Post by jkelly57 on Sept 9, 2006 3:55:01 GMT -6
By Bill “Sarge” Masom
Killeen, Tx
With The Fox Rocks, 107.3 FM of the Clear Channel Radio stables as the presenting sponsor, 107 cars took to the track and thrilled the fans. Several drivers won their first feature races of the year, and the Southern States Midget Association was on hand to thrill the crowd.
First up were twenty-three of the always close and exciting Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Street Stocks, racing for twenty feature laps. Brian Fuller used his pole position start to get the early jump over Tim Fasano, Carl Boettcher, Ty Hawkey and Ryan Anderson. Chris Ochoa would get around Anderson for fifth before the opening lap was completed. Ochoa picked off another car on the second lap with a pass of Hawkey in turn two to get fourth.
Lap two was exciting, as Fasano spun in turn two in front of twenty-one snarling street stocks. With so many opportunities for disaster, it was amazing that Fasano escaped unharmed and was able to re-orientate his car and continue with out a yellow flag. In the chaotic scramble to miss Fasano, Ochoa was able to get into second. A lap later, and we weren't so lucky, as Chris Florio and Danny Dunn crashed coming out of turn four. The red was ultimately thrown, as the always fabulous track safety got the cars separated. During the caution laps, second place in points, Trevor Sparkman pulled into the red-yellow area for a new tire.
For the lap three restart, it was B. Fuller the leader, with Ochoa, Hawkey, Boettcher, and “Dashing” Dave Meadows as the top five. As the green flag waved to restart the race, Boettcher was able to get by Hawkey for third. A lap later and Hawkey would lose another position as Meadows passed in for fourth. Meadows picked off the rookie Boettcher on lap five to get to third. On lap six, defending track champion, and current points leader, Robert Zimmerman got around Hawkey to move into the top five.
On lap seven, Ochoa had to split the lapped cars of Sparkman and Anderson on the back straight, in his bid to chase down the leader B. Fuller. On lap eight, two separate incidents happened at opposite ends of the track. In turn two, Fasano spun again. Meanwhile, in turn three, Anderson spun to a stop as well. With those impediments to safe racing, the yellow was thrown. The restart top five were B. Fuller, the lapped car of Sparkman, then Ochoa in second, Meadows third, Boettcher fourth and Hawkey back in the top five.
On the first try to restart the race, the leader was spun on the front straight by the lapped car of Sparkman, eager to get back on the lead lap. The officials blacked flagged Sparkman for rough driving and gave B. Fuller his position back at the head of the pack. The second attempt at the restart worked better, and Ochoa dove under B. Fuller in turn one in a bid for the lead. B. Fuller used the high line to good effect as he was able to hold off Ochoa exiting turn two. But Ochoa drove it hard to the bottom of turn three and got the lead in turn four.
Meadows attacked B. Fuller next, using a move similar to Ochoa's a lap earlier. Meadows would now try and track down leader, as B. Fuller nipped at his heals in third. On lap nine, Hawkey got under Boettcher as they raced down the back stretch in the fight for fourth. They raced door handle to door handle all the way to turn two on lap ten before Hawkey finally got the spot. On lap eleven, Albert Wininger Jr hauled himself up to fifth with a pass of Boettcher. Hawkey was Wininger Jr's next victim, with the pass happening in turn two on lap twelve.
Simmerman was trying to work his way back to the top five, and got just outside that with a pass of Boettcher on lap thirteen for sixth. On lap fifteen, that sixth would turn into fifth, as the third place car of B. Fuller pulled into the infield and out of the race. The field started to string out a bit, as there were cars racing for position all around the track. On the white flag lap, Hawkey would use turn three to get around Wininger Jr for third. Ochoa would cross under the checkered flags ten car lengths ahead of Meadows to record his first win of the year. Ochoa started ninth.
Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Street Stocks
0 Chris Ochoa
74 Dave Meadows
17 Ty Hawkey
40 Albert Wininger, Jr
1 Robert Simmerman
24 Daniel Shipler
9 Carl Boettcher
63 Danny Dunn
05 Ryan Anderson
82 Lee Chasse
83 Dennis Simmons
19r Dean Silva
21 Chris Florio
100 Brian Fuller
00 Joe Fuller
36c Don Watson
27 Tim Fasano
20 Trevor Sparkman
97 Chad McLean
26 Scott Wilson
85 Corey Stepan
84x Eric Jones
43 Gene Burnett
Sixteen Hertz Rent A Car I. M. C. A. Southern SportMods took to the track next for fifteen laps of feature racing. Former road racer Robert Carr got the lead from pole position on the drop of the green flag. He was followed by Kevin West, Billy White, Trace Crawford, and Kenny Ware. West didn't waste much time, as he got around Carr in turn three to take over the lead. On the next lap, White would get by Carr on the back stretch to get to second. Hardy Henderson would get by Ware for fifth on the same lap. Crawford would do the same, using the low side to pass Carr for third on lap two. Henderson would get by Carr in turn two, on lap four to move to fourth.
