WILK, TERRELL AND DECKER SCORE WINS AT THUNDER MOUNTAIN

Rick Wilk scored his second win of the year in the thirty lap Modified feature last Saturday night at the Thunder Mountain Speedway, Also getting win number two was Sportsman driver Craig Terrell and winning his first ever Super Stock 20 lapper was Denny Decker. Other winners on the seven feature event card were Rich Green for number two in the Pure Stocks, Harold Humphrey continued rolling along in the Four Cylinder Stocks, Ronnie Clark made it two in a row and three for the season in the Four Cylinder Modifieds and Don Harvey resumed his winning ways as he stopped Dale Pitcher’s five race win streak in the fifteen lap Mini Sprint go.

Wilk and Jeff Sheeley sat on the front row at the start of the race with Wilk leading the first four laps and Tom McGurrin moving into a challenging spot on lap two. McGurrin moved to the top side and took over the lead on lap five as he BPG Motorsports car seemed to have the field covered on the high side. Wilk stayed persistent on the bottom but couldn’t make a dent in McGurrin’s cushion. All this changed on lap seventeen when a yellow flew for a Paul Jensen spin in turn one. On the restart Wilk challenged low and took over the top spot, Try as he might, McGurrin couldn’t regain the momentum he previously had and as each lap ticked off, he fell further back and was in danger of losing the second spot to a fast closing Butch Cerullo and Brian Weaver. With five to go, Weaver got caught up in a shuffle in turn four, bending something in the front end and sending him pit side for the remaining five laps. When the green flew again, Wilk opened up the gap as Cerullo and McGurrin waged a heated duel for the number two spot. At the end Wilk saw the checkers first as McGurrin and Cerullo came across side by side for the number two spot. Cerullo was declared the second place finisher by a whisker with McGurrin third. Finishing fourth was Brent Wilcox with Sheely rounding out the top five

Second generation driver Brian White was the leader of the first three laps of the twenty lap Sportsman feature from his number two starting spot. Craig Terrell, in a car he brought out last week, moved into the runner-up spot on lap three and went to the front a lap later. Once in front, Terrell put some distance between he and the rest of the field as Brian Decker moved past White for second on lap five. Chad Cook got by Decker for the number two spot on lap fifteen and was closing fast but in the end didn’t have anything for Terrell and had to settle for second. Kevin Jordan also got by Decker for third late in the race and Jamie Shea continues to make progress in the Sportsman ranks with a solid fifth place finish. It was a tough race for point’s leader and three-time feature winner Billy Spoonhower as he got caught up in a first lap jingle and bent up most of his front end. His crew made hasty repairs and got him back out but he finished the race four laps down and in last place and that will definitely shuffle the point standings come next week.

Sophomore and second generation driver J. T. McKernan looked really fast as he led the first thirteen laps of the twenty laps Super Stock feature as his dad and current point leader Eddie McKernan was struggling to get near the front. The younger McKernan looked like a veteran until lap fourteen when he bobbled a bit coming off turn four, giving the top spot to veteran Gary Roberts. Roberts, last weeks winner, stayed there only three circuits before Denny Decker powered by. Decker got it done the last three laps and come home with his first ever Super Stock win. Roberts got loose in turn four on the final lap allowing McKernan and Jamie Shea to get by for second and third. Rick Davis, in his first race back in a couple of weeks rounded out the top five.

Rich Green, started on the pole and won his second fifteen lap Pure Stock feature of the year, but it wasn’t easy. A plethora of yellow flags and a heavy duty challenge by young Shaun Walker made Green earn it. Walker was on the outside along side of Green for the last couple of laps but couldn’t muster enough to get by and had to settle for the second spot. Veteran Buck Mills closed ground in the points with a sold third place finish. Following Mills were Harry Uhl Jr. in fourth and JonDale Howey in fifth.

Harold Humphrey was in a new car but the results were the same, a victory in the fifteen-lap Four Cylinder feature. In a ride purchased from former competitor Bob Stevens, Humphrey got to the front first and held off repeated challenges from Shawn Mills, Rich Powell and Bob Doolittle to maintain his point lead in the class. They finished in just that order with Rich Talada getting the fifth spot.

Ronnie Clark waited until lap five to assert himself in the Four Cylinder Modified feature. Once in front he held off a valiant effort by Ken Stafford to claim his third feature of the year and his second in a row. Stafford came home second followed by Ben Bushaw in third, Scott Allen in fourth and Lee Dewitt in fifth.

Don Harvey returned to his winning ways as he grabbed off the win in the fifteen-lap Mini-Sprint feature. Rick Wust and Ryan Lund took turns leading the early part of the race until five time winner Dale Pitcher took over on lap six with Harvey close by. It took Harvey three laps to get Pitcher for the top spot but once hew did get by, he opened upa comfortable cushion between himself and Pitcher, who’s string of five victories in a row was snapped. Pitcher came home second followed by Jeff Black, who made a couple of attempts at Pitcher but wound up third. Lund and Duby Woodruff completed the top five finishing spots.

Next week will be a double header weekend with a regular seven class show featuring the Modified, Sportsman, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks, Four Cylinder Modifieds, Four Cylinder Stocks and the Mini Sprints in action. Gates will open for the Saturday show at 4:00 p.m. with racing going off at 6:30. On Sunday it’ll be round three of the King’s Royal Modified series at Thunder Mountain with a forty-lap feature paying the winner $2000. Brian Weaver won the first series race here back on June 23rd and will be here to trey an increase his current point lead in the series. Along with the Modifieds will be the return of the popular Late Models in an American Racing Tire Series race and the first ever appearance of the IMCA/Grand American type Modified who will be on the card racing for a $500 winners share. Gates will again open at 4:00 and racing is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Thunder Mountain Speedway is located just off New York Route 79 in Center Lisle with easy access off Exit 8 of I81 (Whitney Point). For further information look Thunder Mountain up on the web at http://www.thundermountain50megs.com/ free camping is always allowed at Thunder Mountain.