After 9 exciting weeks full of intense racing action this summer, the 2018 Thursday Night Thunder season came to a close last Thursday, August 23rd.
Jeff Walker had all but locked in his championship coming into Thursday, leading over Ed Johnson after dominating the season in the Beetle Bug Varsity division.
The final 15-lap feature of the season began with Gerard Cote taking the early lead.
Dave Stone, Jr, took a spin early, but the field remained green.
Ray Phillips was all over Gerard Cote for the lead on lap 5. Jeff Walker shortly joined the battle for the top spot and Phillips wound up taking a spin on lap 8 in turn 2. He was able to get going once again as the field remained green.
Ben Krauter and Jon Talbot got together on lap 11 in turn 2, resulting in Talbot taking a spin. The field remained green, but Krauter got himself into hot water as he spun Gerard Cote coming to the finish.
Krauter crossed the finish line first, but was later disqualified from the race due to aggressive driving. Ed Johnson was then awarded with his first feature victory of the season.
With his solid runner-up finish, Jeff Walker solidified his championship. Ed Johnson, Ben Krauter, Jon Talbot and Ray Phillips rounded out the top five in points.
Jason Gammon also had a solid points lead coming into Thursday, leading over Chris Burgess and Tom Lovejoy, Sr.
Ed McConologue took the early lead in the feature, but Mike “Brick” Ramsey was charging to the front early.
Ramsey took it 3-wide for the runner-up spot on lap 2, capturing the spot and later sliding into the lead on lap 3.
Chad Reynolds and Betty Nelson made contact on lap 4 in turn 1, resulting in a caution the following lap.
Brandon Johnson took a spin under caution, miraculously avoiding making contact with any other drivers in the field.
Tom Lovejoy, Sr. was on a rail post-caution, powering into third on lap 7. He continued his charge the following lap, breaking into the runner-up spot.
The #18 of Brian Picard found some speed mid-race, stealing the runner-up spot away from Lovejoy on lap 11. By lap 14, he was all over Ramsey for the top spot.
Jason Kennedy took a spin on lap 15 in turn 4, yet the field remained green.
After a hard-fought battle with Picard for a handful of laps, Lovejoy, Sr. stole away the runner-up spot on lap 22.
Lovejoy was able to turn Ramsey loose on the final lap, taking over the lead.
While Ramsey and Lovejoy were battling it out, Picard managed to sneak in to capture his first feature victory of the season.
Jason Gammon wrapped up his championship after a solid season in the #5 car. Chris Burgess, Tom Lovejoy, Sr., Todd Libby and Johnny Wolfe rounded out the top five in points.
Coming into Thursday night, Keith Petrin had a comfortable (yet, not safe) lead over Jared Kimball in the Mighty Trucks division.
Will Potter and Andre Gailloux made contact on the initial lap, sending Gailloux for a spin. The field remained green as Jared Kimball took over the top spot.
Points leader Keith Petrin was on the move early, powering into the third spot on lap 4.
Andre Gailloux took a hard spin on lap 6 in turn 2, nearly flipping the #25 truck. This led to the first caution of the feature.
Jared Kimball got a good jump on the restart, breaking away from the leaders at the front of the pack.
Keith Petrin continued his charge to the front, challenging Mark Grantham for the runner-up spot on lap 9. He finally cleared him for the spot on lap 14, but Jared Kimball was off and away.
Jared Kimball took home the feature victory, which was his second of the season.
Keith Petrin took home the championship, besting Kimball by ten points. Mark Grantham, Will Potter and Brad Weismann rounded out the top five in points.
Laura McKeage had a healthy points lead over her niece, Jenna Webster, coming into championship night.
Taylor Graffam took off with the early lead in the 15-lap feature.
Nicole Bell fell off the pace on lap 2, retiring the #31 car early.
Laura McKeage was hustling through the field, capturing the third spot on lap 4.
While running in the runner-up spot on lap 9, Holly Gain got sideways in turn 4. She lost some ground to Taylor Graffam at the front of the field, but was challenging her for the lead by lap 11.
Laura joined the battle on lap 12, but Taylor Graffam was able to hold off her competitors to capture her second feature victory of the season.
Laura solidified her championship with her runner-up finish, while Betty Nelson, Sara Libby and Holly Gain rounded out the top five in points.
The Street Devils also returned to the track on Thursday for their final points race of the season.
Blake Berry took off with the early lead, pulling away from the field quickly.
Trevor Dore took a hard spin on lap 1 in turn 4, hitting the sand pit in the infield. This led to the first caution of the feature.
Paul Goodrich went too high on the restart, sending Rob Flaherty into the runner-up spot.
