MILLER, GASTON, HICKOK, AND MARTZ WIN AT THUNDER MOUNTAIN
Powder Puff and Power Wheels also featured.
By Tyler Hopper

Thunder Mountain Speedway cranked up the heat even further Friday night as the feature races of the evening were highlighted by two “Girls Gone Wild” Powder Puff Races and a Kids Power Wheels Race. Winners of the “Girls Gone Wild” Powder Puff races were Yvonne Michuck and Shannon Lee. Feature winners of the evening were Rusty Martz (Super Stocks), Ray Hickok (Pure Stocks), Matt Gaston (Steel Block Late Models), and a career first for John Miller (Thunderbolt Enduros).

Rusty Martz led an unwavering charge to the finish line in the Super Stocks, holding first place for the entire 20 lap race. The onslaught for second place between Chad Obrien and Skip Lindemuth began when both men started on the second row. Obrien stayed with the leader until lap 11 when Lindemuth showed Fuzzy Fields, Tim Bish, and Brandon Connor how it was done, pushing Obrien out of the top five into sixth. The top five of Martz, Lindemuth, Fuzzy Fields, Bish, and Connor were followed by Obrien and Steve Cook, who gave up his spot in the top five when Connor passed him on the front stretch with only two laps to go. Gary Little finished eighth, followed by Mike Dempsey. Dempsey held a top position on the front row, right up until the green flag flew when he fell back to fourth, he gradually lost pace through out the race to finish ninth. Gary Luzier rounds out the top ten.

The Pure Stock race, like all good stories, had a beginning, middle, and an end. The beginning was a three way battle for first between Bruce Hartzfeld, Bob Alcorn, and Kyle Shannon. The three racers held onto their positions until lap seven when Shannon stole second place from him. The plot thickened when Brian Rhed decided that he wanted to be the fourth wheel in the three-way and forced Bob Alcorn to take a step back, into fourth place. Meanwhile, on his way to the front from the seventh row, Ray Hickok was beginning to put pressure on Rhed. By lap 11 he was nipping on the heels of the leader. One lap later, Hickok and Hartzfeld rounded turn three neck and neck. Coming out of turn four, Hickok took the lead and that’s where he stayed. Kyle Shannon finished third, fending off Hartzfeld to the very end, followed by Rhed, and Alcorn. Adam Brink, Steven Cook, Zach Gustafson, Jason Young, and John Barley finished in the top ten.

Jason Witherite and Ed Connor tore out first at the green flag for Steel Block Late Models. Side by Side, Witherite and Connor flew down the front straight. Around turns one and two Witherite floated along the outside of Connor taking the lead and keeping it for the next twelve laps. Matt Gaston managed to work his way to the front of the field and grasping first by lap 13 after starting in the eighth row. Chris Farrell slid back to seventh place in the third lap even though he started in the front. He caught up with the leaders in lap fourteen, and moved into second six laps later. The top five finishers were as follows: Matt Gaston, Chris Farrell, Ed Connor, Bob McMillen, and Jake Shady. Chuck Kennedy, Scott Alvetro, Bob Smith, and Larry Wingard make up the rest of the top nine.

Jason Joiner led the pack early on in the Thunderbolt Enduros. Joiner and John Miller rounded turns three and four side by side and Roswell Babcock followed close behind. That first lap being a precursor for the majority of the race that followed. Joiner held onto the lead until lap nine, when Miller took over for the second half. Miller and Joiner were followed across the line by Chris Hickok, Chuck White, Chad Greeley, Randy Rickard, Jamey Lee, Ryan Kemmer, Rich Draa, and Sam Orf.

The next race at Thunder Mountain Speedway takes place August 21 and features 410 Sprints. Your senses will be overwhelmed with the sound of thunder and the smell of burning exhaust at 7:30 on August 21.

COMPLETE RESULTS:

SUPER STOCKS: (20 Cars)
1. RUSTY MARTZ, 2. Skip Lindemuth, 3. Fuzzy Fields, 4. Tim Bish, 5. Brandon Connor, 6. Chad Obrien, 7. Steve Cook, 8. Gary Little, 9. Mike Dempsey, 10. Gary Lusier, 11. Jim Handyside Jr., 12. Bob Rawlston Jr., 13. Ron Lindenpitz, 14. Brent Lee, 15. Paul Blake, 16. Steve Barnes, 17. Phil Uplinger, 18. Johnny Lindenpitz, 19. Rick Henry – DNF, 20. Dennis Draisma – DNS

HEAT WINNERS: Lindemuth, Obrien

STEEL BLOCK LATE MODELS: (18 Cars)
1. MATT GASTON, 2. Chris Farrell, 3. Ed Connor, 4. Bob McMillen, 5. Denny Fenton, 6. Chuck Kennedy, 7. Scott Alvetro, 8. Bob Smith, 9. Larry Wingard, 10. Jason Witherite - DNF, 11. Todd Sallack - DNF, 12. Loren Sallack - DNF, 13. Tim Steis - DNF, 14. Luke Hoffner - DNF, 15. John Brady - DNF, 16. Bruce Raybuck – DNS, 17. Tom Shaffer – DNS, 18. Jake Shady.

HEAT WINNERS: Witherite, Connor

PURE STOCKS: (20 Cars)
1. RAY HICKOK, 2. Kyle Shannon, 3. Bruce Hartzfeld, 4. Brian Rhed, 5. Bob Alcorn, 6. Adam Brink, 7. Steven Cook, 8. Zach Gustafson, 9. Jason Young, 10. John Barley, 11. Guy Coder, 12. Josh Fields, 13. Ray Hickok - DNF, 14. Ryan Jones – DNF, 15. BJ Hudson – DNF, 16. Kyle Lindenmuth, 17. Todd English – DNS, 18. Brian Mckinney – DNS, 19. Mike Calhoun – DNS, 20. Dustin Challingsworth

HEAT WINNERS: Alcorn, Shannon.

THUNDERBOLT ENDUROS: (21 Cars)
1. JOHN MILLER, 2. Jason Joiner, 3. Chris Hickok, 4. Chuck White, 5.Chad Greeley, 6. Randy Rickard, 7. Jamey Lee, 8. Ryan Kemmer, 9. Rich Draa, 10. Sam Orf Jr., 11. Cory Silvis, 12. Michael Fields, 13. Dustin Kemp, 14. Wayne Terwillinger, 15. Matt Krause, 16. Dan Bish, 17. Dennis Tracer, 18. Rusty Murray, 19. Randy Holliday – DNF, 20. Scott Broscious – DNF, 21. Roswell Babcock.

HEAT WINNERS: Babcock, Hickok