T
his year, Barre, Vermont’s
Thunder Road Speedbowl—
better known to its fans as
“The Nation’s Site of Excitement”—is
celebrating its 60th season of racing.
For three generations now, it has been
where people throughout New Eng-
land, northern New York, and even
Quebec spend their Thursday nights
atop Quarry Hill either racing or
watching their heroes do battle.
Thunder Road first opened its gates
on June 30, 1960. The track was
the brainchild of WDEV Radio
owner Ken Squier and local paving
contractor Reginald “Spade” Cooley.
Ken had the racing ideas, while Spade
had the technical know-how. Ken
has since become a national motors-
ports legend. In addition to running
the Radio Vermont Group, he was
the founder of MRN Radio and spent
nearly 20 years as the lead NASCAR
announcer for CBS television. He’s
now in the NASCAR Hall of Fame
and can still be found at most
Thunder Road events.
Thunder Road is one of the few lo-
cal tracks that races on Thursday
nights. Ken first picked this night as it
seemed a great way to get a head start
on the weekend. The tradition of the
Thursday night racing is still
continued today, from early June until
late August. Many major events
highlight the racing calendar. The
biggest one, the Vermont Milk Bowl,
wraps up the season in late September.
The event is known as “The Toughest
Short Track Race in North America”
for its unique three-segment format
that requires racers to go
all-
out every lap. (The winner also gets to
kiss a genuine Vermont dairy cow.)
The Milk Bowl and the Memorial Day
Classic are the two longest-running
events at Thunder Road, with both
holding their 57th editions in 2019.
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