Sweet Racing 88 - Thunder Road Late Model

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

MacDonald, Sweet Thrill At ACT Invitational

Posted By Anthony Sweet On September 25, 2011

By Ricky St. Clair (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)
LOUDON, N.H. -- Eddie MacDonald had some unfinished business to take care of at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

One month ago, MacDonald had a potential victory slip away at the American-Canadian Tour All-Star Challenge at NHMS when he was forced to bow out with mechanical failures after leading a significant portion of the event.

On Saturday, though, MacDonald became the first repeat winner of the ACT Invitational by taking Saturday’s 50-lap feature event at the Magic Mile.

The Rowley, Mass., driver used two late-race restarts to set up a duel between himself and Nick Sweet. Wrecks on lap 41 for Jeff White and lap 45 for Pete Yetman punctuated the lead-swapping session between MacDonald and Sweet. Yetman, a rookie from Peru, Mass., led the opening 20 laps and was running in fifth place when a three-wide move by Brad Leighton to take away fifth place sent Yetman hard into the wall.

After the final restart, MacDonald managed to maneuver around race leader Sweet on the top side of the speedway on lap 46 to regain the top spot. The two swapped for the lead unofficially four times in the span of the final 11 laps. Sweet held the lead on the backstretch during the final lap, but MacDonald was able to pinch Sweet’s momentum off in turn four to win by a half-car length.

“Both of those restarts, I was trying to psych myself up to make sure I could drive it in there deep enough and not get too high in the marbles,” MacDonald said. “I definitely didn’t want to let another [win] get away. I felt like we had a pretty fast car in August. I just wanted to do whatever we could to try and get that win.”

MacDonald, also a three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series East winner at New Hampshire, was apologetic to Sweet following the event for pinching him down the racetrack out of the final turn when the two drag-raced to the checkered flag.

“I can’t praise Nick Sweet enough,” MacDonald said. “He ran that thing hard. I had to drive it as hard as I could to try to keep with him. We really just got lucky at the end. I got a real good run off the corner.”

Barre, Vt., native Sweet was driving Eric Chase’s No. 40 Gary Clay Builders/Mansfield Heliflight Chevrolet for the Invitational. Sweet refused to accept MacDonald’s apology and reassured him to enjoy his victory.

“I think I would have done the same thing,” Sweet said. “He made that race track as narrow as you can make it. It was good racing. That’s what you have to do to win these races. I definitely got educated by him today. We went out there and I felt really comfortable. I drove right through the field with Eddie. It was a great race for the win. I just couldn’t quite capture that win. I guess everything comes in twos for me. Two years ago I was second to Eddie. This year we’re second again. I guess I’m getting real good at being the bridesmaid.”

MacDonald had no idea that Sweet was the wheelman behind the Chase No. 40.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t even know Nick was even in that car,” MacDonald said. “I have a lot of respect for Nick. I was trying to take his line away in turns one and three. I kind of felt really bad about doing that, but I wanted to win that race. I was going to whatever I had to do to win it.”

Oxford Plains Speedway regular Shawn Martin of Turner, Me., finished the 50-lap feature as the final podium finisher in third place. Martin passed Yetman at lap 21 led the next 11 laps of the event before surrendering to MacDonald.

Lancaster, N.H., driver Quinny Welch, who escaped a lap-1 tangle with polesitter Phil Scott, bounced back and recovered to finish fourth. Leighton drove from his 31st starting position to complete the unofficial top five.

Brian Hoar and Joey Polewarczyk Jr., dove from their 26th and 32nd starting spots, respectively, to claim sixth and seventh at the finish. Tom Carey Jr., Karl Allard, and Glen Luce completed the top ten.

The event saw seven different lead changes among four drivers. It was halted for three caution periods on laps 27, 41, and 45. The time of the race was 45 minutes and 36 seconds. MacDonald’s margin of victory over Sweet was 0.161 seconds.

RPM MOTORSPORTS: Nick Sweet Finishes Third In Can-Am 200 At Riverside

Posted By Anthony Sweet On September 13, 2011

Rpm garage STE-CROIX, Que. – Nick Sweet of Barre, Vt., continued making good use of his partial ACT Late Model Tour schedule, finishing third in the Can-Am 200 at Circuit Riverside in Ste-Croix, Que., on Sunday, September 11. In three races with RPM Motorsports, Sweet has a pair of podium finishes in the No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford. He started 15th in the rain-delayed Can-Am 200 and played a patient waiting game to have a shot at the leaders of a final restart with six laps to go.
WHO: Nick Sweet, Barre, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford
CREW CHIEF: Andrew Hill, Georgia, Vt.

WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour Can-Am 200
WHERE: Circuit Riverside, Ste-Croix, Que. (.625-mile oval)
STARTED: 15th
FINISHED: 3rd

ACT Late Model Tour
LAST RACE: September 4, Labor Day Classic 200, Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (1st)
NEXT RACE: September 24, 3rd annual ACT Invitational, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (1.058-mile flat oval)

***************************

NICK, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DAY?

“It was a little crazy in the beginning. Some of the guys that race up there, they race the first lap like it's the last lap. They were going all out the first few laps, and I was trying to conserve. We just rode and rode and rode, and eventually people starting to wreck and break. It was kind of quiet for us for most of the race. At the end, we came on strong – racing down Wayne Helliwell – and were right there in the running.

“We had that late restart, and (RPM teammate Brian Hoar) was wheel-to-wheel with me. I knew it was going to be tough to hold him off. Brian is the master of that place.”

WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE HAVING BRIAN HOAR AS YOUR TEAMMATE?

“We're really meshing well as a team. Andrew (Hill), Rick (Paya), they're all just great guys. I've got to give a lot of praise to Brian. He showed me how to get around (Riverside). He actually walked me around the track in the morning and pointed out all the nuances, and they were all right on.