On lap four, Crawford dove under White in turn two in the battle for second. They raced wheel to wheel all the way to the front stretch where White held off the Crawford charge. It would have been for naught anyway, as T. J. Green, Kevin Green, and Ware got tangled up and stopped in turn four. All would continue, though not before a yellow was needed. So the restart top five were West, White, Crawford, Henderson, and Carr.
On the restart, Henderson jumped around Crawford for third. A lap later, Crawford fought back in turn three, diving under Henderson. Those two battled side by side all for two laps, until finally Henderson took sole possession of third in turn two. Meanwhile, during the battle for third, Chase Jupe and Ritchie Robins got around Carr for fifth and sixth. Those two would wage a battle for the rest of the race. Things settled down for five laps, as the leaders were catching lapped traffic. Chuck Schoenfeld spun his ride in turn four on lap thirteen, but would get going again before a yellow was needed.
As the white flag waved over the field, Corey Homan spun in turn four, but no yellow was needed. The battle between Jupe and Robins would go wheel to wheel and as they raced off of turn four to the checkered flag, Jupe just held off Robins by a bumper for fifth. But up front it was West winning his first race of the year by a car length over White. It was the rookie West's first win of the year. He did it from the outside pole starting position.
Hertz Rent A Car I. M. C. A. Southern SportMods
11w Kevin West
17w Billy White
6 Hardy Henderson
63c Trace Crawford
30 Chase Jupe
1r Ritchie Robins
9 Olin Dillard
231 Shad Stevens
5d Kevin Green
27 Robert Carr
83 Kenny Ware
55 TJ Green
10 Mike Autry
34 Corey Homan
14 Chuck Schoenfeld
107 David Goode
The Southern States Midget Association were next to do combat on the track. Eight cars lined up to battle for fifteen laps. It was Doug McCune getting the early lead from Keith White, Ronnie Burke, Matt Devoitt, and Manuel Pina. White, driving his brother Paul's midget, would take the lead coming out of turn two on lap one. On lap two, R. Burke dove under McCune going into turn three. The pass stuck and R. Burke was in second. On lap eight, Devoitt would challenge McCune for third but couldn't get the pass completed. On lap eleven, Pina would dive under Devoitt in turn one in the race for fourth. Those two battled wheel to wheel to turn four, where Devoitt just bobbled a bit, and Pina took over fourth. White cruised to the win, a half straight away ahead of R. Burke.
Southern States Midget Association
1w Keith White
4 Ronnie Burke
9 Doug McCune
73 Manuel Pina
77 Matt Devoitt
31 Danny Burke
54 Evan Pardo
50 Roland Ayo
Six Cottman Transmissons Mini Stocks showed up for their fifteen laps of feature racing. They were joined at the back of the grid by the two Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Jr Mini Stocks, giving a field of eight. The two classed were running a “race in a race”. We will sort it all out at the end.
It was Daniel Shipler getting the lead in his truck from his pole position start. Following him was Rickey Reed, Julie Zwiefelhofer, Mike Autrey, and Colten Monroe in his Jr. Mini. Travis Zwiefelhofer would take that fifth spot from Monroe before the opening lap was done. T. Zwiefelhofer would get another spot on lap one with a pass of Autrey in turn one to get behind his big sister. On lap two, Reed passed Shipler for the lead in turn two. On lap three, Monroe, who was leading the Jr Mini's, spun in turn two, but would continue with no yellow, but the lead of the Jr Mini's was taken over by Joseph Charnock. In turn four of the same lap, T. Zwiefelhofer got around his sister, J. Zwiefelhofer for third.
To recap the race order on lap five they were Reed, Shipler, T. Zwiefelhofer, J. Zwiefelhofer, and Autrey, and Joseph Gregoire. Charnock was leading Monroe in the Jr. Mini's, as they were seventh and eighth. On lap eight, Autrey would get by J. Zwiefelhofer for fourth, with a low move in turn four. Charnock would give up his Jr Mini lead on lap nine with a spin in turn four. Monroe got by him, and Charnock was able to continue with out a yellow being needed. Monroe also got by Gregoire. On lap ten, J. Zwiefelhofer wasn't as lucky, as she spun in turn two, necessitating a yellow.
The restart order with five to go was Reed on point followed by Shipler, T. Zwiefelhofer, Autrey, Monroe, Gregoire, Charnock. J. Zwiefelhofer was not able to continue the race. T. Zwiefelhofer followed his sister into the red-yellow area and out of the race. On the restart, Shipler jumped by Reed in turn three and took over the lead. Autrey would get by Reed as well as they raced down the back stretch, to get into second. On the same lap, Monroe and Charnock were crashing in turn four. Both would continue, with out a yellow, and Monroe was again in front of Charnock. Reed took his car to the pits and out of the race at the same time.
As the laps wound down Autrey was hounding Shipler, nipping at his back bumper. after crossing under the white flag, Autrey tried a move in turn three. He drove it in deep under Shipler and they raced side by side to the checkered flag. It would be Shipler just beating Autrey to the line for his first win of the year. Monroe would finish ahead of Charnock to win the Jr Mini's for the twelfth time.
