Loucks Gets His Third, Millard from the Back, Lamphere, Lodbdell, Ladue, Bobbett Join Classics on Dirt Feature Winners at Thunder Mountain Speedway

Column By: Mike Mallett / THUNDER MOUNTAIN SPEEDWAY – CENTER LISLE, N.Y.  –

It was Throwback Night at Thunder Mountain Speedway on Saturday, where Brandon Loucks held off Cody Higbie in a stellar Dirt Track Digest TV Modified feature to secure his third win of the year. Jordan Millard came from the back of the field to earn his fourth victory of the season. Also joining them in victory lane were Keith Lamphere in the IMCA Modifieds, Jerry Lobdell Jr. in the Factory Stocks, Justin Ladue in the 600c Modifieds, and Zach Bobbett in the 600 Sprints. Tom Fletcher won the Modified portion of the Classics on Dirt, with Tom Church taking the Sportsman win and Roger Williams claiming the Vintage checkered flag.

PJ Goodwin and Landon Cummings led the 35-lap Dirt Track Digest TV Modified feature to the green flag. Goodwin took the early lead, but Cummings soon claimed the top spot. On lap three, Doug Smith Jr. wrestled the lead away.

Smith held onto the lead through multiple restarts, keeping his No. 119 at the front of the field despite repeated challenges.

It wasn’t until lap 20 that Smith surrendered the top spot. Sixth-starting Loucks executed a slide job in turns three and four to take the lead.

As Loucks navigated lapped traffic, Cody Higbie closed in. Higbie posed a serious threat, working the bottom of the speedway, but with two laps to go, Smith brought out the caution when he came to a stop in turn two.

On the restart, Loucks dove to the bottom while seventh-starting Higbie looked to the outside. Loucks kept his No. 23 glued to the low line and drove to his third victory of the season. Higbie finished second, followed by Darren Smith in third, Goodwin in fourth, and Jimmy Zacharias in fifth.

Jordan Millard stormed from the 22nd starting position to win the 25-lap DIRTcar Sportsman feature, stealing the spotlight with a late-race surge to the front. The turning point came on a lap 22 restart, where Millard muscled his way into the lead after an intense three-wide battle with Ray Taylor and Rich Talada. Taylor, who had led much of the race from the pole, held on for second, while Cody Jackson secured third after a strong mid-race push. Chris Clemens and Matt Brewer rounded out the top five.

Keith Lamphere captured his fourth win of the season in the 25-lap IMCA Modified feature, charging from the ninth starting spot to the front. He took control of the race on lap eight, slipping past early leader Tyler Belcher and never looking back. Belcher held strong to finish second, while Brad Sites claimed third after a consistent run near the front. Jason Butler and Jakub Ingham completed the top five.

Jerry Lobdell Jr. put on a dominant performance in the 20-lap Factory Stock feature, charging from the 15th starting position to claim his ninth win of the season. He seized the lead on a lap 4 restart and never looked back, pulling away from the field with authority. Damon Decker worked his way up to second, while Frank Del Nero Jr. held on for third after starting on the front row. Rich Sharpsteen and Harold Lobdell Jr.were the rest of the top five.

Justin LaDue pulled off a thrilling last-lap pass to earn his first win of the year in the 20-lap feature, edging out Doug Windhausen by just 0.026 seconds at the line. Starting 12th, LaDue methodically worked his way through the field before setting up the dramatic finish in the closing laps. Windhausen, who started 11th, appeared poised for victory until LaDue’s late surge stole the spotlight. Tyler Talada charged from 13th to finish third, with Ali Scutt and Owen Mossow finishing in the rest of the top five.

Zach Bobbett continued his dominant season with a flag-to-flag victory in the 600 Sprint 20-lap feature, leading every lap from the pole to secure his eighth win of the year. Ivan Forney gave chase throughout but couldn’t mount a serious challenge, settling for second. Shannon Pitcher, Billy Applebee, and Thomas Paige completed the top five in a race where Bobbett’s No. 99Z was untouchable from start to finish.

Classics on Dirt winners included Tom Fletcher in the Modifieds, Tom Church in the Sportsman division, and Roger Williams in the Vintage.

Thunder Mountain Speedway returns to action with a jam-packed doubleheader weekend of racing on Saturday and Monday, August 30 and September 1. Saturday night’s program features a full slate of divisions, including the Open Modifieds, DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman, 600 Modifieds, 600 Sprints, and Factory Stocks. Racing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

On Monday, the Wade Decker Memorial takes center stage with a 50-lap, $5,000-to-win feature for the Modifieds, followed by the Randy Decker Factory Stocks 40-lap, $1,500-to-win feature, plus the 600cc Modified Hustling the Highway Series.