SportMod – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 8 5D Kevin Green Waco , Tx 40.00
2 7 55 Tj Green Waco , Tx 39.00
3 9 58 Sid Kiphen – 38.00
4 6 65 Randy Doyle Killeen , Tx 37.00
5 5 7G David Goode Jr. Belton , Tx 36.00
6 3 13G Sarah Goode Belton , Tx 35.00
7 1 591 Chad Ellis Killeen , Tx 34.00
8 4 05 Dennis Purrington Killeen , Tx 33.00
9 2 23S Shelley Sakhnini Copperas Cove, Tx 32.00
10 10 27J Garrett Jonse Manor , Tx 31.00
11 12 681 Matthew Miller Pflugerville , Tx 30.00
12 11 17 Trevor Egbert Salado , Tx 29.00
More Results

I-Stock – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 9 84X Eric Jones Killeen , Tx 40.00
2 8 50 Matt Guillaume Tomball , Tx 39.00
3 1 C7 Tony Mcpherson Sr. Salado , Tx 38.00
4 10 9 Jason Batt Harker Heights, Tx 37.00
5 4 98 Peter Delavan Killeen , Tx 36.00
6 5 96 Richard Valentine Harker Heights, Tx 35.00
7 6 7 Pat Wilson Harker Heights, Tx 34.00
8 3 4 Ken Plonsky Killeen , Tx 33.00
9 13 22 Justin Wierenga Harker Heights, Tx 32.00
10 11 43 Jessie Cox Jr. Florence , Tx 31.00
11 12 20 Trevor Sparkman Liberty Hill, Tx 30.00
12 7 3 Robin Batt Harker Heights, Tx 29.00
13 2 8 Buck Owens Cedar Park, Tx 28.00
More Results

Hobby – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 7 25 Michael Guenat Robinson , Tx 40.00
2 4 41 Jeremy Wininger Georgetown , Tx 39.00
3 9 33C Charles Cosper Belton , Tx 38.00
4 5 7 Jaron Shahan – 37.00
5 3 3X Amanda Brewer Hillsboro , Tx 36.00
6 1 23H Michael Hilliard Temple , Tx 35.00
7 2 77 Bill Siegman Jr Killeen , Tx 34.00
8 8 63 Andy Roller Bellmead , Tx 33.00
9 10 222 Jamie Herring – 32.00
10 12 14 Zach Riley Killeen , Tx 31.00
11 6 28 Richard Pickens Lorena , Tx 30.00
12 11 22 Jack Jenkins Waco , Tx 29.00
13 13 43 Barrett Hutchison – 28.00 DNS
More Results

Modified – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 9 715 Jp Dowell – 40.00
2 7 37 Ben Ketteman Pflugerville , Tx 39.00
3 8 303 Chase Jupe Waco , Tx 38.00
4 4 03 Dillon Smith Waco , Tx 37.00
5 5 63 Hardy Henderson Taylor , Tx 36.00
6 2 22K Ricky Kizer – 35.00
7 10 3J Brad Jordan Bertram , Tx 34.00
8 3 52 Ken Old Kempner , Tx 33.00
9 1 41 Carl Mcconnell Killeen , Tx 32.00
10 13 19 George Lamphere Jr. Killeen , Tx 31.00
11 14 29 Keith Tibbetts Killeen , Tx 30.00
12 11 247 Bill Lecompte Killeen , Tx 29.00
13 12 31 Doyle Massa Coupland , Tx 28.00
14 6 97 Doug Lorenz Killeen , Tx 27.00 DNS
More Results

Twister – Feature 2
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 5 17 Don Krahn Round Rock, Tx 40.00
2 4 84D Daniel Reed Harker Heights, Tx 39.00
3 7 11A Austin Witt – 38.00
4 1 11 Colby Krahn Round Rock, Tx 37.00
5 2 1 James Cochran Harker Heights, Tx 36.00
6 8 37 James Deane – 35.00
7 3 15 Tj Speidel Killeen , Tx 34.00
8 11 007 Rick Smith – 33.00
9 10 24 Vavette Blevins Killeen , Tx 32.00
10 6 23 Dennis Heard Killeen , Tx 31.00
11 9 2X Joseph Vessels Lampasas , Tx 30.00

Modified – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 9 5K Kenny Stone Belton , Tx 40.00
2 10 715 Jp Dowell – 39.00
3 1 97 Doug Lorenz Killeen , Tx 38.00
4 19 303 Chase Jupe Waco , Tx 37.00
5 8 37 Ben Ketteman Pflugerville , Tx 36.00
6 5 63 Hardy Henderson Taylor , Tx 35.00
7 2 88S Brad Smith Round Rock, Tx 34.00
8 7 44S Joe Spillman Austin , Tx 33.00
9 3 03 Dillon Smith Waco , Tx 32.00
10 6 52 Ken Old Kempner , Tx 31.00
11 14 07A Allen Williams – 30.00
12 4 1X Jake Henderson Taylor , Tx 29.00
13 13 19 George Lamphere Jr. Killeen , Tx 28.00
14 18 31 Doyle Massa Coupland , Tx 27.00
15 15 44 Allen Waltermire Harker Heights, Tx 26.00
16 16 41 Carl Mcconnell Killeen , Tx 25.00
17 12 17 Joey Whitehead – 24.00
18 17 28 Neil Floyd Killeen , Tx 23.00
19 11 9 William Mcguire Belton , Tx 22.00
More Results

SportMod – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 6 70 George Egbert Salado , Tx 40.00
2 10 7 Cody Frank Lorena , Tx 39.00
3 9 55 Tj Green Waco , Tx 38.00
4 3 5R Ricky Rodriguez Eddy , Tx 37.00
5 11 5D Kevin Green Waco , Tx 36.00
6 12 58 Sid Kiphen – 35.00
7 8 65 Randy Doyle Killeen , Tx 34.00
8 5 7G David Goode Jr. Belton , Tx 33.00
9 7 48X Duane Toyne Leander , Tx 32.00
10 21 8 Jared Rady Bertram , Tx 31.00
11 19 48 Mitch Tierney Temple , Tx 30.00
12 17 7X Jason Bernal Killeen , Tx 29.00
13 14 40 Albert Wininger Georgetown , Tx 28.00
14 4 05 Dennis Purrington Killeen , Tx 27.00
15 20 23 Shelley Sakhnini Copperas Cove, Tx 26.00
16 13 29 Marcus Warren – 25.00
17 16 681 Matthew Miller Pflugerville , Tx 24.00
18 15 77 Gary Harris Austin , Tx 23.00
19 1 0 Tim Carman Jr. Killeen , Tx 22.00
20 2 01 Terry Tschoerner Taylor , Tx 21.00
21 18 591 Chad Ellis Killeen , Tx 20.00
More Results

I-Stock – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 10 84X Eric Jones Killeen , Tx 40.00
2 1 50 Matt Guillaume Tomball , Tx 39.00
3 9 9 Jason Batt Harker Heights, Tx 38.00
4 8 98 Peter Delavan Killeen , Tx 37.00
5 4 7 Pat Wilson Harker Heights, Tx 36.00
6 11 3 Robin Batt Harker Heights, Tx 35.00
7 12 20 Trevor Sparkman Liberty Hill, Tx 34.00
8 3 T4 Tony Hamil Lampasas , Tx 33.00
9 14 8 Buck Owens Cedar Park, Tx 32.00
10 6 4 Ken Plonsky Killeen , Tx 31.00
11 5 313 Austin Smith Copperas Cove, Tx 30.00
12 7 96 Richard Valentine Harker Heights, Tx 29.00
13 2 44 Joe Spillman Austin , Tx 28.00
14 13 C7 Tony Mcpherson Sr. Salado , Tx 27.00
More Results

