Champions, Special Award Winners Honored at Barre Banquet
photo by Alan Ward
Kyle Streeter of Waterbury Center, gave his championship speech after taking the 2023 Flying Tiger crown.
BARRE – On Saturday, a capacity crowd of drivers, team members, sponsors and officials gathered at the Barre Elks Club to celebrate the 2023 season at Thunder Road International Speedbowl. Joined by the top stars of the American-Canadian Tour, the drivers in weekly competition at Thunder Road were honored for their efforts throughout the season alongside a list of special award winners on Saturday.
The top accolades went to 2023 Thunder Road track champions James Dopp, Kyle Streeter and Stephen Donahue, each of them giving emotional speeches thanking family, sponsors and supporters of their respective championship seasons.
photo by Alan Ward
Street Stock Champion James Dopp from Northfield, started the night’s championship awards.
Likewise, top rookies Kaiden Fisher, Tyler Pepin and Ryan Foster also took the opportunity to speak in thankfulness to their supporters during the evening’s activities. The leading Triple Crown runners and a supporting group of top Road Warrior teamsters were also on hand to celebrate the year.
Milton took home the bulk of the special awards for 2023. Street Stock Mini Milk Bowl winner Trevor Jaques brought home the annual Most Improved Driver award while first-year Late Model competitor Justin Prescott was given the prestigious Gordon R. “Doc” Nielsen Rookie Award.
A pair of Barre’s-own were listed as the season’s most honorable with Nick Sweet earning the Overall Sportsmanship Award and Jeffrey Martin taking the annual Ed Carroll Memorial Sportsmanship Award for the Street Stocks.
photo by Alan Ward
Graniteville’s Stephen Donahue completed a trifecta of first-time Thunder Road champions with his 2023 Late Model King of the Road title.
The Inside Groove’s Nick Mumley was awarded the Pete Hartt Memorial Media Award while head groundskeeper Tom Croteau earned the Ken Squier Award for contributions to the Nation’s Site of Excitement. Head of Race Day Operations at Thunder Road, New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park and the American-Canadian Tour Scott Tapley was given the Tom Curley Award and longtime Northeast driver, car-owner and sponsor John Wall Sr. was awarded the prestigious Don MacTavish Memorial Award.
photo by Alan Ward
The Inside Groove’s Nick Mumley earned the 2023 Pete Hartt Memorial Media Award for his media contributions to Thunder Road and New England racing.
The 2024 Thunder Road schedule of events is slated to be released by Thanksgiving with all 2024 Rule Books also ready to be released in November. Season Passes for the upcoming year will be on sale as soon as the 2024 schedule is finalized.
For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, or visit thunderroadvt.com.
photo by Alan Ward
John Wall Sr. was honored with the Don MacTavish Memorial Award on Saturday for his many decades of contributions to Northeast stock car racing as a car owner, sponsor and celebrated road course racer in his own right.