“There's not many guys that get that chance to get that kind of knowledge. He went out, he helped me, he won the race. He's just a great race car driver.

RPM MOTORSPORTS: Nick Sweet Holds Home Field Advantage At Thunder Road

Posted By Anthony Sweet On August 31, 2011

Nick Sweet of Barre, Vt., hopes to put a home field advantage to good use this weekend when the ACT Late Model Tour competes in the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., on Sunday, September 4. Sweet, the 2010 track champion, will make his third appearance for RPM Motorsports in the No. 57 Saint J Auto/RPM Racing Engines Ford and first in the car at Thunder Road. Though Sweet has never won the longest race on the Thunder Road schedule, he is the most recent ACT winner at the track – having taken the checkered flag in the Merchants Bank 150 in May while driving for his family-owned team.

THE FACTS

WHO: Nick Sweet, Barre, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 57 Saint J Auto/RPM Racing Engines Ford
CREW CHIEF: Andrew Hill, Georgia, Vt.

BEST CAREER THUNDER ROAD FINISH: 1st (May 2011)
LAST RACE AT THUNDER ROAD: 1st (May 2011)

WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200
WHERE: Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, September 4

ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
LAST RACE: August 27, Can-Am 200, Riverside Speedway, St. Croix, Que. (PPD-rain)
NEXT RACE: September 10, Budweiser Showdown At Chaudiere, Autodrome Chaudiere, Chaudiere, Que. (.333-mile oval)


DID YOU KNOW?

Nick Sweet won the 2010 “King Of The Road” title at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.
RPM Motorsports has seven ACT Late Model Tour championships, and current RPM driver Brian Hoar has 32 career victories – the most by any driver in Tour history.
Nick Sweet won the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road back in May, the second event of the season for the ACT Late Model Tour, and finished second in the TD Bank Oxford 250 while driving for his own team.
Nick Sweet finished fourth in the 2011 Thunder Road Late Model standings.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

NICK SWEET, Driver of the No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford, on teaming up with RPM Motorsports for the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road this weekend: "I'm very excited. It's my home track, and I think that will help me out a little on feedback for (team owner Rick Paya and crew chief Andrew Hill). Hopefully, we can get a good run. It looks like it's supposed to rain, but hopefully the weather will turn for us and we'll be right there at the end.”

On whether he and the team made strides at Riverside Speedway last weekend: "We definitely made strides. We showed up and picked up a half second by the time we left from when we first got there. To be able to maintain that, that's good.

“I honestly think we had a good car for that feature (before it rained following qualifying). I think it was a very positive weekend. As much as we could, we had success. We were good in practice and we went out and won the heat race – and though we got rained out, it was still nice to end on a good note. Hopefully, we can go back (on September 11) and have a good night.”

On whether he changes his approach at Thunder Road because he's not driving his own car: "I'm not really going in with a different mindset at all. I think we have an opportunity to win the race. I know the place, I have a lot of laps there and I know what I need in the car.

“Lady Luck plays a big role at Thunder Road. There's a lot of lane racing there, and sometimes it comes down to just being in the right lane and being where the cars are going (forward). I'm feeling very confident.

“The only thing that really stinks is there's no practice on Saturday. Having that time, that would be another chance to work out any kinks with the car. But Rick's cars are always good there, and as long as we get Lady Luck on our side and we're right there at the end, we're should be able to go for it.”


UP NEXT

The ACT Late Model Tour has a doubleheader weekend with the Budweiser Showdown At Chaudiere on September 10 and the postponed Can-Am 200 at Riverside Speedway in St. Croix, Quebec, on September 11... Nick Sweet won his heat race for the Can-Am 200 – his first qualifying attempt at the track – and is slated to start 15th in the event.

Departed Champion Sweet Salutes Pembroke On Title Run

Posted By Anthony Sweet On August 29, 2011

By Justin St. Louis (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)
BARRE -- Nick Sweet was the ‘King of the Road’.

“I was,” Sweet said. “That’s key. I definitely did not deserve it this year.”

Sweet, who finished fourth in Late Model championship points on Friday night, suffered through arguably the worst year of his career since his first Street Stock season. His winless regular season tally at Thunder Road -- with just eight top-ten finishes in 13 starts -- was a far cry from his title-winning season in 2010, or his Tiger Sportsman championship year in 2007.

“We just didn’t have a good, consistent year like we did last year,” Sweet said. He’s right; sandwiched in between a half-dozen top-five finishes were four results of 15th place or worse. In Friday’s 100-lap finale, Sweet crashed on lap 13, pitted twice for repairs, and clawed his way to finish tenth.

As hard as his own season was, he took the time to recognize new champion Dave Pembroke, just moments before handing Pembroke the “King of the Road” trophy that rotates from champion to champion each year in a special victory lane ceremony.

“I’m really proud of that team, they did a good job this year,” Sweet said, motioning to Pembroke’s car on the frontstretch. In fact, the two enjoyed a celebratory beer together after the racing program had finished.

“Congratulations, Dave, on such a hard-fought season,” Sweet said during the victory lane ceremony. “You have a phenomenal race team behind you.”

Back to his own team, Sweet said he’s unsure of his plans for the 2012 season. He will drive a No. 57 car for Rick Paya’s RPM Motorsports on the American-Canadian Tour to finish out the rest of the current year. He’ll likely drive his own car in the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next month and in the People’s United Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road in October.

“We’ll have to see what next year brings, I don’t know what our plans are,” Sweet said. “We’ve just got to get a little bit better for next year. We didn’t have the right things going for us this year, and this race didn’t help us out at all. I just feel like I’m in a slump right now, we can’t get out of this tenth-place finishing. We’ve got to get back up to where we were last year, but we’ve got some more races to try to figure it out and try to get better.”

