Texas Thunder Speedway 8-30-03 all results/recaps

[rebelracewriter]

Texas Thunder Speedway 8-30-03

By J M Hallas

Another Fight to the Finish for Modified Win

It would turn into another typical side by side race for the checkers as 18 IMCA Modifieds took to the 1/4 mi. high banked clay track. Allen Waltermire and Joey Craig paced the field to green, with Waltermire getting the lead. Current points leader Keith White and Ken Old both slid high and lost several positions on lap one.

Brian Killingsworth closed in on Waltermire for lead, while George Egbert got past Craig for third. B. Killingsworth caught a break after he got loose and fell back, but a caution for debris on lap 3, gave him his spot back. Shortly after the restart, Waltermire spun and was clipped by J D. Schlies. This gave the lead to Danny Gribble who had inched ahead of B. Killingsworth on lap . 4.

Using the restarts to his advantage, White had worked his way back up to third by lap 5, and grabbed second on lap 6. PJ Egbert and Greg Atwood battled hard for fifth just before halfway.

At the crossed flags the top five were Gribble, White, G. Egbert, B. Killingsworth and Atwood with White and G. Egbert side by side for second.

As the leaders approached heavy traffic, White and G. Egbert were still tied at the rub rails and came up on two wide traffic. Something had to give and it did when coming out of turn four Stephanie Henderson got turned into the path of G. Egbert. G. Egbert hit Henderson and spun her head on into the wall, with G. Egbert spinning to the infield and having a flash fire. Henderson was a little shaken, but in much better shape than the car which had the right front wadded up to the firewall.

On the restart White tried low on Gribble for the point as the duo battled down the back stretch. The two were high and low with Gribble hanging on at the line. Lap 11 saw the final yellow fly when Mitch Hardman and Jarrod Jennings spun in turn three.

Gribble got a slight lead back under green but White quickly moved back in. The two were again wheel to wheel on lap 13 with Gribble holding the lead. On lap 14 White, on the low side, was able to get the bumper ahead on lap 14. Gribble fought back on the high line to lead laps 15 and 16 as they continued to run door to door, without touching.

Not to be lost in the fight for lead, PJ Egbert and Atwood had their own side by side scrap going on for third. Lap 17 and 18 saw White get the advantage again, as the two pairs of battles raged on. Coming to the white flag, Gribble was first across the line to lead the lap. White tried everything he could on the final lap, but Gribble was able to hold him off to grab the hard earned victory. The win was Gribble’s second of the year in his Georgetown Interstate Transmissions/RPM Machine/Sideways Graphics/Dearing Automotive/Little Down Home Affair/Orange Car Racing/Harris Chassis.

 

1 Danny Gribble

2 Keith White

3 PJ Egbert

4 Greg Atwood

5 Brian Killingsworth

6 Ken Old

7 Ben Ketteman

8 Ben Pidgeon

9 Glen Allen

10 Joey Craig

11 Jarrod Jennings

12 Glen Derks

13 Allen Waltermire

14 Mitch Hardman

15 George Egbert

16 Stephanie Henderson

17 Greg Killingsworth

18 JD Schlies

19 Adrian Jez—DNS

 

Fifteen cars started the IMCA Stock car main, with Joe Brockett getting the lead on green. Donald Lewis was batting up front until he slid off the top and fell back to sixth. At the mid point the top two of Brockett, Gary Simmerman were battling for the lead, when caution came out for debris and a spin by Chris Simmerman.

On the restart, G. Simmerman got by Brockett for the lead, as Brockett started to slow and fall back. G. Simmerman went on to grab the checkers.

 

1 Gary Simmerman

2 Eric Jones

3 Jason Bogard

4 Trace Crawford

5 Peter Delevan

6 Chris Simmerman

7 Donald Lewis

8 Andrew Simmerman

9 Joe Brockett

10 Johnnie McGehee

11 Trevor Egbert

12 Cham Savage

13 Mike McDougal

14 Phil Egbert

15 Derrick Sears

 

 

In the 15 car, 15 lap Street Stock main, Joe Fuller grabbed the lead as the green flag flew. Chris Moore(one of my weekend teammates) brought the caution on lap 6 when he spun in turn three just before halfway. At halfway the top five were Fuller, Robert Simmerman, Rick Michael, Mike Walter and Floyd Pruitt. On lap 10 Walter and Pruitt made contact with Pruitt going over the front end of Walter, with both surprisingly being able to continue. As the checkers fell it was Fuller taking the victory.

 

1 Joe Fuller

2 Rick Michael

3 Robert Simmerman

4 Scott Cooper

5 Ty Hawkey

6 Floyd Pruitt

7 Mike Walter

8 TL Bright

9 Nathan Billingsly

10 Chris Moore

11 David Gricks

12 Brad Dewald

13 Wayne Neff

14 Mitch Tierney

15 Brian Fuller

16 Jeff Currier—DNS

 

A big field of 16 cars started the mini Stock feature with a good three car, or should I say two car and one truck, battle for the lead between Daniel Shipler, Olin Dillard and Rob Churchill. Shipler would hold them off to take his first ever win, and the first ever win by a truck at TTS.

