Barre, VT — While the rolling thunder of Tour-type Modified racing may find it’s truest heartbeat in the sweeping turns of Stafford Speedway, the epic straightaways at Thompson Speedway and the flat 90-degree corners of Bowman-Grey Stadium, the Green Mountain State has had its fair share of ground pounding over the last 60 years.

Modifieds were first released in Vermont at Thunder Road in 1965. Invading the track for seven events that year, the powerful overhead cams on the newfangled modifieds quickly overtook the Flathead V-8 Coupes that had once dominated the Barre highbanks during its infancy.

The Modifieds would also take to Milton’s legendary Catamount Stadium. Catamount would host weekly Modified racing from 1965 to 1968 until track owner Ken Squier made the shift to Late Model Sportsman-type cars. Vermont icon Beaver Dragon won his lone Modified race at Catamount in an underpowered and battered Coupe racing against the big guns in 1967.

Iconic championship drivers like Rene Charland, Ed Flemke, Andre Manny, and Don MacTavish made many trips to victory lane in those days. After cleaning up at Catamount time and time again, Rehoboth, Massachusetts native Bug Stevens also took the famous Ole Blue #3 to the lone Modified victory lane at West Haven’s Devils Bowl Speedway in 1973.

After sporadic Modified events during the late 1970s, Catamount hosted the NASCAR Modified Tour during their inaugural season in 1985. Jimmy Spencer took the final Modified win over frequent Catamount hard charger John Rosati.

From 1985 on, the open-wheeled rigs returned to their familiar Southern New England haunts until the Modified Racing Series made its debut at Thunder Road in 2008. For three years, the Modifieds put on spectacular racing but likewise went off the radar, until now!

The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series is ready to make their Thunder Road debut on the as part of the 59th Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. After a decade since the last event, nearly the entire field is going in blind at a track where experience can prove to be everything.

Among the expected entries include Connecticut hotshoe Chase Dowling, former New Hampshire State Champion Brian Robie and Pennsylvannia’s ‘Big Money’ Matt Hirschman.

Thunder Road will roar back to life on Sunday, May 29th for the 59th running of the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic. Along with the 125-lap Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model Classic, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, rk Miles Street Stocks and Burnetts Scrap Metals Road Warriors the mighty Tour-type Modifieds return to ‘The Road.’ The $10,000-to-win Granite Capital 100 for the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series will feature some of the biggest names in Modified racing when they hit the track, it’s a can’t miss show!

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.