RPM MOTORSPORTS: Nick Sweet Hopes To Make First Impression At Riverside

Posted By Anthony Sweet On August 25, 2011

Nick Sweet of Barre, Vt., makes his first visit to Riverside Speedway in St. Croix, Que., when the ACT Late Model Tour competes in the Can-Am 200 on Saturday, August 27. It will be the second turn in the RPM Motorsports No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford for Sweet, who finished 12th in his debut with the team last weekend at Oxford Plains Speedway. The race on the unique .625-mile odd-shaped oval is a combination event with the Canadian-based ACT Castrol Series.

THE FACTS

WHO: Nick Sweet, Barre, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford
CREW CHIEF: Andrew Hill, Georgia, Vt.

BEST CAREER RIVERSIDE SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT RIVERSIDE SPEEDWAY: N/A

WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour Can-Am 200
WHERE: Riverside Speedway, St. Croix, Quebec (.625-mile oval)
WHEN: 6 p.m., Saturday, August 27

ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
LAST RACE: August 20, Q 97.9 FM 150, Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (12th)
NEXT RACE: September 4, Labor Day Classic 200, Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval)



DID YOU KNOW?

Nick Sweet won the 2010 “King Of The Road” title at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.
RPM Motorsports has seven ACT Late Model Tour championships, and current RPM driver Brian Hoar has 32 career victories – the most by any driver in Tour history.
Nick Sweet won the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road back in May, the second event of the season for the ACT Late Model Tour, and finished second in the TD Bank Oxford 250 while driving for his own team.



WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

NICK SWEET, Driver of the No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford, on his RPM Motorsports debut at Oxford last weekend: "All in all, for the first time in car and not getting much practice (because of rain), it wasn't a terrible, terrible night. I expected better numbers, but we're going to stay positive and try to get better.

“We didn't really get much practice – the rain kind of hurt us on that. We had a decent car. I got caught up in a restart with two cars in front of me tangled up – so I just kind of had nowhere to go. The guy behind me drove over the hood, and that didn't help.

“It's been a long time since I raced (at Oxford) under the lights. We pitted twice and got the car decent, and we got up to 12th and that was as good as we were going get up to. It was good to get that considering all the time we spent working on it – we passed a lot of cars, but they were the same cars over and over.”

On heading to Riverside Speedway this weekend: "I have never even seen the place. Brian (Hoar) gave me a brief description when we were in the hauler during one of the rain delays last weekend. He said it was kind of like a trapezoid.

“I know it's a little bit over a half-mile, and that's about it. It should be interesting. I like going to new places. It's another challenge on top of everything else. I know the car's going to be good, so just hopefully we can unload close so I can learn the place and learn the scenarios with the race car. Obviously, last week helped me out with that. I've been in a couple different cars the last couple of weeks, and the hardest thing is just learning everything about each individual car.”

On his goals for the weekend at Riverside: "The biggest goal is to go out and qualify and then to finish the race, and if you can do that then you set your goals higher. It would be nice to get a Top-10 for the team. For myself, it was a little disappointing (last week). I know (team owner Rick Paya) wasn't disappointed, but I expect more out of me.”

On his impressions of working with RPM last weekend: “They are a bunch of great guys. Very well organized. Great team. We just didn't have time to practice, so I didn't have a lot of time to give feedback.

“When you get in other cars, I can tell what the car's doing in the corner, but it's not as easy to know every nut and bolt and what to do. That's the biggest thing, is getting comfortable enough to be able to give good feedback.

“That's all learning. Not much time to learn with four races, but I'll try and do my best.”



UP NEXT

The ACT Late Model Tour heads back to Thunder Road International Speedbowl for the Labor Day Classic 200 on Sunday, September 4... Nick Sweet won the Merchants Bank 150 at the track, the last time the ACT Tour competed there in a points race.

Nick Sweet Makes RPM Debut At Oxford Plains Speedway

Posted By Anthony Sweet On August 19, 2011

Nick Sweet of Barre, Vt., makes his RPM Motorsports debut as the ACT Late Model Tour competes in the Q 97.9 ACT 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Saturday, August 20. Sweet, the reigning Thunder Road International Speedbowl track champion and 2008 ACT Rookie of the Year, will be driving for his third team in 2011. He enters the week on a hot streak of sorts at Oxford after finishing second in this year's TD Bank Oxford 250 as the runner-up to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch.
THE FACTS

WHO: Nick Sweet, Barre, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford
CREW CHIEF: Andrew Hill, Georgia, Vt.

BEST CAREER OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY FINISH: 2nd (September 2008)
LAST RACE AT OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY: 2nd (September 2008)

WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour Q 97.9 ACT 150
WHERE: Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (.375-mile oval)
WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, August 20

ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
LAST RACE: August 13, ACT All-Star Challenge, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (1st)
NEXT RACE: August 27, ACT 200, Riverside Speedway, St. Croix, Que. (.625-mile oval)


DID YOU KNOW?

* Nick Sweet won the 2010 “King Of The Road” title at Thunder Road International Speedbowl.
* RPM Motorsports has seven ACT Late Model Tour championships, and current RPM driver Brian Hoar has 32 career victories – the most by any driver in Tour history.
* Nick Sweet won the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road back in May, the second event of the season for the ACT Late Model Tour while driving for his own team.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

NICK SWEET, Driver of the No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford, on joining RPM Motorsports this weekend: "I'm ecstatic. I can't wait. I just went there (to the RPM shop) to go see the cars and get fitted in the car, and it was all about getting comfortable. Comfort's key. (Team owner Rick Paya) is super-detail oriented. Hopefully we can give them a good run.”

On heading to Oxford Plains Speedway this weekend: "I have a knack for that place. It's a place where you feel like you're going slow when you're going fast. There's a lot of guys that haven't figured that out yet. Every time I get there, I get better about not over-driving the entry to the corners, and it's a really, really hard thing to do.

“I'm very confident about going to Oxford. It's a place that I've got some experience.”