In the Mini Stock King of the Hill, Olin Dillard beat Jeremy Oliver to take to 2003 honors.

 

1 Daniel Shipler

2 Rob Churchill

3 Jeremy O’Brien

4 Larry Ware

5 Michael Crandell

6 Scott Mattison

7 Kenny Ware

8 Jason Hoffman

9 Olin Dillard

10 Jeremy Oliver

11 Shad Stevens

12 Jesus Dones

13 Tanner Reid

14Bill Siegman

15 Joseph Gregoire

16 Chris Nutting

 

The Thunder Stocks were my chance to get back into a race car again. In heat race #1, it was Sheriff Danny Colburn taking the win over Corey Stephan and Jeff Medlock. In heat #2, I started dead last, having no points. Andy Blaisdell slid off turn one giving Patti Hamlin the early lead as I tried to hang on to the pack. I was able to pick up a spot when Ronnie Ellis went up in smoke and rolled to stop in turn one. On the restart the outside row went and I stayed glued to the bumper of Danny Dunn trying to pick up more spots.

My run came to an end when Blaisdell who was hung on low groove, decided he wanted my line. As he drove up into me, we hooked bumpers, and I was along for the–KA BANG–ride as he stuffed me in front stretch wall. Man what a sinking sound, metal contacting wall. That’s probably the hardest hit I’ve taken since I got T-boned in my street car, when some lady blew a stop sign. I was able to limp the car to finish, but was done for night after tearing up the radiator, bending the front suspension as well as the frame horns/frame. Hamlin took the checkers ahead of Jeremy Adkins and Dunn. Heat #3 saw Justin Weirenga take top honors over Tracy Cole and Terri Dillard.

With a lower than usual car count all 19 car ran one Thunder Stock main, and maybe it was just as well I wasn’t out there. On lap 1, Blaisdell(name sound familiar) got out into the lead, but before making it through turns 3-4, Blaisdell spun and nearly rolled(again) in front of the entire field. He was then collected by essentially the entire outside row as the freeway type chain reaction accident claimed 10 cars.

Fortunately everyone was alright, though at least two cars, Robin Rasmussen and Hamlin were totally destroyed, with other suffering varying forms of damage. When the race finally got started, Tony Hamil held the early lead but slipped high allowing Cole to get by.

My other weekend teammate, Trevor Sparkman avoided serious damage but was still stuck restarting out back. Sparkman slowly worked his way up through the field in search of points rival Jesse James Cox jr, who was running second. On the final lap Cox got sideways and spun to the infield moving Sparkman up to a top spot.

Cole would grab the victory, with Stephan originally finishing second. But Stephan was penalized for contact with Cox, which may not have actually happened. This moved Sparkman up to second, with Cox ending up with an 8th place finish after pulling off without taking the checkers. The win moved Sparkman into the points lead by 3 over Cox and 8 over third place Dunn.

 

1 Tracy Cole

2 Trevor Sparkman

3 Danny Dunn

4 Corey Stephan

5 Bobby Norton

6 Terri Garvin

7 Justin Weirenga

8 Jesse James Cox jr

9 Jeff Medlock

10 Jeremy Adkins

11 Terri Dillard

12 Tony Hamil

13 David Cowen

14 Jeff Craig

15 Andy Blaisdell

16 Chuck Bayles

17 Danny Colburn

18 Patti Hamlin

19 Robin Rasmussen

20 J M Hallas–DNS

21 Ronnie Ellis–DNS

 

Writers notes; In hindsight, which is always 20/20, I probably should have let off earlier and lived to race on. But in the heat of the race, trying to pass for position a slower car that you have pinned to the slower groove, that thought didn’t enter my mind. When I did try to slow and back off, we had already hooked bumpers and it was too late. It’s a shame that a good racecar got torn up and I’m still kicking myself, though everyone said it was not my fault or just a racin’ deal.

 

I need to thank and apologize again to Mike Lowery for giving me the opportunity to race for my birthday, though he may think twice about putting a rookie in his car again. I must have apologized a hundred times, to which Mike’s reply was “Don’t loose any sleep over it. This is what we do and things happen.” I offered to help pay for repairs, or whatever I could do to help. All of which were refused by Mike.

I did get to make some new friends as I spent to the afternoon at the shop of the Mike Lowery Racing Team near Liberty Hill. Team members include Chris Moore, Trevor Sparkman, Bart Dixon and Walt “Pops” Moore. Lowery builds the cars and motors for Moore, Sparkman and the spare car that I drove/wrecked. The team is sponsored by Mr. Cool Radiator, Computer Age Auto, Capitol Bearings, Gumbos Restaurant, Astro Mechanical, Solis Trucking, Cantwells Used Parts, and Bland, Schroeder & Archer.

Mike is certainly one of the good guys in racing who is willing to help out all the racers, in fact points rival for Sparkman, Jesse James Cox even brought his car over to Mike shop for him to help work on. That to me is the true meaning of “Sportsmanship!”

I also need to thank Mary Jane Allen for helping take notes and keep track of races that were running while I was busy as a driver and crew member.