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Final 2011 Thunder Road Point Standings
1. Dave Pembroke 899
2. Phil Scott 863
3. John Donahue 855
4. Nick Sweet 840
5. Scott Payea 808
6. Cris Michaud 779
- Reno Gervais 779
8. Cody Blake 770
9. Brett Wheeler 764
10. Mike Bailey 763
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Chase, Sweet Join Forces
Posted By Anthony Sweet On January 9, 2012
Written By Vermont Motorsports Magazine
BARRE -- A good, lasting impression may sometimes leads to a new opportunity. And for Nick Sweet, that may not be any truer. Sweet, who drove for fellow late model competitor Eric Chase on three occasions last year, has been hired by Chase fulltime to work on Chase's racecars in 2012.
Chase first asked Sweet to drive into his car at the American-Canadian Tour event at Beech Ridge while Chase was away on business in Japan in July. That race saw Sweet drive the No. 40 Mansfield Heliflight/Gary Clay Builders Chevrolet to a seventh place finish after starting 22nd. Sweet then drove Chase's car to a 14th place overall finish two weeks late in the inaugural ACT All-Star Challenge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Sweet drove Chase's car in a return visit to New Hampshire for the ACT Invitional and Sweet may have impressed even further. Sweet would finish runner-up to winner Eddie MacDonald in a thrilling race that saw Sweet and MacDonald battle side-by-side for the race win over the final five laps.
"Eric [Chase] has hired me full time to work on his race cars," confirmed Sweet. "It's just a great opportunity to do something that I love every day, and get paid for it. It sure beats being an electrician."
Sweet, who resides in Barre, has been moving Chase's equipment there to help him with not having to commute to Chase's shop in Milton.
"Eric is moving his cars to Barre for me to work on them," said Sweet. "We're going to have his cars and our car under one roof. It makes it easier for me by not having to commute every day. We're hoping this makes us both better next year."
Sweet's performance in the ACT Invitational had led to the belief that Sweet could be tabbed as a full time driver for Chase on the American-Canadian Tour. Sweet denied that claim, stating that Chase is planning to race the car.
"Eric is still planning on driving," Sweet said. "I'm working on my own car in preparation for Thunder Road. Who knows, we may do something similar as last year, but, right now, we're moving forward for Eric driving the full season."
Sweet will look to regain his "King of the Road" crown during Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl's 53rd season, while Eric Chase tries to gain his first career ACT Late Model win in the season opener at Lee USA Speedway on April 15.
Hoar Edges Sweet in Dramatic Milk Bowl Finish
Posted By Anthony Sweet On October 11, 2011
By T.J. Ingerson (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)
BARRE -- The last time Brian Hoar saw Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl victory lane in an ACT Late Model was in the Milk Bowl, during his incredible 1999 season, a season which saw him win the Airborne Raceway, Thunder Road, and American Canadian Tour Championships. Hoar said in the days leading up to the 49th Annual People’s United Bank Milk Bowl that his two previous Milk Bowl victories, in 1998 and 1999, were the biggest victories of his career.
But Hoar was not the favorite entering the Milk Bowl; hometown racer Nick Sweet was. For Hoar to win his third Milk Bowl, he would have to beat Sweet. And Hoar did, head-to-head, in one of the most exciting Milk Bowls in recent history.
Hoar, the winner of the first segment, entered the final segment in third place overall. He trailed Sweet by one point and Milton racer Scott Payea, whose fourth and sixth place finishes put him ahead with ten points, by three.
Hoar and Sweet quickly separated themselves from the other contenders, and worked through the field like a dynamic duo. Hoar would open up a gap and Sweet would quickly reel him back it. It became apparent the Milk Bowl would be settled between Hoar and Sweet.
