With just three weeks remaining in the 2019 race season, Thursday Thunder competitors returned to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway this past Thursday to battle it out for vital points as they near the conclusion of the season.
The Mighty Trucks division took to the track first to continue their race that was cut short the prior week due to rain. The continuation of the race was chaotic from the get-go, with Dave Lamson flipping over in turn 1 of the first (continued) lap. Luckily, Lamson was able to walk away, but the incident led to an immediate red flag.
Keith Petrin pulled away with the lead on the restart, but Jeff Gillette wrangled it away from him on lap 12. Weekly Oxford competitor, Kolby Morrell, finally broke the top 5 on lap 20, but nobody was any match for Jeff Gillette as he took home yet another victory. Keith Petrin, Jared Kimball, Kolby Morrell and Will Potter rounded out the top five.
Kiyah Gammon took off with the early lead in the first of two Ladies League feature races. Desiree Lachance faced troubles early, falling to the back of the pack in the opening laps. Taylor Graffam took a spin on lap 1 in turn 2, but the field remained green.
Holly Gain was on the move early, stealing away the lead on lap 2. Betty Nelson was on her toes, reeling her in on lap 6. By lap 10, there was a 2-car breakaway at the front of the field. Betty Nelson was all over Holly Gain on lap 12, but Holly Gain was able to hold her off, scoring her second feature victory of the 2019 season. Kaitlynn Leavitt, Sara Libby and Kiyah Gammon rounded out the top five.
Josh Knoll took off with the early lead in the 20-lap Beetle Bugs feature, but Ed Johnson was challenging him for the lead on lap 3. Darryl Quinlan faced troubles early, falling through the field on lap 6. Defending race winner, Chris Case, broke the top 4 on lap 6. He later advanced to third over Adam Warnock on lap 10 and immediately powered his way around Ed Johnson for the runner-up spot. Ed Johnson’s woes continued as he came to a slow on lap 11, heading down to the pits.
Chris Case was all over Josh Knoll for the top spot on lap 12, advancing into the lead that lap. Alex Parechanian was also on the move in the closing laps, powering into the runner-up spot over Josh Knoll on lap 18. Chris Case held off the competition, scoring yet another feature victory. Alex Parechanian, Adam Warnock, Josh Knoll and Derek McKeen rounded out the top five.
Ben Krauter, who has also picked up a handful of victories in the division over the course of the season, was notably absent from the line-up on Thursday. Krauter had an unfortunate incident in practice, making hard impact with the wall. Krauter is not believed to be able to finish out the 2019 season, which is a definite heartbreaker for Krauter and his team.
With just two weeks remaining in the season, Chris Case holds a steady 24-point lead in the point standings over Alex Parechanian. With both drivers being past champions in the division, it’ll be interesting seeing how the rest of the season plays out. Chris’ point lead is strong, but anything can happen.
Rookie competitor, Brandon Williams, took off with the early lead in the Mad Bomber JV feature. Wade Gelinas fell off-pace on lap 5, making the dreaded right-hand turn to the pits. Scott Eck was on the move in the second half of the feature, pulling to the outside of Brandon Williams on lap 14, challenging him for the top spot and taking over the lead the following lap. Eck maintained his lead, scoring his first (official) victory of the 2019 race season. Brandon Williams, Joey Israelson, Marc Beaulieu and Tom Lovejoy, Jr. rounded out the official top five.
With just two races remaining in the season, the points race in the Mad Bomber JV division remains SUPER tight, as Joey Israelson only holds a 4-point lead over Cam Jones and just 14 points separate the top 5 drivers in the division. It sure will be dog-eat-dog in this division in the closing weeks of the season.
Parker Varney powered away with the early lead in the Legends feature as Chris Burgess and Tylar Braunschweig filed in behind him. While battling it out for position, Colby Meserve and defending race winner, Austin Teras, made contact on lap 11 in turn 3, resulting in Meserve taking a spin. The incident led to the first caution of the feature.
Tylar Braunschweig took off with the lead on the restart, but Austin Teras powered into the lead with just one lap to go. Teras took home the feature victory, continuing his dominance in the division. Chris Burgess, Tylar Braunschweig, Parker Varney and Bob Weymouth followed, rounding out the top five.
After Shalene Gailloux scored her first feature victory the previous week, the Street Devils were back for more on Thursday. Paul Goodrich took off with the early lead in their feature. Trevor Dore took a spin on lap 1 in turn 4, leading to an early-race caution.
