Austin Beers Collects First Thunder Road Win with Exciting Monaco Mod Finish

Barre, VT – While a heavy fog and mist started off the day, Mother Nature finally changed her way for Northern New England race fans on Sunday afternoon at the Nation’s Site of Excitement. Thirty-three Maplefields/Irving Late Models filed into the Thunder Road pit area with officials opting to start all cars for the 62nd Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic.

All with +3 handicaps earned in qualifying competition, defending Milk Bowl champion Marcel Gravel, former Flying Tiger champ Joel Hodgdon and former Kings of the Road Jason Corliss and Chris Pelkey brought the field to green for their 125-lap showdown on the highbanks. Gravel showed the way early, looking to etch his name on another of Thunder Road’s granite monuments but lost the lead to Corliss on the lap 8 restart after Taylor Hoar met an early end with a hard lick to the Widowmaker frontstretch wall.

Corliss showed the way, looking for win number four in the Memorial Day Classic but late-race restarts made for a strong-armed battle with Bryan Wall Jr. The former White Mountain and Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour standout is calling Thunder Road his home this summer season and made sure all knew it. Wall would lead lap 68 and even through several close calls in restart launches, never faltered becoming just the latest upset winning driver in Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic history! Wall took down his first Maplefields/Irving Late Model win at Thunder Road in grand style with Corliss holding on for second and Scott Dragon driving up from a 23rd-place starting spot to claim third.

Ronnie Williams took off with the lead in the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series but fell to defending winner Stephen Kopcik. After stretching the single file line, a lap forty-five scuffle between Ronnie Williams and Jon McKennedy collected Jeffery Battle and Woody Pitkat in Turn One to call the first caution. Just eleven laps later, a tight battle for the lead with Stephen Kopcik and Teddy Hodgdon saw Teddy’s #55 ricochet off the backstretch wall to end his day with the first double hook of the year and Kopcik sent to the rear.

Now under the command of Matt Swanson, his mirrors suddenly became full of Austin Beers as the two young-guns battled hard at the head of the pack. Easily the finish of the day, these two Modified stars beat and banged off each other for the point with Beers sliding under with two to go to claim the 4th annual Granite City 100 and the $10,000 prize.

Travis Patnoe and Ty Delphia brought the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers to green but it was Sam Caron that slid through to steal the spotlight. The big one of Sunday’s action saw Chris Laforest, Rich Lowrey, Matt Ballard and more collide and collect on the backstretch to call the lap 10 caution. After the scuffle, it was all Sam Caron to victory lane with Kevin Streeter and Logan Farrell joining the podium.

After a spirited battle to drive up the outside groove from sixth on the grid, Josh Lovely started his season on high with a new car in the green-to-checkered rk Miles Street Stock feature event that was eventually stripped in post-race inspection. Jamie Davis came from an eight-place start to take the win with Fred Fleury second and Dean Switser rounding out the podium. By advancing 12 positions, Nate ‘Tater’ Brien took home the first $50 Noyle Johnson Insurance hard charger award of 2025.

Mason Frazier held his own to start the wild Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior feature to round out Sunday’s program. Fighting hard with Caleb Cramer, Cramer nabbed the early lead over Frazier as the mini #70 back-slid through the inside line. Three cautions on laps 10, 11, and 12 saw several leaders spin and several more head to the rear as penalty cars. Through it all, Cayden Green took his first win of the season followed by Derrick Mann and Ryan Sayers rounding out the podium.

Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl is back next Sunday, June 1 for the rain-postponed Community Bank 150 with the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour. The Maplefields/Irving Late Models are set to fight hard against the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour travel teams alongside the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, rk Miles Street Stocks and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors with a 2:00pm Post Time.

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.

62nd Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic

Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT

Sunday, May 25, 2025

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

Maplefields/Irving Late Models – 62nd Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 125

