For generations of Vermonters, Thursday nights in the summer have meant one thing….Thunder Road.
This quarter mile short track opened in 1960 and it’s home to some of the most passionate drivers and fans you’re likely to find anywhere. In these shows and outtakes, you’ll hear from some of the drivers and from Thunder Road co-owners and ring leaders, Ken Squier and Tom Curley. There are thrills and heartbreaks and heated coils and a lot of history. There’s even some opera. Welcome.
Shows (in the box above)
Thunder Road: Features Donny Yates, Tommy Thunder, Dave Campbell, Dave Pembroke, Ken Squier, and Tom Curley
Milk Bowl: Tom Curley talks about the culminating race of the season, the Milk Bowl.
An Interview with Tom Curley: I thought he’d give me five minutes. Turns out he let me stay longer and he said some remarkable things…about his work, his co-conspirator Ken Squier, and lots more. Plus there’s sound recorded from the booth during the Milk Bowl, 2013. This is the conversation from which I pulled tape for the other stories, so you’ll hear some familiar riffs, but I figured folks might like to hear Tom’s full interview.
Outtakes (in the box below)
Great segments from the interviews, and sounds recorded at Thunder Road. Enjoy!
Thanks:
A big thanks to Larry Massett. He was the editor for both Thunder Road and Milk Bowl and he is the greatest.
Also big thanks to Colin McCaffrey, who mixed these shows so expertly. And to Tread Hunter for best tires. And patiently…..
Thanks to you both.
LINKS
EPISODE MUSIC
| TRACK NAME | ARTIST |
| The Concrete Rivals | Jay Ekis, Jen Wells, Ben Roy |
| Jesse Atkins | Jesse Atkins |
| Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Foggy Mountain Breakdown | |
| The Grass is Blue | Dolly Parton |
| Igor Stravinisky: Orpheus | Orchestra of St. Luke's |
| Puccini: La Boheme | Berlin Philharmonic |
Tom Curley and Ken Squier are Vermont treasures.
I loved these shows. Where else can you hear such wonderful voices and stories???
I love the amazing intensity Tom Curley brings with him to the interview- and clearly to the racetrack. Great interview.
There’s so much heart here there’s a pulsing in my ears. Great, great job.
Your Thunder Road episodes are wonderful. I’m going next summer for sure. It was really inspired to connect the sounds of Thunder Road with Opera. It just shows how great radio can be.
Great capture of a real Vermont institution. Essential listening especially for those who haven’t been to Thunder Road.
Real interviews with real people – this is what real radio should be!
I visit TR a couple times each summer, but now there will be more depth to that experience.
Erica has a rare knack for interviewing. She digs deep without showing her shovel, then brings up some incredibly fertile soil. Thanks for adding such depth to what was once ordinary.
I’ve been involved with the racing at Thunder Road since I was a toddler – nearly 30 years. I’ve been a driver, an official, a media member and – always – a fan. I know all of the people in these interviews, most of them I know very well, and I’m telling you that this is the most real look you’ll ever get at any one of them, at least concerning the sport of auto racing and Thunder Road in particular.
This is an outstanding record of what goes on every summer in Barre. For four hours a week, it’s more important than anything else in the world. You’ve captured it perfectly.
Congratulations, and thank you for your efforts.
Justin St. Louis
Always nice to hear stories about Thunder Road. It wasnt growing up in a racing family that made me a fan, it wasn’t Ken convincing Tom to run the film crew at Daytona that captured the Allison’s and Yarborough fiasco, and it wasn’t Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, or Jimmy Johnson. It all began when Ken Squire would attach nick names like “T” Bone Tom, Dynamite Dave Dion, North Haverhill Fire Chief, Kentucky Colonel, Granite Capital of the World, Wild Child, Desperaute Despault, Lenny the Tiger, Chester “T” that planted a seed and continues to add real character and is more addictive then any TV soap opera i have ever seen.
My high school students who race up in Bradford in the summer will LOVE hearing these voices and stories from the Thunder Road masters. I especially loved the story from the driver who hides all his long held racing secrets because a student of mine just shared a similar story with me about him and his dad shutting their neighbor out of their garage every Friday night because he’d come around for racing intel. He’s gonna love hearing this! Keep it up Erica. This radio is the real deal and reaffirms why I love living in this state!
My name is Mitchell, I’m 16, and I live in Topsham VT and race at Bear Ridge Speedway. I find this documentary really fascinating because I know the tricks you play in the pit area, hiding information like tire pressures and cross weights to keep your edge over the competition. On one hand, it’s all serious preparation, and on the other hand, it’s all one big game. I also liked the part about racing being a family tradition between a father and child, sharing a sport they both love and enjoy doing. This is how my memories have been made.