming fans onto the property made out of granite. The whole place looked absolutely outstanding in the bright sun Sunday afternoon. My compliments to Ken Squire and Tom Curley for these world-class tributes to the drivers who made Thunder Road one of the nation’s finest short tracks. I’d love to see more tracks follow suit now to recognize their own rich history.

            I was a little disappointed to see the True Value Modified portion of Sunday’s holiday doubleheader turn so ugly. Twelve cautions and a red flag in a 100-lap race is a bit excessive. Yet I don’t get to see these ground-pounding machines often any more; not like the old days when the NASCAR Mod tour ran alongside the old Busch North Series at certain tracks. So I enjoyed the chance to see Chris Pasteryak, Kirk Alexander and eventual winner Steve Masse do battle.

            One comment on the Tiger Sportsman division at Thunder Road. That is, without question the nicest-looking support class I’ve ever seen. Most of the cars are well-maintained and look a lot like a Late Model. The crews all wear nice uniforms and some even have digital wraps on their enclosed trailers. It’s a hot division that puts on a great show of its own. It’s the modern-day version of the old Flying Tigers, I guess, and they really are an added attraction.

            After attending four of the first five ACT Late Model tour shows in 2009, it’s time to get focused on Oxford’s weekly action. We’ll have some terrific battles up there all season, and not just with the Late Models, either. Strictly Stock, Mini Stock, Outlaw, Rebels and even the Ladies all provide fans with plenty of pop. Get out and support your local short track this summer.