BRP Modified Invades Thunder Mountain Speedway
By: Pam Baker
Marble, PA….June 28, 2019……On a very hot and humid Friday evening the BRP Modified Tour visited Thunder Mountain Speedway with 26 cars in the pit area. The drivers were given the option of using the sail panels on their cars for this event and the field was about 50/50 with and without them.
Rick Regalski and Chris Rudolph led the field to the initial green flag, but before a lap could be completed an accident on the front stretch involving Brad Rapp and Mark Frankhouser brought out the yellow flag and a complete restart. While Mark Frankhouser was getting assistance from the wrecker crew, Regalski pitted and was able to return to the tail of the field. The field was realigned and Chris Rudolph and Jeremiah Shingledecker leading the cars around to the green with Shingledecker jumping out into the lead on the first lap.
By lap ten, the leader, Shingledecker, was into lapped traffic and Rex King, Jr. had made his way into second with Rex King, Sr. in third. By lap 13 King, Sr. started to show signs of smoke coming out of his car and the field came together on lap 15 when the caution flag was displayed for Shawn Kozar. At this time, Shingledecker who had just been passed by King, Jr. pitted with a flat tire and was able to make it back out to return to the tail of the field.
On the restart, King, Jr. led Jim Rasey and Garrett Krummert to the green, with King, Sr retiring to the pit area a couple laps later. King, Jr. kept control of the lead, and the final caution flag waved with two laps to go, when JR McGinley spun in turn two. The two lap dash to the finish found King, Jr. holding onto the lead and picking up the $2,000 top prize money. Finishing second was Jim Rasey with Dave Murdick making his way into third,after starting in the tenth position. Fourth place went to Chris Rudolph with Paul Kot, running his first ever Big Block Modified feature event, in the Mike Stein owned machine, finishing fifth.
The heats were won by Rex King, Jr., Rex King, Sr. and Dave Murdick.
Feature Finish: 1) Rex King, Jr. 2) Jim Rasey 3) Dave Murdick 4)Chris Rudolph 5) Paul Kot 6) Jeremiah Shindledecker 7) Skip Moore 8) Rick Regalski 9) Bob Warren 10) Garrett Krummert 11) Steve Barr 12) Shawn Fleeger 13) JR McGinlety 14) Kevin Hoffman 15) Erick Bowser 16) Rex King Sr 17)Dillon Barr 18) Kyle Fink 19) Max Smoker 20) Shawn Kozar 21) Jimmy Holden 22) Lonny Riggs 23) Brad Rapp 24) Mark Frankhouser 25) Randy Chronister.
The BRP Modified Tour racing series is a non-profit organization established to give Big Block Modifieds, in the Western Pennsylvania/ Eastern Ohio area, a chance to compete with one another for a higher purse structure and for a point fund for the scheduled events. Started in 1998 by Tim Engles, Lon and Pam Baker and Randy Myers. The BRP Modified Tour has had great success at bringing regional cars together at various speedways in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, West Virginia and Canada. We would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of our organization. Bicknell Racing Products, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, Bazell Race Fuels/Sunoco, BCR Racing Supplies, Big Daddy’s Speed Center, Colonial Metal Products/Colonial Slitting Industries, Eperthener’s Auto Wrecking, Hall’s Safety Equipment,
K. Hoffman Door, King Bros., Lakeview Fertilizer, McCandless Ford, McCool’s Signs and Graphics, Moore’s Auto Body, Racequip Safety Equipment, Rockhouse Bar and Grill, Slippery Rock Sportswear, Wrisco Industries, and X Factor Race Bodies, Franklin, PA