Corliss Steals Second Straight Milk Bowl Win in Final Corner

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Jason Corliss made out like a bandit at Barre’s Thunder Road Speedbowl on Sunday, September 30 to win the 56th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank. The hometown racer dove underneath Hinesburg’s Bobby Therrien entering the final corner of the final lap, edging him out at the line to steal the victory in the “Toughest Short Track Race in North America”.

With the laps winding down in the third and final 50-lap segment, Therrien sat in fifth on the track with Corliss right behind him in sixth. The two entered the segment tied for the overall lead, and after closest challenger Cody Blake was eliminated in a hard frontstretch crash on lap 30 that also collected Trampas Demers, it would come down to which driver – Corliss or Therrien – finished better in the segment.

As the duo began the final lap, second-place segment runner Jimmy Hebert suddenly shut down in turn 2. While driving around the outside of the slowing Hebert entering turn 3, Therrien drifted up the track slightly. Corliss saw an opening and dove to the bottom, putting the nose in front of Therrien as they came charging out of turn 4 to the checkered flag. The move gave him the better segment finish (4th) and the overall win along with it.

The pair of racers were never far apart throughout the day. Corliss won the first 50-lap segment comfortably with Therrien in second. After the finish was inverted to start segment 2, the two came charging through the pack. Meanwhile, Hebert and Colchester’s Scott Payea, who finished third and fourth in Segment 1, were involved in a hard lap-6 crash that saw Nick Sweet go for a long ride along the fronstretch catch fence.

On the final restart of the segment on lap 43, the two followed St-Denis, QC’s Patrick Laperle up the outside, eventually finding themselves second and third behind Laperle. Despite Corliss’s best efforts, the trio would cross the line in that order, giving Corliss and Therrien four points each entering the third and final segment. Blake was the closest challenger with 15, meaning the outcome was likely to come down to the pair even before Blake’s encounter with the wall.

The two struggled to move through traffic early in the caution-filled third segment. But even as they slowly picked their way past cars and carnage, they continued to dice for the victory. The overall top spot changed hands multiple times, as first one driver, then the other would get caught in the wrong lane.

When the two finally broke out of the pack following the eighth and final segment caution on lap 38, Therrien was several car lengths in front of Corliss after getting around him six laps earlier. Corliss ran down Therrien down on the track with a few laps remaining, and when the golden opportunity was presented on the final lap, Corliss took full advantage.

In doing so, Corliss became just the sixth driver to go back-to-back in the Milk Bowl. His total of eight points (1st, 3rd, 4th) was also the first single-digit winning score in the event since 1998. Therrien’s nine points (2nd, 2nd, 5th) gave him a heartbreaking second place overall.

Blake’s misfortune helped open the door for Fayston’s Brook Clark to complete the podium. The veteran finished third overall with 25 points (6th, 12th, 7th). Graniteville’s Stephen Donahue (8th, 15th, 3rd) was right behind Clark in fourth overall. Colchester’s Scott Payea won the final segment to give him fifth overall. Joey Polewarczyk Jr., Demers, Laperle, Josh Masterson, and Kyle Pembroke completed the top-10.

The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and New England Dwarf Cars also were on the card with Segment 2 of their Mini Milk Bowls. Reigning Flying Tiger Champion Joel Hodgdon showed his winning hand again by backing up his Segment 1 victory on Saturday with a Segment 2 triumph, giving him the overall for his fourth win of the season.

Hodgdon, Jason Woodard, Brandon Lanphear, and Cooper Bouchard – the top-4 finishers on Saturday – constantly swapped spots early in the 40-lap second segment. With six cautions in the first 19 laps, none could establish a rhythm.

But Hodgdon eventually found his way in front of all of them, and when the final 21 laps went green after Lanphear’s spin on lap 19, Hodgdon put the hammer down. He eventually caught and passed segment leader Brian Delphia with five laps remaining to secure the perfect score.

