GABRIEL TAKES FIRST EVER AT THUNDER MOUNTAIN
Center Lisle, New York - 080302 - Jim Gabriel Jr. took home his first ever feature win last Saturday night in the Modified thirty lapper on Helluva Good Cheese and Fan Appreciation nights last week at the Thunder Mountain Speedway. Also winners on the seven feature event card include first time 2002 winners Dick Case in the Four Cylinder Modifieds and Louie Gordonier in the Pure Stocks. The rest of the winners were. Wade Decker in the Super Stocks, Don Harvey in the Mini Sprints, Chad Cook in the Sportsmen and Harold Humphrey in the Four Cylinder Stocks.
For Gabriel Jr, whos won championships at other Speedways in the area the win was a form of redemption from last week when after he took the lead at the halfway point, the car failed. This week after making a tremendous high side of the track charge to second spot behind two-time winner Rick Wilk who had led the first twenty-seven laps. Going into lap twenty-eight, the Wilk machine failed and gave the lead to the hard working Gabriel. A yellow put a quick Doug Worthing right on Gabriels back bumper but the E.E. Root machine of Worthing couldnt match Gabriel the last two laps and he followed the Mead owned mount of Gabriel Jr. across the checkers from a distance. Brent Wilcox drove a strong race to grab off the third place followed by Brian Weaver, who closed the point gap on point leader Mike Colsten, in fourth and J. R. Hurlburt nipping Jeff Sheely by a bumper at the finish to round out the top five.
In the twenty lap Sportsman go, Chad Cook was the first of the top three point getter to get to the front. Cook, who started tenth in the twenty-two car field, moved into the runner-up spot on lap four and gave leader Brian White all sorts of pressure before getting under on lap six. Kevin Jordan also got White a couple of laps later and set off after Cook. He caught Cook but couldnt muster enough to get by and had to settle for second in the final rundown. White salvaged a strong third followed by Ken Titus in fourth and rookie Sportsman driver Jamie Shea finishing out the top five. Billy Spoonhower, whos also in contention for the point title had an ill handling racecar and managed just a seventh place finish.
Wade Decker, driving his brother Mikes car, took advantage of a Larry Hillis misfortune to grab off his second win of the season in the twenty-lap Super Stock feature. Hillis led the first six laps from his pole position before a flat tire sent him pitside. Decker assumed the lead on the restart and never looked back. He encounter pressure from a swift Denny Decker held forth to take the win. Decker was a strong second followed by Matt Roberts in third, Gary Roberts in fourth and Ken Hammond eeking out fifth ahead of Jamie Shea. Point leader Ed McKernan broke while running third on the white flag lap.
It was a long time coming but Louie Gordonier finally won a Pure Stock feature. Louie, whos been campaigning Pure Stocks off and on for an number of years, got his first Thunder Mountain Pure Stock win in a few years in last Saturdays fifteen lapper. Gordonier went to the front early from his fourth starting spot and stayed there the rest of the way despite numerous yellow flag periods. Bill Clark, Buck Mills and Harry Uhl Jr. had their own little thing going on for the second spot and they finished just that way while pole sitter Jamie Rosh took home fifth.
In the Four Cylinder Stock fifteen lapper it was Lloyd Twarz leading the first three laps before Rich Powell took over. Powells stint at the top spot didnt last long as point leader Harold Humphrey took command of the race. Lapped traffic played a significant part of the late race going as the leaders got bottled up in traffic. Humphrey was able to persevere but not by much over Powell, Shawn Mills, Bob Doolittle and Twarz.
It took sixty-eight year old Dick Case a lot of years to get his first win at Thunder Mountain which he finally did last year. This year he got another, Tom Fletcher led the first three laps of the Four Cylinder Modified feature before Case got by and once in front there was no catching the elder statesman of the track. Ken Stafford and Curt Pierce tried but to no avail and had to settle for second and third respectively. Fourth went to point leader Scott Allen while rounding out the top five was Roger Dewitt.
The fifteen lap Mini Sprint feature saw three different leaders. Brian Baxter for the first two circuits, Ryan Lund for the next o and then Don Harvey for the rest. Try as they may Dale Pitcher and Jeff Black had nothing for the six time winner Harvey. Finishing fourth was Garry Moore while Lund completed the top five.
Next week Thunder Mountain hosts a regular seven class program consisting of the Modifieds, Sportsman, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks, Four Cylinder Stocks, Four Cylinder Modifieds and Mini Sprints, Gates are scheduled open at 4 with racing set to begin at 6:30. Thunder Mountain is located just off NY Route 79 in Center Lisle.
MODIFIED FINISH: Jim Gabriel Jr, Doug Worthing, Brent Wilcox, Brian Weaver, J. R. Hurlburt, Jeff Sheely, Brian Payne, Chris Weaver, Paul Jensen, Dave Jenkins, Eddie White, Carl Nagel, Mike Colsten, Steve Babicek, Jason Rudalavage, Dick Sundgren, Rick Wilk, Mike Decker, Chris Ostrowski, Jim Crawn, Mike Nagel, Rich Tiffany, Butch Cerullo, Kevin Ingram, George Kostelansky, Ben Bushaw, John Guernsey.
SPORTSMAN FINISH: Chad Cook, Kevin Jordan, Brian White, Ken Titus, Jamie Shea, Brent Boyer, Billy Spoonhower, Matt Smith, Sean Olenski, Tony Vyziak, Max Mosher Jr., Norm Whittemore, Eric Bonham, Garth Tonkin Jr., Randy Thomas, Dan Buchanan, Jim Droony, Scott Allen, Bret Tonkin, Ray Purcell, Cliff Pierce.
SUPER STOCK FINISH: Wade Decker, Denny Decker, Matt Roberts, Gary Roberts, Ken Hammond, Jamie Shea, Dwayne Robbins, Harold Humphrey, Larry Hillis, Ken Winn, Mark Wainwright, Dick Stark Jr., Rick Davis, Ed McKernan, Skip Peabody, Earl Zimmer, Charlie Fulton, John Morse, Dave Nixon, J. T. McKernan.
PURE STOCK FINISH; Louie Gordonier, Bill Clark, Buck Mills, Harry Uhl Jr., Jamie Rosh, Rich Green, John Cooper Jr., Mark Shipman, John Dale Howey, Bret Welch, Shaun Walker, Mike Wilbur, Matt Sissenstein, Dave Denton Jr., Bill Leonard Jr., Brian Hicks, Charley Mosher, Chuck Alexander, Chuck Griffith, Bob Mills, Billy House, Steve McWain, Don Mosher.
FOUR CYLINDER STOCK FINISH: Harold Humphrey, Rich Powell, Shawn Mills, Bob Doolittle, Lloyd Twarz, Jay Hayward, Rich Talada, Fred Newton II, Jeff Wilcox, Fred Newton, John Coish, Chuck Wheeland, John Wilcox, Jerry Wilcox, Aaron Peck, Jim French.
FOUR CYLINDER MODIFIED FINISH: Dick Case, Ken Stafford, Curt Pierce, Roger Dewitt, Kala Bush, Tom Fletcher, Jason Kehrer, Kim Pierce, George Howe, Ben Bushaw.