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By: Nick Stark
CENTER LISLE, NY --- After two disappointing rainouts at the 3/8 mile
clay
oval, the weather finally provided a phenomenal backdrop for a great
night
of racing. “The Poet” Paul Jensen won his 3rd feature of the season
in the
Don’s Automotive Mall Big Block Modifieds, while Rodney Hart chalked
up
another Autoworks of Ithaca Sportsman Modified victory, and Deposit’s
Steven
Deinhart brought his ride back to victory lane for the 5th time this
season
in the Hurricane Street Stocks. Other winners on the night included
Earl
Zimmer in the Road Warriors, John Hoover of Maine, NY in the Road
Bandits,
Mike Keppler in the 600cc Modifieds, and Joe George in the 4 & 6
cylinder
Enduro.
19 cars would hit the starting grid for the 30 lap Don’s Automotive
Mall Big
Block Modified feature go. At the onset of the green flag, polesitter,
Justin Andrews, powered his Bio-Haz Solutions Inc. #24H to the early
race
lead. Andrews looked to be the man to beat early on, as he would lead
the
initial 9 circuits. It was on lap 10, however, that the “Afton
Assassin”
Wade Decker made the bonsai move on the apron of the speedway. Decker
was
very fast indeed, but “The Negotiator” Ricky Yetter of Easton, PA
was just a
tad faster on the top shelf. Yetter made the pass for the lead on lap
13,
and looked to have it all but locked up for his 1st career Thunder
Mountain
victory. Yetter opened up the lead more and more as the laps clicked
off,
but a caution on lap 23 would realign the field for a seven lap dash to
the
finish. As the green dropped one final time, Yetter charged back out to
the
lead. Jensen now sat in 2nd, but could barely get a sniff of the Yetter
Law
Offices #3 machine, that was until lap 27. Yetter bobbled slightly in
turn
2, and Jensen moved in for the kill, like a mongoose stalking its’
prey.
That proved to be the winning move, as Jensen would bring it home in
the
final 3 laps to grab the win, and expand on his current point lead.
“We had
a 3rd place car at best, but we got lucky”, Jensen stated in his
humble
victory lane interview. Justin Andrews fought hard to finish a Thunder
Mountain career best 2nd, with Brent Boyer 3rd, Jeff Sheely 4th, and
Yetter
rounding out the top 5.
The Autoworks of Ithaca Sportsman Modifieds hit the surface running, as
22
very capable wheelmen went at it in a 25 lap battle royale. Pat Votra
of
Marathon, NY jumped out to the initial lead at the wave of the green,
but
this was short lived, as Mike Dimorier drove his Upstate Auto Center
#6L
underneath Votra to snag the lead. Dimorier, former Big Block Modified
driver, looked very comfortable and very fast out front, but the man on
the
move was the Hart’s Logging #10x of “Rockin’” Rodney Hart.
Hart, who started
in the 4th position, bided his time as he waited for a hole from
Dimorier.
The hole would open on lap 9, and Hart capitalized. The remaining 16
laps
Hart would go unchallenged, easily walking away with the win. Dimorier
carded his best finish of the season with the runner-up finish. Josh
Pursell
turned in another top 5 by crossing the line in 3rd, with
Binghamton’s PJ
Goodwin 4th, and current point leader Kevin Jordan closed out the top
5.
Through the quad and to the gymnasium, Hollywood actor, Will Ferrell
went
streaking in the movie Old School. As of late, “Battlin’” Butch
Green has
been doing his Ferrell impression by dominating the Hurricane Street
Stocks/Pure Stock ranks every where he goes. Green, twin brother to
Rich
Green, has been driving the Rich Green owned #119 for the past couple
weeks,
and has managed to garner 4 wins in 5 starts at various Southern Tier
venues. Saturday night in the Billy’s Auto Sales & Service Hurricane
Street
Stocks, the streaking would end. Green would lead only a couple of laps
before Steven “Hoss” Deinhart would rope him up and lasso him down
for the
lead. This rodeo move by Deinhart would take place on a lap 5 restart,
and
proved to be the winning move. Deinhart held his own, despite the
fiendish
dash by John Cooper Jr. in the waning portion of the feature event,
chalking
up his impressive 5th win of the season. Cooper Jr. put forth a very
entertaining effort, falling just shy of the win, coming home 2nd.
