News from Thunder Mountain Speedway
Media Contact: Brett Deyo – thundermtnspeedway@gmail.com or 845.728.2781
For Immediate Release/Aug. 10, 2014
Upward Swing: Mike Clapperton Reaches High On Roller-Coaster Season, Wins Second Thunder Mountain Speedway Modified Feature Of 2014; Leet, Underwood, Green, Eastman, Morse, Sinsabaugh & Applebee Also Visit Victory Lane As 104 Cars Fill Pit Area
CENTER LISLE, NY – Mike Clapperton’s roller-coaster 2014 season took an upward swing on Saturday night at Thunder Mountain Speedway.
Clapperton, of Sidney, N.Y., won his second big-block/small-block Modified main – and first since May 31 – at the Center Lisle, N.Y., three-eighths-mile oval in an exciting 30-lap main event. The 52-year-old driver started from the pole, dropped back to third, and rode the outside lane back to the lead en route to a $1,200 payday for his self-owned No. M16 team.
A large crowd filled Thunder Mountain’s concrete grandstands with 104 race cars jamming the pit area.
“It’s been an up-and-down year for us,” Clapperton said. “We’ve been having trouble here the last month or so. That’s why we were starting on the pole. It’s good to race clean, side-by-side, like we did tonight.”
Clapperton led the opening six laps of the main before Billy Spoonhower, who started fourth, powered off the top groove on a double-file restart to take command. Modified rookie Chris Stull followed into second.
The lead trio remained in tight formation, lap after lap, with Spoonhower occupying the middle lane, Stull working down low, and Clapperton rim-riding.
At lap 15, the top-three drivers fanned out three-wide at the exit of turn two. Stull emerged with the top spot and Clapperton relegated Spoonhower to third. Point leader Brent Wilcox, who started eighth, closed in as he broke free from traffic.
Working the high lane, Clapperton edged ahead of Stull on the 18th lap. However, running wheel-to-wheel, Clapperton didn’t gain sole possession of the top spot until the 25th lap.
“Once I got heat in the tires and found bite up high, we got rolling really good,” Clapperton said.
Stull, of Cortland, N.Y., registered a season-best runner-up finish, followed by Binghamton, N.Y.’s Wilcox. Spoonhower, of Berkshire, N.Y., settled for fourth and seventh-starter Brian Malcolm of Lake Ariel, Pa., completed the front five.
Eric Leet won his second 20-lap Sportsman main of the season in impressive fashion for a $700 payday. The Marathon, N.Y., driver started fifth and worked the extreme inside lane en route to the front. Leet cleared point leader Billy Spoonhower at the halfway mark and was never headed.
Spoonhower, who led laps 3-9, settled for second. Brothers Chris and Kevin Jordan and rookie Geordie Decker completed the front five.
Joshua Underwood of Berkshire, N.Y., capitalized on a late-race tangle involving the leaders and drove to his first-ever win in the 12-lap Rookie Sportsman main event.
Butch Green of Newark Valley, N.Y., picked up the ride in the second Steven Deinhardt No. 73 Street Stock and parked it in Victory Lane following the 20-lap main. He earned $500 courtesy of Shadow Landd Auto Body. Green started eighth and took over the lead on lap five with an inside pass on Daryl Krebs.
Green survived a final yellow on lap 17 to hold off his teammate, point leader Deinhardt, who started 15th. Jonathan Carpenter, driving his own No. J12, finished third, followed by Krebs and Tom Savercool.
Will Eastman of Oneonta, N.Y., earned a triumph in the first appearance of the 2014 season at Thunder Mountain by Doug Borger’s touring XCel 600 Modified traveling series. Eastman started fifth in the 25-car field and took a lead he wouldn’t relinquish on an eighth-lap restart.
Aaron Bowes, from seventh, arrived in second at lap 13 and closed on Eastman in slower traffic during the final laps. He finished on Eastman’s bumper as the runner-up. Michael Burrows, who led laps 6-8, placed third, followed by Abbey Price and 14th-starter Jonathan Pepe.
Michael Morse of Newark Valley, N.Y., edged newcomer Lanson Albanese by less than a fender to win the 12-lap Pure Stock feature. Morse used his outside-lane momentum to beat Albanese to the line. Despite right-front suspension damage from a pair of early skirmishes, Bubba Peters placed third.
For the first time this season, Rick Sinsabaugh of Sayre, Pa., won a 15-lap Four Cylinder feature. Sinsabaugh fought off the advances of Chris Taylor and Mark Wheeler in the final laps.
The Midstate Vintage Stock Car Club visited Thunder Mountain, with Johnny Applebee of Port Byron, N.Y., besting the field in a 15-lap exhibition event. Applebee drives a 1936 Chevy No. 9.
THUNDER THOUGHTS: A number of Modified competitors made their first 2014 appearances at Thunder Mountain, including former track regular Tom McGurrin, an invading Chris Wood, Darren Schuler and Late Model convert Randall Paxton. McGurrin, in eighth, received a $100 bonus as the highest-finishing newcomer….