Waterbury Center’s Woodard – who dodged disaster after having to pit during the pace laps for a fuel leak – gave a valiant chase, but settled for second overall after finishing third in the segment. Bouchard (4th, 9th) took third overall followed by Tyler Austin (10th, 7th). Lanphear rebounded from his spin to salvage fifth in the final rundown. Stephen Martin, Robert Gordon, Kelsea Woodard, Michael MacAskill, and Jaden Perry rounded out the top-10.

Hardwick’s Will Hennequin was the winner in the Street Stock Mini Milk Bowl for the second straight year. Hennequin finished third on Saturday, then steadily came through the pack on Sunday. When overall leader Dean Switser tangled with Juan Marshall on lap 23 of the 25-lap second segment, Hennequin became part of a pack of several drivers – including Segment 1 winner Kasey Beattie, former champion Nick Pilotte, and rookie Bryan P. Wall – running neck-and-neck for the win.

In the 2-lap shootout to the checkers, Hennequin was able to scoot underneath Pilotte in the final turn, crossing the line fourth as Graniteville’s J.T. Blanchard took the segment win. With Beattie finishing sixth in the segment, the two were tied at seven points each, and Hennequin was awarded the victory based on his better finish in the final segment.

Wall’s 2nd-place finish in the second segment gave him third overall with eight points. Pilotte (4th, 5th) ended up fourth. Gary Mullen, Jeffrey Martin, Tyler Pepin, Switser, Kyle MacAskill, and Jody Sicard also earned top-10 finishes.

Lower Waterford’s Andy Hill pulled a clean sweep of the weekend in the Dwarf Cars. After winning the pole and the first segment on Saturday, Hill dodged disaster early in Segment 2 when five cars were collected in a pile-up as the field came to complete lap 1.

When the event resumed, Hill sliced through the remaining pack, grabbing the lead from Stephane Caron on lap 9. Franconia, NH’s Jason Wyman, the runner-up in Segment 1, was right behind and through everything he had at Hill, knowing the better finisher in the segment would be the overall winner. But he was unable to find a way around as Hill took the win.

Worcester’s Ethan Tyrrell took third in the segment and in the overall as well with eight total points, winning a tiebreaker with Bethlehem, NH’s Jarred Ainsworth. Ainsworth’s dad Jeff, Chad Dufour, Howie Switser, Caron, Jason Paquet, and Tim Sherman finished 5th through 10th.

The 2018 Thunder Road racing season is now complete. The Banquet of Champions has been scheduled for Saturday, November 3 at the Barre (VT) Elks Club. More information regarding the banquet and the 2019 season will be released at a later date.

 

56TH VERMONT MILK BOWL PRESENTED BY NORTHFIELD SAVINGS BANK

UNOFFICAL RESULTS

 

MAPLEWOOD/IRVING OIL LATE MODELS

VERMONT MILK BOWL

Pos., Start Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Segment #1, Segment #2, Segment #3, TOTAL

1. ( 3 ) Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) , Barre, VT , 1 , 3 , 4 , 8

2. ( 2 ) Bobby Therrien ( 5VT ) , Hinesburg, VT , 2 , 2 , 5 , 9

3. ( 5 ) Brooks Clark ( 68VT ) , Fayston, VT , 6 , 12 , 7 , 25

4. ( 9 ) Stephen Donahue ( 2VT ) , Graniteville, VT , 8 , 15 , 3 , 26

5. ( 4 ) Scott Payea ( 37VT ) , Colchester, VT , 4 , 22 , 1 , 27

6. ( 10 ) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. ( 97NH ) , Hudson, NH , 14 , 13 , 2 , 29

7. ( 8 ) Trampas Demers ( 85VT ) , Shelburne, VT , 10 , 7 , 13 , 30

8. ( 23 ) Patrick Laperle ( 91QC ) , St-Denis, QC , 22 , 1 , 8 , 31

9. ( 11 ) Josh Masterson ( 11NY ) , Charlotte, VT , 9 , 9 , 14 , 32

10. ( 14 ) Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) , Montpelier, VT , 11 , 16 , 6 , 33