Street Stock – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 8 65 Jeff Currier Copperas Cove, Tx 40.00
2 10 63 Danny Dunn Killeen , Tx 39.00
3 1 74X Lewis Blackwood – 38.00
4 12 3 Gary Norman Nolanville , Tx 37.00
5 11 96 Paul Kohl Copperas Cove, Tx 36.00
6 9 45 Chris Cockrell Belton , Tx 35.00
7 16 28 Donald Merritt Leander , Tx 34.00
8 5 16 Benny Fajkus Belton , Tx 33.00
9 15 84 Tony Mcpherson Sr. Salado , Tx 32.00
10 17 2 Kevin Ashley Troy , Tx 31.00
11 7 83 Dennis Simmons Killeen , Tx 30.00
12 19 47 Owen Carlson – 29.00
13 13 56 Jacob Sakhnini Copperas Cove, Tx 28.00
14 14 829 Jd Hardcastle Copperas Cove, Tx 27.00
15 6 70 James Corliss Belton , Tx 26.00
16 20 46 Keith Montgomery Killeen , Tx 25.00
17 4 43 Gene Burnett Leander , Tx 24.00
18 18 14$ Creig Mendenhall Killeen , Tx 23.00
19 3 23$ Leon Mendenhall Killeen , Tx 22.00 DNS
20 2 19R Dean Silva – 0.00 DQ
More Results

Twister – Feature 2
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 6 45 Brian Bagent Killeen , Tx 40.00
2 2 11J Jonathan Hunter Nolanville , Tx 39.00
3 4 23 Dennis Heard Killeen , Tx 38.00
4 1 15 Tj Speidel Killeen , Tx 37.00
5 1 110 Zach Riley Killeen , Tx 36.00
6 7 8 Jason Rickert Copperas Cove, Tx 35.00
7 3 01 Joe Parrish Killeen , Tx 34.00
8 8 27 Roy Tharp – 33.00
9 5 911 Daniel Wade Copperas Cove, Tx 32.00 DQ

Killeen, Tx.,(March 6th, 2010) Venerable old Texas Thunder Speedway kicked off it’s 2010 racing season with a new look and new promoter. David Goode took over the reins from former promoter Pat Wilson with his first endevour into running a race track. Goode, a former TTS racer himself still has a son and daughter in the IMCA Modified and Southern Sportmod classes.

“It’s pretty much like I thought it would be,” said Goode about being new track promoter. “The hardest part was getting out of the racecar. The kids miss not having in the pits to help them out. I sent them to the Brooks-Shaw driving school during the off season and told them they needed to pay attention.”

Over the winter the track itself was given a face lift with several tons of dirt brought in the even out the transition out of the corners. The track width was also increased from 45′ wide to 60′ wide giving drivers more potential lines to choose from.

“We may have gotten the track a little too wet for the heats,” Goode added. “We were trying to turn it around from a Thursday practice instead of having all week to work it. It came around well for the features though.”

This season Texas Thunder Speedway’s ¼ mile, high-banked clay oval is incorporating the use of a transponder system.

Stone returns to grab IMCA Modified Main
Killeen’s Kenny Stone hadn’t turned a lap at Texas Thunder since opening night of 2009, but made his return a triumphant one. Stone, who plans on racing more close by home, started on the pole and led every lap of the 20-lapper. It wasn’t easy though. In a field boasting two former track champions, and two IMCA Modified National Rookies of the Year, Stone was hounded throughout by Cham Savage.

It was a rocky start as the 22-car field took the green for the Modified main event. Going into turn 1 several cars in the top six got out of shape with the field piling in. Getting the worst of the deal was Benji Kirkpatrick who got upside-down after his car clipped the front of Mike McCarthy. When the dust settled, twelve cars suffered some damage, with six unable to make the restart and several others seriously wounded. All drivers walked away uninjured.

As the green flew again Stone beat Brad Jordan into turn 1 for the lead with Savage giving him a quick look inside. Scooter Bates, Terry Woodall and Ken Old fell into the remaining top five spots. As the top six sorted out and Stone began inching away, Ben Ketteman got around Allen Waltermire for seventh. Ketteman slipped a lap later giving the back to Waltermire with David Goode jr. following to eighth.

Stone caught the back of the pack on lap 6, while the two past track champs, Old and Hardy Henderson battled for fifth, with Henderson getting the spot. A lap 7 caution for debris slowed the action and rebunched the field. On the restart Savage tried to get the nose in low on Stone, while Bates was trying high on Savage. Woodall slipped high from fourth, and on lap 8 went around collecting Ketteman, Doug Lorenz and Goode.

Once back to green Henderson and Old swapped fourth, within Henderson moving in on Bates. At the crossed flags it was Stone with a slight edge, Savage, Henderson, Bates and Ketteman getting by Jordan for fifth. Savage tried to close the gap on Stone diving in deeper, but Stone would get the better run off the corners.

As the lead duo approached lapped traffic, Waltermire did a half spin with Savage barely sneaking by. Henderson and George Lamphere slid to a stop trying to avoid Waltermire as the caution waved on lap 13. The top six got away clean on the now, single file restart, with Andrew Simmerman getting by Old for seventh.

The top three then gapped the fourth place battle between Bates, Ketteman and Jordan. In the final laps Stone began flexing his muscle putting some distance on Savage and Henderson. As the white flag waved Stone had built a half straightaway margin on Savage cruising the the victory in the Fat Boys Bar-B-Q, Bell County Electric Supply, McGuire Truck & Auto, Kempner Iron & Metal, Centex Motorsports powered, Hoffman H3 Chassis.

“I get a lot of help from my team, mainly Pat McGuire and this new H3 Hoffman is awesome,” commented Stone. “Week in and week out you have to have he car prepared against these guys. David(Goode) has done a great job with the track. Everything he’s put in it he’s done right. He spent the money in the right place.”

“I haven’t run here since opening night of last year I’ve got a new baby girl now so I’ll be racing closer to home. Last year when we ran at Heart o’ Texas on Fridays most of he year. I’ll be here more this year.”

“I don’t really know what happened behind me,” added Stone about the huge lap 1 pile up. “But there were a lot of good cars torn up. I’m glad to see everyone was alright.”

Dodge Country IMCA Modifieds
5K Kenny Stone
C4 Cham Savage
63 Hardy Henderson
12 Scooter Bates
37 Ben Ketteman
3j Brad Jordan
15 Andrew Simmerman
52 Ken Old
7g David Goode jr
97 Doug Lorenz
20 Mike McCarthy
19 George Lamphere jr
49 Lee Chasse
3w Terry Woodall
44 Allen Waltermire
247 Bill Lecompte
717 GW Egbert IV
78 Trevor Egbert
11H Wesley Hamilton
47 Benji Kirkpatrick
44x Joe O’Bryan
44s Joe Spillman

IMCA Modified heats,
Heat #1
717 GW Egbert IV
78 Trevor Egbert
5K Kenny Stone
11 Wesley Hamilton
52 Ken Old
63 Hardy Henderson
7g David Goode jr
44x Joe O’Bryan

Heat #2
3w Terry Woodall
97 Doug Lorenz
3j Brad Jordan
19 George Lamphere
20 Mike McCarthy
49 Lee Chasse
247 Bill Lecompte

Heat #3
12 Scooter Bates
47 Benji Kirkpatrick
15 Andrew Simmerman
C4 Cham Savage
44 Allen Waltermire
44S Joe Spillman
37 Ben Ketteman

Welborn’s Win Sweeps Sportmods
Ronnie Welborn made his long trip from Princeton pay off as he took the heat-feature wins in the IMA Southern Sportmods. Welborn held off early challenges from Mark McDaniel. In the waning laps, Welborn eased ahead while McDaniel and Randy Doyle scrapped it out for second. At the finish it was Welborn taking the checkers in the Baxter Motorsports ride by a half straightaway.

The front row of Welborn and McDaniel stayed side by side through lap 1 with Welborn getting the nose ahead to lead. Behind the lead duet, Doyle, Mitch Tierney and GW Egbert IV fell in line. McDaniel kept the pressure on Welborn the first few circuits. Doyle slipped over turn 2 giving up third to Tierney on lap 3. Doyle closed back in on Tierney taking the spot back on lap 5.

The races only caution waved on lap 6 when Lyndon Kirk went over the turn 2 hill with a flat left front. On the restart Doyle and Tierney continued to fight for third as Welborn inched away from McDaniel. At halfway it was still Welborn, McDaniel, Doyle, Tierney and Egbert in the top five.

