Mike Mahaney Outraces The Rain & Competition For Thunder Mountain Speedway Saturday Modified Conquest, His Third Of 2015; Chris Jordan (Sportsman), Brian Mady (Crate 602 Sportsman), Steven Deinhardt (Street Stock) & Tom Shiner (XCel 600 Modified) Also Win Before Rain Moves In
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Posts-Ad”]
CENTER LISLE, NY – With rain moving in, Mike Mahaney outraced the competition and the weather to win Saturday night at Thunder Mountain Speedway.
Mahaney, of King Ferry, N.Y., earned his third big-block/small-block Modified triumph of 2015 at the Center Lisle, N.Y., oval in dramatic fashion, taking the top spot just three laps from the finish of the 30-lap main. The speedway’s current point leader earned $1,200 for his efforts.
Mahaney rolled off the grid sixth for the main, while outside-pole starter Ryan Jordan shot into the lead with his family owned No. R21.
Jordan, already a two-time winner at Thunder Mountain this season, fended off the relentless attempts by rookie Colton Wilson to take over the top spot. Lap after lap, Wilson’s Pat Lynch-fielded No. 42 worked the outside lane on Jordan, unable to complete the pass.
Mahaney, meanwhile, had throttled his Olum’s-sponsored No. 77x into third and lurked just behind the leaders.
A key pass for Mahaney took place on lap 23, moments before a caution. Mahaney narrowly beat Wilson to the line, placing him behind Jordan for a single-file restart.
Following a final restart on lap 25, Mahaney shot to the inside of a rim-riding Jordan. Two side-by-side laps ensued before Mahaney surged into the top spot when Jordan’s car momentarily bobbled on the outside lane three circuits from the checkered.
“We had a really good car tonight,” Mahaney said of his Jim Shear-owned Troyer. “I didn’t know if I would have gotten Ryan (Jordan). He was rolling on the top and if he didn’t get a little too high in (turn) two that one lap, it would have been close.”
Mahaney cruised to the victory while sophomore Modified driver Jordan, of Dryden, N.Y., settled for a runner-up finish. Dryden, N.Y.’s Wilson, eighth-starter Brian Malcolm of Lake Ariel, Pa., and Chris Stull of Virgil, N.Y., completed the front five.
Mahaney complimented the wide and smooth surface prepared by speedway owner Karl Spoonhower.
“It was awesome,” he said. “You could run all over the track and go where you wanted. There wasn’t any dust. I hope it’s like this the rest of the year.”
For the second time this season, Chris Jordan of Speedsville, N.Y., was the $700 Open Sportsman victor. Jordan led every lap of the 20-lap main, but a spirited battle for second raged behind him. Ultimately, Kenny Hammond rode the top groove to the runner-up spot, followed by Kevin Jordan, Nick Mady and Larry Hillis.
In a 14-lap Crate 602 Sportsman main shortened by incoming rain, Brian Mady of Milford, Pa., was the victor, earning $500. Mady passed open-wheel rookie Isaiah Forward, a graduate of the Four Cylinder ranks, on the eighth lap and was leading when the precipitation intensified, forcing officials to throw the checkered on the event. Forward registered his best-career finish in the Crate 602 Sportsman division, placing second, with Daryl Krebs, Dustin Jordan and Shayne Spoonhower in tow.
Steven Deinhardt of Deposit, N.Y., continued his dominance of the Barrett’s Race Cars & Components Street Stock division with a $500 payday. Deinhardt appeared destined for a runner-up finish, behind Matt Spencer, until Spencer’s No. 9 went to the pits amidst a plume of steam on the 11th lap. Deinhardt then drove to victory over Donald Russell, Rich Sharpsteen, Jonathan Carpenter and Jason Beebe.
Tom Shiner raced to the win in the XCel 600 Modified 20-lap feature, his first of the year. Shiner worked past second-generation driver Doug Windhausen on the sixth lap of the main for the lead. Meanwhile, regional 600 Mod standout Will Eastman was on the charge. Eastman ran down Shiner in the final laps, diving to the inside in turns one and two on lap 18.
