First ‘Small Car Showcase’ At Thunder Mountain Speedway Draws 109 Entries; Eddie Strada (NY6A), Tyler Walker (Wingless 600cc), Richie Hitzler (XCel Mod), Dylan Hoch (Slingshot), Don Harvey (1000cc) and Luke Kroboth (270cc) Reach Victory Lane

First ‘Small Car Showcase’ At Thunder Mountain Speedway Draws 109 Entries; Eddie Strada (NY6A), Tyler Walker (Wingless 600cc), Richie Hitzler (XCel Mod), Dylan Hoch (Slingshot), Don Harvey (1000cc) and Luke Kroboth (270cc) Reach Victory Lane

CENTER LISLE, NY – Eddie Strada and Tyler Walker led the list of ‘Small Car Showcase’ winners on Sunday afternoon at Thunder Mountain Speedway.

Strada, of South Canaan, Pa., was the NPS Tour by NY6A winged 600cc Micro-Sprint victor in the division’s 20-lap main, while North Tonawanda, N.Y.’s Walker triumphed in the wingless 600cc portion of the program. The event was the first-ever ‘Small Car Showcase’ at the three-eighths-mile, banked oval with 109 entries filling the pit area.

Strada’s NY6A score came in dramatic fashion.

Lining up behind Walker for a single-file restart on lap 17, Strada darted to the inside to take command off turn two. However, a quick yellow negated the move. On the next restart, Walker occupied the inside lane. Strada, however, powered around the outside of Walker to lead the final two laps and collect a $675 payday.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car and I’m not saying that because I won,” Strada exclaimed. “The speed was awesome. I don’t run with wings a lot, but on this size track, it was really fast.”

Strada had driven forward from seventh to challenge Walker using multiple grooves of the speedway before making the winning move.

“I got him on the bottom, then the yellow came out,” Strada said. “He moved down and I had enough of a run to drive around him.”

Walker settled for second, followed by Tatter Kysor, Jared Zionkowski and Sheldon Smith.

Walker gained redemption in the 20-lap wingless 600cc Micro-Sprint main for a $1,000 payday. Walker picked the pole position via the post-qualifying redraw and led the entire distance aboard his family owned No. 81.

“We came down here thinking our best shot would be the winged race,” Walker said afterward. “We didn’t know what to expect running wingless, but here we are. We won a thousand dollars!”

Chris Stockham narrowly held off Strada in an intense second-place battle. Johnny Smith and Kyle Coffey, son of Modified standout Vic Coffey, completed the front five.

Richie Hitzler of Lebanon, Pa., drove from eighth starting position to win the 20-lap XCel 600 Modified tour event, earning $1,000 in the process. Hitzler was able to unseat Korey Inglin for the lead just three laps from the finish. Brian Carber, who started sixth, followed Hitzler into second late in the race.

Nick Mady, driving the ‘X’ rental car, Inglin and Brian Mady completed the front five.

Defending National champion Dylan Hoch of Mertztown, Pa., won the 20-lap Slingshot main event. Via the double-heats format, Hoch earned the outside pole for the feature and led the entire distance. Hoch likened the Thunder Mountain layout to Pa.’s Grandview Speedway in Victory Lane.

Cody Kline made a late advance for second, with Brett Bieber, Demetrios Drellos and Joe Krum in tow.

Milford, N.Y.’s Don Harvey swept the weekend’s Empire Lightning Sprint events at Thunder Mountain. Harvey took the lead on lap seven and won in convincing fashion. He negotiated lapped traffic flawlessly to win by a straightaway over Peter Dance.

Walnutport, Pa., driver Luke Kroboth made his debut at Thunder Mountain a winning one in the 270cc Micro-Sprint feature. Kroboth won the event comfortably after making adjustments to his car following qualifying events.

Racing resumes on Saturday, May 9 with a complete program featuring Modifieds, Open Sportsman ($1,000 to win), Crate 602 Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman, Street Stocks, XCel 600 Modifieds and Four Cylinders. Handicapping begins to determine starting positions for week No. 3 of the 2015 season.

Gates open at 4 p.m., with hot laps at 6:20 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. Adult grandstand admission is $12. Seniors (ages 65 and up) and Students (ages 10-17) pay $10. Kids 9 and under are FREE. Pit admission is $30, with no license required.