Donnie
Russell Jr. shook the monkey off his back by crossing the stand in 3rd,
with
Mike Wilbur in 4th, and long time Southern Tier racing veteran Buck
Mills
Sr. in 5th.
The Road Warriors were led flag to flag by Earl Zimmer of Newark
Valley.
Zimmer jumped out to the lead from his outside pole starting position,
and
never looked back. The Kaufmann Logging-sponsored machine of Steve
Simpson
put forth a great effort to try and run down Zimmer, but it was all for
naught, as Zimmer held the perfect line on the apron of the speedway.
Adam
Hoskins finished 3rd, with Marc Randall 4th, and Rick Frisco 5th.
“Johnny Rotten” John Hoover hasn’t been living up to his
nickname, producing
sweet performance after sweet performance in the Road Bandits. Hoover,
winner of two straight at the Penn Can Speedway, did not take his time
in
getting to the front from his 7th starting position in the 12 lap
feature
event. It took him 2 laps to jump out to the lead, and like a shopper
in the
express lane at the grocery store, it was checkout time. Current points
runner-up, Nick Greist, won the battle with “Superman” Joel Austin,
crossing
the line in 2nd, with Austin 3rd. “The Dodge Charger” Ryan Oakley
put forth
another steady performance with a 4th place finish, and the 14 year old
rookie, Austin Welch, added another top 5 finish to his résumé.
Mike Keppler of Bechtelsville, PA won his 3rd feature of the season at
Thunder Mountain Speedway in the XCel Chassis 600cc Modified division.
23
cars started the feature, but it would be Keppler shining out front all
race
long.
Also on tap for the evening, fans were treated to a 40 lap, combined 4
& 6
cylinder enduro. Joe George, long time Hurricane Street Stock racer,
had
never won a feature event at the Center Lisle race track, until
Saturday
night that is. George used his veteran knowledge of the race surface,
driving the John Hoover-owned #66 to the win.
All of the racing action this upcoming Saturday evening, July 14th, is
being
brought to you by Simplex Auto & Machine, with the Modifieds,
Sportsman,
Hurricane Street Stocks, Warriors, and Bandits, as well as the Trailer
Races! The $100 to win Trailer Races are a must see, as cars or trucks
with
a trailer (pop-up camper, boat, or snowmobile) attached to the back
bump and
bang around the speedway in an effort to derail their opponents
trailer.
Last trailer attached wins the whole shooting match. This event is sure
to
be a crowd pleasure and a memorable night for fans. The gates for this
regularly scheduled event will open @ 4PM, with the racing action
getting
underway @ 6:30 PM. Don’t forget that we will also being running this
upcoming Sunday, July 15th, as well. This date was added to the event
after
“Kids Are Our Future Night” was rained out on June 30th. On tap for
fans are
the Sportsman, Hurricane Street Stocks, T-Mods (open wheel IMCA-style
Modifieds on the IMCA tires), Road Warriors, Road Bandits, and another
combined 4 & 6 cylinder enduro. All classes with the exception of the
T-Mods
and Road Bandits will be running for regular points. The T-Mods will
offer
fans a snapshot of their big appearance slated for the “Hurricane”
weekend
of September 21st and 22nd. These guys will run under their normal
rules
(minus the claimer), with $400 going to the winner (based on an 18 car
field). This night will also be a highlight of the Road Bandit
division,
with the winner of their feature event pocketing $125, as well as
solidifying a coveted starting spot for the Short Track Super Nationals
at
Woodhull Raceway in October. This class goes by many different names
(Road
Bandits, Junkyard Pups, Lightning Cats, and FWD 4 Cylinders) around the
region, but one thing remains true at every track. These drivers put on
a
heck of a show, and anyone can win it on any night. The gates for this
show
will open @ 3 PM, with the racing getting underway @ 5 PM. We have
on-site
camping that is free of charge for those that wish to stay up at the
fast
track for both nights of racing.
For all information regarding Thunder Mountain Speedway (rules,
schedule,
points, and news), pay a visit to our website www.thunderracetrack.com.
The
Speedway is located off exit 8 of Interstate 81. From there follow
route 79
west for five miles and turn right in Center Lisle and follow the
signs. If
you have any questions about the upcoming events at Thunder Mountain
call
the speedway office at (607) 849 – 7889.
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