On his goals for the weekend at Oxford: "I've never really thought about it. People ask about goals, and you give the cookie-cutter answers – the first goal is make the race, the second goal is to finish wherever. But really, when you get into the feature, you know what you have for a car.

“Yeah, obviously, your goal is to go out and win the race. I think we're capable of that here. That's realistic. The biggest thing is comfort – and if we have that, look out.”

BRIAN HOAR, Driver of the No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On having Nick Sweet as a teammate at RPM Motorsports this weekend: "I'm excited. Nick gets around Oxford really well. I think his feedback will be really good for the team. It just seems like in the last three years when he's shown up for the (Oxford) 250, he's been really fast.”

RICK PAYA, Owner of the No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford, On having Nick Sweet drive the car this weekend: “I watched him come up through the ranks, from Street Stocks through (Sportsman cars) and Late Models the last few years. He's an excellent driver. He was our first candidate. I have a lot of respect for him. He takes care of equipment, and he gets the most out of it, too. That's the part I like about him – I like how aggressive he is when he needs to be.

“He and his whole family are just super people. It's a perfect fit for us, it really is.”


UP NEXT

The ACT Late Model Tour heads north to Riverside Speedway in St. Croix, Que., for the ACT 200 on Saturday, August 27... RPM Motorsports is the defending champions of an event that was marred by cautions last season and eventually shortened to 171 laps by a local curfew.

SWEET DEAL: Nick Sweet To Join RPM Motorsports For Remainder Of 2011 Season

Posted By Anthony Sweet On August 10, 2011

GEORGIA, Vt. – Nick Sweet is heading back to the ACT Late Model Tour.

Sweet, of Barre, Vt., has reached an agreement to drive the No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford for the remainder of the 2011 ACT season, RPM owner Rick Paya announced this week.

“It wasn't a hard decision at all,” said Sweet, the 2010 Thunder Road International Speedbowl track champion and a former ACT Rookie of the Year. “To go racing with Rick Paya's cars, that's an honor. It's the best of the best equipment, and you know when you show up at the track you're going to be good.”

Beginning with the ACT 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway on August 20, Sweet will compete in the final four ACT points-paying events of the year.

“I watched him come up through the ranks, from Street Stocks through (Sportsman cars) and Late Models the last few years,” said Paya, who has seven ACT championships as an owner. “He's an excellent driver. He was our first candidate. I have a lot of respect for him. He takes care of equipment, and he gets the most out of it, too. That's the part I like about him – I like how aggressive he is when he needs to be.

“He and his whole family are just super people. It's a perfect fit for us, it really is.”

RPM has won four of eight ACT races this season with Brian Hoar, who leads the series standings in search of a record eighth ACT title. Currently, the No. 57 RPM Racing Engines Ford sits seventh in the standings.

Sweet has three career extended-distance Late Model victories at Thunder Road, including the Memorial Day Classic back in May. He last ran the ACT Late Model Tour full-time in 2009 before returning to focus on weekly competition at Thunder Road last season.

“It's definitely a flattering honor to get asked to drive for RPM,” Sweet said. “I'm excited. I know it's great equipment that we're getting into. As long as I can do my part to drive the thing, we should be really competitive.

“I'm really excited to go back to the Tour. I think there are a lot of great racers and great racing there. It's a lot of fun to race with those guys, and I'm glad to have this chance.”

VIDEO: TD Bank 250 Post-race Media Session

Posted By Anthony Sweet On July 27, 2011

BITTERSWEET: Sweet Has Mixed Feelings On Oxford 250 Runner-Up Finish

Posted By Anthony Sweet On July 25, 2011

The following article is by Justin St. Louis (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)

OXFORD, Me. -- Nick Sweet almost did it again.

The Barre, Vt., native finished second in the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday night -- a career best in the race -- coming up just short of winner Kyle Busch.

Sweet, the defending champion at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in his hometown, led 67 laps in the first half of the race and battled with Jeff White, Jeff Taylor, Ben Ashline, and two-time TD Bank 250 winner Eddie MacDonald. After a four-tire pit stop on lap 135, Sweet restarted 15th in the running order and began a torrid march through the field. Within 45 laps, he had climbed to fourth place and began hounding Taylor, Busch, and John Donahue at the front.

Taylor slipped at lap 227, allowing Busch to take the lead and Sweet to slip into second. A spin by Dave Farrington, Jr., with 16 laps remaining bunched the field and gave Sweet his best chance at taking control. Busch snookered Sweet on the restart, though, and moved to the outside lane after getting a big jump. Sweet took the bottom groove, inching toward Busch as the laps clicked off, but settled for second place.

The result was Sweet’s second “almost there” finish in a major Late Model event -- the first coming at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the inaugural American-Canadian Tour Invitational in 2009.

Overall, Sweet was happy with his finish, but was disappointed with losing the race after having an opportunity to win at the restart.

“We had a great car today, but I think I got outdriven at the end of the race,” Sweet said. “That restart, I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again. [Busch] definitely taught me something today. It’s one of those deals. It’s driving me nuts right now, but if I’m going to lose to someone I guess it might as well be Kyle Busch.”

The runner-up showing was the “up” finish to a down week for Sweet; he was involved in a wreck during practice at Thunder Road on Thursday, then encountered more trouble in Maine on Saturday.

“We put in some hours Friday. We worked on [the car] all day long and got up here early Saturday,” Sweet said. “[Saturday] night we had a terrible night, we had our hotels cancelled and we had to go scrounge to get hotels. My dad was cutting lettuce for sandwiches at 3:30 in the morning. I don’t think he’s gotten any sleep in the last 48 hours or so, and we’re going to have to keep his eyes open on the way home. We came here and we’ve just been focusing on the race car, and obviously it paid off. It worked out good.”

Sweet said he wasn’t intimidated by racing against Busch, who has been NASCAR’s most frequent winner since his arrival in the sport a half-dozen years ago.

