Returning Veterans First to File for 2026 Season at Thunder Road

Barre, VT – Racing never fully leaves your blood once you sit behind the wheel and two returning faces are already set to prove that in 2026. The Thunder Road office in Barre has received several rk Miles Street Stock license applications including those for two longtime personalities of the Nation’s Site of Excitement, both returning to the highbanks after a long hiatus. Led by Jennifer Getty of East Fairfield and Colchester’s Erik Steel, the rk Miles Street Stocks look to be just as competitive and entertaining for the upcoming season!

Jen Getty was one of the few female drivers who have taken on Thunder Road over the past sixty-six seasons, as well as a popular and proven winner. Getty got her start in the Street Stocks back in 2008 and was a standout in the division until she hung up her helmet for the first time following the 2016 season. After several years away, she returned to Thunder Road throughout the 2025 season to ride along in the Cody-Chevrolet Cadillac Pace Car; One not-so-different from the Pace Car once driven by her father that first opened her to the racing scene.

“I loved racing for several reasons and I’ve just missed being a part of it,” said Getty on Wednesday. “My kids are grown so it’s the perfect time to come back and, while I’d love to end up in the final top ten, a consistent season will make a successful season for us!”

Erik Steel also got his start in the rk Miles Street Stocks before jumping up to the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers to earn the Rookie of the Year honors during Thunder Road’s 50th anniversary season in 2009. Since then, he’s been a crew member for SRT Motorsports with the family group including Taylor Hoar, Justin Prescott and Brian Hoar over the past several seasons as well as select entries in the Road Warriors and the annual Run-What-U-Brung. When asked why he was climbing back behind the wheel, Steel joked, “because my wife Monica didn’t say no!” Like Getty, Steel describes 2026 as a building year with the ultimate goal of having fun.

For both returning veterans, this season will be an emotional return. Steel will be racing in memory of his late Father this summer, a bond he said was cemented at the racetrack, while Getty described how the support of the Thunder Road family helped her grow out of the self-consciousness of having one arm and overcoming that adversity on the highbanks.  

The rk Miles Street Stocks currently lead the incoming license applications for next summer with Hayden Bushey, Tyler Wheatley and Hayden Morris also returning while Milton’s Zachary Garvey will move up from the Road Warriors to the Streets in 2026!

Continue to keep tabs on all the winter happenings, including more exciting news items to come, online at www.thunderroadvt.com or on Thunder Road’s official social media pages! 2026 Season Passes are available for pre-order online at www.thunderroadvt.com/forms. Order your Season Passes and Thunder Road Apparel online in time for the holidays today at https://thunderroadvt.square.site/.

For more information, contact the Thunder Road offices at (802) 244-6963, media@thunderroadvt.com, or visit www.thunderroadvt.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @ThunderRoadVT.