RACE REPORTS FROM THE LAST 2 THUNDERHILL RACES

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I will post race reports for the last 2 races at Thunderhill later today or tomorrow.

 

One thing to note, 6 races 6 different winners so far this year. With 3 first time winners!

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May 8th - Thunderhill Raceway Race Report

 

 

This was the first race at Thunderhill Raceway for the 2010 Season and it was good to be back at our home track! The day started with qualifying and to everyone's surprise Robert Carr, a rookie to NASKART, took the pole position in qualifying with a fast time of 18.063. A full 2 mph faster than the rest of the field. But as everyone knows...qualifying and racing are 2 different animals. With the grid inverted from qualifying, it was going to make the fast guys have to come from the back to earn a Thunderhill victory! Robert, being a rookie, was going to have to start at the back of the field anyway, so winning pole gave him the bonus point. Up front on the first row was the #18 of Kelli Garrett and Lyndon Kirk driving the #20 Orange crush! Behind them was the #24 Rockhard Racing's Chris Terry and the #16 3M kart of Mike Steinman. 3rd row was #07 of Megan Smith, who had just won her first NASKART Race the race before, and the #14 Pearland Auto Care kart of Andy Taylor. The 4th row consisted of the top Qualifyer, #27 Robert Carr and the #29 of Rockhard Racing's Marty Kreis. the Last row saw the 3rd entry fro Rockhard Racing, #88 Kaleb Kreis. I had been a tough day earlier in practice as Rockhard Racing was literally rebuilding their motors in the pits between practices and qualifying.

 

At the drop of the green flag it was a scramble for position with the #20 of Lyndon Kirk seeming to stumble at the start and everyone splitting him and the #18 of Kelli Garrett. as the scamble was going on up front...Andy taylor #14 was able to slip thru an opening and mkae his way to the front while at the same time the #27 of Robert Carr went around the outside and caught up to Taylor and the 2 hooked up and started leaving the field behind. The next battle for position was for 3rd between the #16 of Mike Steinman and the #07 of Megan Smith who were trying to hook up and make a run at the leaders...but started swapping positions and fighting for position. Allowing The #24 of Team Rockhard Racing's Chris Terry catch up and join the fray for position. And right behind Chris Terry was the #29 of Marty Kreis trying to get to Chris's bumpoer so that they could hook up and go. Steinman and Megan Smith changed positions a couple of times allowing the Rockhard team to catch up. But the #20 of Lyndon Kirk came alive and started working his way thru the field up to 3rd on lap 15 for the Competition Yellow.

This allowed everyone to group back up for the last 12 laps and brought the leaders back to the field. When the green flew again...a mad dash scrmble was on with Kirk taking the lead on the next lap with Taylor and Carr in tow. The order stayed that way til the last lap when Carr and Taylor realized it was the last lap....but they got schooled by the 2009 NASKART Champ who took the checkered flag first. The Rockhard teammates of Terry and Kreis stayed nose to tail holding off the points leader, Steinman, to make up points and finished 4th & 5th with Steinman 6th. Megan Smith had to pull off on lap 19 as here tires wore out and she developed a flat tire in the course of the race.

 

After the race on post race inspection...Lyndon Kirk was found to be under weight limits and was DQ'ed after his valient run to the front. This let the rookie, Robert Carr, who finished 2nd in the race to move up to be the race winner! this also allowed everyone behind to move up in position.

 

Congrats to Robert Carr on his first NASKART victory!!!

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I've been slacking...will have the next race report up later today!

[n2racing2]

June 5th - Thunderhill Raceway

 

 

Returning back to Thunderhill Raceway for the 2nd race there this season, the NASKART series was greeted with lots of heat and humidity.

And a track that was hot greasy. Times were a little slower in practice than usual and everyone was chasing the setup for the track for qualifying and the main.

When it was time for qualifying, the tempature was still around 98 degrees. First out was the #18 M&M's kart with Kelli Garrett driving and setting the early pace.

But it wasn't fast enough as Lyndon Kirk in the #20 Orange Crush went out and took pole only to be knocked off by Team Rockhard Racing's #88 Kaleb Kreis.

Others challenged for the pole Like the #14 Pearland Car Care of Andy Taylor and Kaleb's Teammate on Rockhard Racing #24 Chris Terry. But they were just

a little off of Kaleb's Time and he was able to hold off the rest to take fast time in qualifying! Taylor was 2nd and Terry was 3rd qualifyers. Followed by the

#16 3M kart of Steinman and the #07 of Megan Smith. Marty Kreis qualifyed 7th with Kirk in 7th. Garrett was to start 8th. Kevin Hummell DNQ but he was

busy putting a backup motor onto his kart as his let loose in practice the night before.