“In my eyes out there on that race track, he’s just another race car driver, that’s all he is,” Sweet said. “He was flawless, he ran a great race. I just hate losing.”

Sweet got the last laugh, though: “I will beat him down the stairs,” Sweet said, challenging Busch to a race out the exit door of the frontstretch press box. He did, in fact, beat Busch down to the bottom.

“It was just another good race for us,” Sweet said of his TD Bank 250 weekend. “Hopefully we have many more.”

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TD Bank 250 Photo Gallery (Photos By Eric LaFleche)

DOUBLE DRAMA: Scott, Donahue, Grenier Spin Out Of Mid-Season Contention

Posted By Anthony Sweet On July 15, 2011

The following article is by Justin St. Louis and T.J. Ingerson (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)

BARRE -- Thursday’s 75-lap, double-points Times Argus Mid-Season Championship race at Thunder Road probably wasn’t drawn up on paper the way it turned out.

Graniteville’s John Donahue entered the event with a 30-point lead on Phil Scott, with Dave Pembroke almost 60 points behind. Leaving the race, Pembroke leads Donahue by 21 points. Scott fell all the way to sixth.

With double championship points on the line in Thursday’s feature race, Scott was in the lead with Donahue second with just eight laps remaining. Donahue tried a crossover move from the outside lane to the inside of Scott’s racing line, but misjudged and turned Scott around after contact.

Both drivers went to the rear of the field. Pembroke won.

“I misjudged and point blank drove right into the back of Phil,” said Donahue, whose Kendall Roberts-owned team often shares information with Scott’s Pete Duto-led group. “Anybody but Phil. He’s one of my better friends here at the race track. I just overdrove it, didn’t expect it, something, just misjudged it. Point blank, straight up.”

Scott, the Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, was understandably upset.

“Disbelief,” was Scott’s one-word reaction to what happened. “I just thought that John was a better racer than that. We’ve always raced each other clean, and I don’t know what happened, but obviously he had control of the throttle and he came in behind me. I was leading the race.”

“I just went to pull down behind him,” Donahue said of his crossover move, noting that he was fully into the throttle. “My foot was into it, buried into it. I tried to hit the brake but by that time it was too late. I was thinking I’d drive up on the inside of him and straighten him out but it happened so quick. It’s my fault. Anybody but Phil, geez. It’s hard to keep friends on the track. I’ll try to keep Phil as a friend. I’ll try.”

Donahue said he only wanted to keep pace with Scott, Pembroke, and Nick Sweet, the drivers who entered the night closest to Donahue’s lead.

“I tried to work my way up through pretty aggressively to get up near the front, and I figured once I got up to the top five I could more or less cruise because the pressure’s off,” Donahue said. “As long as I could keep them guys around me I was happy, I was content. It didn’t matter if it was in the top three, as long as I was within a couple cars of Dave, Sweet, and Phil, it could’ve turned around and been a good day. It didn’t matter if it was 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, as long as I kept them with me I figured it would be a good day. And where were we? We were all in the top five. And then I just screwed up. Ruined everything. Ruined my night, Phil’s night. The ones that benefitted were Pembroke and Sweet.”

Pembroke and Sweet indeed benefitted, moving to first and third place, respectively, with Sweet just 25 points out of the lead. Sweet, though, said the big winners were the fans. A large crowd was on hand at Thunder Road, and the grandstands erupted when Scott spun.

“I didn’t see much, [but] they were going for the win, they’re both hardnosed racers, and that’s what brings the excitement to this place,” Sweet said. “Tonight, I guarantee, this race will be talked about. Hopefully, this will bring crowds in. It took a while for the wick to heat up, it was kind of a blah race in the beginning. But at the end of the race, it got exciting. It got exciting for everyone in the house. I think everyone got their money’s worth. That’s what we need to do here. We need to start doing that more often. Not dumping each other, just putting on good shows for these fans. They work hard to come here and watch us and that’s the way it should be.”

Scott and Donahue were in position to win because Chip Grenier, who had dominated the race, tangled with the lapped cars of Brad Mattson and rookie Chip Grenier, tries unsuccessfully to split the lapped cars of Jim Morris (#13) and Brad Mattson (#33). Despite chief starter Mike Wilder’s direction to Mattson with the blue passing flag to stay on the inside lane and let Grenier pass, Mattson swung wide to pass Morris as Grenier reached both cars.

With Scott quickly reeling Grenier in, Grenier tried to fill a gap between Mattson and Morris’ cars with a three-wide, up-the-middle pass. Mattson came down the track and all three cars spun to the infield.

“Probably [maddest at] myself for knowing better, but I’m actually disappointed with Brad Mattson, being that I’d already lapped him once,” Grenier said. “He’s got to know that I’m the leader, I would hope his spotter says, ‘The leader’s coming again.’ And then he steps out and tries to pass Boomer for, nothing against the guys, but probably 26th and 27th spot.”

Grenier entered the night down in the point standings after a tough first season racing for Gary and Kyle Caron’s team, but saw his chance to make up some ground and possibly win his first race of the year. A combination of that and the charge from Scott led to Grenier’s risky move.

“If Phil wasn’t so close to me I would never have ever done that, but when I see the green machine coming, I know it’s time to go hammer down,” Grenier said. “I blew it. I could have finished second I guess.”

The resulting restart from Grenier’s incident set up the Donahue-Scott tangle. Scott said getting a potential win taken from him reminded him of losing a possible American-Canadian Tour victory at Twin State Speedway in 2009, when a spun lapped car pulled out onto the track and put Scott into the wall.

“I led the [Twin State] race for 88 laps and something stupid happened. This is different, but it’s the same disappointment,” Scott said. “I don’t understand. I don’t get it. I’m sure [Donahue] has his reasons. I’m sure we’ll talk at some point, but not tonight.”