1. 77NH Bryan Wall Jr. E. Kingston, NH

2. 66VT Jason Corliss Barre, VT

3. 0VT Scott Dragon Milton, VT

4. 58VT Jimmy Hebert Williamstown, VT

5. 86VT Marcel J. Gravel Wolcott, VT

6. 64VT Christopher Pelkey Graniteville, VT

7. 00VT Brandon Gray E. Thetford, VT

8. 99VT Cody Blake Barre, VT

9. 47NH Gabe Brown Center Conway, NH

10. 01VT Stephen Martin Craftsbury Common, VT

11. 16VT Brandon Lanphear Morrisville, VT

12. 36NH Erick Sands Derry, NH

13. 36VT Joel Hodgdon Craftsbury Common, VT

14. 17VT Darrell Morin Westford, VT

15. 68NH Tanner Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT

16. 14VT Phil Scott Montpelier, VT

17. 18VT Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT

18. 26VT Stephen Donahue Graniteville, VT

19. 4VT Scott Coburn Barre, VT

20. 27MA Chase Curtis Rutland, MA

21. 71VT Jesse Laquerre E. Montpelier, VT

22. 04VT Justin Prescott Williston, VT

23. 48K #Kyle Streeter Waterbury Ctr., VT

24. 68VT Brooks Clark Fayston, VT

25. 25NH Jesse Switser W. Burke, VT

26. 38VT Tyler Cahoon Danville, VT

27. 9VT Chip Grenier E. Barre, VT

28. 8VT Chris Roberts Washington, VT

29. 98MA Ryan Flood Sandwich, MA

30. 57VT #Trevor Jaques Milton, VT

31. 48VT Taylor Hoar South Hero, VT

32. 25VT Michael Rubalcaba Barre, VT

33. 7VT Cooper Bouchard Hinesburg, VT

Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series – Granite City 100

1. 179 Austin Beers Northampton, PA

2. 25 Matt Swanson Harvard, MA

3. 39 George Bessette, Jr. Danbury, CT

4. 79 Jon McKennedy Chelmsford, MA

5. 1 Stephen Kopcik Newtown, CT

6. 5CT Chris Pasteryak Lisbon, CT

7. 50W Ronnie Williams Ellington, CT

8. 43 Matt Kimball Bennington, NH

9. 88 Woody Pitkat Bellingham, MA

10. 76 Brett Meservey Brewster, MA

11. 99 Tyler Hines North Haven, CT

12. 19W Jeffrey Battle Dunstable, MA

13. 55x Jacob Perry Kannapolis, NC

14. 55CT Teddy Hodgdon Danbury, CT

15. 31 Noah Korner Avon, CT

Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers – 40 Laps

1. 07VT Sam Caron Milton, VT

2. 67VT Kevin Streeter Waitsfield, VT

3. 9VT Logan Farrell Barre, VT

4. 90VT Cameron Ouellette Barre, VT

5. 15NH Brendan Moodie Wolcott, VT

6. 01VT Michael Martin Craftsbury, Common, VT

7. 4VT Cooper French Northfield, VT

8. 31VT Logan Powers Middlesex, VT

9. 36VT Jason Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT

10. 3VT Michael MacAskill Williamstown, VT

11. 26VT Luke Peters Groton, VT

12. 56VT Chris Laforest Barre, VT

13. 19VT Eric Messier Hinesburg, VT

14. 23NY Cam Gadue Highgate, VT

15. 45VT Adam Maynard Milton, VT

16. 20VT Robert Gordon Milton, VT

17. 64VT Jason Pelkey Barre, VT

18. 5VT Tyler Austin East Calais, VT

19. 8VT Mike Billado Grand Isle, VT

20. 22VT Travis Patnoe Wolcott, VT

21. 55VT #Parker Gagne Fairfax, VT

22. 13VT Ty Delphia Waterbury, VT

23. 30VT #Cameron Powers E. Montpelier, VT

24. 33VT Matt Ballard Williamstown, VT

25. 42VT #Karsen Murphy Northfield, VT

26. 8NH Rich Lowrey South Hero, VT

27. 17VT #Brodie Frazier E. Montpelier, VT

rk Miles Street Stocks – 25 Laps

1. 43 Jamie Davis Johnson, VT

2. 99 Fred Fleury Graniteville, VT

3. 16 Dean Switser, Jr. Waterford, VT

4. 34 Patrick Tibbetts Plainfield, VT

5. 22 Thomas Smith Williamstown, VT

6. 08 Ryan Foster Waterbury, VT

7. 1 Kyler Davis Berlin, VT

8. 39 Derek Farnham Bethel, VT

9. 16VT Nate Brien Williamstown, VT

10. 7 Kyle MacAskill Williamstown, VT

11. 73 Paige Whittemore Graniteville, VT

12. 04 Scott Weston Berlin, VT

13. 79 Juan Marshall Pittsfield, VT

14. 15VT #Hayden Bushey Fairfax, VT

15. 74 #Keegan Tabor Randolph, VT

16. 8 Paul Rocheleau Georgia, VT

17. 17 Connor Rueda Barre, VT

18. 3 Michael Gay S. Burlington, VT

19. 8NH #Jaiden Del Toro Barre Town, VT

20. 18x Walker Fitch Marshfield, VT

21. 31 #Tyler Wheatley Brookfield, VT

22. 50 Eric MacLaughlin Milton, VT

23. 32 Kylee Potter Marshfield, VT

24. 75 #TJ Haggett Waterford, VT

25. 13 Travis Gay S. Burlington, VT

DNS 71 #Jason Kirby Milton, VT

DNS 21 #Jamerson Tofani Northfield, VT

DSQ 54 Josh Lovely Williamstown, VT

Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors – 20 Laps

1. 18 Cayden Green Marshfield, VT

2. 27 Derrick Mann Graniteville, VT

3. 94 Ryan Sayers Barre, VT

4. 31 Tyler Wheatley Brookfield, VT

5. 77 Zachary Garvey Milton, VT

6. 51 Caleb Cramer Georgia, VT

7. 95 Taylor Sayers Barre, VT

8. 81 Mike Slingerland Milton, VT

9. 05 Brandon Premont Johnson, VT

10. 96 Bill O'Connor S. Washington, VT

11. 97 Eddie Thompson Colchester, VT

12. 70 Mason Frazier E. Montpelier, VT

13. 98 John Gay Barre, VT

14. 09 Dakota Bushey Springfield, VT

15. 33 Brayden Murphy Barre, VT

16. 34 Steven Corbett Berlin, VT

17. 43 Anderson Boyd Berlin, VT

18. 14 Jed Whitcomb Williamstown, VT

19. 19 Neal Foster Moretown, VT

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