Rob Flaherty pulled off-track in turn 3 on lap 3, surrendering the lead to Tony Gibbons. Paul Goodrich was all over Gibbons for the lead by lap 9. The two drivers made hard contact in turns 3 and 4, causing Goodrich to lose some ground on Gibbons. Goodrich had a wild handling car in the final laps, as he went sideways through the dirt in turns 3 & 4 on lap 11 and lost a handful of spots. Gibbons took home the feature victory, followed by Todd Sargent, Ashley Nicholson, Shalene Gailloux and Trevor Dore.
The Street Devils hold one of the tightest point battles, as Rob Flaherty only holds a two point lead over Paul Goodrich and Todd Sargent, who are tied for second in points as Ashley Nicholson lingers closely behind them, just two points back from the two drivers. The end of the season is sure to get crazy for the Street Devils division.
After a wild tie between Tom Lovejoy, Jr. and Steve Benincasa concluded their event the previous week, the Mad Bomber Varsity division rolled on this past Thursday. Dale Alley took off with the early lead in the feature race. Kris Knox was on the move early, breaking the top five on lap 5. Brian Darling was bad fast in the early laps, challenging Dale Alley for the lead on lap 4 and later taking over on lap 9. Jason Gammon was also on the move mid-race, breaking the top five on lap 12.
Kris Knox was still moving through the field, advancing to third on lap 13. Jason Gammon was also still on the hunt, overtaking Chris Burgess for third on lap 16. After starting at the tail-end of the field, Steve Benincasa finally broke the top five on lap 18. There was a 2-car breakaway at the front of the field with just 5 laps to go. Brian Darling captured the checkered flag as Chris Burgess, Jason Gammon, Steve Benincasa and Kris Knox followed.
Brian Darling was disqualified following post-race technical inspection and Chris Burgess was awarded with the victory. Jason Gammon, Steve Benincasa, Kris Knox and Tom Lovejoy, Sr. rounded out the official top five. Johnny Wolfe still holds the point lead in the division, but Jason Gammon lingers just four points behind him. Only 13 points separate the top four drivers in the division, so don’t count any drivers out in the closing weeks of the season!
Returning competitor, Seth Drown, flew away with the early lead in the second Mighty Trucks feature. His brother, Derrick Drown, took a spin on lap 1 in turn 1, collecting Will Potter. The field remained green as both drivers were able to drive away. The two drivers made contact again on lap 3 in turn 4, leading to the first caution of the feature.
Jeff Gillette tore the lead away from Seth Drown on the restart but lost power on lap 13, which was a heartbreaking end to their race. After the incident, Jared Kimball took over the lead. Kimball maintained his lead, scoring his first feature victory of the 2019 season. Keith Petrin, Kolby Morrell, Dave Lamson and Will Potter rounded out the top five. Huge props go to Dave Lamson for perservering after his flip-over and returning for the second feature, scoring a top five finish!
Keith Petrin maintains a heavy 14-point lead over Jeff Gillette, who faced troubles this past week. But, only 16 points separate the top four drivers in the division. It’ll be interesting seeing how the points shake up in the closing weeks of the season.
Desiree Lachance took off with the early lead in the second Ladies League feature, which was the final feature race of the evening. Defending race winner, Holly Gain, slid through the infield grass in turn 4 on lap 10, falling to the back of the pack as the field remained green. Betty Nelson was on the move in the second half of the feature, advancing to third on lap 12. Kaitlynn Leavitt was all over Desiree Lachance on lap 13, hungry for the top spot. She lost some ground with two laps to go as Betty Nelson began challenging her for the runner-up spot. Nelson took away the spot with just one lap to go, but Desiree Lachance was gone, taking home her first career feature victory. Betty Nelson, Kaitlynn Leavitt, Taylor Graffam and Sara Libby rounded out the top five.
The Ladies League point standings is BY FAR the closest, with Sara Libby holding a very slim 2-point lead over Holly Gain. Taylor Graffam and Betty Nelson are just 4 points behind Holly and 6 points behind Sara, tied for third in points. Kaitlynn Leavitt lingers just two points behind them in fifth. It’s sure to be a WILD end to the season in the Ladies League!
With point races incredibly close in almost every division, the last two weeks of the 2019 race season are bound to be more intense and exhillirating than ever before.
You can catch this week’s Thursday Thunder action this coming Thursday, August 22nd. Kids 12 and under get in for free, adult admission is only $7 and the racing action begins at 7:00 pm. See you there!
Thank you to my website sponsors, Texas Roadhouse Scarborough, Four Season Synthetic and Drown Excavation. Your support is always appreciated!
