Photo Tom Stephenson
Week three of the 2025 short track racing season thundered into Laird Raceway on Thursday, July 31st, as over 60 race cars and a crowd of more than 3,000 fans packed the grandstands and pits for another electric night of Thursday Night Thunder. With six divisions battling it out, the evening was full of side-by-side action, intense rivalries, and checkered-flag dreams.
In the Super Late Model division, Jay Palumbo (#90) stole the spotlight, sweeping both the heat and feature races. After edging out Jake Irwin (#15) and Roddy Bolduc (#79) in the 10-lap heat, Palumbo went head-to-head with Jordan Sims (#47) in the feature. The pair raced door-to-door for all 25 laps, with Palumbo edging Sims by just half a car length for his first feature win of the 2025 season. Heyden’s Rob Hiiemma (#50), returning to the track for the first time this year, capped off the podium in third.
Modifieds brought twice the excitement with two 25-lap features on the schedule. JP DelPaggio (#22) held off a hard-charging Dustin Jackson (#61) to take the first feature win, with Jason Herrington (#78) crossing the line in third. In the second feature, Jackson bounced back in dominant fashion, besting DelPaggio to claim the win. Echo Bay’s Mark Laakso (#84) took third in the second go-around.
The Factory Stock class saw a clean sweep by Sault Ste. Marie’s Owen Brown (#12), who claimed both the 25-lap feature and the 10-lap heat. In the feature, Brown had his hands full with Brad Bibeau (#80), who stayed glued to his rear bumper in a thrilling race to the finish. Dale Tucker (#4) rounded out the top three. In the heat, Brown led the way with Shanna Harten (#711) in second and Teagan Lapish (#72) in third.
In Factory Four action, it was the Chris Viotto (#3) show, as he dominated both features. Dylan Sherrard (#16) and Jordan Rocchetta (#15) followed Viotto across the line in the first feature. In the second, it was Lucas Crosato (#22x) and Sherrard rounding out the podium behind Viotto in a strong night for the Factory Four class.
Wrapping up the night, the Enduro feature delivered chaos and excitement with 13 cars hitting the track. Chris Pinder drove the crowd-favorite #95 Lightning McQueen to victory, securing the $275 top prize. Dayne Lorenzo crossed the line in second, with Eric Sylvestre coming home in third to close out an action-packed evening.
Check out Laird Raceway Thursday Night Thunder photos.
Racing returns next week to Laird Raceway as Thursday Night Thunder continues with a full card of racing, including Super Late Models, Modifieds, Factory Stocks, Factory Fours, Enduros, and the crowd-favorite Lawnmower division. Green flag drops at 7:15 p.m.—don’t miss it!
