A total of 114 race teams converged on Thunder Mountain Speedway this past Sunday night taking part in the six card re-scheduled regular event from June 28th.
The Hunt's Auto Service Modified Sportsman division started things off with their twenty five lap feature event, as seventeen starters raced to Brandon Clapperton's green flag start. Pole sitter Gary Card Jr. jumped into the early lead with Richie Hillis, and Larry Hillis following in close pursuit. Fast Edddie White sat in fourth while P.J. Goodwin raced in the fifth position until Goodwin and White swapped positions on lap twelve, with White re-taking the fourth spot on lap thirteen. A lap sixteen caution found Goodwin with a broken front-end over in turn two, ending his top five performance, and moving Flyin' Brian White up into the fifth spot. Fast Edddie moved into the runner-up spot via the top side on lap number twenty, and settled in behind team mate Gary Card Jr. who was having his best run of the season. Card's lead would disappear on lap twenty three as White took over the top spot, and cruised home to victory. Flyin' Brian White would nip Card Jr. at the finish line for second while Card was third, Richie Hillis fourth, and father Larry Hillis fifth.
The National Parts Peddler 600 Micro Sprints fielding thirteen cars, raced to the green, as Timex Morgan lead lap number one with Nick Cooper overtaking the top spot on lap two. Morgan would try to keep Cooper in his sights as the leader set a blistering pace early on. Morgan would drop pit side on lap 7 handing the second position over to Darryl Ruggles in the 48Jr. machine. Cooper and Ruggles would dice back and forth , but it was Cooper who stayed out front and raced to his second win in a row at Thunder Mountain. Ruggles finished a solid second with "invader" Jim Radney finishing third, Alysha Ruggles fourth, and John Smith fifth.
The Doug's Speed Shop I.M.C.A. Modifieds were seventeen cars strong at the start of their twenty lap affair, as "Hollywood" Howard Jones raced his Jones Logging #3H into the lead for the first three laps of the event. Rich NcNeal Jr. moved his Copy Source #68 into the top spot on lap four with Brad Weaver following in the number two spot, relegating Jones to third. The top three would remain the same until lap fourteen when Constantia, N.Y. driver Kevan Cook overtook Jones, and set his sights on Weaver and McNeal. That's how the top three would finish with rookie McNeal capturing his first career checker. Mike Smith would finish fourth with "Hollywood" in fifth.
The Doug's Trash Removal Hurricane Street Stocks looked as though they would race true to their sponsors business as several cars were "trashed" over the twenty lap distance, as only half of the original twenty four starters finished the race. Veteran Gene Sharpsteen jumped into the lead on the initial green flag as Candor's Randy Marsh settled into the runner-up spot on lap three, with Jack Holcumb Jr., Butch Green, and rookie Rick Frisco in third, fourth, and fifth spots. The top five would remain the same until lap eight as Green moved into third. Kevin Boynton raced into fourth on lap eleven and battled with the leaders to the finish. It would be Sharpsteen notching his first victory at Thunder in several years with Marsh second, Battlin' Butch third, Boynton fourth, and Frisco with his best effort of the year, in fifth.
The Road Warriors saw a new face in victory lane with Maine, N.Y. driver Matt Sisenstein garnering his second career win with a solid performance over fourteen other racers in his beautifully prepared #8 race car. Royce Currie raced his Camaro into the top spot at the green, leading Sisenstein and Ken Winn for the first three laps of the fifteen lap race. Sisenstein took over the lead on lap four, and survived three caution flag re-starts to post the popular win. Winn would cruise home second, with Currie third, Gary Brown fourth, and Fred Velez fifth in his Rt. 7 machine.
The Road Bandits were last on the evening with twenty one starters making the call. Smokin' Dave Jenkins posted his second win of the season over Kenny Underwood, Jarod Oneil third, Dan Wood fourth, and Jeremie Hale fifth.
Thunder notes;
A total of 114 teams raced on this Sunday night with six divisions in action. With the exception of caution fever in the Street Stock feature the show ran efficiently with a
5:00 p.m. starting time, and a 9:30 p.m. finish, including a forty five minute intermission for track grooming. Next Friday's "Fan Appreciation" show has been moved to Friday, July 31st. This show will be a big one with six divisions in action, including the legendary "Buzzie" Reutimann racing in the I.M.C.A. Modified division for his first ever visit to Thunder Mountain. The Zephyr Hills, Florida native will be on hand all evening long signing autographs, and talking racing with all the competitors. Who knows, possibly "Buzzie's" son David (Sprint Cup Star) might just show up to watch "Dad" wheel the #96 Tinkertown Logging, Smith's Collision BMS Chassis I.M.C.A. Modified? The Nascar Sprint Cup Series will be racing in Pocono, Pa. that weekend. Thunder Mountian Speedway is located off Interstate 81 (exit 8 Whitney Point, N.Y. ), then 5 miles west on Route 79 to Hunts Corners Rd. in Center Lisle. For race information call (607)227-9602 or (607)849-7889 race day.
