62nd Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic to Start Thunder Road Season on Sunday

Barre, VT – Following the rain postponement of the Community Bank 150 to June 1, the Thunder Road faithful are ready to return to the Nation’s Site of Excitement this Sunday, May 25 to kick off the 2025 season with the 62nd Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic! The Maplefields/Irving Late Models will go for 125 laps to see whose name is added to the granite monument and who will lead off the second annual Squier Cup Triple Crown presented by Milton CAT!

The Memorial Day Classic has its roots set deep in Thunder Road history with Roy ‘Pappy’ Forsythe taking the inaugural win back in 1961 to kick off his record ten-win season that still stands tall in the Thunder Road history books. The undisputed King of the Memorial Day Classic continues to be ‘Dynamite’ Dave Dion who owns an incredible nine wins in the holiday weekend special between 1975 and 1992. As in the past, the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic continues to be a who’s-who of Thunder Road talent.

Over the last several years, the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic has been taken by championship caliber talent like Nick Sweet, Jason Corliss and Stephen Donahue while defending winner Cody Blake is hoping for another strong run to kick off a championship season in 2025. Blake will be looking to secure his third Memorial Day Classic triumph on Sunday after breaking the one-win tie with his father and crew chief, Greg ‘Burger’ Blake, with his 2024 victory.

Alan Ward photo

Another driver looking for a strong start is Milton, Vermont’s Scott Dragon. Dragon earned the inaugural Squier Cup Triple Crown last season and with renewed vigor courtesy of Milton CAT, the Squier Cup has only grown in mystique for 2025. Williamstown’s Jimmy Hebert will also be back to chase the Squier Cup honors while Kaiden Fisher will celebrate his 2024 King of the Road track championship and look for a strong start to his 2025 title defense.

Alan Ward photo

Alan Ward photo

The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers are chomping at the bit to get their 2025 season off to a start after several Thunder Road teams made the trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park last Saturday. After stretching their legs at New Hampshire’s Favorite Short Track, the Tigers are ready to make some leaps and bounds at the Nation’s Site of Excitement this Sunday.

Several rk Miles Street Stocks and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors also made the trip to White Mountain last Saturday night, getting some laps down before the rains came. Both four-cylinder divisions are ready to rip-roar into Thunder Road for the holiday weekend this Sunday and perform in front of the big crowd expected!

Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl will kick off the 66th season of world-famous racing on Sunday, May 25 with the 62nd Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. The 125-lap Memorial Day Classic kicks off the King of the Road track championship season for the Maplefields/Irving Late Models alongside the 4th annual visit from the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series! The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, rk Miles Street Stocks and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors join the holiday special for a five-division showdown.

Post Time is set for 1:30pm on Sunday but don’t miss the annual Class Day Festivities starting at 12:55pm as the final celebration of the 2024 season and a classic Thunder Road send-off for 2025! Adult General Admission pricing is set at $30, Kids 12-6 for $10 and children 5 and under are free!

Mekkelsen RV has been outfitting campers in Central Vermont for over 50 years as your one-stop-shop for purchasing new or used campers of all shapes, sizes and types while also providing an A-1 service department! Mekkelsen RV is located at 2419 US Route 2 in E. Montpelier, Vermont. For more information contact them today at (802) 231-0497, find them online at www.vtrv.com and on Facebook and Instagram at @Mekkelsen RV Sales & Rentals.

For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.