RICK WILK DOUBLES AT THUNDER MOUNTAIN
Rick Wilk became the first driver in three years to win two features in two different classes on the same night as he won both the 20 lap Sportsman and 30 lap Modified features last Saturday night at the Thunder Mountain Raceway. Other winners on the seven class card were lance O’dell bested the field in the 20 lap Central New York Mini Sprint Tour, Steve Hill for the upteenth time in the Four Cylinder Modifieds, Bill Rampe for the third consecutive time in the Pure Stocks and Charlie Fulton grabbed off his second Super Stock 20 lapper and the fifteen lap Four Cylinder Stock feature was postponed until next week by a late night shower.
Steve Babicek led the first lap of the Modified feature but it was the only one he was to lead as coming off turn four on lap two, Babicek’s mount died with a mechanical problem and gave the lead to Rick Wilk. One Wilk wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the race. Rookie Modified driver Sean Collins was in a groove in the second spot until J. R. Hurlburt moved by on lap nine for the second spot. The next dozen or so laps were a work of art as Wilk was glued to the bottom of the track while Hurlburt was working on top and the duo ran side by side for all those laps with Hurlburt edging ahead a couple of time but never gain a clear cut advantage. A yellow flag on lap twenty four put an end to the deal as Hurlburt dropped back a little but made another run for a lap or two but another yellow on lap twenty-eight put and end to any hope Hurlburt might have. Paul Jensen made his way to third and challenged Hurlburt for second but came up short at the finish. Mike Clapperton was a strong fourth while point leader Mike Colsten came home fifth as Wilk got his first win of the year.
Chris Ostrowski led the first two laps pf the twenty-lap Sportsman feature before a win starved Rick Wilk took over from his third starting spot. Once in front, Wilk started to pull away from the field as Billy Spoonhower and Brian Decker battled for the second position. Point leader Don Hart Jr. Moved into the runner-up spot at the halfway mark but couldn’t get by the Wilk machine and had to settle for second. Steve Anderson gets closer each ad every week to a feature win as he claimed the third spot. He was followed by Decker in fourth and Bob Hamm in fifth.
The other half of the Oneonta, New York Mini Sprint duo, Lance O’dell mad a shambles of the twenty-three
Car field as he cruised to the win in the twenty-lap Central New York Mini Sprint Tour feature. O’dell started on the pole position and led every lap enrooted to the win. Late in the race both James Brush and former winner Don Harvey got close to O’dell but didn’t mount a serious challenge. Bobby Scaccio took home fourth and Cory Sparks was fifth.
Mark Reynolds came out of a first lap scramble from his eighth starting spot to lead laps one through five in the fifteen-lap Four Cylinder Modified feature. Multi-time winner Steve Hill caught Reynolds on lap five and never looked back and cruised to his eighth win of the year. The other 2001 feature winner Scott Allen was second at the finish followed by Pete Christiansen in his best finish of the year in third, Alan Bush in fourth and Curt Pierce in fifth.
Newsflash: Jamie Shea didn’t win the Super Stock feature. In fact Jamie Shea wasn’t even a contender in the twenty-lap feature. Rick Davis led the first two circuits from his pole position before the B&S machine of Charlie Fulton took over. Once in front, Fulton opened up a commanding margin over the rest of the field. Fulton led the final eighteen laps without ever being seriously challenged. John Morse came home second; Larry Hillis was third followed by Ray Taylor and Matt Roberts in the top five.
The heartbreak of the night award goes to Pure Stock driver Mike Austin. He led the first fourteen and 9/10 laps until rookie driver Dave Majercik came out of the infield after a spin and took out Austin who had about twenty feet from the finish line. In the confusion, Bill Rampe snuck through on the underside and came home the winner as Austin sat sideways on the front stretch and chucked his helmet out the window. Buck Mills came home second, Jess Snell third followed Max Moshier Jr. in fourth and Mike Wilbur took fifth.
The Fifteen-lap Four Cylinder Stock feature was postponed until next week along with a full regular show featuring the Modifieds, Sportsman, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks, Four Cylinder Modifieds and Mini Sprints, Gates will open at 4 with racing set to begin at 6:30.