Cottman Transmissions Mini Stocks
38 Daniel Shipler
1 Mike Autrey
712 Colton Monroe (1st in Jr's)
22 Joseph Chamock (2nd in Jr's)
43 Joseph Gregoire
44 Rickey Reid
20 Travis Zwiefelhofer
202 Julie "Kelly" Zwiefelhofer
Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Jr. Mini Stocks
712 Colton Monroe
22 Joseph Chamock
Eighteen fire breathing, ground pounding, Dodge Country, I. M. C. A. Modifeids lined up for their twenty lap feature race. It was former track champion, Hardy Henderson using his pole position to grab the early lead. He was followed by Rick Green, George Lamphere, Allen Waltimire and Jason Hoffman, for a bit, until Andrew Simmerman passed him. On lap one, both Waltimire and Simmerman passed Lamphere for third and fourth. Hoffman got back into the top five on lap two with a pass of Lamphere in turn two, but Lamphere repassed Hoffman in turn four. Simmerman got around Waltimire for third.
On lap five, Pat McGuire, who previously passed Hoffman, moved into fifth with a pass of Lamphere in turn two. Lamphere would suffer problems and dropped down the leader board. As the crossed flags were displayed, the leader Henderson was in lapped traffic. Keith Green managed to get to tenth, from the last starting position. On lap fourteen, Danny Gribble went to high and spun in turn three, but got going again before a caution was needed.
With five laps to go, Henderson was threading his way through very heavy lapped traffic. R. Green, in second, was a half straight away behind the leader. On lap eighteen, Simmerman and R. Green were battling in turn one for the second spot. But R. Green got the better run off of turn two and retained the runner up position. With the white flag waving over the track, fourth place runner, Waltimre spun in turn three, losing thirteen spots. Hardy Henderson would win his first Modified race of the year, leading flag to flag from the pole position, by a half straight over R. Green.
Dodge Country I. M. C. A. Modifieds
63 Hardy Henderson
82 Rick Green
15 Andrew Simmerman
9 Pat McGuire
00 Jason Hoffman
71 Glenn Derks II
707 PJ Egbert
52 Ken Old
5 Keith Green
19 George Lamphere Jr
10 Scotty Heintzman
39 Paul Mullins
98j Jarrod Jennings
6 Mike Hanusch
7 J.D. Schiels
27 Danny Gribble
44 Allen Waltermire
247 Bill Lecompte
Sixteen Corbin & Associates, Atty's I. M. C. A. Stock Cars took to the track in what would be one of the most exciting fifteen lap races of the year! At the drop of the green, they came out of turn four three wide for the lead. They stayed three wide through turn one, where finally Anthony Otken got the top spot. Gary Norman was second, Jason Batt third, with Tracy Kitchens and Ron Simpson fourth and fifth. On lap one, Simpson dove under Kitchens in turn one, but the high side was better in turn two and Kitchens retained fourth. Well, he did until turn four, where Simpson got that spot. On lap two, Norman took the lead from Otken as they raced down the back stretch.
In turn two of lap three, Batt using the very top of the track, got by Otken and moved to second. Batt would use the same portion of the track, only in turn four this time, on lap four, to sweep by Norman for the lead. As they raced into turn two, Norman tried to get by Batt using the very bottom of the track. But Batt could keep it wound up better, and he kept the top spot as they raced down the back stretch into turn three. A lap later and Norman tried the bottom again in turn two, and with help from a little bobble by Batt, took back the lead.
Things settled down for a couple of laps, though the first three were nose to tail. On lap eight Simpson went low into turn one in a bid to unseat Batt in second. They raced hard door handle to door handle down the back stretch, but Batt held off the challenge. Then in turn four, Norman, Batt and Simpson went three wide for the lead! They raced that way to turn two, where Norman held onto the lead, and Batt beat back Simpson's charge.
Again in turn four, the top three were three wide, on lap nine. They raced that way for a complete lap, slicing and dicing all the way around the track. On lap ten, Norman was by himself in the lead, and Simpson pushed Batt back to third. But they weren't done with the three wide stuff yet, as on lap eleven again they were stacked three deep in turn two, from the top of the track to the bottom. Simpson was on the bottom, Batt the meat in the middle, and Norman was high, wide and handsome. They raced that way to turn four, where Simpson came off of four in the lead, followed by Norman and Batt. Benji Kirkpatrick moved into fifth on lap eleven.
Batt took back over second in turn two of lap twelve, again using the very top of the track. The race would be slowed on that lap when Jacob Dunn spun his ride to a stop in turn three. The restart order was, Simpson, Norman, Batt, the lapped car of Gene Burnett, then Otken and Kirkpatrick in fourth and fifth. Current points leader, Eric Jones was in sixth. In turn two on the restart, Batt swept around both Norman and Simpson for the lead, again using the extreme top of the track.
