Vermont Motorsports Expo To Present Second Annual Stockwell, St. Louis Awards
Story By: JUSTIN ST. LOUIS / VERMONT MOTORSPORTS – WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT – Vermont’s Official Racing Kickoff Party is primed and ready in a brand-new location for 2025.
The Vermont Motorsports Expo presented by Laquerre’s Power Sports and Swagger Factory Apparel will be held on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29, in White River Junction, VT, inside the Connecticut Valley Auto Auction building on Route 14.
Two traditions that began at last year’s inaugural Expo were the presentations of the Lennie “The Tiger” Stockwell Award and the Ron St. Louis Memorial Award. Both awards were created to recognize the accomplishments of drivers in the state’s support-level stock car divisions and have become a highly anticipated part of the Vermont Motorsports Expo.
The Lennie “The Tiger” Stockwell Award recognizes the previous year’s top performing driver in the famous Flying Tiger division, which has competed since the 1960s at Barre’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl and at various northeastern tracks over the decades including White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire. Lennie Stockwell was one of the division’s most popular and successful drivers in its early years and was instantly recognizable for his orange-and-black tiger-striped jacket that he wore while racing.
To the surprise of almost no one, East Thetford’s Brandon Gray will be presented the Stockwell Award For the second straight year. Gray had the most dominant season in Flying Tiger history in 2024, winning all five available championships and scoring 23 feature wins in the division. Gray swept the season-long track championships at Thunder Road and White Mountain, the Triple Crown Series titles at both tracks, and the three-race American-Canadian Tour Flying Tiger Tri-State Series, which included a win at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. Gray was undefeated in 14 races at White Mountain – an achievement virtually unheard-of in modern racing.
The Ron St. Louis Memorial Award shines a different type of light on its three annual recipients: Drivers who finish 23rd in the point standings in the entry-level four-cylinder divisions at Vermont’s three stock car tracks earn the recognition. Ron St. Louis is the late father of Vermont Motorsports Expo promoter Justin St. Louis, and he finished 23rd overall in the Street Stock class at Thunder Road in 1994. While 23rd is not necessarily a position that is celebrated, the idea behind the award is to elevate racers who may not have had an outstanding season but continued to compete and saw their efforts through.
For the 2024 season, Ron St. Louis Memorial Award winners will be Tim Robinson of Center Rutland in the Mini Stocks at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Fairfax’s Parker Gagne in the Thunder Road Street Stocks, and Matt Lucas of Littleton, NH, in the Ridge Runner class at Bear Ridge Speedway.
The Stockwell and St. Louis awards will be presented on Saturday, March 29 at the Vermont Motorsports Expo. Lennie Stockwell and members of the St. Louis family are expected to be on hand for the ceremony.
The Vermont Motorsports Expo will be held on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29, in White River Junction, VT, inside the Connecticut Valley Auto Auction building on Route 14. Display space is sold out with exhibitors including speedways, vendors, and racing teams from around New England and New York. Details including daily schedules and attractions, ticket pricing, food concessions, and more will be announced soon.