Doyle then began to put some heat on McDaniel for second getting inside him on lap 10. As they fought it out for second, Welborn began to increase his margin. Doyle got under McDaniel in turns 1-2 nearly getting along side. The two made slight contact, but neither skipped a beat. With the white flag in the air, Welborn had added to his advantage motoring to the win by half a straight.

**Welborn was already loaded and gone before I could get quotes

Danny’s Transmissions IMCA Southern Sportmods
20 Ronnie Welborn
11m Mark McDaniel
65 Randy Doyle
48 Mitch Tierney
717 GW Egbert IV
9 Olin Dillard
8 Jared Rady
13 Sarah Goode
40 Albert Wininger
7g David Goode jr
11 Lyndon Kirk

IMCA SSM heat,
20 Ronnie Welborn
11m Mark McDaniel
717 GW Egbert IV
65 Randy Doyle
11 Lyndon Kirk
48 Mitch Tierney
9 Olin Dillard
40 Albert Wininger
13 Sarah Goode
7g David Goode jr
8 Jared Rady

The new promoter at Texas Thunder Speedway opened the gates for an afternoon of hot laps on Feb. 20. Skies were overcast and Goode spent as much time answering the telephone as he did tending to last minute details.

“We had 50 cars show up and we had about that many people call and ask if hot laps were going to be canceled,” he said. “One of the best things about the day was that it made us look at the way we did some things and now we’ll do them better during the season.”

“I was impressed with the track surface,” he added. “We ran hot laps for five hours during the day and it really held up well.”

Some 60 truckloads of dirt were added during the off season to increase the straightaway banking on the short quarter mile.

Three sanctioned divisions, the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Southwest Racing Specialties Southern SportMods, return to weekly shows at Killeen starting this Saturday, March 6.

“We already have 89 cars registered to race this season and I know we’ll have more by opening night,” Goode said. “I really like these IMCA classes. Drivers don’t have to spend a lot of money in any of them to be competitive. If they can get the set up right, that’s where it’s at.”

Goode owns a tow truck company and watched from an infield seat before buying Michael Walter’s Southern SportMod operation.

“The next week I was in for a rude awakening,” admitted Goode, who competed 1-1/2 seasons in the class before getting into a Modified and garnering local rookie of the year honors.. His one career win in that division came in 2008 at Texas Thunder, in a field that included future national champion P.J. Egbert.

Goode’s son David Jr. won a pair of Southern SportMod features last season. His daughter Sarah earned the local SportMod ROY prize and finished in the top 10 in 2009 Lady Eagle point standings.

Texas Thunder hosts the July 4 regional event for Southern SportMods, a night when race fans will also be able to enjoy the incomparable Fort Hood fireworks display. Point races for the IMCA divisions continue through Sept. 25.

Modified points figure toward ButlerBuilt South Central Region standings. Texas Thunder is in the Stephenville Starter Southern Region for Stock Cars.

Killeen, Tx., (March 7th, 2009)
Despite a struggling economy, Killeen’s Texas Thunder Speedway had nearly 100 competitors sign in for opening night on the high-banked, 1/4 mile, dirt oval. Decent weather also brought out the fans as nearly a capacity crowd was on hand as the track kicked off 2009 in grand style. Long time track and IMCA Modified class supporter, Dodge Country was the evenings presenting sponsor.

Egbert ekes out IMCA Modified main win
At first glance, one would figure another win for 2008 IMCA National Champion, PJ Egbert. Not so fast. Tonight it was cousin Trevor finding his way to the Winners Circle in the 20-lap main event. T. Egbert was challenged hard early by Cham Savage, who tangled with a lapped car. After a late restart T. Egbert had to fend off past track champ Hardy Henderson for the hard-earned victory.

Savage was first into turn 1 for the lead as 22 ground pounding, IMCA Modifieds took the green. Outside front row starter, Jimmy Tidwell drifted too high in turn 2 losing several spots to fifth. Ken Old, JP Dowell and Ben Ketteman made their way into second, third and fourth, respectively. Old suffered the same fate on lap 1, going too high in turn 2, spinning from second to bring out a yellow. During caution, PJ Egbert pitted with a flat right front.

On the restart Savage got sideways in turn 2 with Ketteman spinning along with James Cochran and Wayne Walker who ended up in the infield. Dowell was charged with contact on Savage and black flagged.(looked like a hard racing deal to me) Once back to green David Goode took over second when Tidwell again drifted too high. Scooter Bates slowed in turn 3, pitting and giving up his top five spot.

T. Egbert tried top grab second from Goode on lap 2, while Allen Essenburg charged to fourth after starting last, with Henderson, Mike McCarthy and Rick Green making their way forward from mid-pack starts. Brad Jordan brought out the yellow on lap 3 when he rolled to a stop on track. Essenburg got good jump on the restart, too good in fact, bringing the yellow back out and a warning from the starter.

Finally back under green again T. Egbert completed his pass on Goode for second, with Henderson following along for third. T. Egbert got inside Savage on lap 4 and got the point on coming out of turn 2 to lead lap 5. Henderson moved along Savage for second, while Essenburg and Goode were side by side for fourth. Green took sixth from McCarthy on lap 7.

Savage held off Henderson and closed back in on T. Egbert for the lead. Savage would show T. Egbert the nose on several occasions. Green and McCarthy were able to get past a fading Essenburg. At the crossed flags it was T. Egbert, Savage, Henderson, Green and Goode running in the top five.

The lead duo were still nose to tail as they caught slow traffic on lap 12. Savage kept the pressure on T. Egbert as they fought their way around lapped cars. Once clearing traffic Savage was still holding on to T. Egbert’s rear bumper. That battle ended when Savage tangled with a lapped car, peeling the sheet metal off both and bringing out a caution for debris. Savage was forced to pit with a flat right rear.

On the green, white, checkered restart, Henderson made slight contact with T. Egbert and fell back several spots, shaking up the running order. Green assumed second, with Ketteman rebounding from the early spin to third. Green was never able to get close enough to mount a serious challenge as T. Egbert in the 121 Towing & Recovery, Big Tex Autoplex, Pro Image Graphics, E&E Collision Center, Phils Motorsports, Lingo Race Engines, Hoffman Chassis snared the opening night win.

“That was pretty tiring,” stated T. Egbert. “I should have been in better shape. It was a heavy track. I knew Cham(Savage) was there. I could see he was behind me on the scoreboard and every now and then I could see the blue nose piece and knew it was him.”

“That lapped traffic was tough. You have to make a split second decision to pick the bottom or the top. When you see a gap you go for it. It’s all improvising. You can’t try to plan anything especially as fast as you come up on some of these guys. You just make a decision and stick with it whether it’s right or wrong.”

“We’re not going try to get another Egbert championship. We’ll just run when and where we can. I just opened up a new towing business. Whenever I get time I’ll race, but you never know what’s going to happen. All of us Egbert’s get dreams, and we may chase it.

Dodge Country IMCA Modifieds
787 Trevor Egbert
82 Rick Green
37 Ben Ketteman
112 Jimmy Tidwell
63 Hardy Henderson
555 PJ Egbert
20 Mike McCarthy
C4 Cham Savage
19 George Lamphere jr.
21 Allen Essenburg
29 Keith Tibbetts
107 David Goode
7J Jason Batt
555x Joey Craig
3J Brad Jordan
742 Larry Sanders
247 Bill Lecompte
12 Scooter Bates
52 Ken Old
F5 James Cochran
715 JP Dowell
35 Wayne Walker
44 Allen Waltermire—DNS
00 Jason Hoffman—DNS

IMCA Modified heat winners; 12 Scooter Bates, 107 David Goode, 37 Ben Ketteman

Tierney tallies first trophy in Sportmod sweep
Three-time IMCA Southern Sportmod National Champion, Keith White has held a stranglehold on the field over the past years at Texas Thunder. But, as the old saying goes, ‘while the cat’s away, the mice will play.’ So it was in the IMCA SSM class with Mitch Tierney picking up his first ever feature win, along with the heat race.

