On July 31, 2003. Tracie Bellerose won the Maplefields/Irving Late Model feature race at Vermont’s historic Thunder Road Speedbowl. And for 23 years, no woman managed to repeat the feat. That long wait finally ended on Sunday, when Taylor Hoar powered her way to Victory Lane. And in doing so, she became only the second woman in Thunder Road history to win a Late Model feature.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
On Sunday, August 9, 2026, Hoar delivered a statement victory during an action-packed afternoon at Thunder Road, becoming only the second woman in the track’s history to win a Late Model feature.
The Sunday program already had plenty of anticipation behind it after two NBT Bank features from Thursday had been postponed because of rain. But the Maplefields/Irving Late Models quickly became the centerpiece of the showcase.
Stephen Donahue and Darrell Morin started strongly from the front. However, both polesitters began slipping backward after 20 laps. That opened the door for a four-car fight involving Stephen Martin, Chris Pelkey, Taylor Hoar and Marcel Gravel.
The battle quickly became a side-by-side affair, with each driver looking for an advantage around the tight short track. Pelkey eventually began pulling away from the group. But Hoar wasn’t racing for a runner-up finish.
She broke away from the pack and began chasing down the No. 64 machine. And she cleverly used the highside to build momentum. Then came the pivotal moment of the race.
A Lap 54 caution was triggered when Stephen Donahue and Scott Coburn spun in Turn 3. This ended both of their afternoons and set up one final restart.
With the field bunched together again, Pelkey chose the high groove while Hoar lined up down low. When the green flag waved, Hoar’s EastRise Credit Union Dodge Charger came alive.
She powered away from Pelkey and secured the victory. Pelkey settled for second, and Martin completed the podium in third. The result immediately became part of Thunder Road history. Hoar had not only won a Late Model feature. She had ended a drought that had lasted nearly a quarter-century.
Hoar took to social media after the race to thank the people who helped make the breakthrough possible:
“Where do you even begin? There truly are no words to describe how this win feels. I cannot thank every single person who has helped me get to this point enough. You truly cannot succeed in this sport without an army behind you, and I wholeheartedly believe I have one of the best.”
After 23 years of waiting, Thunder Road finally had another woman standing in Victory Lane. And Hoar’s name will now sit alongside Bellerose in the history books.