News Director 
Story By: JOE GRABIANOWSKI / DIRTCAR – CENTER LISLE, NY – Thunder Mountain Speedway has officially joined the elite ranks of DIRTcar-sanctioned racetracks in the Northeast for 2020.
The Southern New York speedway will sanction the highly competitive DIRTcar 358 Modified division as well as DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds.
DIRTcar Northeast Director Dean Reynolds visited Thunder Mountain officials last Sunday for their rules meeting at the Town of Lisle Fire Department conference center. Reynolds and track owners came to the agreement, which will include support from Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels and increased promotional outreach for their weekly racing provided by DIRTcar.
“The Spoonhower family has put their love and sweat into their track for many years and has become the staple of the New York Southern Tier,” Reynolds said. “While they were looking at the Hoosier tire route for the past several years, they felt this was the right time to make the move. After the meeting this past Sunday with their teams, DIRTcar sanctioning was welcomed. We all will work hard to make sure it’s a smooth and successful transition.”
Thunder Mountain Speedway will now be a part of the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship for both the 358 and Sportsman Modifieds. Hoosier puts up $11,250 for weekly 358 Modified drivers and another $4,550 for their Sportsman Modified counterparts every year.
Track owner and promoter Karl Spoonhower is looking forward to the 2020 season to see how things shake out.
“The move to DIRTcar sanctioning, I think, will be a good one,” he said. “I know change is sometimes tough, but we always have our drivers’ best interest in mind. The response to these changes, moving to Hoosier and DIRTcar, has been really good so far. We have loyal racers and fans who I hope will stick with us, they are like family. They understand that the sport of racing is changing and if we don’t look toward the future we’ll be left behind.”
All DIRTcar members at DIRTcar-sanctioned tracks have their top 16 finishes calculated for the standings. Drivers, teams, officials and fans are encouraged to sign up for the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Newsletter at DIRTcar.com for updates on all of the DIRTcar Racing competition across the Northeast.
DIRTcar Northeast and Thunder Mountain management are currently looking at dates for Series races.
Thunder Mountain Speedway sits atop a veritable mountain with picturesque views of the valleys in Center Isle, NY. Built in 1992 by Spoonhower, the track is a three-eighths-mile banked clay oval that hosts weekly stock car racing on Saturday nights from April through September. Thunder Mountain is dubbed The Fast Track for its racy surface and three- and four-wide racing.
DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will share top billing with the Big Block/Small-Block Modified division. The racing card in 2020 will also include DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, Rookie/Budget Sportsman, 600cc Modifieds, Street Stock and Factory Stocks.