Joe Spillman lead the field into turn 1 for the lead as green waved for the 15-lap feature. Tierney got around Spillman for the top spot on lap 2, while Randy Doyle and Brandon Colton were side by side for fourth. Spillman got sideways on lap 3 trying to avoid the slower car of Sarah Goode. This stacked up Doyle and Joe O’Bryan who were forced to take evasive action into the infield and scrambling the top five.

As the race came to the mid point it was Tierney with a comfortable lead, Spillman, David Goode jr. Foster and Colton in the top five. The top four separated out with Foster and Colton battling for fourth. D. Goode was able to get by Spillman for second on lap 11, with Spillman losing third to Foster in the final laps. Out front it was Tierney, still holding a good advantage, snagging his maiden victory in the McGuire Truck & Auto, E&E Collision, 121 Towing, The Car Shop, Pro Image Signs, Cen-Tex Motorsports powered, Qwik Chassis

“This is my seventh year here and my first feature win,” said Tierney. “It’s a great feeling. It was a good tacky track all night. It didn’t go slick, there were some slick spots, but it was a good track.”

“I think it took Keith White not being here,” said Tierney. “Really though, we did a lot of work on the car this year. You don’t race Keith, not here anyway. You watch him go by and try to hang with him the best you can. If Keith was here it might of been a different story. I don’t want to compare myself to him, he’s in another class as far as I’m concerned.”

“We need to learn how to use the right front better to be in Keith’s league. He’s got a lot of experience here and I’ve only got seven. There’s places where you could put more horsepower in or do some things to the car that I just don’t know how to do. He got a family of racing experience. It’s not all motor, or all horsepower or using the right foot. It’s using them all together that makes it a winning combination.”

Danny’s Transmissions IMCA Southern Sportmods
48 Mitch Tierney
88 David Goode jr
36 Tim Foster
44 Joe Spillman
44x Joe O’Bryan
56 Brandon Cotton
65 Randy Doyle
13 Sarah Goode
31 Robert Garcia
05 Dennis Purrington—DNS
224 Mike McDougal—DNS

IMCA SSM Heat winner; 48 Mitch Tierney

Batt best in IMCA Stock battle
In a strange twist of fate, the front row of the 15-lap IMCA Stock Car main had Robin Rasmussen, flanked by significant other Jason Batt, coming to green. Batt showed little love for Rasmussen as he got a big jump the get the lead.(Batt will probably be sleeping in the racecar tonight). Batt had multi-time class champion Eric Jones close in traffic, but was able to hang on for the win

As Batt jumped into the lead, Jones and Rasmussen ran side by side for second, with Colton Monroe and Joe Charnock taking fourth and fifth. Jones got the spot on lap 1 with Monroe taking up the challenge on Rasmussen. As the lead duo began to pull away, Joey Craig and Daniel Shipler made their way around Jesse James Cox jr. for seventh and eighth.

At the halfway point it was Batt and Jones with a big gap back to Rasmussen, Monroe and Charnock. Craig was able to snag sixth from Anthony Otken, before mechanical woes sidelined Craig before the finish. Batt got hung up behind a three car battle at the back of the field allowing Jones to close the gap. Batt sliced his way through, with Jones having to fight his way by the slower trio.

In the closing laps Rasmussen got held up behind that slower traffic giving Monroe the opening to take third on lap 12. Charnock, using a lapped car as a pick, got fourth from Rasmussen on lap 13. Up front it was Batt in the Fred Garvin Appraisal, Kwik Kar Oil & Lube of Killeen, E&E Collision, Garvin powered, SCS Chassis grabbing the checkers over Jones.

“It’s a step forward,” replied Batt. “This is the first time we’ve won the season opener, usually we finish second. Over the winter I attended the Eddie Martin Chassis Seminar and I’ve taken a lot of what I learned and applied it to the car. That’s probably where I’ve gained the most. In Abilene we played with a lot that stuff and it definitely helped tonight in the feature. In the heat it was just horsepower.”

“I might have to sleep in the race shop tonight after beating Robin so bad on the start, but she was in my back-up car. I was very excited to see hear still on the leader board throughout the race until the end. She got into some lapped traffic, but still finished fifth. That’s not a bad start for her in a car she’s never driven before. If she likes it we’ll let her keep driving it, if not her car is sitting race ready.”

“Eric(Jones) going to be my biggest competition here this year. He’s won two of the last three track championships. He such a good points racer, and fast. He gets to the front clean and with him behind me I was afraid he might catch or get by me, but knew he wouldn’t tear up the cars trying.”

“The last time we talked, you were interviewing my buddy(Mike Van Genderen) in Abilene and I just had to sit there. I’m glad to be the one talking to you tonight.”

Dan Corbin & Assoc. IMCA Stock Cars
9n Jason Batt
84x Eric Jones
712 Colton Monroe
27 Joe Charnock
83 Robin Rasmussen
489 Anthony Otken
38 Daniel Shipman
31 Chuck Hatfield
42 Jacob Winninger
43 Jesse James Cox jr
20 Trevor Sparkman
555 Joey Craig
0 Tim Carmen jr
24D David Dunn
17 Mike McCarthy
707 PJ Egbert
74D David Evans—DNS

IMCA Stock car heat winners; 9 Jason Batt, 707 PJ Egbert, 27 Joe Charnock

Florio flies from field in Street Stock feature
Chris Florio showed the 22-car Street Stock field nothing but his rear bumper as he was able to lead flag to flag in the 20-lap feature. Florio got out to a big lead early, sliced through lapped traffic, then held off the charges of Eric Jones after a late race caution for the win.

As green waved, Florio beat Paul Kohl into turn 1 for the lead, with pavement ace, Terry Tschoerner getting by Kohl for second. Ryan Anderson then got by Kohl for third, but slipped high in turn 1 falling to fifth. It wasn’t long until Florio hit lapped traffic on lap 3. In the pack, Albert Winninger jr. and Eric Jones made their way around Anderson for fifth and sixth on lap 4.

Florio was forced to hit the infield when slower cars bottle-necked the leader on lap 6. Jeff Currier was able to get past Kohl for third as the rest of the top pack struggled through traffic. Jones moved into the top five on lap 7 when he got by Winninger. At the halfway point it was Florio holding a good advantage, Currier getting around Tschoerner for second, with Kohl and Jones rounding out the top five.

Jones had just gotten along Kohl for fourth when caution waved on lap 12 for debris. Once back to green, Kohl took third from Tschoerner. The top four put some distance on the rest of the field when Tony McPherson jr. slowed with a flat and stacked up the middle of the pack. Jones took over fourth from Tschoerner on lap 15. Currier’s top five run ended on lap 16 when he rolled to a stop to bring out a caution.

It wasn’t long after the green flew that yellow was quickly back on for debris. On the ensuing restart, Jones got second from Kohl, while Kevin Ashley and Richard Valentine ran side by side for fourth. Valentine got the spot, with Bobby Norton and Gene Burnett moving in on Ashley briefly going three wide. As the white waved, Florio held a four car length edge over Jones as he drove to victory in the Florio Racing, Gibson & Associates, D&D Cabinets, Phil Paint & Body, Camaro.

Any Time Child Care Street Stocks
21 Chris Florio
84x Eric Jones
96 Paul Kohl
96v Richard Valentine
2 Kevin Ashley
3 Clint Williams
30 Bobby Norton
555 Jason Bernal
19r Dean Silva
43 Gene Burnett
63 Danny Dunn
65 Jeff Courier
40 Albert Winninger jr
7 Jeremy Adkins
B74 Jeff Bauser
4 Ken Plonsky
01 Terry Tschoerner
02 Duane Toyne
84 Tony McPherson jr
55 Robert Roysdon
83 Dennis Simmons
48 Ryan Anderson
88 Brian Mendenhall—DNS

Street Stock heat winners; 40 Albert Winninger jr, 96 Paul Kohl, 48 Ryan Anderson

Desmarias and Hilliard take Texas Twister trophies

In the first of two Texas Twister features, Keith Desmarias got front early and paced the field throughout the 15-lap feature. Slower traffic allowed James Deane, James Herring and TJ Yagalla to close up on the leader. Deane and TJ Yagalla had a good battle for second going three and almost four wide by lapped cars. Up front it was Desmarias, in the L&R Contacting, Kwik Kar Oil & Lube of Harker Heights, All Day Bingo Twister taking the win.