“I’m gonna give him some time, give him some space, let him calm down,” Donahue said. “I hope he realizes I didn’t do it intentionally. That’d be foolish on my part. I’d be going to the rear, too, and I did. Just a mistake. I got in the back of Phil and screwed the whole night up. That’s part of racing. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. We’ll come back next week and see what we can do.”

“We’ll try to come back next week with a car as good as we had tonight and see if we can win next week, but it’s awful tough to win,” said Scott. “When you’re that close it’s really disappointing.”

Times Argus Mid-Season Championships

Posted By Anthony Sweet On July 9, 2011

From Track Press Release

MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS MAKE OR BREAK FOR T- ROAD TEAMS

It has taken the better part of the Thunder Road season to get the top dogs positioned to take advantage of the Times Argus Mid-Season Championship double point extra-distance race coming up Thursday, July 14, 2011. Including the American Canadian Tour Merchants Bank opener, there have been eight races with seven (7) different winners in the competitive Late Model division.

There are just 79 points separating the top ten. The Times Argus Mid-Season Championship awards 150 points to the winner. The most recent winner, Dave Pembroke, from Montpelier, VT, is a former Thunder Road champion and he vaulted his team into contention last Thursday, going from eleventh in the standings to third by winning the Charter Communication main event. The Vermont State Employees Credit Union/ Lamoille Valley Ford team is just 45 points out of the lead heading to the mid-season battle on Thursday, July 14th.

Half of the current top 10 know what it takes to become “King of the Road’—they are all former champions. Stacked in the top ten along with Pembroke are two three-time champions: Phil Scott, from Middlesex, Vt. and Cris Michaud from Northfield. Defending Champion Nick Sweet from Barre, VT and the 2003 Champion Jamie Fisher running out of Shelburne, Vt. join the other former champs for the race to the 2011 title.

The Times Argus Mid Season Championships will take place at Thunder Road on Thursday, July 14, 2011. The added distance 75-lap event for the Late Models will have the gates open at 5:00, post time is 6:30 and the admission remains the same at just $10 for an adult and $3 for kids 6-12. A family of four (two kids and two adults) can come to the races for just $20 with a family ticket.

Thunder Road Season Heats Up Headed into Pepsi Holiday Event

Posted By Anthony Sweet On July 1, 2011

From Track Press Release

The Thunder Road International Speedbowl season is in full swing just in time for three big events in the next two weeks. After a series of rain postponements, Thunder Road’s stars seem to finally be in rhythm as they head into the Monday, July 4th special Pepsi Holiday Fireworks event. It will be the first of two events in four days, the other being the Thursday, July 7th Charter Communications Night, followed by the Times Argus Mid-Season Championships on Thursday, July 14.

2010 “King of the Road” Nick Sweet of Barre, Lt. Governor Phil Scott of Berlin, and current Rookie of the Year leader Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown will need to make the most of the next two events before the double-point Mid-Season Championships. Graniteville’s John Donahue currently holds a 46 point lead over Sweet, while Scott and Hebert sit 48 and 50 points off the pace respectively. Donahue has had a tremendous start to the season, picking up wins in the Memorial Day Classic and the Vermont Governor’s Cup, but with three events in just eleven days, a lot can happen and no one can be counted out of contention.

All four Thunder Road divisions will continue their point battles this Monday, July 4 with the Pepsi Holiday event featuring fireworks. Post time is 6:30pm. Admission is $10 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6 to 12 and $20 for a family ticket (two adults and two kids).

Just three days later, Thursday, July 7, the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” will be back with Charter Communications night. Post time will again be at 6:30pm and admission prices will be the same as the Pepsi event.

NO CALL: Controversy Hands Donahue Governor’s Cup

Posted By Anthony Sweet On June 27, 2011

The following article is by T.J. Ingerson (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)

BARRE -- Sunday’s race may be one of the most controversial moments in the history of the Thunder Road International Speedbowl, and it certainly will be one of the most talked about in the coming weeks. But at the end, the record books will read John Donahue as the winner of the 32nd CARQUEST Vermont Governor’s Cup 100.

As leader Nick Sweet was working lap 84, the cars of Glen Luce, Brooks Clark, and Jim Morris came together in turn three, spinning down into the infield and coming to rest off the track. Sweet, who had a sizeable half-straightaway lead on second-place Donahue, lifted out of the throttle and slowed dramatically down the backstretch, hearing from his spotter that the caution flag was out.

However, no caution flag was officially displayed by Thunder Road Chief Starter Mike Renaud, and Donahue’s No. 26 National Guard Ford sped by Sweet’s slowing car to take the lead. Donahue then held on during a charge by Sweet with only a handful of laps to go to seal the victory for his second Thunder Road win of the season.

“I didn’t think a caution came out,” said Donahue, of Graniteville. “My Governor Peter Shumlin and CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 100 winner John Donahue in victory lane at Thunder Road. (Eric LaFleche/VLFPhotos.com photo)spotter said, ‘Spin in three, no yellow, no yellow yet’, I just kept my foot in it. There is a light right there coming down the backstretch and it was still green, I kept my foot in it.”

“I didn’t have the car to win today,” Donahue said. “I had a top-five car, maybe. It was really loose. It was decent, it just didn’t have enough forward bite. I figured if I get a top-five, I’d be happy today. But you take a win when you can get it. I got to second and I told myself, ‘I could live with this.’ It’s not my fault his spotter said yellow when the yellow wasn’t out.”

“Last week two cars spun into the infield right there and we went by there before the caution came out,” Donahue explained. “I don’t lift until my spotter tells me the yellow’s out. His spotter told him the yellow was out, my spotter never told me. Nobody’s perfect. If my spotter told me the yellow was out, I would have lifted. Simple as that.”

