With just two weeks remaining in the 2018 Thursday Night Thunder season, the competition continues to heat up at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
The Beetle Bug Varsity division was the first division to take to the track on Thursday night, with Jon Talbot taking the early lead in the 15-lap feature.
Racing veteran, Gerard Cote, made his return to the track, breaking the top 5 on lap 4.
There was a 4-car breakaway at the front of the pack by the halfway point of the race, with Ray Phillips clearing Jeff Walker for third on lap 8. Phillips later got sideways on lap 13 in turn 1, powering Walker back into the spot.
Jon Talbot took home the victory, adding another “W” to his win column in the Varsity division. Ed Johnson, Ray Phillips, Jeff Walker and Gerard Cote rounded out the top five.
Mike “Brick” Ramsey took off with the early lead in the 25-lap Mad Bomber Varsity feature. Racing veteran, Lyman McKeage, was all over him for the lead by lap 3.
Mike Dearden and Steve Taylor made contact on lap 7, resulting in Dearden taking a spin in turn 1. The incident led to the first caution of the night.
Lyman McKeage took off with the lead on the restart, stealing the top spot away from Ramsey.
Seth Leeman took a spin on lap 10 in turn 4, yet the field remained green.
By lap 15, McKeage had extended his lead to 1/2 of a straightaway over the rest of the field.
Jason Gammon and Mike Ramsey made contact on the front stretch on lap 22 while battling for position. Both drivers managed to hold onto their positions while Lyman McKeage powered into his second win of the season.
Mike Ramsey, Jason Gammon, Chris Burgess and Todd Libby rounded out the top five.
Next up on the agenda was the Mighty Trucks division, where Jeff Gillette sailed off with the early lead.
Will Potter took a hard spin on the front stretch on lap 2, backing into the wall. Potter was able to get going after the incident as the field remained green.
After battling for position with Dave Lamson for a handful of laps, Keith Petrin finally captured the runner-up spot on lap 7.
Will Potter took another spin on lap 10 in turn 4, collecting Brad Weismann. The incident led to the first caution of the feature.
Keith Petrin began closing in on Jeff Gillette on the restart, but Gillette managed to hold him off and capture the victory once again. Jared Kimball, Dave Lamson and Mark Grantham rounded out the top five.
Nicole Bell and Taylor Graffam were head-to-head for the first few laps of the 20-lap Ladies League feature, with Graffam finally pulling away on lap 4.
Betty Nelson was on the move in the early laps of the race, breaking the top 3 on lap 5 and later, powering into the runner-up spot on lap 9.
Laura McKeage was on a quest to the top of the leader board, clearing Betty Nelson for second on lap 12, going from the rear to second in just 12 short laps.
By lap 18, Laura McKeage was all over Taylor Graffam for the lead. The two drivers made contact on lap 19 in turn 4 battling for the top spot, which is when Graffam had the misfortune of blowing her engine.
Laura McKeage took home yet another victory, further solidifying her points lead in the division. Betty Nelson, Jenna Webster, Nicole Bell and Holly Gain rounded out the top five as the race ended under yellow-checkered conditions.
The Street Devils division made its return to Beech Ridge on Thursday, with Rob Flaherty pulling away with the early lead in the 15-lap feature.
The #51 of Paul Goodrich was on the move early, breaking into the runner-up spot on lap 5.
Flaherty was a rocket from the very beginning, pulling away by a full straightaway by the halfway mark.
Darryl Quinlan and Trevor Dore began battling it out for third on lap 10, with neither driver giving up an inch to the other.
Rob Flaherty sailed into the checkered, taking home his second victory of the season.
While Paul Goodrich finished in the runner-up spot, Blake Berry managed to sneak his way into third place while Darryl Quinlan and Trevor Dore continued to battle it out until the very last second. Quinlan wound up with the spot, with Dore rounding out the top five.
Chris Burgess took off with the early lead in the 25-lap Legends feature.
Austin Teras was on fire in the early laps of the race, briefly stealing the lead away from Burgess on lap 3. Burgess quickly stole it back, but Teras was back in the lead by lap 7.
Austin Teras was still in control with ten laps to go, showing strength at the top of the leader board.
Kevin Girard, Jr. was on the move in the closing laps of the race, challenging Tylar Braunscheweig for third on lap 21. While Girard advanced position, Teras continued to pull away from the field.
Teras sailed away with the victory, continuing his winning season in the Legends division. Chris Burgess, Kevin Girard, Jr., Matt Grant and Matt Bourgoine rounded out the top five.
The points race was heating up in the Beetle Bug Junior Varsity division, where Chris Case and Brandon Lizotte were completely tied up for the points lead entering the evening.
Jim Emmons fell to the back of the pack on the initial start as Robert Taylor pulled away with the early lead.
Max Dolliver came out of nowhere in the early laps of the race, powering from the rear of the field to third by lap 3. He continued his pursuit to the front, stealing away the lead from Robert Taylor on lap 5.
Brandon Lizotte zipped through the field, climbing up to fourth on lap 7.
Drown Excavation sponsored driver, Derrick Drown, led a great side-by-side battle for the runner-up spot with Robert Taylor for the better half of the race, showing strength in his #16 machine after a very trying rookie season.
Brandon Lizotte and Alex Parechanian broke up their battle on lap 14, stealing the runner-up and third spot.
Chris Case was on a move in the closing laps of the race, finally breaking the top 5 on lap 18.
Max Dolliver pulled away with the victory, achieving back-to-back wins in the division. Brandon Lizotte took home the runner-up spot, extending his points lead to six points over Chris Case. Derrick Drown came away with the fourth spot, capturing his first top-five finish of his career. Chris Case rounded out the top five.
Jason Ricker took off with the early lead in the final feature of the night, the 25-lap Mad Bomber Junior Varsity feature.
Dan Collins was a rocket from the beginning of the feature, making his way to Ricker’s outside on lap 4.
As Ricker and Collins battled it out side-by-side at the front of the field, Cam Jones joined the battle for the lead on lap 8.
Rich Maynard took a spin on lap 9 in turn 3, leading to the first caution of the feature.
Jason Ricker got a big jump on the restart, but Cam Jones finally took the lead on lap 10.
Garrett Lamb was on the move mid-race, powering into the fourth spot on lap 10 after starting at the tail of the field.
Kyle Gailloux made his way through the field quickly, filing into the runner-up spot on lap 13.
Dave Bouchard and Holly Gain both went around on lap 21 in turn 3, leading to a late-race caution.
Tom Lovejoy, Jr. broke into the top 5 on the restart after battling his way to the front of the field all race. He made contact with Jason Ricker on lap 22 in turn 1 after battling it out for position, resulting in Ricker taking a spin. The field remained green as Cam Jones took home the victory.
Points leader, Garrett Lamb, Kyle Gailloux, Tom Lovejoy, Jr. and Mike Sanford rounded out the top five.
With just one week remaining in the 2018 Thursday Night Thunder season, the action is going to be red-hot next Thursday, August 23rd.
In addition to being Championship Night, next Thursday will also be Autograph Night at the Speedway.
Come out and join us as the season ends with a bang!
We hope to see you there!
Thank you again to Drown Excavation and Four Season Synthetic for their endless support for Chasing the Checkered. Contact Drown Excavation for all of your demolition and excavation needs and Four Season Synthetic for all of your oil, lube and filter needs!
