BARRE, Vt. — Joey Doiron of Berwick wheeled underneath former ACT champion Wayne Helliwell Jr. on lap 93, held off a late-race charge from Jeremy Davis and hung on to win the inaugural Memorial Day Classic 150 for PASS North super late models Sunday afternoon at Thunder Road International Speedbowl. 

Derrick O’Donnell drove his machine to victory in the 100-lap tilt for Thunder Road’s weekly ACT late models. It was a rare doubleheader for fans, and they turned out by the thousands after a long, cold and snowy Vermont winter. 

Davis was close to Doiron’s rear bumper for much of the race and settled for second, while reigning PASS North champion DJ Shaw was third. Bobby Therrien and eight-time ACT champion Brian Hoar completed the top five in the first super late model race at the historic Vermont oval in 20 years. 

“Out of all the races this series is running in 2015, with the exception of the Oxford 250, I think this one today is the biggest one you can win,” Doiron said. “I had to hit my marks and turn perfect laps to hold Jeremy off today. The history and tradition of this place make it so special. The huge crowd, the granite trophy, all of it. This feels fantastic, but it will take a while for it to really sink in.” 

Davis, of Tamworth, N.H., has come of age in 2015, running up front in nearly every race he’s entered thus far. Yet he said he struggled slightly on the quirky 1/4-mile layout.  

“I couldn’t really figure out what the good line was going to be here for quite a few laps into the race,” Davis said. “I had never raced here before, so it was all new to me. I’ve run a lot at Groveton, N.H., and down at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut, which are both high-banked, so maybe that experience helped me.

“My car turned great down low. I felt we were a little faster, but Joey is a good friend of mine and I wasn’t about to rough him up. He had a fast car here today.” 

Shaw started seventh on the 25-car grid and powered into the top five before halfway but never quite reeled in the leaders. The third-generation driver from Center Conway, N.H., hoped for a win, yet seemed content to come out of Vermont with all fenders intact and a decent finish.

“Thunder Road wasn’t really a place I thought I’d earn a trophy,” Shaw said. “It is a hard place to save enough of the car for a late-race charge. By the time you need to pick up the pace and go, there isn’t anything left to get out of it. We didn’t have anything for Joey or Jeremy today, but I’m pretty happy with a third-place run.” 

Finishing sixth through 10th were Turner’s Mike Rowe, two-time Oxford 250 winner Travis Benjamin, former Thunder Road track champion Dave Pembroke, Wayne Helliwell Jr. and Ben Rowe. 

Other notable finishers include Vermont stalwart Brent Dragon (11th), Cassius Clark of Farmington (14th), Auburn’s Travis Stearns (15th) and Glen Luce of Turner (21st). 

The race featured three cautions within the first 45 laps, yet once things got sorted out, it was as if the series ran this track on a regular basis. After a lap-42 restart, the race went green to the end as Doiron and Davis checked out up front. 

Doiron led the first 16 laps before Luce took command. Helliwell, always a contender at Thunder Road, wheeled past Luce to take over the point at lap 46 and stayed there a while. When he slipped up the track going through turns 3 and 4 at lap 93, Doiron rolled on by and set his sights on the trophy.

O’Donnell’s win in the ACT Memorial Day Classic was his second in three years. The short track ace from North Haverhill, N.H., was unstoppable Sunday, powering past early leader Nick Sweet at lap 20 and pulling away to his fourth career victory.

Scott Dragon locked onto O’Donnell’s bumper for much of the caution-free affair but finished second, while Sweet settled for third. Maine’s Bradley Babb and John Donohue filled out the top five. 

“I saved as much as I could at the beginning, but had to run some pretty fast laps at the end to get it done,” O’Donnell said. “It always feels great to win here; but I think more so today given the scope of this event. I’m proud for this entire team.”

Finishing sixth through 10th in the 100-lap feature for Thunder Road’s ACT Late Models was Shawn Fleury, Brooks Clark, Dave Pembroke, Kyle Pembroke and point leader Trampas Demers. The race was completed in just under 24 minutes, amazing given the tight confines. 

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