“It was my fault for not looking at the lights and I’ll take blame for it,” said a dejected Nick Sweet, of Barre. “I messed up as a driver. I listened to my spotter, which he thought there was a yellow, and that’s just the interpretation I got. My fault. I messed up. Next time I will learn to look at the lights a little bit more. It was nobody’s fault besides my own.”

Chief Starter Mike Renaud explained what happened on the flagstand, which possibly led to the interpretation of a caution.

“When I saw the mayhem taking place, I grabbed the yellow flag,” said Renaud. “As I grabbed it, I didn’t get the whole flag. I used the bar in front of me to clench the whole flag. I never switched the light, and never flew the flag. Tom Curley never told me to yellow. He always tells me to throw the yellow and I don’t throw it until he tells me. I clenched the flag and they [the spotters] may have thought we were going yellow.”

“I saw green,” Donahue told the crowd in victory lane, “and last time I checked, green means go.”

The racing was competitive throughout the field during the 100-lap event. Rookie Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown started in the 11th position and finished third.

“I never dreamed of doing half this good this early in the season,” said Hebert. “We had a great car. The team put a wicked good car underneath me. Everybody that has helped me get here has made this jump [from Tiger Sportsman] easier.”

Polesitter Scott Payea of Milton led the first half of the race and finished fourth. Brent Dragon, also of Milton, completed the top five.

American-Canadian Tour point leader Brian Hoar, subbing for Cris Michaud who attended his daughter’s hockey tournament, started 30th and finished sixth. Phil Scott, Jamie Fisher, Matt White, and Dave Whitcomb completed the unofficial top ten.

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Photos by Leif Tillotson (View Photo Gallery)

Nick Sweet wins season opener at Thunder Road

Posted By Anthony Sweet On May 3, 2011

Special Thanks to Seth Leavitt and WCAX.

Sweet Repeat: Back-to-Back Merchants Bank Victories for Sweet

Posted By Anthony Sweet On May 1, 2011

by T.J. Ingerson (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)

BARRE -- Thirty-nine minutes was all it took for Nick Sweet to win back-to-back Merchants Bank 150s at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl. Sweet, of Barre, started in the eighth position and took advantage of lapped traffic, catching and passing Joey Polewarczyk on lap 92 to win.

Polewarczyk, of Hudson, N.H., jumped to a huge lead after taking it on lap 5, but Sweet slowly reeled him in after the one and only caution on lap 9.
“It’s kind of a blur, it felt like it went so quick,” said Sweet. “I remember when we got past Joey I knew we had a really good car at that point. I wanted to get the lead for reassurance for myself. Guys were telling me to ‘save it, save it’, and I think it was going in one ear and right out the other, because I just kept driving the wheels off it until the checkered flag came.”

Merchants Bank 150 Photos By Leif Tillotson

Sweet Ready for Thunder Road Season Opener

Posted By Anthony Sweet On April 28, 2011

The Following Article is by Troy Germain

BARRE, VT - One year ago, Nick Sweet and the Saint J Auto team were considered an early favorite for the Thunder Road Championship leading up to opening day in 2010. It was not an easy road to the Championship, as he trailed in the points the entire season, battling former Champion David Pembroke and long-time veteran, and multi-time champ Phil Scott. Sweet however was able to pull off the upset on the last points race of the season, causing an eruption of cheers from the home-town crowd, one of their own took the crown.

Advance a year later and Sweet is ready to defend his title. Shortly after winning the Thunder Road Championship last fall, his car was seriously damaged at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s ACT Invitational, it’s been a long process to get the car back together. The team missed the season ending Milk Bowl.

“We had to put a new front clip on the car, and had to replace a lot of other pieces and parts, this is essentially a whole new car.” Sweet is very optimistic that the end result of the repairs is a better, stronger, faster race car. "My dad (Shayne, who is also the crew chief) has always said that he wanted a new front clip on the car," states Sweet. "I guess the Loudon wreck allowed us to get that new front clip, and everything is measuring up so much better now."
This means that not only is Sweet a threat to defend his crown this year, but he could very well dominate the season. “Last year the car was good, but I think this year we will handle better, and be even faster than ever.” That is a warning to Phil Scott, Dave Pembroke, Cris Michaud, and any other "King of the Road" hopeful for 2011, you will have to take it AWAY from the kid from Barre.

It’s an exciting spring for Sweet and his family-run team, not only are they ready to launch their defense, but a new ‘team member’ should arrive in the coming weeks, as Nick and wife Kristin are expecting their second child, a daughter very soon. "We are really excited about this summer, for many reasons."

A new baby, an essentially new race car – a lot to look forward to this racing season. Thunder Road Late Model teams take notice – the kid from Barre is ready to prove he can go for two in a row.

The Saint J Auto team starts their season on May 1, with the Thunder Road season opening Merchants Bank 150, and ACT Tour event, where Sweet is the defending race winner. The Thunder Road regular points season commences on Sunday May 29th with the Mekkleson RV Memorial Day Classic.

More information on Saint J Auto, including their entire inventory can be found at www.stjauto.com.

Sweet To Defend Thunder Road, Merchants Bank 150 Titles

Posted By Anthony Sweet On April 14, 2011

By Justin St. Louis (Vermont Motorsports Magazine)

BARRE -- Every hometown needs sports heroes. Barre, Vt., is a sports town. The “Granite Capital of the World” is a blue collar town with master craftsmen making a living working with huge slabs of granite, which their neighbors have hauled deep from inside Quarry Hill that looks over the city below.

For over fifty years, racing at Thunder Road International Speedbowl has been part of the fabric of this town and region. The latest local hero to follow in the tradition of local and regional heroes like Stub Fadden, Ronnie Marvin, Roy ‘Pappy’ Forsythe, Harold ‘Hardluck’ Hanaford, the Dion Brothers, Joey Laquerre and dozens more is another local kid, Nick Sweet, from Barre.