Darryl Quinlan was quickly making his way through the field, climbing up to the third spot on lap 6.
Blake Berry was smashing the competition, extending his lead to 1/2 straightaway on lap 12.
Goodrich and Quinlan made contact in turn 1 on lap 14. Darryl Quinlan managed to save his car as Goodrich made contact with the sand pile in turn 2.
The field remained green as Blake Berry took home the feature victory. Rob Flaherty, Darryl Quinlan, Ashley Nicholson and Paul Goodrich rounded out the top five.
With his third place finish, Darryl Quinlan locked in his second consecutive championship in the division.
It was a tight points race in the Legends division coming into Thursday night, with 15-year-old Austin Teras leading the pack coming into the night.
Ryan Doucette took the early lead in the 25-lap feature while Trevor Sanborn took a hard spin in turn 4 on the initial lap. He pulled into the pits after the incident, retiring the #129 early.
Debris was discovered in turn 3 on lap 2, resulting in the first caution of the feature.
Matt Bourgoine made contact with another car on lap 10 in turn 3 while battling heavy traffic. He fell off the pace the following lap, retiring to the pits early.
Ryan Doucette and Tylar Braunschweig later made contact on lap 19 in turn 3 while battling for the top spot. Both drivers fell back after the incident, powering Teras into the lead.
Teras took home the feature victory, also securing his championship in the division.
Tylar Braunschweig, Parker Varney, Kevin Girard, Jr. and Matt Grant rounded out the top five in the feature.
The Beetle Bug Junior Varsity points race was one of the closest coming into the night, with Brandon Lizotte entering the night with a 6-point lead over the #45 of Chris Case. The two drivers also happen to be very good friends, so that made things even more interesting coming into the night.
Robert Taylor took off with the early lead in the 20-lap feature.
Derrick Drown turned him loose on lap 6 in turn 4, powering into the lead in the #16 car.
Chris Case was on a mission in the early laps of the race, breaking the top 5 on lap 8 after starting the race at the tail-end of the field.
Jim Emmons took a spin on lap 8 in turn 1, but the field remained green.
Chris Case continued his pursuit to the front on lap 12, breaking into the runner-up spot.
Lizotte, who was forced to start the race in the #28 car (which he won with week #1) after things went awry with his #14, began to spark on lap 12.
Robert Taylor and Alex Parechanian made contact on lap 14 in turn 3, sending Parechanian hard into the wall. This led to a late-race caution, and thankfully, Parechanian was able to walk away from the wreckage.
Chris Case powered into the lead on the restart as Brandon Lizotte’s troubles continued as he fell to the back of the pack.
Case was on a rail, capturing a full straightaway lead by lap 18.
With his victory, Chris Case solidified his first career championship in the Beetle Bug Junior Varsity division, followed by his competitor and friend, Brandon Lizotte.
The victory was bittersweet for Chris and the #45 team, as he lost the championship last season after falling gravely ill days before the season finale. His win was the comeback of the night, as he overcame a 6-point deficit to capture the coveted championship title.
16-year-old Garrett Lamb came into the night with a heavy points lead in the Junior Varsity Mad Bomber division. Lamb simply had to start the race to capture the title.
Dan Collins powered into the early lead in his #93 machine.
Holly Gain took a spin on lap 5 in turn 1, leading to the first caution of the feature.
Dan Collins resumed his lead, but trouble was brewing as Dylan Shores took a spin on the front stretch on lap 11, resulting in another caution.
Collins was on a mission, pulling away once more as the green flag waved.
Top points contenders Scott Eck, Devon McConologue and Tom Lovejoy, Jr. all went around on lap 14 in turn 1 while battling for position. The incident led to a mid-race caution.
The #5 of Richard Maynard blew up under caution, ending his night early.
During this extended caution period, 5 laps were added to the lap count.
As drivers battled it out for position behind him, Dan Collins was able to pull away from the competition to capture his very first feature victory of his racing career as a driver.
Garrett Lamb also became the second-youngest champion of the night, capturing the Junior Varsity title at just 16 years old.
Kyle Gailloux, Tom Lovejoy, Sr., Devon McConologue, and Scott Eck rounded out the top five in points.
Championship Night definitely did not disappoint, as we were able to see a brand new champion in every single division.
With drivers like Garrett Lamb and Austin Teras tearing up the competition at such a young age, it makes race fans optimistic about the talent pool in the future generation of drivers that we will see for years to come.
Comeback stories like Chris Case’s also show fans that giving up is never an option, and uphill battles can be overcome with a lot of drive and a little bit of luck.
Congratulations to all of the champions in all 6 divisions.
Here’s to 2019 and the many racing moments that are yet to come!
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!
