Thunder Road Announces Revised Early-Season Schedule

Thunder Road officials have announced a series of schedule revisions for the 2017 season. The revisions include a make-up date for the weather-delayed Merchants Bank 150 along with a new season opener for the “Nation’s Site of Excitement”.

The Memorial Day Classic presented by Mekkelsen RV Sales & Rental will now open the 58th year of competition at Thunder Road on Sunday, May 28 at 1:00 pm. It will be the first racing event at the Barre high banks following completion of the recently announced track repaving project, as well as the first time since 1995 that the speedway has opened its season on Memorial Day weekend. The Harvest Equipment event originally scheduled for Sunday, May 21 has been moved to Sunday, June 4 with a special 3:00 pm post time.

Meanwhile, the Merchants Bank 150 has been rescheduled for Sunday, June 11. The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models will headline the 1:00 pm event with the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and Allen Lumber Street Stocks also on the card.

“Nobody likes to make major revisions to a schedule, but we believe they were necessary given the unique circumstances,” Thunder Road co-owner Cris Michaud said. “We certainly want to give the repaving project the time it needs to be successful, and the challenge was to do so while still finding a viable make-up date for the Merchants Bank 150 and honoring all of our existing agreements. We think this new schedule will provide the best overall experience for our racers, fans, and sponsors.”

The 55th Annual Memorial Day Classic presented by Mekkelsen RV Sales & Rental will kick off the 2017 Thunder Road season on Sunday, May 28. The 1:00 pm event features 150 laps of action for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models and 100 laps for the Thunder Road Late Models. The Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will be in action as well with Class Day ceremonies planned for all weekly racing divisions.