On lap thirteen, Norman dove under Simpson in turn one, but as they drove out of turn two, Simpson kept the runner up spot. Jones got around Kirkpatrick for fifth. As the white flag flew Jones moved up another spot as he got around Otken for fourth. The leaders were nose to tail, hammer and tongs in the thrilling race to the checkers. Jason “The Acro” Batt barely held on to win the race just ahead of Simpson and Norman. It is his first win of the year. He started seventh.
Corbin & Associates, Atty's I. M. C. A. Stock Cars
9 Jason Batt
44 Ron Simpson
09 Gary "Storming" Norman
84x Eric Jones
79x Anthony Otken
47 Benji Kirkpatrick
8 Vernon "Buck" Owens
23 Shad Stevens
3 Robin Rasmussen
36 Tracy Kitchens
86 Wayne Neff
318 Scott Bowles
18 Gene Burnett
93 Jacob Dunn
43 Jessie James Cox Jr
51 Donald Lewis
After that thrilling race, all the was left was the equally exciting Budweiser Racing Texas Twisters. Fifteen of the cars that race, not race car took to the track for their fifteen lap feature race. It was J. D. Hardcastle getting the jump on the green flag. Aaron White, Nasty Nate Cullifer followed. Then in turn three, Cullifer started at the bottom of the track and ended up at the top in turn four. He took several cars with him as he swept the track clean. Getting caught up in that was Howard Twardokus, who spun, but was able to get it pointed in the right direction before a yellow was needed.
On lap two, with all the chaos, the top five were, A. White, Gary White, Hardcastle, James Dean, and T. J. Yagalla as they crossed the finish line. In turn three, Dean got around Hardcastle for third. On lap three, last weeks winner, Yagalla got around both Dean and Hardcastle to get to third. On lap four, Yagalla was under G. White in turn one. They raced door handle to door handle to turn four, where Yagalla got the second spot from G. White. He then set sail after A. White.
As the action was riveting up front, Keith Desmarius was moving up, and on lap five, he was in third behind A. White and Yagalla, and ahead of G. White, and another hard charger, Chris Florio in fifth. Dean and Hardcastle were sixth and seventh. On lap eight, Florio was under G. White in turn one for fourth. But the attack would be blunted by the stalled car of Brian Mendenhall in turn two. The top five were the same on the restart, only with the lapped cars of Neil Elliot and Twardokus in between second and third spots.
On the restart, Yagalla dove under A. White in turn one, in a bid for the lead. Paint was swapped as they raced side by side down the back stretch, with A. White keeping the top spot as they went into turn three. Then in turn four, Yagalla again got under A. White, but again, A. White held him off going into turn one. On lap nine, Dean found himself in fourth. On lap ten, Yagalla tried getting around A. White using the high side this time in turn one. The two banged doors in turn two, and the lead swap hands. The lead was a hot potato, as it was swapped again on the back stretch, when A. White did a inside out move in turn three. They raced door handle to door handle, bumping and banging down the front stretch with A. White again retaining the lead.
As that exciting fight was taking place up front, a little further back, Florio and Desmarius were trading paint in a side by side battle for third. That battle continued until the white flag lap, where Desmarius snatched the spot for good. Meanwhile, back up front, as they leaders came to turn three for the last time, Yagalla drove it in very deep, trying to slide job A. White for the lead. They again made some contact as they raced in turn four. It would be A. White just beating Yagalla to the line by a half car length for his first ever win. A. White started fifth.
Budweiser Racing Texas Twisters
12 Aaron White
190 Tom Yagalla
11 Keith Desmarais
71 Chris Florio
9 Victoria Twardokus
1 Gary White
107.3 Nasty Nate
2 Larry Tuerck
37 James Deane
829 JD Hardcastle
7 Jared Bouchie
17 Neil Elliott
223 Howard Twardokus
88 Brian Mendenhall
8 Kevin Ashley
Join us next week as Guns Galore sponsors another great night of racing. Due to the I. M. C. A. Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa, all I. M. C. A. classes will be running unsanctioned. IMCA Rules Apply EXCEPT American Racer Tires are allowed, Draw/Re-draw, No Points, No Claim and IMCA Mufflers Required.
Gates open at 6:00 PM and racing starts at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $10 for Adults, $3 for kids 6-12 and kids under 6 are free. Season passes are available as well.
New for fans this year is the ability to purchase their tickets online with a credit card. Just go to the Texas Thunder Speedway web site, and click on the “Buy and Print Tickets” button. Also you can use your Visa or Master Card in the tracks souvenir and concession stands.
For all track information, weather, directions, and to purchase your tickets, go to www.texasthunder.com.
Texas Thunder Speedway is a 1/4 mile semi-banked oval dirt track. Races Every Saturday Night March through September! With Seven SUPER EXCITING classes of cars to entertain the entire family.
Featured classes include; Dodge Country IMCA Modifieds, Corbin & Associates, Attys IMCA Stock Cars, Hertz IMCA SportMods, Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Street Stocks, Cottman Transmissions Mini Stocks, Jr Mini Stocks & Budweiser Racing Texas Twisters. Special Events designed especially for the kids as well as Powder Puff Races, Pit Crew Tire Contest and our all time crowd pleaser, the Demolition Derby.
