I had the opportunity to make it to Thunderbird Raceway tonight for their annual "Kids Night". Missy Barnhard has been taking on the task of organizing this event over the years. Her hard work along with the volunteers she recruits to help her with this event is always one of the highlights of the year at Thunderbird. My hats off to her and her staff. They out do themselves every year. Every child walked away with a smile on their face as they all received gifts that included everything from bicycles to remote controlled cars. A huge crowd was there to witness the nights activities.
If you have not had a chance to make it out to Thunderbird you should give it a try. The racing was great all night long. As a former driver I can tell you it is no fun to run single file all night long with only one racing groove. I could see why drivers are raving about the track conditions at Thunderbird. I don't believe I saw a single feature tonight that was won by a front row starter. Lots of passing and action. It was great for the fans, but even better for the drivers.
What I saw in the Modifieds can be described as "unbelievable". What looked like an easy win for Stan Dodds turned out to be a highlight reel performance by John McCaul. With out any cautions it looked like no one would catch Dodds who started on the pole. At one point he led by almost half the track. Not only did McCaul catch him from deep in the field he passed him before the first caution was waved with less than five laps to go. Watching John McCaul work his way through the field was worth the price of admission. McCaul's win was his ninth of the season. Greg Smith was second. Stan Dodds was third
Another great race on night was in the Mini Stocks. Youngster CJ Rector led most of the race but it was the last twenty-five feet where Mark Farber made it count the most. Coming out of turn four both drivers stayed in the gas, but it was Farber's high groove that proved to be the winning lane as he beat Rector by a bumper to pick up the Mini Stock feature.
On another note Bruce Norwick Sr hit the turn four wall as hard as anybody I have ever seen. His Bomber car had the front end bent in a 90 degree angle after the impact. Norwick was able to walk away after having his cage rattled.
Other Winners
Bombers: #26 Paul TenBrink
Warriors: #69 Jim Perry
Sportsman #16 Cody Wiesner
Factory Stock: Make-up 6/27 #72 Bill May
#57 Dan Wilson
Complete Results:
http://www.thunderbirdraceway.net/Results/7_11_09.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment