RPW Exclusive: Thunder Mountain’s Racers Aren’t A Fan Of Mother Nature; A Look At ’25 So Far
Column By: JOSEPH PHILLIPS / RPW – CENTER LISLE, NY – Thanks to a system of low pressure that has made New York State its home, Thunder Mountain Speedway and many others tracks have rained out most of this week.
This weather system has infuriated track owners, drivers, fans and people in general.
So, for a bit of Sunday morning fun, here is a summary of the happenings on the Mountain.
Usually by the end of May, driver points will start to spread out with clear top front runners. With limited races being run to date, the top positions in points can belong to anyone.
The only repeat winner has been Darren Smith in the #12 Jeremy Smith Racing Bicknell. Smith won last week’s open Modified feature and the first DIRTcar 358-Modified race this season. Smith had Jimmy Zacharias, Brett Tonkin and Ajay Potrzebowski nipping at his heels.
A look at the MyRacePass App shows that all drivers in position one through eight running 15-second lap times. Cody Higbie, currently in ninth place, was running 20-second lap times near the end of the race. This shows just how competitive the Open Modified class really is.
In the most recent DIRTcar Sportsman feature, Will Eastman was victorious over Matt Brewer and Grant Hilfiger. Eastman started up front but was challenged the entire race. Brewer came from mid-pack quickly to challenge for the lead.
Many drivers at Thunder will tell fans that the inside groove is the key to win races. However, Hilfiger heard the outer groove beckoning and was chasing down the leaders on the high side. Sadly, his tires cooled due to a late race caution and it took a bit for them to fire back up.
The use of handicapping for race lineups should start soon. This will put the stronger cars deeper in the pack and should make for even more exciting racing.
Last week also saw the return on the IMCA Modifieds to the Center Lisle, NY track. Their feature had 14 cars starting the race with Matt Roberts in the #613 car talking the win. For the first time at the track this season, a field of this size was not a bad start.
Sadly, only three 600cc Sprint Cars took the green for their feature. This is a shame because this is a competitive class which features high speed laps and close quarters racing. Like their big brothers, the full-size Sprints, the 600cc counterparts are fast and can be unforgiving.
In the other realm of Suzuki-powered hot rods, that’s where you find the 600cc Modifieds. Owen Mossow was last week’s feature winner with lap speeds of just below 15-seconds. Second place Chelsea Beebe’s best lap speed was a 15.264.
These cars are turning lap times close to the Mods and Sportsman. Ali Scutt, winner of the season opener, finished in third spot last week. A couple weeks ago saw some bad luck for Scutt as she dropped out of her heat race and the feature. Hopefully, things are turning around for this family team.
For the full fender class, Jerry Lobdell Jr, Brian Rhodes, and Buck Mills Jr were the podium finishers in the last event, which saw nine cars take the green. Many tracks run factory stock-type cars and hopefully this class, as well as the 600cc Sprint Cars, will grow as the season progresses.
Thunder had Vintage Modified and Sportsman cars on the racing card at the last event as well. The Mods were won by Joe August and the Sportsman was captured by Brent Williams.
Thunder’s racing surface has been consistently smooth this season. Many drivers have been favoring the aforementioned inner groove but many are starting to try the outside line. Last week saw three-wide racing at various points during the night. Some adventurous drivers even tried to go four-wide at times.
Hopefully, the warmer months will bring multiple grooves and even more exciting racing. However, for the time being, it is all a waiting game.
Now, let’s take a look ahead to Monday. That’s the day race fans from the area will get to see the return of the Super DIRTcar Series for the second running of the “Natural 77,” an event held in memory of the late Dale Planck.
This is also the second Super DIRTcar Series race to be held in Thunder Mountain’s rich history. Last year’s race was captured by Jimmy Phelps and all indicators point to a strong field of local drivers and invaders.
The Modifieds and DIRTcar Sportsman are on the card with the Factory Stocks being added due to May 24th rain out.