Sweet came through the Thunder Road system with remarkable success. He was awarded the Rookie of the Year honors in all levels he competed in, including the 2003 Allen Lumber Street Stock division, and the 2005 Tiger-Sportsman division, considered by many to be the most competitive division in weekly short track racing, where he also earned the Thunder Road track title in 2007. In 2008 he moved to the region’s most successful touring series, the American-Canadian Tour, and won the Rookie of the Year.

His Saint J Auto team followed what seems to be a three-year success pattern by winning the Thunder Road “King of the Road” title in 2010. It was one of the most hotly contested battles for a title in the 51-year history of the track. Entering the final event of the 2010 season, Sweet held off two former Thunder Road Champions, Phil Scott (1996, 1998, and 2002) and David Pembroke (2007) to win the title by just 6 points.

“I think Nick has a very good chance to repeat in 2011,” said seven-time ACT Champion and 2009 Thunder Road Champion, Jean-Paul Cyr from Milton. “At Thunder Road you have to have a lot of trust and respect, Nick has earned and given both. That is a big key to winning at that track. Getting around people on the outside is critical, and he does that as well as anyone. I would race him anywhere, anytime. He does not get rattled, he takes what the track and race gives him, and I think he is one of the most well-rounded racers in short track racing today," Cyr said.

Sweet scored his first-ever ACT Late Model win in the traditional Merchants Bank 150 opening event at Thunder Road in 2010. It was an ACT point event and not a point-counting Thunder Road race. “It was great to win the opener at the ‘Road last year and gave us some great momentum going into the season. We really wanted to give our sponsor, Saint J Auto maximum exposure last season, and that was a good way to start. I guess winning the title at Thunder Road was also a pretty good way to finish,” said the always humble Nick Sweet.

The 13th annual Merchants Bank 150 will have a huge field of past champions. The driver of the Merchants Bank Ford entry is three-time Thunder Road Champion, Cris Michaud from Northfield.

“First, I would really like to win my sponsor’s race. Next, I would really like to beat Nick Sweet for the 2011 Thunder Road title, but his team is just plain old school and hard working. They are tough. His dad Shayne is meticulous in preparation. Nick has become one of the best drivers to race against at Thunder Road. We struggled with our new Ford program last year, and I really had a tough season not being in contention for the title. We think we have solved our problems during the off-season and I am excited to get started again,” said Michaud.

“I think there will be as many as five serious contenders for the Thunder Road title this year and there are also going to be some interesting additional teams coming back to Thunder Road this summer. It should be fun and sure looks like it is going to be different than the last couple years. I can’t wait,” concluded Michaud.

Thunder Road opens for the 52nd season with the downtown Barre car show and unique race car parade up Quarry Hill to officially open the 2011 race season on Saturday, April 30 from 9am to noon. Fans are invited to watch that afternoon’s practice at no charge, and then return Sunday, May 1st for the 13th annual Merchants Bank 150. Gates will open at 10am, Class Day will be presented at 1:00, and post time for the second event of the 2011 ACT US Tour season is 1:30. Admission is just $18 for Adults and kids 6-12 just $5. A family pass for $36 for four people will be available.

SAINT J EXTENDS SWEET DEAL TO 2012

Posted By Anthony Sweet On March 24, 2011

St. Johnbury, VT - The Saint J Auto Group announced today that it has extended its sponsorship of the 2010 Thunder Road King of The Road, Nick Sweet through the 2012 racing season at Thunder Road. The relationship began in 2008, when Sweet made the move from the Tiger Sportsman division at the race track to the American-Canadian Tour, scoring the 2008 ACT Rookie of the Year honors in his first year. In 2009 Sweet stayed close to home, racing weekly at Thunder Road and finishing in 6th in the overall point standings. In 2010 Sweet was locked in a fierce points battle with Montpelier drivers Dave Pembroke and Phil Scott, taking the point lead on the final event, and scoring his first Thunder Road Track Championship.

“It was an easy decision to not only renew our commitment to Nick and the team but to also commit to more than just one season,” states John Loschiavo, who owns the dealership group with his brother Mike. “Nick and his team are such a close-knit, professional group that works very hard and show a great amount of determination and dedication this season. We feel that they are a great representation of our company.”

When reached by telephone on Thursday Sweet, 26 from Barre, was ecstatic about the decision. “I know we had a really good season this year, but it’s always nerve-wracking to wait and see if a sponsor is going to recommit. To have them commit not only for 2011, but also 2012 was great news.”

Sweet has had a tough September after scoring the Championship on August 26th. The finished 10th during the Showdown at Chaudiere in Quebec - an all-star race of the best ACT teams of the US and Canada - but failed to qualify for the Labor Day Classic at Thunder Road due to brake problems. At the ACT Invitational in Loudon, NH, where Sweet finished 2nd in 2009, the team was involved in a lap 2 incident, which severely damaged the Saint J Auto #88. “September has been a rough month, so this news couldn’t have come at a better time,” proclaims Sweet.

The team however will not compete in the 48th Vermont Milk Bowl on October 2/3. The damage suffered at Loudon was significant enough to prevent the team for attempting the Milk Bowl. Although Sweet was offered alternate rides for the race, he feels there is still no car like his own. “Yes I’ve been offered other rides, but I feel bad enough about wrecking my own race car, I can’t imagine driving anyone else’s,” explains Sweet. “ I don’t think I would drive as aggressively in any car other than my own.”

Loschiavo supports Nick’s decision on the Milk Bowl. “Having raced snowmobiles with my two sons in the past, I don’t think I’d want them racing a ‘borrowed ride’ for any race. I know they will race tentatively, which in racing is a recipe for disaster.”

The Saint J Auto race team, lead by Shayne Sweet, will be hard at work over the winter repairing the race car and getting it ready for opening day at Thunder Road , early May 2011.

For a complete inventory of new Buicks, GMC Trucks and Subarus, as well as over 100 pre-owned vehicles, log onto www.stjauto.com.