Come join the fun, at Texas Thunder Speedway
Killeen, Tx
With The Fox Rocks, 107.3 FM of the Clear Channel Radio stables as the presenting sponsor, 107 cars took to the track and thrilled the fans. Several drivers won their first feature races of the year, and the Southern States Midget Association was on hand to thrill the crowd.
First up were twenty-three of the always close and exciting Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Street Stocks, racing for twenty feature laps. Brian Fuller used his pole position start to get the early jump over Tim Fasano, Carl Boettcher, Ty Hawkey and Ryan Anderson. Chris Ochoa would get around Anderson for fifth before the opening lap was completed. Ochoa picked off another car on the second lap with a pass of Hawkey in turn two to get fourth.
Lap two was exciting, as Fasano spun in turn two in front of twenty-one snarling street stocks. With so many opportunities for disaster, it was amazing that Fasano escaped unharmed and was able to re-orientate his car and continue with out a yellow flag. In the chaotic scramble to miss Fasano, Ochoa was able to get into second. A lap later, and we weren't so lucky, as Chris Florio and Danny Dunn crashed coming out of turn four. The red was ultimately thrown, as the always fabulous track safety got the cars separated. During the caution laps, second place in points, Trevor Sparkman pulled into the red-yellow area for a new tire.
For the lap three restart, it was B. Fuller the leader, with Ochoa, Hawkey, Boettcher, and “Dashing” Dave Meadows as the top five. As the green flag waved to restart the race, Boettcher was able to get by Hawkey for third. A lap later and Hawkey would lose another position as Meadows passed in for fourth. Meadows picked off the rookie Boettcher on lap five to get to third. On lap six, defending track champion, and current points leader, Robert Zimmerman got around Hawkey to move into the top five.
On lap seven, Ochoa had to split the lapped cars of Sparkman and Anderson on the back straight, in his bid to chase down the leader B. Fuller. On lap eight, two separate incidents happened at opposite ends of the track. In turn two, Fasano spun again. Meanwhile, in turn three, Anderson spun to a stop as well. With those impediments to safe racing, the yellow was thrown. The restart top five were B. Fuller, the lapped car of Sparkman, then Ochoa in second, Meadows third, Boettcher fourth and Hawkey back in the top five.
On the first try to restart the race, the leader was spun on the front straight by the lapped car of Sparkman, eager to get back on the lead lap. The officials blacked flagged Sparkman for rough driving and gave B. Fuller his position back at the head of the pack. The second attempt at the restart worked better, and Ochoa dove under B. Fuller in turn one in a bid for the lead. B. Fuller used the high line to good effect as he was able to hold off Ochoa exiting turn two. But Ochoa drove it hard to the bottom of turn three and got the lead in turn four.
Meadows attacked B. Fuller next, using a move similar to Ochoa's a lap earlier. Meadows would now try and track down leader, as B. Fuller nipped at his heals in third. On lap nine, Hawkey got under Boettcher as they raced down the back stretch in the fight for fourth. They raced door handle to door handle all the way to turn two on lap ten before Hawkey finally got the spot. On lap eleven, Albert Wininger Jr hauled himself up to fifth with a pass of Boettcher. Hawkey was Wininger Jr's next victim, with the pass happening in turn two on lap twelve.
Simmerman was trying to work his way back to the top five, and got just outside that with a pass of Boettcher on lap thirteen for sixth. On lap fifteen, that sixth would turn into fifth, as the third place car of B. Fuller pulled into the infield and out of the race. The field started to string out a bit, as there were cars racing for position all around the track. On the white flag lap, Hawkey would use turn three to get around Wininger Jr for third. Ochoa would cross under the checkered flags ten car lengths ahead of Meadows to record his first win of the year. Ochoa started ninth.
Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Street Stocks
0 Chris Ochoa
74 Dave Meadows
17 Ty Hawkey
40 Albert Wininger, Jr
1 Robert Simmerman
24 Daniel Shipler
9 Carl Boettcher
63 Danny Dunn
05 Ryan Anderson
82 Lee Chasse
83 Dennis Simmons
19r Dean Silva
21 Chris Florio
100 Brian Fuller
00 Joe Fuller
36c Don Watson
27 Tim Fasano
20 Trevor Sparkman
97 Chad McLean
26 Scott Wilson
85 Corey Stepan
84x Eric Jones
43 Gene Burnett
Sixteen Hertz Rent A Car I. M. C. A. Southern SportMods took to the track next for fifteen laps of feature racing. Former road racer Robert Carr got the lead from pole position on the drop of the green flag. He was followed by Kevin West, Billy White, Trace Crawford, and Kenny Ware. West didn't waste much time, as he got around Carr in turn three to take over the lead. On the next lap, White would get by Carr on the back stretch to get to second. Hardy Henderson would get by Ware for fifth on the same lap. Crawford would do the same, using the low side to pass Carr for third on lap two. Henderson would get by Carr in turn two, on lap four to move to fourth.