For Thunder Mountain Speedway general information and a complete schedule, visit www.thundermtnspeedway.com. The speedway office number is 607.657.8202. On race day, call 607.849.7899. The speedway e-mail isthundermtnspeedway@gmail.com.  “Like” Thunder Mountain Speedway on Facebook or follow @thundermtnspeed on Twitter.

Thunder Mountain Speedway is located at 91 Hunts Corners Road Center Lisle, NY 13797, approximately 25 miles north of Binghamton. The three-eighths-mile clay oval features hillside concrete seating, free parking and camping, a variety of concession items and novelties, a family environment and more.

THUNDER THOUGHTS: Victory Lane is a familiar place at Thunder Mountain for the Strada family. NY6A winner Eddie Strada’s father Ed was a former Southern Tier Modified standout who had won on the Mountain….

The Slingshot field was a strong one with entries ranging from Connecticut, Long Island, Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond. Many had never seen the speedway prior to Sunday….

The NY6A winged 20-lap event was the ’15 point season opener for the touring group….

The XCel 600 Modifieds and Empire Lightning Sprints both competed on Saturday and Sunday for a doubleheader weekend on the Mountain….

Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media LLC and speedway owner Karl Spoonhower were partners on the first-time promotion….

SMALL CAR SHOWCASE RACE SUMMARY – MAY 3, 2015

NPS Tour By NY6A Feature Finish (20 Laps): EDDIE STRADA, Tyler Walker, Tatter Kysor, Jared Zionkowski, Sheldon Smith, Austin Quick, Matt Farnham, Larry Mekic, John Smith, Bill Nichols, Brian Gould, Jacob Lewczyk, Cheyenna Ling, Lisa Kratzer, Katy Noll, Adam Jones, Nate Hendrix, Jonathan Wescott, Kyle Coffey, Rich Vanderpool, Dan Knoll, Gary Page.

Did Not Start: Bill Coffey, Cory Kratzer, Mike Austin.

FREE Vahlco Wheel: Tyler Walker

Wingless 600cc Micro-Sprint Feature Finish (20 Laps): TYLER WALKER, Chris Stockham, Eddie Strada, Johnny Smith, Kyle Coffey, Larry Mekic, Austin Quick, Brian Gould, Bill Nichols, Adam Jones, Jared Zionkowski, Cheyenna Ling.

Did Not Start: Gary Page, Mike Austin.

Free Vahlco Wheel: Eddie Strada

XCel 600 Modified Feature Finish (20 Laps): RICHIE HITZLER, Brian Carber, Nick Mady, Korey Inglin, Brian Mady, Nathan Brinker, Josh Pepe, Jonathan Josko, Kamdin Maby, Jon Pepe, Billie Koch, Abby Price, Kyle Fallis, Kyle Inglin, Will Eastman, A.J. Miller, Doug Windhausen, Brian Blankenbiller, Aaron Bowes, Bud Leizear, D.J. Hunt, Shawna Schibilia, Bailey Boyd, Wyatt Harrar, Erik Boyd, Rob Compton.

Free Vahlco Bead Buster: Brian Mady

Slingshot Feature Finish (20 Laps): DYLAN HOCH, Cody Kline, Brett Bieber, Demetrios Drellos, Joe Krum, Dillon Steuer, Louden Reimert, Don Schmidt, Brian Tobey Jr., Dan Morgiewicz Jr., John Bockhorn, Donny Hockman, Steven Van Valkenburg, Henry Anderson, Tom Arntz, Corey Cormier, Caitlin Krum, Dalton Maynard, Marty Kelly III, Alan Selemba, Bob Boughton, Tanner Correia, Alex Boughton, Jordan Lawrence.

Did Not Start: Ethan Darling.

Free Vahlco Bead Buster: Louden Reimert

Empire Lightning Sprint Feature Finish (20 Laps): DON HARVEY, Peter Dance, Jerry Sehn, Shilo Boyce, Rick Stone, A.J. Prime, Don Bellen, Lou Torres, Nick DeNyse, Mike Badgley.

270cc Micro-Sprint Feature Finish (20 Laps): LUKE KROBOTH, Lance Spotts, Josh Schaffer, Brian Marriott, Alex Shaffer, Kurt Conklin, Jerry Traver, Brian McCarthy.