Pembroke goes for broke
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Dave Pembroke (44) of Montpelier and Nick Sweet (88) of Barre begin to pull away from the field for a one-two finish in the Late Model feature event on Thursday night. |
Toolbox
By TOM HERZIG CORRESPONDENT - Published: June 12, 2009
BARRE TOWN – Dave Pembroke picked up where he left off on Memorial Day weekend and scored the first Thursday night Late Model win of Thunder Road's 50th anniversary season.
Pembroke earned the pole by passing six cars on the way to winning his heat race and he smoothly turned it into a fox-in-the-henhouse situation despite some heat from runner-up Nick Sweet of Barre.
Pembroke, driving the VSECU/SR Services No. 44, and Sweet sped off on their own in the early going, but a caution on lap 19 brought Jamie Fisher and Cris Michaud back into contention. Fisher managed some laps as the second-place car up on the high side – Sweet – regained the spot. Two more cautions assured that the leaders never reached lapped traffic until the last two laps.
"Dave's good in traffic, though," Sweet said. "It's easier to chase somebody than it is to pass them. He ran a great race."
"There's nothing easy about winning races here, " Pembroke said. "Starting first was a bonus. It was a great way to start the regular season. The restarts were the hardest part. In the heat, the outside opened up and I got out there and went for it and the car was great."
Fisher survived a lengthy side-by-side challenge from Michaud to earn third. Jerry Lesage was fifth, several car lengths ahead of John Donahue, Trampas Demers and Tony Andrews in spots 6-8. Jean-Paul Cyr and Mike Bailey completed the top 10.
Joey Laquerre, who was winning races before most of the Tiger Sportsman drivers were born, took the lead from Tim Potter on lap 20 and won the 35-lap Ferguson Waterworks trophy dash. Matt Potter, Tim's older brother, got up for second, a car-length ahead of Shawn Fleury.
When the Potter brothers began trading paint for the lead in the Tiger Sportsman main event, Ricky Roberts moved in and started dicing for the lead. Three laps later, Laquerre, sticking to the bottom, raced into the lead. Roberts followed him into second but his machine shut down one circuit later. Positions 4-10 went to Brendan Moodie (from 15th), Tim Potter, Cody Blake, James Hebert, Michael Ziter, Tony Rossi and Joel Hodgdon.
A late restart helped Greg Adams Jr. of Hardwick catch Ron Gabaree and win the Street Stock feature. Gabaree was second. David Allen finished third. Keith Fortier of Hinesburg won the Junkyard Warrior feature.