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NEWS

The Norwich Guidon
Dec. 11, 2003

With a long history of thrilling spectators:

Barre's Thunder Road continues as family-style sport

By Dave Armeson
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The small, snowy town of Barre, Vt., is not a place many people think to look every day for fun and excitement, but there is one large event many may overlook. Thunder Road Speed bowl is a high-banked quarter mile asphalt oval racetrack used by locals every May through October for speedy excitement.

Built in 1960, Thunder Road is situated on Quarry Hill in Barre, Vt. and bills itself as the nation's site of excitement. Over 9,000 loyal fans attend the races each Thursday night, making the attendance 70,000 annually.

"Thunder Road is nothing like any other place; it is the top dog. You get media attention; you get your face on TV; and you get your name in newspapers. We know we're never going to go anywhere in racing, but it makes it worth it while racing here," said Roger Brown, a race competitor from Barre, Vt.

Many racers and fans come to Thunder Road for a variety of reasons, whether it is for the speed of the cars and adrenaline rush, or a way to deal with frustration, it always seems to end in a good time.

"It's the funnest thing I've ever done in my life. It brings out all of your angers, all of everything you enjoy and hate about life, and you can do it on a race track," Brown said.

Fans enjoy watching local racers on the track and seeing great racing entertainment live at an affordable price. Racers race to beat the competitor next to them, with little emphasis on the extremely small cash prize. The events are great for families and are over by 10 p.m. at the latest.

Many patrons are regulars and attend Thunder Road every Thursday night.

"This is what they want to do; this is all Vermonters know how to do. Thursday night at Thunder Road, I mean, look at the people. This is all these people know, is watching racing," said Tracey Bellerose, a race competitor from Barre, Vt.

Every race is filled with a very tight community that is extremely family-oriented.

Many race teams will lend a hand to other teams just to keep them in the race. Spectators are close to the local competitors, creating loyalty and rivalry at the same time.

"This is the only place we race where there's 8,000 people in the grandstands. Some of them hate you and some of them like you," Brown said. "The atmosphere is pretty intense."

While the Thunder Road family is important to competitors, there is another important part to racing this track-family gathering. Whether fans in the stands, or crew members in the pit, competitors' actual families are an integral part of Thunder Road.

"We've been involved since I was ... born. I think I was being born when my dad was racing; basically, every year we've been here, it's always been family-oriented," said Topo Despault, a race competitor from Rutland, Vt.

Many race teams are passed down through families, from father to son or even father to daughter.

There is a very proud family tradition in many teams that continues year after year and generation to generation.

"My son has been with me since he was eight years old, working on the car with me," said Ted Despault, a race competitor from Barre, Vt. "He's raced with me before and been there through the hard times and the bad times."

Although most prizes only amount to a couple hundred dollars, awards have reached $5,000. While this is a good amount to win, it is not nearly enough to keep cars running and equipment up to date.

This means that sponsorship and other financial help is a very important part of racing and a necessity for Thunder Road competitors.

"If you don't have sponsors, you're not going to make it in this sport. I mean, you need sponsors," Bellerose said. "We're probably spending $10,000 to $12,000 just on tires. That's not talking motor, car, repairs and everything else."

"I think I have made a profit one year out of 14," Bellerose said. Sponsors range in their giving from big money like $20-25,000, to a lesser $3,000. Some teams get around some of this cost by building their own cars and motors.

"I usually built my own cars. I built my own motors. I work on my cars with my son, and that's the only reason I could have survived," Ted Despault said.

Family-owned cars and financial support plays a huge role for many. Entire families help to keep cars ready for competition, but even with help, sponsorship is needed to compete.

"The team is good to me," Brown said. "They just started with me last year, and they are as dedicated to it as I am. Without them, there's no way I could be here."

Long recognized as one of the most dangerous of sports, there have been no fatalities at Thunder Road. That doesn't mean, however, that many racers have not had their close calls. Racers are on the track with 25 other people, side by side, going incredible speeds, making it a very tight place to drive.

"My second year of racing, I got spun around and hit head-on full speed, and that was kind of scary," said Jerry Winch, a race competitor from Montpelier, Vt. "I've heard of people being paralyzed in a race car in this division; a lot of it is faulty equipment."

Even though danger is immanent on the racetrack, racers continue to race because of their passion for the sport. The sheer thrill is enough to keep competitors going through even the worst of accidents.

Many drivers at Thunder Road have rolled their cars, hit the guard wall at full speed, and even hit trees.

"Going fast, turn left, the wall's headed at you, and there's other people that want to go by you, and they're willing to do about anything to get by you," Topo Despault said. "You'll get a thrill out of it just being out there."

Whether it is the thrill, family, or just the love of the sport, fans continue to come out to Thunder Road. It seems as though the town empties out for races and to support this track, giving it a different style fan base than any other in the country.

Thunder Road races are what fans and competitors in Barre look forward to every Thursday night.

"Racing is everything in our world; we do this year-round, seven days a week," Brown said.

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www.norwich.edu/guidon. If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.