Budweiser Texas Twisters #1
11 Keith Desmarias
37 James Deane
190 TJ Yagalla
66 Kevin Yagalla
217 Larry Dunham
151 Shelby Elsworth
7D Travis Mendenhall
415 Dan Bronson
03 Kim Ramirez
48 James Herring

Michael Hilliard got a huge jump on the pack in the second Twister feature when polesitter James Nutterville was slow to get going. Jason Styczynski moved into second with Steven Crossley and Mike Dzialoski side by side for third. Brent Dalton began making his up getting past Dzialoski and Crossley, with Zachary Driskell following along in his wake. Driskell’s charge ended on lap 13 when he broke and rolled to stop bringing out the race’s only caution. Once back to green, Hilliard again pulled ahead, but Styczyinski closed the gap and was able to get the nose inside on the final lap. At the checkers it was Hilliard holding off Styczyinski for the win in the All Sports sponsored Twister.

Budweiser Texas Twister #2
23 Michael Hilliard
241 Jason Styczynski
14 Brent Dalton
B52 Steven Crossley
180 Tony Williams
24k Michael Crandall
DZ1 Mike Dzialoski
35 Zachary Driskell
751 James Nuttervile
B4U John Femite—DNS

Each Saturday Night – March thru September

GATE ADMISSION PRICES

Pit Admission = $25 (all ages)

General Admission Adults = $10

General Admission Child (ages 6-12) = $3

General Admission Child (ages 5 & under) = FREE!

Killeen, Tx., (June 28th, 2008) Along with the regular weekly class racing night for the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Southern Sportmods, IMCA Stock Cars, Street Stock and Texas Twisters, Texas Thunder Speedway’s high-banked 1/4 mile also had slated the King of the Hill race for the IMCA Modifieds. Unfortunately inclement weather moving in forced track officials to postpone that race until next week, and save promoter Pat Wilson the $200 bounty on his local hotshoe P J Egbert.

Wilson was forced to open up his wallet, let the moth’s out and pay out $350 when a lucky spectator hit the Speedy’s Street Stock Pot of Gold tri-fecta. The Pot of Gold game, which rolls over every week it’s not won, allows fans to try to predict the Street Stock feature’s top three finishers. Not an easy task with the close competition among the class.

In the coming weeks, Texas Thunder Speedway will be auctioning off a chance to ride in one of the Texas Twister cars, with a local driver behind the wheel. Scheduled drivers include two former track and regional champions, P J Egbert and Keith White. Minimum bid starts at $25

Egbert Edges out Ketteman on Last Lap for Win
Despite having his wins streak snapped, Copperas Cove’s P J Egbert has still been hotter than the Texas weather. This week Egbert got a couple breaks with cautions and capitalized on the opportunity. Egbert ran down race-long leader Ben Ketteman, made a last lap charge, held on after getting banged and snatched the victory only leading ½ of the last lap.

The 20-car, 20-lap IMCA Modified main, featuring no less than five former track and three IMCA Regional champions, was paced to green by Joey Craig and George Lamphere jr. Craig and Ben Ketteman ran side by side out of turn 2, with three wide racing in the pack for sixth. Ketteman got the advantage, but one of the track champions, Pat McGuire rolled to stop on the back stretch to bring out yellow and a complete restart.

The second try saw Craig lead into turn 1, but Ketteman come out of turn 2 with the point and Allen Waltermire moving up to second. In the pack it was three wide for fifth, with Allen Essenburg, another one of the champs, getting the position. Essenburg then charged past Lee Chasse and Craig for third. P J Egbert was also on the move running three wide with Gerald Helmandollar and Hardy Henderson for fourth. After taking the spot, P J Egbert ran down Essenburg to get third on lap 5, followed by Henderson.

Ketteman had built a huge lead by lap 6 as he caught the back of the pack. Trevor Egbert caught and got along side Essenburg as they battled for fifth. Henderson, another one of those past champs, wrestled third away from P J Egbert on lap 8. At the crossed flags it was Ketteman still far out front, Waltermire, Henderson and P J Egbert side by side for third, with T. Egbert rounding out the top five.

A fight for second began on lap 11 when lapped traffic closed the gaps between Waltermire, Henderson and the Egbert’s. Yellow waved on lap 12 when Helmandollar, Brad Jordan and Jason Bernal tangled on the front stretch leaving Helmandollar sideways in front of the charging pack, including the second place battle. The caution erased Ketteman’s big lead, but he still had two lapped cars as buffers for the restart.

As green waved again, Ketteman got a good jump, with P J Egbert moving up to second, while Henderson blew up running third and rolled to the infield. This moved T. Egbert to third with Essenburg now fourth. Ketteman had inched out to a five car length advantage when Chasse spun in turn 2 for another caution. This put P J Egbert on Ketteman’s bumper when green came back out. T. Egbert got the drop on cousin P J sneaking by in turns 1-2 for second, but P J recovered getting the spot back in turns 3-4

P J Egbert chased Ketteman down and had just gotten inside when yellow waved for Bill Lecompte stopped on the back stretch. Ketteman got out by two car lengths once back to green, but P J Egbert closed back in quickly setting up the shootout in the final laps. Coming to take the white flag, P J Egbert tried the high side out of turn 4, but dove in low going into turns 1-2. The two ran wheel to wheel down the back stretch with P J Egbert getting the advantage in turn 3. Ketteman tried to dive back under banging doors in turn 4. At the checkers it was P J Egbert in the Egbert Motorsports, Greg May Chevrolet, D&D Cabinets, Phils Paint & Body, Pro Image Sign & Graphics, Pflugerville Machine, Abilene Powder Coating, Lingo Race Engines, Hoffman Chassis, stealing the victory, his 81st feature win .

“Whoever the first on to cross the finish line is, is all that matters.” commented Egbert. “It doesn’t matter what lap you take the lead on. We got a couple lucky breaks tonight with cautions. That’s what paid off the most. I just owe it to my sponsors, my dad, my uncle who’s the main wrench on the car, my cousin J P (Dowell) who helps me out with fuel, and a lot of my friends that help me during the week. That’s part of the key, maintenance and not breaking during the night.”

“Points-wise we pretty much have Killeen wrapped up, by almost 100 points. I struggled in Waco(Heart O Texas) early but we’ve picked a lot over the past few weeks. With my win Friday night I’m only one out of the points lead there. We’ve closed in on Scotty(Brown) for the national points, but I just take it race by race and race to have fun.”

“Nothing has been going wrong,” added Egbert regarding his winning streak being snapped. “Last week David Goode was overdue for a win. He’s a nice guy, treats everyone out here good and races clean, so he deserved to win.”

Dodge Country IMCA Modifieds
1. 707 P J Egbert
2. 37 Ben Ketteman
3. 78 Trevor Egbert
4. 21 Allen Essenburg
5. 7j Jason Batt
6. 555x Joey Craig
7. 52 Ken Old
8. 35 Wayne Walker
9. 066 Jason Bernal
10. F5 James Cochran
11. 107 David Goode
12. 3j Brad Jordan
13. 247 Bill Lecompte
14. 49 Lee Chasse
15. 50 Gerald Helmandollar
16. 19 George Lamphere jr.
17. 63 Hardy Henderson
18. 44 Allen Waltermire
19. 70 Chris Perry
20. 9 Pat McGuire

IMCA Modified heat winners, 21 Allen Essenburg, 707 P J Egbert, 555x Joey Craig

White Right in Sportmod Main
Former IMCA Southern Sportmod champion, Keith White is a man on a mission this year. After surrendering his title last year, White has been taking it out on his competitors all season long. Tonight would be another example as White busted to the front, led every lap, adding another win to his total.

Eric Tomlinson beat polesitter Mike Autrey into turn 1 at the start of the IMCA SSM main. White quickly charged to the front getting by Tomlinson to lead lap 1. P J Egbert got by Tomlinson on lap 1, but Tomlinson fought back getting along side on lap 2. The two continued to battle it out with Tomlinson getting the spot.