11. ( 6 ) Scott Dragon ( 16VT ) , Milton, VT , 7 , 11 , 15 , 33

12. ( 7 ) Cody Blake ( 99VT ) , Barre, VT , 5 , 10 , 22 , 37

13. ( 1 ) Jimmy Hebert ( 58VT ) , Williamstown, VT , 3 , 25 , 10 , 38

14. ( 22 ) Evan Hallstrom ( 1VT ) , Northfield, VT , 26 , 5 , 9 , 40

15. ( 12 ) Matt White ( 42VT ) , Northfield, VT , 12 , 17 , 12 , 41

16. ( 26 ) Christopher Pelkey ( 64VT ) , Barre, VT , 20 , 6 , 17 , 43

17. ( 17 ) Darrell Morin ( 17VT ) , Westford, VT , 21 , 8 , 18 , 47

18. ( 21 ) Marcel Gravel ( 86VT ) , Wolcott, VT , 13 , 14 , 21 , 48

19. ( 24 ) Boomer Morris ( 13VT ) , Barre, VT , 25 , 4 , 20 , 49

20. ( 20 ) Tyler Cahoon ( 38VT ) , Danville, VT , 19 , 20 , 11 , 50

21. ( 15 ) Mike Bailey ( 00VT ) , S. Barre, VT , 18 , 24 , 16 , 58

22. ( 13 ) Jonathan Bouvrette ( 41QC ) , Blainville, QC , 17 , 18 , 24 , 59

23. ( 25 ) Matthew Smith ( 04VT ) , Essex Jct., VT , 24 , 21 , 19 , 64

24. ( 18 ) #Brendan Moodie ( 94VT ) , Wolcott, VT , 16 , 23 , 25 , 64

25. ( 19 ) Steve Cote ( 1QC ) , Montreal, QC , 23 , 19 , 23 , 65

26. ( 16 ) Nicholas Sweet ( 88VT ) , Barre, VT , 15 , 26 , 26 , 67

 

LENNY’S SHOE & APPAREL FLYING TIGER MINI MILK BOWL

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Segment #1, Segment #2, TOTAL

1. Joel Hodgdon ( 36 ) Craftsbury Common, VT , 1 , 1 , 2

2. Jason Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT , 2 , 3 , 5

3. #Cooper Bouchard ( 7 ) Hinesburg, VT , 4 , 9 , 13

4. Tyler Austin ( 5 ) East Calias, VT , 10 , 7 , 17

5. #Brandon Lanphear ( 11 ) Morrisville, VT , 3 , 16 , 19

6. Stephen Martin ( 9 ) Craftsbury Common, VT , 12 , 8 , 20

7. Robert Gordon ( 20 ) Milton, VT , 8 , 12 , 20

8. #Kelsea Woodard ( 55 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT , 7 , 13 , 20

9. Michael MacAskill ( 33 ) Williamstown, VT , 17 , 5 , 22

10. Jaden Perry ( 92 ) Hardwick, VT , 5 , 17 , 22

11. Adam Maynard ( 57 ) Milton, VT , 18 , 6 , 24

12. Jason Pelkey ( 64 ) Barre, VT , 6 , 18 , 24

13. Mike Billado ( 8 ) Essex, VT , 21 , 4 , 25

14. Kevin Boutin ( 85 ) Fairfax, VT , 14 , 11 , 25

15. Matthew Potter ( 23 ) Marshfield, VT , 11 , 15 , 26

16. Brian Delphia ( 25 ) Duxbury, VT , 26 , 2 , 28

17. Colin Cornell ( 54 ) E. Burke, VT , 16 , 14 , 30

18. Michael Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury Common, VT , 9 , 21 , 30

19. Brett Wood ( 29 ) Georgia, VT , 13 , 19 , 32

20. Sam Caron ( 07 ) Milton, VT , 23 , 10 , 33

21. Brad Bushey ( 95 ) Vergennes, VT , 15 , 20 , 35

22. Kevin Dodge ( 88 ) Barre, VT , 22 , 22 , 44

23. Joe Steffen ( 00 ) Grand Isle, VT , 19 , 25 , 44

24. Sid Sweet Jr. ( 51 ) Williamstown, VT , 20 , 26 , 46

25. Jared Plumley ( 71 ) Guildhall, VT , 24 , 23 , 47

26. #Jeff Murray ( 35 ) Georgia, VT , 25 , 24 , 49

 

ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCK MINI MILK BOWL

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Segment #1, Segment #2, TOTAL

1. William Hennequin ( 47 ) Hardwick, VT , 3 , 4 , 7

2. Kasey Beattie ( 45 ) St. Johnsbury, VT , 1 , 6 , 7

3. #Bryan P. Wall ( 77 ) E. Kingston, NH , 6 , 2 , 8

4. Nick Pilotte ( 98 ) Jefferson, NH , 4 , 5 , 9

5. Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT , 8 , 3 , 11

6. Jeffrey Martin ( 8 ) Barre, VT , 5 , 8 , 13

7. #Tyler Pepin ( 78 ) Barre, VT , 9 , 7 , 16

8. Dean Switser Jr. ( 16 ) Lyndonville, VT , 2 , 15 , 17

9. Kyle MacAskill ( 2 ) Williamstown, VT , 12 , 11 , 23

10. Jody Sicard ( 49 ) Gilmanton, NH , 11 , 12 , 23

11. #J.T. Blanchard ( 66 ) Graniteville, VT , 23 , 1 , 24

12. Brandon Gray ( 00 ) E. Thetford, VT , 7 , 18 , 25

13. Steve LaFountain Sr. ( 61 ) Barre, VT , 18 , 9 , 27

14. Scott Weston ( 04 ) Berlin, VT , 17 , 10 , 27

15. #Juan Marshall ( 79 ) Pittsfield, VT , 13 , 14 , 27

16. Jacob Roy ( 11 ) Danville, VT , 10 , 17 , 27

17. Justin Blakely ( 17 ) Graniteville, VT , 15 , 13 , 28

18. Tanner Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT , 14 , 19 , 33

19. Dylan Haskins ( 65 ) Berlin, VT , 20 , 16 , 36

20. Thomas Peck ( 96 ) Barre, VT , 19 , 22 , 41

21. #Edward Bowen Jr. ( 12 ) Morrisville, VT , 22 , 22 , 44

DSQ #Royce Lussier ( 95 ) Berlin, VT

DSQ Alan Maynard ( 18 ) Fairfax, VT

 

NEW ENGLAND DWARF CARS MINI MILK BOWL

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Segment #1, Segment #2, TOTAL

1. Andy Hill ( 8 ) Lower Waterford, VT , 1 , 1 , 2

2. Jason Wyman ( 88 ) Franconia, NH , 2 , 2 , 4

3. Ethan Tyrrell ( 23 ) Worcester, VT , 5 , 3 , 8

4. Jarred Ainsworth ( 94 ) Bethlehem, NH , 3 , 5 , 8

5. Jeff Ainsworth ( 41 ) Bethlehem, NH , 4 , 6 , 10

6. Chad Dufour ( 52 ) Littleton, NH , 7 , 4 , 11

7. Howie Switser ( 36 ) Newark, VT , 6 , 8 , 14

8. Stephane Caron ( 99QC ) Laval, QC , 10 , 7 , 17

9. Jason Paquet ( 09 ) New Durham, NH , 9 , 9 , 18

10. Tim Sherman ( 68 ) Berlin Corners, VT , 8 , 11 , 19

11. Joanie Lambert ( 48 ) St-Eustache, QC , 13 , 10 , 23

12. Alexandre Piche ( 46 ) Mont-Tremblant, QC , 12 , 13 , 25

13. Jeremy Lebrecque ( 21 ) Canaan, VT , 11 , 14 , 25

14. Colby Bourgeois ( 98 ) St. Johnsbury, VT , 14 , 12 , 26