Four-time winner Mike Mahaney was absent on Saturday night due to his attendance at a wedding. Mahaney is expected to return for the Aug. 16 program….
A water truck valve issue delayed the start of the program. Once the first green flag waved, the activities moved quickly….
The Sportsman division saw returning faces in Butch Green, Scott Conover and Colton Wilson, all of whom had raced regularly at Thunder Mountain earlier this season….
Jonathan Carpenter was in the seat of his No. J12 Street Stock on Saturday, while Eric Boynton took the wheel of the No. 3L Carpenter had driven for much of the season on the Mountain….
Heat winners were Byron Worthing and Brian Malcolm (Modified); Chris Jordan and Eric Leet (Sportsman); Shayne Spoonhower (Rookie Sportsman); Earl Zimmer and Jason Beebe (Street Stock); Nathan Brinker, Abbey Price and Aaron Bowes (XCel 600 Modifieds); Michael Morse (Pure Stock); Rick Sinsabaugh and Mark Wheeler (Four Cylinder); and John Applebee and Bob Williams (Midstate Vintage Stock Car Club)….
Racing resumes at Thunder Mountain Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 16 with ‘Full-Fender Frenzy’ paying $200 to win for the Pure Stocks and Four Cylinders, plus a complete program of Modifieds, Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman, Street Stocks, IMCA-style Modifieds and Empire Sport Trucks. A Facebook contest will determine the Community Night town to receive reduced grandstand admission.
Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. Adult grandstand admission is $10. Seniors (65 and over) and students (ages 10-17) pay $8. Kids nine and under are FREE. Pit admission is $30, with no license required.
For rules, general information and a complete schedule, visit
www.thundermtnspeedway.com. The speedway office number is 607.657.8202. On race day, call 607.849.7899. The speedway e-mail is thundermtnspeedway@gmail.com. “Like” Thunder Mountain Speedway on Facebook or follow @thundermtnspeed on Twitter.
Thunder Mountain Speedway is located at 91 Hunts Corners Road Center Lisle, NY 13797, approximately 25 miles north of Binghamton. The three-eighths-mile clay oval features hillside concrete seating, free parking and camping, a variety of concession items and novelties, a family environment and more.
AUGUST 9, 2014 RESULTS SUMMARY
Modified Feature Finish (30 Laps): MIKE CLAPPERTON, Chris Stull, Brent Wilcox, Billy Spoonhower, Brian Malcolm, Ken Titus, Bob Henry Jr., Tom McGurrin, Steve Cummings, Roy Shields, Chris Wood, Darren Schuler, Marc Goodwin, Chad Cook, Randall Paxton, Byron Worthing.
Best Newcomer ($100): Tom McGurrin
Sportsman Feature Finish (20 Laps): ERIC LEET, Billy Spoonhower, Chris Jordan, Kevin Jordan, Geordie Decker, Kenny Hammond, Colton Wilson, Brad Weaver, Scott Conover, Todd Titus, Steven Denton, Butch Green, Larry Hillis, Chance Spoonhower.
Best Newcomer ($50): Brad Weaver
Street Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): BUTCH GREEN, Steven Deinhardt, Jonathan Carpenter, Daryl Krebs, Tom Savercool, Jason Beebe, Rich Talada, Earl Zimmer, Dan Force, Eric Boynton, Rich Sharpsteen, John Hoover, Ricky Davis Sr., Harold Walburn, Shannon Oswald, Nick Alexander.
Did Not Start: Ted Morseman
Rookie Sportsman Feature Finish (12 Laps): JOSHUA UNDERWOOD, Cole Price, Shayne Spoonhower, Tyler Keener, Brett Neely.
XCel 600 Modified Feature Finish (20 laps): WILL EASTMAN, Aaron Bowes, Michael Burrows, Abbey Price, Jonathan Pepe, Kailee DiMorier, Kamdin Maby, Richie Hitzler, Jonathan Josko, Ian Williamson, Doug Windhausen, Joe Ryan, Drew Fallis, A.J. Miller, Dave Baldwin, Josh Pepe, Tom Shiner, Kyle Fallis, Paul DeRuyter, Dakota Barlet, Shawna Schibilia, Sean Barchik, Nathan Brinker, Bud Leizaer, Bob Skoniecki.
Pure Stock Feature Finish (12 Laps): MICHAEL MORSE, Lanson Albanese, Bubba Peters, Kevin Garland, Gary Cleveland, Levi Davis, Steven Mattschuck.
Four Cylinder Feature Finish (15 Laps): RICK SINSABAUGH, Chris Taylor, Mark Wheeler, Mike Taylor, Guy Raymond Jr., Ray Oakley Sr., Mackenzie Gibson, Leon Brockway, Thomas Ferguson, Dalton Manning.
Midstate Vintage Stock Car Club (15 laps): JOHN APPLEBEE, Rick St. Pierre, Rob Casti, Bob Williams, Kevin Winton, Mike Cole, Brian Moore, Bob Whipple, Dale Pitcher.
Did Not Start: Gordie Wood.