By lap 5 the top four had separated out and pulled away from Autrey and Mitch Tierney battling for fifth. At halfway it was White, Egbert, Tomlinson, Scott Tacker and Autrey in the top five. White ran up on traffic with five to go, but easily sliced and diced his way through, maintaining his lead.

In the final laps Egbert was able to close in on Tomlinson for second as they ran up on slower traffic. Up front it White sailing away in the Traceys Auto Sales, All Tex Cabling, Braka Operating, TCI, D&S Painting, Belton Pipe & Steel, Pflugerville Engine & Machine, Big Chief Chassis to grab the win.

“We know this track pretty good, that’s for sure,” said White. “The car has been good everywhere we’ve gone, not just here. I always want to get the front as fast as I can, but I also pick and my spots to make moves. I try to find my spots and know where I can get by them. I know all the drivers here, too. When you go to a track that don’t know, you watch the heat races and see how they are. It’s not just racing the track. It’s knowing what the other drivers are doing, too.”

“Steve Hayes(Braka Operating) has stepped up this year and helped me a ton. TCI Transmissions came on board a month ago and there’s a few people behind the scenes that help us out. Eddie(Martin) has been awesome. We’ve got a new Big Chief Chassis coming in a week or two. His tech support is great. He’s just waiting for phone call anytime, from anyone.”

“We were thinking about the race in Pleasanton(I-37 Raceway) next weekend for the added money. I wanted to get that money, but at the same time I don’t think it would be right for me to run off. They need to keep the cars here, they need to keep a show here. I’m going to stay an support it if that’s what I need to do. It’s sort of a catch 22. You don’t want to run off from the guys that help you keep car count here, but it might give them break and chance to win.”

Danny’s Transmission IMCA Southern Sportmods,
1. 1 Keith White
2. 45t Eric Tomlinson
3. 707 P J Egbert
4. 7 Scott Tacker
5. 10 Mike Autrey
6. 23 Shad Stevens
7. 48 Mitch Tierney
8. 36 Tim Foster
9. 65 Randy Doyle
10. 107 David Goode jr.
11. 44x Joe O’Bryan
12. 05 Ryan Anderson

IMCA SSM Heat winner, 10 Mike Autrey

The 15-car, 15-lap IMCA Stock Car main was led to green by Chuck Hatfield and Joey Craig. With the two staying side by side, Jason Batt tried to find a hole in middle but thought better and fell back in line. Hatfield was able to lead lap 1, but now had Batt and Michael Walter challenging. It was three wide for the lead with Walter getting by on the back stretch, and Batt taking second.

Batt and Walter were door to door on lap 3, with Batt leading lap 4. The two continued to stay tied at the door posts, with Walter leading on lap 5. Behind the two leaders, Ronnie Ellis jr, David Dunn and Eric Jones had moved up to fill third through fifth at halfway.

By lap 10, Walter was now stretching out his lead over Batt who was being challenged by Ellis. Ellis got the spot as Batt began to fall back. Batt gave up fourth to Dunn on lap 12, then fifth to Jones a lap later. As the checkers waved it was Walter cruising to the victory in the TTD Bookkeeping, Ultimate Sportsbar, Candy Shop, TNT Construction sponsored IMCA Stock Car.

Dan Corbin & Assoc. IMCA Stock Cars
1. 107 Michael Walter
2. 124 Ronnie Ellis jr.
3. 24d David Dunn
4.84x Eric Jones
5. 9j Jason Batt
6. 38 Daniel Shipler
7. 27 Joseph Charnock
8. 712 Colton Monroe
9. 8 Buck Owens
10. 3 Robin Rasmussen
11. 19m Bran Schoenbaum sr.
12. 31 Chuck Hatfield
13. 23 Shad Stevens
14. 44x Joe O’Bryan
15. 555 Joey Craig

IMCA Stock car heat winners, 107 Michael Walter, 9j Jason Batt

On the initial start of the Street Stock feature, polesitter Dennis Simmons jumped out front, but Dean Silva spun collecting Chuckie Nourse, Jeff Courier, Eric Jones and Brian Mendenhall. After pit stops, all but Nourse were able to continue. On the second start, Simmons again jumped ahead with two and three wide racing in the field. Tim Carmen jr was the benefactor moving up to third then snagging second from Justin Wierenga on lap 1.

Yellow waved on lap 2 when Kevin Ashley broke an axle and spun in turn 2. On the restart, Danny Dunn got past Clint Williams for fourth. Simmons spun on lap 4 allowing Carmen to catch him and get along side. Carmen grabbed the top spot on lap 6, leaving Simmons, Wierenga and Dunn nose to tail for second. Dunn got around Wierenga for second while Jones worked his back to fifth.

Caution came out again on lap 9 when Ken Plonsky failed to negotiate turn 1 ending up in the weeds on top of the hill. Once back to green, Carmen pulled ahead of Dunn. Jones and Wierenga then battled door to door for two laps before Jones could secure the spot on lap 12. Out front Carmen was still increasing his margin running off to take the win in the Hanks Tire & Muffler, Stacy Carmen, Metal Gore Construction, Nightmare Graphics, Nifty 50′s Cafe, Richard Connell, Bravo Transportation sponsored car.

Cleo Bay Honda Street Stocks
1. 0 Tim Carmen jr.
2. 63 Danny Dunn
3. 84x Eric Jones
4. 22w Justin Wierenga
5. 35 Chris Wilkinson
6. 3 Clint Williams
7. 88 Brian Mendenhall
8. 30 Bobby Norton
9. 19r Dean Silva
10. 4 Ken Plonsky
11. 83 Dennis Simmons
12. 65 Jeff Courier
13. 2 Kevin Ashley
14. 007 Chuckie Nourse

Street Stock Heat winners, 83 Dennis Simmons, 0 Tim Carmen jr.

Budweiser Texas Twisters

Kevin Yagalla jumped into the lead of the first Texas Twister feature, with J D Hardcastle taking second and a three wide battle for third. Hardcastle got by K. Yagalla for the lead on lap 4 but began to slow giving the lead back to K. Yagalla on lap 5. Hardcastle then lost second to T J Yagalla and fourth to Carl Fitzgerald.
Hardcastle’s car finally gave up as he pulled to the infield. T J Yagalla was able to close in on K. Yagalla in the final laps, but never get close enough to mount a series challenge. At the checkers it was the Yagalla Motorsports team with the 1-2 finish as Kevin took the win.

Feature #1
1. 77y Kevin Yagalla
2. 190 T J Yagalla
3. 23 Michael Hilliard
4. 2k Kevin Ashley
5. 148 Trent Dalton
6. 573 Billy McCloud
7. 72 T J Jacobs
8. 829 J D Hardcastle
9. b-52 Steven Crossley

10 Carl Fitzgerald—Did not go to tech

The second Texas Twister feature looked more like a motorized pin ball game as cars bounced off each other and the wall. Carl McConnell grabbed the early lead with three and four wide racing behind him. Aaron White, Randy Doyle, Aaron Headrick and David Holt put on a good show as they swapped position and paint. That fight saw Holt and Headrick get together sending Holt up on the wall and nearly over. White and Doyle continued their battle as they began to challenge McConnell as well. White was able to get by a sideways McConnell on lap 12 and build a comfortable margin for the win

Feature #2
1. 12 Aaron White
2. 13s Carl McConnell
3. 65 Randy Doyle
4. 37 James Deane
5. 118 David Holt
6. 4 Don Rea
7. 100 Ernest Martinez

16 Aaron Headrick—BF rough driving

66 N/A—BF rough driving
10. 14 Brent Dalton—Did not go to tech

Polesitter, Mike Autrey beat Tim Foster into turn 1 for the lead of the IMCA Southern Sportmod main, with Mitch Tierney, Mike McDougal and Kenny Ware three wide for second. McDougal got spot and closed in on Autrey while Ware and Eric Tomlinson got by Tierney. Ware, using the high side, took second briefly from McDougal on lap 3. McDougal retook the spot, with Tomlinson getting along side Ware for third.

