“The Tiger” will be present for award presentation
BARRE, Vermont (February 18, 2024) – The inaugural Vermont Motorsports Expo is the official kickoff party to the 2024 auto racing season. While the event looks ahead to the present and future, it also celebrates the past. One way that it will do so is with the creation of a new award honoring a local legend in the sport.
The first-ever Lennie “The Tiger” Stockwell Award has been created to recognize the previous year’s top performing driver in the famous Flying Tiger division, which has been a staple at Barre’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl for 60 years and at various northeastern tracks over the decades including White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire.
Brandon Gray will be the recipient of the inaugural Lennie Stockwell Award. The East Thetford, Vt., driver won the Flying Tiger championship at White Mountain, narrowly missed the title at Thunder Road, and won a total of 11 races between the two tracks. Interestingly, both Stockwell and Gray are known for a common car number, as both are associated with the No. 00 on their cars.
The award will be presented on Saturday, March 30, at the Vermont Motorsports Expo, held at the B.O.R. Ice Arena in Barre, Vermont. Lennie Stockwell will be on hand for the presentation.
Stockwell raced out of a modest auto repair garage in Bethel, Vt., and he was one of the pioneers of the Flying Tiger division when it began in 1965. Stockwell was considered the heart and soul of the group, and he was beloved by racing fans for wearing an orange-and-black tiger-striped jacket while he raced his powder blue Chevrolets. He was a frequent winner at Thunder Road and the former Catamount Stadium, racing successfully against Beaver and Bobby Dragon, Clem Despault, Tom Tiller, Larry Demar, the Ingerson brothers, Ron Barcomb, and many more.
Stockwell had the respect of his peers, earning the Sportsmanship Award in 1969 – his most successful season – before becoming a technical inspector in the early 1980s. He briefly returned to racing in the Pro-4 Modified division before guiding his son, Kip, as he began his own successful career in go-karts, Flying Tigers, the American-Canadian Tour, and the NASCAR Busch North Series. Today, Lennie Stockwell supports his grandchildren, who are winners and champions in the Claremont (N.H.) Motorsports Park Karting Series.
Brandon Gray’s busy schedule for 2024 includes full Flying Tiger seasons at Thunder Road and White Mountain, as well as Late Model and Super Street events at Claremont. He has already won a race in 2024, taking his second consecutive Winter Blast Enduro 100 at Riverside Speedway & Adventure Park in the cold and snow of Groveton, N.H., in January.
“It’s great that Brandon will be the first recipient of my father’s award,” Kip Stockwell said. “He has absolutely earned it, as far as Dad and I are concerned. Brandon has shown a lot of maturity recently and he dominated the Tigers last year. Not many people ever have that type of year, and he should be proud of himself.”
The Vermont Motorsports Expo will be held on Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30, at the B.O.R. Ice Arena in Barre, Vermont. Display space is completely sold out with exhibitors including speedways, vendors, and racing teams from around New England, New York, and Quebec. Details including show times, daily schedules and attractions, ticket pricing, food concessions, and more will be announced soon.
Advertising and sponsorship opportunities for the Vermont Motorsports Expo are available. To learn more, visit the new website at www.vermontmotorsports.net or find “Vermont Motorsports Expo 2024” on Facebook and Instagram at @VTMotorsportsExpo. For more information, call (802) 355-3282 or email vermontmotorsports@gmail.com.
Photo Credits:
Lennie Stockwell portrait - Norm MacIver
Brandon Gray - Alan Ward
Lennie Stockwell - Rich Palmer via CatamountStadium.com
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