On lap four, Crawford dove under White in turn two in the battle for second. They raced wheel to wheel all the way to the front stretch where White held off the Crawford charge. It would have been for naught anyway, as T. J. Green, Kevin Green, and Ware got tangled up and stopped in turn four. All would continue, though not before a yellow was needed. So the restart top five were West, White, Crawford, Henderson, and Carr.
On the restart, Henderson jumped around Crawford for third. A lap later, Crawford fought back in turn three, diving under Henderson. Those two battled side by side all for two laps, until finally Henderson took sole possession of third in turn two. Meanwhile, during the battle for third, Chase Jupe and Ritchie Robins got around Carr for fifth and sixth. Those two would wage a battle for the rest of the race. Things settled down for five laps, as the leaders were catching lapped traffic. Chuck Schoenfeld spun his ride in turn four on lap thirteen, but would get going again before a yellow was needed.
As the white flag waved over the field, Corey Homan spun in turn four, but no yellow was needed. The battle between Jupe and Robins would go wheel to wheel and as they raced off of turn four to the checkered flag, Jupe just held off Robins by a bumper for fifth. But up front it was West winning his first race of the year by a car length over White. It was the rookie West's first win of the year. He did it from the outside pole starting position.
Hertz Rent A Car I. M. C. A. Southern SportMods
11w Kevin West
17w Billy White
6 Hardy Henderson
63c Trace Crawford
30 Chase Jupe
1r Ritchie Robins
9 Olin Dillard
231 Shad Stevens
5d Kevin Green
27 Robert Carr
83 Kenny Ware
55 TJ Green
10 Mike Autry
34 Corey Homan
14 Chuck Schoenfeld
107 David Goode
The Southern States Midget Association were next to do combat on the track. Eight cars lined up to battle for fifteen laps. It was Doug McCune getting the early lead from Keith White, Ronnie Burke, Matt Devoitt, and Manuel Pina. White, driving his brother Paul's midget, would take the lead coming out of turn two on lap one. On lap two, R. Burke dove under McCune going into turn three. The pass stuck and R. Burke was in second. On lap eight, Devoitt would challenge McCune for third but couldn't get the pass completed. On lap eleven, Pina would dive under Devoitt in turn one in the race for fourth. Those two battled wheel to wheel to turn four, where Devoitt just bobbled a bit, and Pina took over fourth. White cruised to the win, a half straight away ahead of R. Burke.
Southern States Midget Association
1w Keith White
4 Ronnie Burke
9 Doug McCune
73 Manuel Pina
77 Matt Devoitt
31 Danny Burke
54 Evan Pardo
50 Roland Ayo
Six Cottman Transmissons Mini Stocks showed up for their fifteen laps of feature racing. They were joined at the back of the grid by the two Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Jr Mini Stocks, giving a field of eight. The two classed were running a “race in a race”. We will sort it all out at the end.
It was Daniel Shipler getting the lead in his truck from his pole position start. Following him was Rickey Reed, Julie Zwiefelhofer, Mike Autrey, and Colten Monroe in his Jr. Mini. Travis Zwiefelhofer would take that fifth spot from Monroe before the opening lap was done. T. Zwiefelhofer would get another spot on lap one with a pass of Autrey in turn one to get behind his big sister. On lap two, Reed passed Shipler for the lead in turn two. On lap three, Monroe, who was leading the Jr Mini's, spun in turn two, but would continue with no yellow, but the lead of the Jr Mini's was taken over by Joseph Charnock. In turn four of the same lap, T. Zwiefelhofer got around his sister, J. Zwiefelhofer for third.
To recap the race order on lap five they were Reed, Shipler, T. Zwiefelhofer, J. Zwiefelhofer, and Autrey, and Joseph Gregoire. Charnock was leading Monroe in the Jr. Mini's, as they were seventh and eighth. On lap eight, Autrey would get by J. Zwiefelhofer for fourth, with a low move in turn four. Charnock would give up his Jr Mini lead on lap nine with a spin in turn four. Monroe got by him, and Charnock was able to continue with out a yellow being needed. Monroe also got by Gregoire. On lap ten, J. Zwiefelhofer wasn't as lucky, as she spun in turn two, necessitating a yellow.
The restart order with five to go was Reed on point followed by Shipler, T. Zwiefelhofer, Autrey, Monroe, Gregoire, Charnock. J. Zwiefelhofer was not able to continue the race. T. Zwiefelhofer followed his sister into the red-yellow area and out of the race. On the restart, Shipler jumped by Reed in turn three and took over the lead. Autrey would get by Reed as well as they raced down the back stretch, to get into second. On the same lap, Monroe and Charnock were crashing in turn four. Both would continue, with out a yellow, and Monroe was again in front of Charnock. Reed took his car to the pits and out of the race at the same time.
As the laps wound down Autrey was hounding Shipler, nipping at his back bumper. after crossing under the white flag, Autrey tried a move in turn three. He drove it in deep under Shipler and they raced side by side to the checkered flag. It would be Shipler just beating Autrey to the line for his first win of the year. Monroe would finish ahead of Charnock to win the Jr Mini's for the twelfth time.