Ware then charged back getting the best of McDougal, then Autrey to grab the point on lap 6. McDougal took over second as Autrey began to fade with a flat tire. Just as the battle for the lead heated up with Ware, McDougal and Tomlinson three abreast for the top spot, yellow flew for debris on the front stretch. Once back to green, Tomlinson dove inside Ware, and after quick side by side run, Tomlinson snagged the lead on lap 9.

McDougal and Ware were now wheel to wheel for second as current points leader and former track champ, Keith White and Greg Atwood ran side by side for fourth. White continued his charge getting by Ware for third on lap 10, followed by Atwood and Shad Stevens.

David Goode jr spun on lap 11 with a flat bring out a caution and rebunching the field. On green, White edged around McDougal for second as the top three got away clean. Atwood joined the trio with two to go, as White closed in on Tomlinson. As the white flag waved, White made a deep dive into turn 1 on Tomlinson, but came up short with Tomlinson holding on for the win in the BG Products, Nightmare Grafix, Greens Automatic Transmissions, Holt Cat of Waco, Outlaw Race Engines sponsored SSM.

Danny’s Transmission IMCA Southern Sportmods
1. 45t Eric Tomlinson
2. 1 Keith White
3. 224 Mike McDougal
4. 23x Greg Atwood
5. 10 Mike Autrey
6. 83K Kenny Ware
7. 48 Mitch Tierney
8. 9 Olin Dillard
9. 23 Shad Stevens
10. 36 Tim Foster
11. 14 Gary Thomas
12. 107 David Goode,Jr
13. 05 Ryan Anderson

Heat winners, 83K Kenny Ware, 1 Keith White

Killeen, Tx., (April 12th, 2008) Budget Pick-n-Pull sponsored the nights activities that included the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Southern Sportmods, IMCA Stock Cars, and Texas Twisters as part of Texas Thunder Speedway’s regular program. Tonight’s added attraction was the Southern States Midget Association.

A long time staple around tracks in the Midwest, the class now somewhat a dying breed, especially in Texas feature the horsepower of a dragster, combined with the weight of a feather. These mainly 4 cylinder dynamo’s sail around the track at incredible speeds, thrilling the fans.

Pardo Posts First Ever SSMA Victory

Doug McCune used a good jump at the start of the 15-lap Southern States Midget Association feature race. Heat winer, Evan Pardo moved along and past Brandon Moellier for second and quickly caught McCune for the lead. Pardo got past McCune on the backstretch for the lead on lap 4, while Danny Burke got around Moellier for third.

Aaron Kirk took fourth from Moellier on lap on lap 5. At halfway it was Pardo, opening up his lead, McCune, Burke, Kirk and Moellier in the top five. Kirk closed in on Burke for third and began to look inside. Kirk and Burke then went three wide splitting a slower car, with Kirk getting the spot. Pardo had nearly a half track lead on McCune as the white as shown and easily ran to the checkers unchallenged to pick up his first ever SSMA feature win.

Southern States Midgets Association(unofficial)
1. 54E Evan Pardo
2. 9 Doug McCune
3. 54 Aaron Kirk
4. 15 Danny Burke
5. 39 Brandon Moellier
6. 33 Glen Devore
7. 2 Jerrod Ponder
8. 18 Bud Carroll
9. o Johnny Murdock
10. 98 Kenny Sharpless
77 Matt DeWitt—DNS
74 Marshall Pina—DNS

Heat winners, 54e Evan Pardo, 77 Matt DeWitt

PJ Puts Another Win in Resume

Multi-time track champion, IMCA Modified Rookie f the Year and Regional Champion, P J Egbert added yet another win to his impressive totals. P J Egbert, who started outside row 5, worked his way through the field and got the top spot just before halfway. After a late race caution, P J Egbert had to hold off the challenge of class newcomer, Benji Kirkpatrick to core yet another win.

Jacob Dunn and Brain Killingsworth paced the full field of 24 cars to green for the 20-lap main event. Killingsworth was first into turn 1 to grab the lead, while Andrew Simmerman got by Ben Ketteman and Dunn for second. P J Egbert started his march to the front early taking spots from Allen Essenburg and Pat McGuire for fifth on lap 1. Simmerman caught Killingsworth on lap 2 and began his challenge. In he pack, McGuire, Kirkpatrick and Trevor Egbert worked their way past Dunn.

The yellow waved on lap 4 after Jason Batt and Cham Savage made heavy contact on the front stretch, putting Batt on the trailer and Savage to the hot pits for repairs. On the restart, P J Egbert blasted past Ketteman and Simmerman for second, with Kirkpatrick moving up to fourth. P J Egbert tried to duck inside Killingsworth on lap 5, while Kirkpatrick got by Simmerman for third. Killingsworth and P J Egbert were side by side on lap 6, as P J Egbert eased into the lead on lap 7.

Kirkpatrick, Simmerman and Ketteman followed as Killingsworth got out of the groove on the soft high side. P J Egbert then began to inch away, while Ketteman and Simmerman ran wheel to wheel for third. At the crossed flags it was P J Egbert, Kirkpatrick, Simmerman, Ketteman and Killingsworth running the top five. Kirkpatrick closed the gap on P J Egbert, and tried a move in turn 1 that didn’t work causing him to loose ground and letting Ketteman close on him.

Defending track champ, McGuire spun with a low tire in turn 3 to bring out a caution and erase P J Egbert’s big lead. On the restart, Killingsworth, T. Egbert and Jason Hoffman tangled in turn 4 to bring the yellow quickly back out. Once back to green, Kirkpatrick hung on to P J Egbert’ rear bumper, while Arlen Essenburg got a huge jump moving up numerous spots. On the last lap Kirkpatrick tried on last “win it or wear it” move that came up short giving P J Egbert clear sailing to the checkers in the D&D Cabinetry, Phil’s Motorsports, Pro Image Signs & Graphics, Greg May Honda, Connell Chevrolet, Lingo’s Race Engines, Trevor’s Escort Service, Hoffman Chassis.

“It’s pretty much like the same routine every weekend” said Egbert. “ We probably need to rename the track after me. The car works real well here and I’ve probably got more laps around here than anyone, except maybe Ken Old. I just love going fast, and that’s what I try to do every weekend.”

“We going to give it a shot at chasing the National and Regional points titles and see how it goes. However it ends up is how it ends up.”

“If the opportunity came about to move up or maybe go pavement racing I would do it. As far as our budget goes this is about it for us. We’ve never looked into anything else.”

Dodge Country IMCA Modifieds
1. 707 P J Egbert
2. 47 Benji Kirkpatrick
3. 15 Andrew Simmerman
4. 357 Brian Killingsworth
5. 52 Ken Old
6. 19 George E. Lamphere Jr.
7. 247 Bill Lecompte
8. 49 Lee Chasse
9. 21 Allan Essenburg
10. 37 Ben Ketteman
11. 78 Trevor Egbert
12. 00 Jason Hoffman
13. 9 William P. McGuire
14. C4 Cham Savage Jr.
15. 63 Hardy Henderson
16. 35 Wayne Walker
17. 82 Rick Green
18. 23Greg Atwood
19. 107 David Goode
20. 93 Jacob Dunn
21. 7J Jason Batt
22. 44 Allen Waltermire
23. 28 Neil Floyd
24. 7 J D Schleis

Heat winners, 47 Benji Kirkpatrick, 717 P J Egbert, 21 Allen Essenburg

Bogard Best in I-Stock Bash

The 15-car, 15-lap IMCA Stock Car main saw new father, Jason Batt grab the lead from the outside front row, with two and three wide racing in the pack. On lap 1 Daniel Shipler and Peter Delevan were side by side for second, while Michael Walter, Ronnie Ellis jr and Jason Bogard ran three wide for fourth. Shipler got the spot on lap 2 followed by Bogard and Walter on lap 3. Lap 4 saw Shipler spin trying to hold off Bogard and Walter at the same time Eric Jones had his motor expire on the back stretch.

