Gina Tron
BARRE — At just 19 years old, Massachusetts driver J.D. Stockwell accomplished something many racers spend years chasing: winning Thunder Road’s legendary Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” Stockwell told The Bridge. “There are some pretty big names who have won it. I know many people try for years and years and have no success, so it’s a very big accomplishment to me.”
The Enduro is Thunder Road’s annual “people’s race,” where racers can bring their cars to compete in a chaotic 200-lap endurance battle. Unlike the typical races, the Enduro keeps moving through much of the chaos — cars that crash or break down stay on the track, forcing drivers to maneuver around them.
The Bernardston, Massachusetts, resident crossed the finish line three laps ahead of the competition in Sunday’s Enduro, becoming the champion in only his second attempt.
By day, Stockwell works as a welder at BFR Chassis in Whately, Massachusetts, and on Sunday, Aug. 2, he proved he could keep his cool under extraordinary pressure.
Starting near the back of the 100-car field, he patiently worked his way forward. By around lap 60, he was confident he had taken over the lead. According to a Thunder Road press release, he was the apparent leader, ahead of longtime challengers Adam Gray and Chris LaFores. But during a red-flag stoppage midway through the race, Stockwell’s car suddenly died.
“I noticed the lights on my dash turned off, and the car was no longer running,” he told The Bridge. “I started diagnosing the problem, and nothing I did in the car had an effect, so I thought it must be the battery.”
Stockwell then jumped out of the car, opened the hood, and discovered the negative battery terminal connector had come loose. He reattached it and rejoined the race before the green flag was waved.
“By lap 180 it was all J.D. Stockwell out front as he motored around the chicanes of fallen comrades and entered his name in the record books as a Bolduc Metal Recycling Enduro 200 champion by three laps over Alburgh’s Caleb Bedard and four laps over Adam Gray,” Thunder Road stated.
Stockwell won’t have the chance to defend the title until two years from now because of the event’s eligibility rules.
“I would say ‘See you next year,’ but I won’t be eligible to run so I’ll be back in two years,” Stockwell posted on Facebook after the win.
Along with the $3,000 prize, Stockwell earned one of the biggest bragging rights in Vermont short-track racing, having his name added to the list of Thunder Road Enduro winners.
