DOUBLE POINTS, BIG REWARDS, HUGE TROPHIES; TWICE THE ACTION AT THUNDER MOUNTAIN
Gaston, Bish, Lee, and Shannon took home trophies on championship night.

September 4, 2009

Knoxdale, PA

By Tyler Hopper

Double points and shiny trophies accompanied the sweet thunderous sound of Steel Block Late Models, Super Stocks, Thunderbolt Enduros, and Pure Stocks Friday night as racers pushed even harder to move up in the last race of the Championship Points Season. Feature winners earning double points on the evening were Matt Gaston (Steel Block Late Models), Skip Lindemuth (Super Stocks), Chuck White (Thunderbolt Enduros), and Brian Rhed (Pure Stocks). Matt Gaston (Steel Block Late Models), Tim Bish (Super Stocks), Jamey Lee (Thunderbolt Enduros), and Kyle Shannon (Pure Stocks) will need a super-sized mantle to hold the massive Championship trophies they received as winners of their 2009 season classes.

The Steel Block Late Models race started off with 15 competitors. However, only six cars finished. Maybe the reason was the nervousness of the chance for double points, or the “run all-out” attitude drivers have on the last night, or maybe it was just the fact that the wear and tear on the vehicles from a hard season of racing finally took its toll.

Across the starting line Matt Gaston, Chuck Kennedy, Ed Connor, and Bob McMillen led the way for the Steel Block Late Models feature race. On lap four, John Reed, struggling to catch up to fifth place Rick Maxim, took turn three too hot and twisted facing the wrong direction. On lap nine, Bob McMillen and Ed Connor rounded turn one and up to turn four it was anyone’s guess who would come out in front. Going out of turn four, McMillen barely lead Connor and the two traded places until McMillen went to the pits on lap 20. The field was down to six and Gaston led the way with Jake Shady pressuring him from behind. Shady came up short in his attempt to overcome Gaston in the last few laps, but he gave him a good run. The six finishers were Matt Gaston, Jake Shady, Ed Connor, Chuck Kennedy, Todd Sallack, and Brian Molnar.

Action in the Super Stock class got underway with Skip Lindemuth taking an unwavering lead ahead of Scott Stein in the 1B car. Brandon Connor held onto third place for the majority of the race, receiving pressure from Steve Cook until lap 11 when Fuzzy Fields made an inside move to pull away on the straight. Fields moved his way up from 7th at the end of the first lap, overtaking Brent Lee on lap four, Gary Luzier in lap six, and inevitably Cook on lap 11 to finish fourth. The top five, correspondingly, were Skip Lindemuth, Scott Stein, Brandon Connor, Fuzzy Fields, and Steve Cook. Bringing up the bottom were Gary Luzier, Jim Handyside Jr., Tim Adamson, Brent Lee, Denny Draisma, and Steve Barnes.

Brian Rhed lead the distance in the Pure Stocks feature, but it wasn’t an easy fight. Kyle Shannon pressured Rhed the entire 15 lap race. Steve Cook saw a number of competitors behind him as Jason Young was the first contender, but Ray Hickok pushed him out of the running by lap four. By lap eight Hickok had overtaken Cook after a few unsuccessful attempts at passing. Shannon and Rhed, in a tussle for the lead, took the track side by side. Rhed would pull ahead at the front, but Shannon made up time on the corners. Rhed took his first checkered flag of the season with Shannon following close behind. The rest of the field were Ray Hickok, Kyle Shannon, Jim Gullace Jr., Shawn Lindemuth, Zach Gustafson, and Jason Young.

Jamey Lee and Jason Joiner started in the front row of Thunderbolt Enduros, as Joiner took the lead on the start and Lee dropped to third with Chuck White in second. Jason Joiner, having some difficulty, fell to last place giving up the lead to White. Jamey Lee lost his position to Ryan Kemmer and Chad Greeley. Kemmer held on to second until lap 8 when John Miller moved up to put pressure on White. White claimed his first feature win followed by Miller. Chris Hickok, after starting in the eighth row, made up 10 places in just five laps. He finished the race in third followed by Chad Greeley, and Ryan Kemmer. Sixth place went to Jamey Lee, followed by Randy Rickard, Randy Holliday, Sam Orf Jr., Barry Myers, and Cory Silvis.

The action will continue next week at Thunder Mountain Speedway with the Mike Eberl Memorial Open Late Model race.

COMPLETE RESULTS:

SUPER STOCKS: (11 Cars)
1. SKIP LINDEMUTH, 2. Scott Stein, 3. Brandon Connor, 4. Fuzzy Fields, 5. Steve Cook, 6. Gary Luzier, 7. Jim Handyside Jr., 8. Tim Adamson, 9. Brent Lee, 10 Denny Draisma, 11. Steve Barnes.

HEAT WINNERS: Scott Stein, Skip Lindemuth

STEEL BLOCK LATE MODELS: (15 Cars)
1. MATT GASTON, 2. Jake Shady, 3. Ed Connor, 4. Chuck Kennedy, 5. Todd Sallack, 6. Brian Molnar, 7. Bruce Raybuck - DNF, 8. Rick Maxim - DNF, 9. John Reed – DNF, 10. Bob McMillen - DNF, 11. Larry Wingard- DNF, 12. Tom Shaffer – DNF, 13. Jerry Redden – DNF, 14. Loren Sallack – DNF, 15. Tim Steis – DNS.

HEAT WINNERS: Chuck Kennedy, Matt Gaston

PURE STOCKS: (12 Cars)
1. BRIAN RHED, 2. Kyle Shannon, 3. Ray Hickok, 4. Steve Cook, 5. Jim Gullace Jr., 6. Shawn Lindemuth, 7. Zach Gustafson, 8. Jason Young, 9. Guy Coder - DNF, 10. Dustin Challingsworth - DNF, 11. Josh Fields - DNS, 12. Jim Challingsworth – DNS.

HEAT WINNERS: Brian Rhed, Kyle Shannon

THUNDERBOLT ENDUROS: (19 Cars)
1. CHUCK WHITE, 2. John Miller, 3. Chris Hickok, 4. Chad Greeley, 5. Ryan Kemmer, 6. Jamey Lee, 7. Randy Rickard, 8. Randy Holliday, 9. Sam Orf Jr., 10.Barry Myers, 11. Cory Silvis, 12. Scott Brocious, 13. Mike Fields, 14. Dennis Tracer, 15. Roswell Babcock, 16. Jason Joiner, 17. Dan Bish - DNF, 18. Rich Draa – DNF, 19. Rusty Murray – DNF.

HEAT WINNERS: Jason Joiner, Chris Hickok