Cottman Transmissions Mini Stocks
38 Daniel Shipler
1 Mike Autrey
712 Colton Monroe (1st in Jr's)
22 Joseph Chamock (2nd in Jr's)
43 Joseph Gregoire
44 Rickey Reid
20 Travis Zwiefelhofer
202 Julie "Kelly" Zwiefelhofer
Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Jr. Mini Stocks
712 Colton Monroe
22 Joseph Chamock
Eighteen fire breathing, ground pounding, Dodge Country, I. M. C. A. Modifeids lined up for their twenty lap feature race. It was former track champion, Hardy Henderson using his pole position to grab the early lead. He was followed by Rick Green, George Lamphere, Allen Waltimire and Jason Hoffman, for a bit, until Andrew Simmerman passed him. On lap one, both Waltimire and Simmerman passed Lamphere for third and fourth. Hoffman got back into the top five on lap two with a pass of Lamphere in turn two, but Lamphere repassed Hoffman in turn four. Simmerman got around Waltimire for third.
On lap five, Pat McGuire, who previously passed Hoffman, moved into fifth with a pass of Lamphere in turn two. Lamphere would suffer problems and dropped down the leader board. As the crossed flags were displayed, the leader Henderson was in lapped traffic. Keith Green managed to get to tenth, from the last starting position. On lap fourteen, Danny Gribble went to high and spun in turn three, but got going again before a caution was needed.
With five laps to go, Henderson was threading his way through very heavy lapped traffic. R. Green, in second, was a half straight away behind the leader. On lap eighteen, Simmerman and R. Green were battling in turn one for the second spot. But R. Green got the better run off of turn two and retained the runner up position. With the white flag waving over the track, fourth place runner, Waltimre spun in turn three, losing thirteen spots. Hardy Henderson would win his first Modified race of the year, leading flag to flag from the pole position, by a half straight over R. Green.
Dodge Country I. M. C. A. Modifieds
63 Hardy Henderson
82 Rick Green
15 Andrew Simmerman
9 Pat McGuire
00 Jason Hoffman
71 Glenn Derks II
707 PJ Egbert
52 Ken Old
5 Keith Green
19 George Lamphere Jr
10 Scotty Heintzman
39 Paul Mullins
98j Jarrod Jennings
6 Mike Hanusch
7 J.D. Schiels
27 Danny Gribble
44 Allen Waltermire
247 Bill Lecompte
Sixteen Corbin & Associates, Atty's I. M. C. A. Stock Cars took to the track in what would be one of the most exciting fifteen lap races of the year! At the drop of the green, they came out of turn four three wide for the lead. They stayed three wide through turn one, where finally Anthony Otken got the top spot. Gary Norman was second, Jason Batt third, with Tracy Kitchens and Ron Simpson fourth and fifth. On lap one, Simpson dove under Kitchens in turn one, but the high side was better in turn two and Kitchens retained fourth. Well, he did until turn four, where Simpson got that spot. On lap two, Norman took the lead from Otken as they raced down the back stretch.
In turn two of lap three, Batt using the very top of the track, got by Otken and moved to second. Batt would use the same portion of the track, only in turn four this time, on lap four, to sweep by Norman for the lead. As they raced into turn two, Norman tried to get by Batt using the very bottom of the track. But Batt could keep it wound up better, and he kept the top spot as they raced down the back stretch into turn three. A lap later and Norman tried the bottom again in turn two, and with help from a little bobble by Batt, took back the lead.
Things settled down for a couple of laps, though the first three were nose to tail. On lap eight Simpson went low into turn one in a bid to unseat Batt in second. They raced hard door handle to door handle down the back stretch, but Batt held off the challenge. Then in turn four, Norman, Batt and Simpson went three wide for the lead! They raced that way to turn two, where Norman held onto the lead, and Batt beat back Simpson's charge.
Again in turn four, the top three were three wide, on lap nine. They raced that way for a complete lap, slicing and dicing all the way around the track. On lap ten, Norman was by himself in the lead, and Simpson pushed Batt back to third. But they weren't done with the three wide stuff yet, as on lap eleven again they were stacked three deep in turn two, from the top of the track to the bottom. Simpson was on the bottom, Batt the meat in the middle, and Norman was high, wide and handsome. They raced that way to turn four, where Simpson came off of four in the lead, followed by Norman and Batt. Benji Kirkpatrick moved into fifth on lap eleven.
Batt took back over second in turn two of lap twelve, again using the very top of the track. The race would be slowed on that lap when Jacob Dunn spun his ride to a stop in turn three. The restart order was, Simpson, Norman, Batt, the lapped car of Gene Burnett, then Otken and Kirkpatrick in fourth and fifth. Current points leader, Eric Jones was in sixth. In turn two on the restart, Batt swept around both Norman and Simpson for the lead, again using the extreme top of the track.
On lap thirteen, Norman dove under Simpson in turn one, but as they drove out of turn two, Simpson kept the runner up spot. Jones got around Kirkpatrick for fifth. As the white flag flew Jones moved up another spot as he got around Otken for fourth. The leaders were nose to tail, hammer and tongs in the thrilling race to the checkers. Jason “The Acro” Batt barely held on to win the race just ahead of Simpson and Norman. It is his first win of the year. He started seventh.
