Barre, VT’s Nick Sweet (right) celebrates his record-tying fourth Vermont Governor’s Cup win with Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin (D). Photo by Alan Ward

Hometown favorite Nick Sweet came out on top of a battle with Thunder Road Late Model point leader and fellow two-time “King of the Road” Derrick O’Donnell to win his fourth VP Fuels Vermont Governor’s Cup 150 on Thursday, July 9.

Sweet took the lead from N. Haverhill, NH’s O’Donnell on lap 125 following the race’s fourth and final restart after stalking him for much of the event. O’Donnell made a bid to get back around Sweet on the outside, but came under attack from polesitter Cody Blake with 10 laps remaining, allowing Sweet to drive off to the win. Sweet moved into a tie with Robbie Crouch for the most Vermont Governor’s Cup wins of all-time.

“I knew that final restart was probably my last chance to capture the lead,” Sweet said. “The pace car went in, I pulled my belts a little bit tighter, and drove it in there just a little bit deeper – and it stuck. We bounced off each other a little bit, but that’s racing here. (Derrick) is a heck of a racer, and it’s always good to race against him and once in a while beat him.

“It’s pretty surreal,” he said of tying Crouch. “I’m pretty much speechless on that right now. I know I’ll never be the driver he was, but to be right there in the same category as him, that means a lot.”

For the full article and results, pick up next week’s issue of The WORLD on newsstands Wednesday.