THR recap for 8/21/04

[NickHolt]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE

 

HASSINGER GETS SIXTH WIN AT THUNDER HILL RACEWAY

 

By Jon Sagester

 

 

KYLE--Picking up his third back-to-back win at Thunder Hill Raceway Saturday night, Kyle’s David Hassinger put himself one step clloser to winning the Capital City Trade and Technical School Hobby Stock championship with just four races left in the regular season.

 

Starting ninth, Hassinger moved up to third place just past the halfway point in the 20 lap race, when leader Wes Ahl (Wimberley) and Mark Chrudimsky (Hutto) both had to pit with flat tires.

 

Hassinger took over the lead on the restart and never looked back, moving out to a substantial lead over Matt Hodge, also of Kyle. Following Hassinger and Hodge over the finish line was Taylor’s Tracy Tschoerner.

 

Leading the Hobby Stock class with 1,736 points, Hassinger is almost assured of securing the season’s winning position with his 220 point lead over Kevin Bowen (Hutto) who is in second place with 1,516. Following Bowen is Joe Tschoerner (Bartlett) with 1,511 points.

 

Austin’s Bryan Meredith secured the “King of the Hill” position by winning his fourth straight race at Thunder Hill in the AllStar Race Truck Series (ARTS) Saturday. King of the Hill is a category established by the ARTS Lone Star Region for the most wins at Thunder Hill Raceway. Meredith has won four out of the five races this year, and there are only two more scheduled.

 

Starting on the pole Meredith took over the lead on the first lap, and while he was pushed by Todd McLemore (Austin) most of the evening, he held on for the win. McLemore was being challenged by Bill Hamilton, (Dallas) with the two of them exchanging second and third places through the second half of the race.

 

On the white flag lap McLemore got outside Hamilton for second place and quickly pulled alongside Meredith. The two had the fans on their feet and screaming as they raced side-by-side down the front straight, with Meredith inching out the win. McLemore came in second and Hamilton third.

 

Meredith leads the ARTS Lone Star Region in points, and also leads the AllStar Race Truck Series National Points Race.

 

At the conclusion of the ARTS feature race, McLemore jumped out of his truck and into his car for the THR Late Model feature race. Leland Waddell (Austin) got off to lead the seven car field with McLemore and Marc Currey (Driftwood) quickly moving in behind him.

 

On lap 11 Currey got into the side of McLemore in turn four and they both wobbled a bit, but maintained their positions on the track. On lap 18 McLemore moved outside Waddell and they raced side-by-side through the back straight. Coming out of turn four they get together and McLemore smashed into the front straight wall. His car was towed to the pits and Waddell was relegated to the rear of the pack.

 

That put Currey into the lead, a position he held throughout the rest of the 35 lap race.

 

Later in the race Buda’s James Reeder lost his hood and right front fender in an entanglement, and David Snokhous (Austin) also lost his right front fender.

 

Meanwhile, Waddell moved from the rear of the pack to place second, and Reeder, minus a hood and fender, placed third, the only three cars on the lead lap.

 

That marks Currey’s third win in his first year racing in the THR Late Model class. He was the 2002 Street Stock Champion, and finished second in the Street Stocks last year, before moving up to Late Models this season.

 

James Reeder leads the Late Models in points with 1,045, closely followed by Waddell with 996, and Currey with 931.

 

In the A-Line Auto Parts feature it was Bruce Hinson (Marble Falls) who jumped to the lead and held it through 30 laps. Hinson maintained a five to eight car lead, but second, third, and fourth places were hotly contested by Jim Teague, (Dale) Cary Stapp, (San Marcos) and Bobby Teer, Jr. (Comfort).

 

After crossing the finish line ahead of everyone, Hinson was disqualified in the technical inspection following the race. That gave the win to Teer, with Teague getting second and Stapp third.

 

Those three lead the points race with Teer in first place, 1,539 points, Stapp in second with 1,460, and Teague third with 1,376.

 

In the Texas Dwarf Car Association (TDCA) feature it was Keith Roach who led most of the race and then had his engine blow out just as he crossed the finish line.

 

It was a close race for second place as Mark Merrell and David Tedford kept trading slots, until Merrell finally finished in second place. Tedford was third.

 

Jon Caswell caused some excitement in the second TDCA heat race when his engine caught fire. He exited the car unhurt, but was unable to run in the feature race.

 

The fans got involved Saturday night as NASCAR Craftsman Truck driver David Starr made an appearance as Grand Marshal, and passed through the stands greeting fans. He spent the intermission signing autographs, and seemed to totally enjoy the evening of racing. Following the Grand Stock race Starr remarked, “I don’t think I could survive that race.”

 

Jim “Cooter” Lynch won the Grand Stock race, with Jim Bell finishing second, and Walt Judkins third. Judkins leads in Grand Stock points with 1,160, followed by Marcia Moore with 1.020, and Jim Lynch with 995.

 

This Saturday (Aug. 28), Ivan Putski, a Pro Wrestling legend of the 70’s who made his reputation as Mr. "Polish Power," is slated to be Grand Marshall. Putski will meet and greet fans and sign autographs throughout the evening.

 

On the track, the Lone Star Legends and Allison Legacy Cars will join the THR Late Models, the A-Line Auto Parts Street Stocks, the Capital City Trade & Technical School Hobby Stocks and the Grand Stocks at Thunder Hill Raceway.

 

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. For information, call (512) 262-1352, or visit thunderhillraceway.com.