 

Before the main a coin was flipped and decided that the qualifying order was to be inverted. This put Team Rockhard Racing's #48 of Kevin Hummell on pole

with Lyndon Kirk in the #20 on the outside. Second row was the #29 of Marty Kreis inside and outside was Megan Smith #07. Third Row was the #16 Mike

Steinman inside and the #24 Chris Terry on the oustside. 4th row saw your top 2 qualifyers with the #14 of Andy Taylor inside and fast qualifyer #88 Kaleb Kreis outside.

Kelly Garrett decided to start at the back as engine changes had been made and wasn't sure how it was going to run. When the green flag flew...Team Rockhard Racing's

Kevin Hummell rocketed away from the field using Steven Pepper's (retired NASKART driver #8) motor. Lyndon Kirk faded to the back of the pack with a slow start. At the end of

the first lap it was Hummell followed by his teammate Marty Kreiswith the #16 of Mike Steinman win 3rd followed by the #07 of Megan Smith right on his bumper. 5th was the #24

of Terry with fast qualifyer Kaleb Kreis right beside him. On lap 2 Steinman made his way around Marty Kreis and on the very next lap Megan Smith made her way around Kreis

dropping him to 4th. Followed by his Teammate's Chris Terry and Kaleb Kreis. The order stayed this way for several laps as #16 Steinman and #07 Smith were working with each

other on the inside line and the Rockhard Racing Team on the outside working hard to get around them. They were battling hard back and forth but all the while the #48 of Hummell

was slowly getting further and further ahead. On Lap 6 Kaleb Kreis made his way around Megan smith and a couple of laps later was around the #16 of Steinman. On lap 13, Chris

Terry #24 had a tire cut down and went to the pits to change his tire. Hummell was all by himself out front until the Competition Yellow came out on lap 14. This gathered the field

back up together bringing the field back together for a Double File restart. On the restart Hummell was out front with Steinman on the outside and his teammate Kaleb Kreis lined

up right behind him in 3rd and Megan Smith in 4th behind Steinman. #14 Andy Taylor and #20 Lyndon Kirk were now in the 3rd row and ready to make their run to the finish. But Steinman

pulled up and to the outside as he broke a throttle cable and pulled into the pits leaving the battle up front. Next, Hummell had his motor mounts go loose and threw a chain and had to retire

to the pits after having a great run up front. This put the #88 Kaleb Kreis out front with Taylor and Kirk on his tail. But gremlins struck again when Kaleb's Motor let the ghost out in grand fashion

with the rod fling out of the motor onto the track causing a 2nd yellow. This allowedTaylor to start on the pole with Smith outside pole and Kirk on the inside of row 3 with Marty Kreis on the outside.

Steinman and Terry, laps down, were back out on the track to help their teammates anyway they could. On the restart on lap18 Steinman was able to get behind the #07 of Megan Smith and help push her to the lead!

But with only 7 laps left in the race her motor just shut down and forced her into the pits. Steinman now being out front went high on the track to let the leaders go by and try to help his other teammate the #14 of Taylor to get the win.

Team Rockhard racing's Marty Kreis and #24 Chris Terry were nose to tail on Kirk's bumper looking for a way around Taylor. With 3 laps to go, Taylor and Kirk were on the inside and the Rockhard Racing guys were right beside them on the outside.

Steinman made his way to Kirk's bumper and helped the inside line to get past push the 2 leaders thru. With 2 laps to go Steinman got inside Kirk and then drafted to the bumper of Taylor and Stayed glued to it helping Taylor lead to the Checkered

Flag for his 1st ever NASKART win!!! The Team Rockhard guys were able to draft past the lonely Kirk on the last lap for Marty Kreis to Take 2nd and delegating Lyndon to 3rd. This was definately a race of attrition as the #18 of Kelly Garrett was not fast but was able to take 4th

with Steinman in 5th and Terry in 6th.

 

This was the 6th race of the Season and we have had 6 different winners!!!

 

So congrats to Andy Taylor #14 for his FIRST ever win in the NASKARTS Series!!!

 

Will we have another 1st time winner on June 19th...or a first 2 race winner of the season?!?! Come to Thunderhill Raceway to find out!!