Joey Laquerre, 17, dies in ATV accident

He was just starting to make a name for himself in stock car racing, but sadly the world will never know the full potential of Joey Laquerre, 17. The grandson of Vermont’s storied racing champion, who shares his name, Laquerre died Saturday in an ATV accident.

“I don’t think any of us doubted that Little Joey was going to be a champion in his own right. It’s just, it is an unfathomable loss,” Motor Racing Network announcer Dave Moody told WCAX.

Laquerre often raced at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., where his grandfather is the winningest racer in the track’s 55-year history. At a July 7, 2013, race there, the younger Laquerre finished in second place, just ahead of his grandfather. The elder Laquerre has won a record 45 races and seven championships at Thunder Road. Joey’s father and uncles are also well known in the sport.

The teen finished seventh in the Vermont State Championships rankings this year. The Burlington Free Press summarized his too-brief career:

At age 14, Joey began racing in the top-tier class and immediately rewarded his father’s trust with a third-place finish in his first race at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven. The team began racing regularly at the track and built a solid fan base in Rutland County before the youngster was permitted to compete at age 16 at Thunder Road in 2013.

His death is the family’s second vehicle-related tragedy to occur off the track. In 1991, his uncle, Joey Laquerre, Jr., died in a snowmobile accident just months after winning the 1990 Thunder Road championship.

Family and friends gathered for a memorial on Sunday evening. A high school senior, Laquerre would have turned 18 next month.