Hoar took the lead of segment three on lap 62 from Randy Potter, and Sweet quickly followed him through. Three laps later, Sweet brought the home crowd to their feet as he worked to the outside of Hoar, and began making progress. Sweet’s progress would stall, however, and Hoar opened up a gap to claim the segment three victory. Hoar’s two wins, combined with a 12th place finish would put him in a 14-point tie with Sweet, who had two seconds and a tenth place finish. Hoar’s win in segment three gave him the overall victory tiebreaker, something he did not know when the checkered flag flew.
“There is nobody I’d rather beat than Nick Sweet, but there is nobody I’d rather lose to than Nick Sweet, said Hoar. “When I took the checkered flag, I thought I lost to him. And I said, ‘At least it’s Nick.’ I like Nick a lot. Of all the drivers I’ve raced against, he reminds me as much of myself as anybody else.”
Both Hoar and Sweet, who raced as teammates for Rick Paya’s RPM Motorsports over the final two months of the American Canadian Tour season, spoke highly of each other after their finishes in the Milk Bowl.
“He knows when to pull the moves,” Hoar said of Sweet. “He gives great feedback on the car and keeps the fenders on the car. The longer races suit him much like it suits me. We have a lot in common. He’s genuine and he’s humble, which is cool. It’s a lot of fun. But I am damn glad. I was not his fan today. He said coming in ‘you know, I might root for you normally, but not today.’ I said ‘I’m normally a fan of yours at Thunder Road, but not today.’ So we shook and said let the best man win. And I have to say, I don’t know if either of us though who won. I thought he won, and he probably did too.”
“Definitely not,” Sweet said when asked if he would want to lose to another driver other than Hoar. “If you’ve never met Brian Hoar, he’s a stand up person. Not only as a race car driver, but also as an individual, and that’s what you strive to be. He’s a great guy. He deserved it today. He drove a flawless race and didn’t make mistakes. We didn’t either, but we just couldn’t quite capitalize. He was just a little bit better than us today, by one spot. I think he’s happy, because he beat a really good car.”
Sweet called his runner up finish bittersweet. Sweet, who missed the Milk Bowl a year ago after his championship season, now has runner-up finishes in the TD Bank 250, ACT Invitational, and Milk Bowl in 2011.
“You called it [bittersweet],” said Sweet. “I can’t say enough about my team, they’re great. I wish I could have gotten them one more spot, but that seems like that has been our year. We’ve been doing a lot of finishing second.”
Payea finished 12th in the final segment and took the final podium spot. Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, of Berlin, who got spun early in segment one, rallied to an overall finish of fourth after finishing 12th, third, and eighth. Seven-time American Canadian Tour Champion Jean-Paul Cyr, of Milton, finished fifth.
Pembroke, who tied with Cyr, was sixth after finishing one spot behind Cyr in segment three. Defending Milk Bowl Champion Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., was seventh. Segment two winner Mike Bailey finished eighth, while Austin Theriault and Craig Bushey completed the unofficial top ten.
The victory in the Milk Bowl capped of an incredible season for Hoar, which he calls the best one of his career. Hoar won the 2011 American Canadian Tour Championship.
“Pinch me. Am I going to wake up here and have it not be real? Unbelievable. Pretty incredible. I predicted last year that we wouldn’t have as good as a year this year. At the banquet I said there is no way I can have a better year than this, and that was last year. And I’ll say it again now. There is no way we can have a better season than this.”
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- 49th Annual People’s United Bank Milk Bowl
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Score
1. (1) Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt. -- 14
2. (3) Nick Sweet, Barre, Vt., -- 14
3. (8) Scott Payea, Milton, Vt. -- 22
4. (7) Phil Scott, Berlin, Vt. -- 23
5. (4) Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, Vt. -- 24
6. (2) Dave Pembroke, Montpelier, Vt. -- 24
7. (11) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H. -- 25
8. (23) Mike Bailey, South Barre, Vt. -- 33
9. (13) Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Me. -- 36
10. (6) Craig Bushey, Fairfax, Vt. -- 40