Corbin & Associates, Atty's I. M. C. A. Stock Cars
9 Jason Batt
44 Ron Simpson
09 Gary "Storming" Norman
84x Eric Jones
79x Anthony Otken
47 Benji Kirkpatrick
8 Vernon "Buck" Owens
23 Shad Stevens
3 Robin Rasmussen
36 Tracy Kitchens
86 Wayne Neff
318 Scott Bowles
18 Gene Burnett
93 Jacob Dunn
43 Jessie James Cox Jr
51 Donald Lewis
After that thrilling race, all the was left was the equally exciting Budweiser Racing Texas Twisters. Fifteen of the cars that race, not race car took to the track for their fifteen lap feature race. It was J. D. Hardcastle getting the jump on the green flag. Aaron White, Nasty Nate Cullifer followed. Then in turn three, Cullifer started at the bottom of the track and ended up at the top in turn four. He took several cars with him as he swept the track clean. Getting caught up in that was Howard Twardokus, who spun, but was able to get it pointed in the right direction before a yellow was needed.
On lap two, with all the chaos, the top five were, A. White, Gary White, Hardcastle, James Dean, and T. J. Yagalla as they crossed the finish line. In turn three, Dean got around Hardcastle for third. On lap three, last weeks winner, Yagalla got around both Dean and Hardcastle to get to third. On lap four, Yagalla was under G. White in turn one. They raced door handle to door handle to turn four, where Yagalla got the second spot from G. White. He then set sail after A. White.
As the action was riveting up front, Keith Desmarius was moving up, and on lap five, he was in third behind A. White and Yagalla, and ahead of G. White, and another hard charger, Chris Florio in fifth. Dean and Hardcastle were sixth and seventh. On lap eight, Florio was under G. White in turn one for fourth. But the attack would be blunted by the stalled car of Brian Mendenhall in turn two. The top five were the same on the restart, only with the lapped cars of Neil Elliot and Twardokus in between second and third spots.
On the restart, Yagalla dove under A. White in turn one, in a bid for the lead. Paint was swapped as they raced side by side down the back stretch, with A. White keeping the top spot as they went into turn three. Then in turn four, Yagalla again got under A. White, but again, A. White held him off going into turn one. On lap nine, Dean found himself in fourth. On lap ten, Yagalla tried getting around A. White using the high side this time in turn one. The two banged doors in turn two, and the lead swap hands. The lead was a hot potato, as it was swapped again on the back stretch, when A. White did a inside out move in turn three. They raced door handle to door handle, bumping and banging down the front stretch with A. White again retaining the lead.
As that exciting fight was taking place up front, a little further back, Florio and Desmarius were trading paint in a side by side battle for third. That battle continued until the white flag lap, where Desmarius snatched the spot for good. Meanwhile, back up front, as they leaders came to turn three for the last time, Yagalla drove it in very deep, trying to slide job A. White for the lead. They again made some contact as they raced in turn four. It would be A. White just beating Yagalla to the line by a half car length for his first ever win. A. White started fifth.
Budweiser Racing Texas Twisters
12 Aaron White
190 Tom Yagalla
11 Keith Desmarais
71 Chris Florio
9 Victoria Twardokus
1 Gary White
107.3 Nasty Nate
2 Larry Tuerck
37 James Deane
829 JD Hardcastle
7 Jared Bouchie
17 Neil Elliott
223 Howard Twardokus
88 Brian Mendenhall
8 Kevin Ashley
Join us next week as Guns Galore sponsors another great night of racing. Due to the I. M. C. A. Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa, all I. M. C. A. classes will be running unsanctioned. IMCA Rules Apply EXCEPT American Racer Tires are allowed, Draw/Re-draw, No Points, No Claim and IMCA Mufflers Required.
Gates open at 6:00 PM and racing starts at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $10 for Adults, $3 for kids 6-12 and kids under 6 are free. Season passes are available as well.
New for fans this year is the ability to purchase their tickets online with a credit card. Just go to the Texas Thunder Speedway web site, and click on the “Buy and Print Tickets” button. Also you can use your Visa or Master Card in the tracks souvenir and concession stands.
For all track information, weather, directions, and to purchase your tickets, go to www.texasthunder.com.
Texas Thunder Speedway is a 1/4 mile semi-banked oval dirt track. Races Every Saturday Night March through September! With Seven SUPER EXCITING classes of cars to entertain the entire family.
Featured classes include; Dodge Country IMCA Modifieds, Corbin & Associates, Attys IMCA Stock Cars, Hertz IMCA SportMods, Kwik Kar Oil & Lube Street Stocks, Cottman Transmissions Mini Stocks, Jr Mini Stocks & Budweiser Racing Texas Twisters. Special Events designed especially for the kids as well as Powder Puff Races, Pit Crew Tire Contest and our all time crowd pleaser, the Demolition Derby.
Come join the fun, at Texas Thunder Speedway