On the restart, Ellis looked inside in turn 1 , but a spin by Joseph Charnock brought the field back under yellow. Ellis tried to repeat his move on the restart, but had problems and pulled off. Walter then began a challenge on Batt looking inside on lap 6. Walter got inside Batt on lap 7 with Walter getting by at the line. Batt tried a crossover move and dive under Walter, but Batt got into the side of Walter breaking the right front suspension and allowing Bogard to sneak by into the lead.

Bogard, David Dunn and Shad Stevens now ran nose to tail for the top spot n lap10. Stevens took a side trip through the infield on lap 11, with Walter moving up to third. Coming to the white flag, Bogard had a slight five-car margin over Dunn and was able to grab the victory in the Smith Construction, Cullen Dixon Trucking sponsored I-Stock

Dan Corbin & Associates IMCA Stock Cars
1. 3m Jason Bogard
2. 24D David Dunn
3. 107 Michael Walter
4. 23 Shad Stevens
5. 712 Colton Monroe
6. 8 Buck Owens
7. 98 Peter Delevan
8. 44x Joe O’Brien
9. 31 Chuck Hatfield
10. 43 Jesse James Cox jr.
11. 9J Jason Batt
12. 124 Ronnie Ellis Jr.
13. 27 Joseph Charnock
14. 38 Daniel B. Shipler
15. 84x Eric Jones

Heat winners, 38 Daniel Shipler, 107 Michael Walter

Dennis Simmons out-raced Joey Craig into turn 1 for the lead of the 19-car, 15-lap Street Stock feature. Eric Jones moved from mid pack to second, with Anthony Otken and Ty Hawkey getting by Craig for third and fourth. Jones caught Simmons for the lead on lap 5, while, point leader, Chris Florio and Tim Carmen jr. got past Craig, headed to the front.

Jones got around Simmons for the lead on lap 7, while Otken, Hawkey and Carmen tried three wide for third. Simmons night ended on lap 9 when he went up in smoke and rolled to a stop to bring out a yellow. On the restart, Hawkey got by Otken, but in the pack Albert Wininger jr got turned around after contact with Dean Silva. When green waved again, Hawkey repeated his move with Carmen getting along side Otken. The two ran door to door on lap 10, before Carmen grabbed the spot.

With Jones easing away up front, Florio moved in on Otken , taking the position on lap 12. In the final laps, Hawkey and Carmen battled for the runner-up spot with the duo side by side with one to go. At the checkers it was Jones in the Danny’s Transmissions, Garmins Automotive car taking the win.

Cleo Bay Honda Street Stocks
1. 84x Eric Jones
2. 0 Tim Carman Jr
3. 21 Chris Florio
4. 489 Anthony Otken
5. 35 Chris Wilkinson
6. 007 Chuckee Nourse
7.555 Joey Craig
8. 4 Ken Plonsky
9. 40 Albert Wininger, Jr.
10 .22W Justin Wierenga
11. 19R Dean Silva
12. 2 Kevin Ashley
13. 96V Richard Valentine
14. 88 Brain Mendenhall
15. 83 Dennis Simmons
16. 30 Bobby Norton
17. 09 Chuck Hatfield
18. 3 Clint Williams
19. 17 Ty Hawkey–Tech
148 Ryan Anderson—DNS
63 Danny Dunn—DNS

Heat winners, 489 Anthony Otken, 83 Dennis Simmons, 17 Ty Hawkey

Kent Brown was the early leader in Texas Twister race number 1, with a four wide battle for second. Noah Wearmouth took over the lead on lap 2 as the top four put distance on the pack. Matt Fitzgerald moved by Brown, then Wearmouth to get the point on lap 7. From there Fitzgerald edged away from the field to take the victory.

Budweiser Texas Twisters
Feature #1
1. 77 Matt Fitzgerald
2. 2 Larry Tuerck
3. 72 Tommy Jacobs
4. 12 Aaron White
5. 573 Billy McCloud
6. 351L Douglas Lind
7. 77y Kevin Yagalla
8. 8 Charlie Laidley
9. 829 J D Hardcastle
10. 00 Taylor Fuller
11. 10 Carl Fitzgerald
12. 254 Kent Brown
13. 1900 Amy Lisenbe
14. 353 Noah Wearmouth
15. 20 Jackie Ashlock

97 Joshua Batt

351 Daniel Rediker

James Deane got the lead at the start of Texas Twister race number 2 but Shane Stevwing got sent over the back stretch hill to bring about a complete restart. Deane again jumped into the lead, but broke, handing the lead to Jason Styczynski. Randy Doyle worked his way through the field and got past Styczynski for the point on lap 6, with Gage Fuller moving into second. Doyle and Fuller then put on a good battle for the win, with Fuller completing the pass on the last to snag the trophy.

Feature #2
1. 91 Gage Fuller
2. 65 Randy Doyle
3. 4 Don Rea
4. 01 Cole Bennett
5. 10A Shane Stevwing
6. 23 Michael Hilliard
7. 217 Larry Dunham
8. 241 Jason Styczynski
9. 404 Nate Cullifer
10. 8c Candace Laidley
11. 37 James Deane
12. 2K Kevin Ashley
13. 2x Jacob Wininger
14. 118 David Holtz
15. 190 T J Yagalla
16. 16 Aaron Headrick
17. 05 Angela Gardner
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Killeen, Tx.(April 14, 2007) Cold, blustery conditions didn’t deter over 100 race teams from signing in to the pits as Texas Thunder Speedway resumed it’s racing after losing night to snow the previous week. Diehard fans huddled together to watch their favorites in action, along with the Southern States Midget Association as they competed on the high-banked 1/4 dirt track. The winds made for tricky track conditions with the turns 3-4 going dry slick and dusty early, while the leeward end retained it’s moisture.

Shad Stevens would lead flag to flag in the IMCA Southern SportMod main, but it wouldn’t be an easy win. Stevens got out front going into turn 1, while Robert Williams and Brandon Stewart battled side by side for second. PJ Egbert got by Kenny Ware on lap 1 for fourth then got loose in turn in turn 3 backing up the field. Two-time defending IMCA Southern SportMod champ, Keith White got around Kevin Green and Ware to take fifth on lap 2.

White then tried a slide job on Egbert going into turn 1 that came up a little short with the two making contact and White falling to eighth. By lap 5 Stevens had built a big lead over Williams, Stewart, Egbert and K. Green. White then began moving back up, getting a good battle with Ware for sixth. Yellow waved on lap 8 when TJ Green got into Ware sending him around in turns 3-4. Under Yellow Stewart pulled off from the third spot..

On the restart, Egbert got past Williams for second as Stevens held the point. White then got by Williams for third and was back on Egbert’s bumper. White again tried the slide job on Egbert, but backed off when contact was eminent. Williams slipped up on lap 11 with K. Green getting the fourth spot. In the final laps Egbert closed in on Stevens and twice got a run on him trying to dive low out of turn 4. Stevens held steady and was able fend off the challenges to take the checkers in the Anderson Auto Salvage, Cen-Tex Motorsports, All Sports Trophy, Vinyl & Graphics by White, Bobs Paint and Body, Smileys Chassis, powered by a motor built by his father.
“It went pretty good ,” said Stevens. “We’ve had DNF’s all year long and we finally finished a race. We just happened to be in front. We’ve done some work on the car trying to get it turn and work good. BJ Dulock at Cen-Tex Motorsports has given me a lot of help.”
“There’s really only one game I’ve got and that’s just what I bring to the track”added Stevens about having to step up with drivers like PJ Egbert and Keith White in his class. “I don’t have the pocketbook some of the guys have and just do the best I can.”

Danny’s Transmissions IMCA Southern SportMods
1 23 Shad Stevens
2 707 PJ Egbert
3 1 Keith White
4 5D Kevin Green
5 02 Robert Williams
6 55 TJ Green
7 224 Mike McDougal
8 45T Eric Tomlinson
9 14c Calvin Schoenfeld
10 40 Albert Wininger jr
11 66 Johnny Torres
12 83K Kenny Ware
13 0 Tim Carmen jr
14 23G Luke Genovese
15 2 Brandon Stewart
107 David Goode—DNS