Pete Ainsworth began his racing career like many do, as a sixteen-year-old in the Allen Lumber Street Stock division at Thunder Road. The 29 year-old driver of the # 80 NAPA Tiger Sportsman is competing in his fourteenth season as a driver at the ¼ mile track. One thing that many may not know that Pete designs and creates decals for several competitors as well as drivers in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Late Model Sportsman division.

Pete’s brightly colored Ford Taurus is a fan favorite and certainly hard to overlook on the race track. His standout performances make him a top contender week in and out. Monday, July 3rd at the Pepsi Firecracker event Pete captured his first victory of the season over Nick Sweet of Barre.

Thunder Road's faithful have a new Late Model driver to cheer for following Monday's Pepsi Firecracker 50 at the Barre speedplant. Twenty-two year Marc Curtis from Worcester, MA earned the admiration of the packed house as he repeatedly held off a pair of veterans, Dennis Demers from Shelburne, and Hyde Park's Eric Williams en route to posting his first career win at the high-banked, quarter-mile oval. Demers' runner-up finish unofficially moves him atop the season-long Late Model point standings. Williams was third, Joe Becker from Jeffersonville and Morrisville's Pete Fecteau completed the top five.

The 22nd annual M&M Beverage Enduro at Barre’s Thunder Road Speedbowl is less than five weeks away and the entries continue to flood the Waterbury office. The steady stream of Enduro entries being faxed, dropped off or mailed in has not lost momentum since the rules were released in early June. Travis White of New Haven, VT is the most recent registered driver to the 2006 Enduro field. The 24 year-old driver will compete in the Sunday, July 30th event for the first time.

White attended the 2005 Enduro as a fan to watch his brother Josh race. This year Travis will be behind the wheel and compete alongside his brother in the “People’s Race”. After last year’s Enduro, he was given the car he will drive in July. “I’ve never raced before but I’m really looking forward to racing in the Enduro.”