Eastman, however, spun to avoid significant contact with Shiner’s car. Shiner went on to win over Brian Mady, Kamdin Maby, Windhausen and Joe McCabe.
The Rookie Sportsman and Four Cylinder features were lost to the rain and will be run on August 8.
There will be no racing at the speedway on Saturday, August 1 due to a scheduled week off.
Racing continues on Saturday, August 8, with a full program to include Modifieds ($1,500 to win), Open Sportsman, Crate 602 Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman, Street Stocks, XCel 600 Modifieds and Four Cylinders. Maines Driver Training Institute will present the night’s program.
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, visitwww.thundermtnspeedway.com. The speedway office number is 607.657.8202. On race day, call 607.849.7899. The speedway e-mail is thundermtnspeedway@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: Thunder Mountain officials hustled through the program completing five of seven features before rain moved in moments after 9 p.m., ending the night….
Track conditions were ideal for Saturday’s program with dust non-existent and three-wide racing the norm. The speedway was also table-top smooth….
Jared Jordan, son of Sportsman star Chris Jordan, and Dusty Decker, son of Southern Tier icon Denny Decker, both made their debut in the growing XCel 600 Modified division….
Mike Mahaney’s victory was his 10th overall this season and ninth in Modified competition (one SpeedSTR win at Pa.’s Action Track USA)….
American Racer/Lias Tire giveaway winners were Chris Stull (fifth – Modified); Kenny Hammond (second – Sportsman); and Jonathan Carpenter (fourth – Street Stock)….
Arnie Slade returned to Modified racing in a second Mike Costello-owned No. 22 as a teammate to Chad Cook….
Dan Humes made the tow from Canaan, Conn., to compete and earned a ninth-place Modified finish….
Qualifying heat winners included Colton Wilson, Ryan Jordan and Nick Rochinski (Modified); Kevin Jordan and Nick Mady (Sportsman); Isaiah Forward and Brian Mady (Crate 602 Sportsman); Tyler Keener and Shawn Davis (Rookie Sportsman); Steven Deinhardt and Matt Spencer (Street Stock); Tom Shiner, Nick Chase and Joe McCabe (XCel 600 Modified); and Keith Potter (Four Cylinder)….
JULY 25, 2015 RACE SUMMARY
Modified Feature Finish (30 Laps): MIKE MAHANEY, Ryan Jordan, Colton Wilson, Brian Malcolm, Chris Stull, Brent Wilcox, Ken Titus, Chance Spoonhower, Dan Humes, Mike Nagel Jr., Matt Latwinski, Byron Worthing, Chad Cook, Billy Spoonhower, Randy Brokaw, Arnie Slade, Butch Green, Nick Rochinski.
American Racer/Lias Tire Giveaway (FREE Tire): Chris Stull (fifth)
Open Sportsman Feature Finish (20 Laps): CHRIS JORDAN, Kenny Hammond, Kevin Jordan, Nicholas Mady, Larry Hillis, Eric Leet, Dan Burman, Geordie Decker, Marc Goodwin.
American Racer/Lias Tire Giveaway (FREE Tire): Kenny Hammond (second)
Crate 602 Sportsman Feature Finish (14 Laps): BRIAN MADY, Isaiah Forward, Daryl Krebs, Dustin Jordan, Shayne Spoonhower, Jon Miller, Adam Hilton, Joshua Underwood, David Doig Jr., Pat Jordan, Dan Pease, Jerry Voorhis, Todd Titus.
Rookie Sportsman Feature Finish (15 Laps): Postponed to August 8 due to rain
Street Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): STEVEN DEINHARDT, Donald Russell, Rich Sharpsteen, Jonathan Carpenter, Jason Beebe, Trevor Dudley, Dan Force, Levi Davis, Richard Hurlburt, Doug Stack, Matt Spencer.
Did Not Start: Rick Sinsabaugh.
American Racer/Lias Tire Giveaway (FREE Tire): Jonathan Carpenter (fourth)
XCel 600 Modified Feature Finish (20 Laps): TOM SHINER, Brian Mady, Kamdin Maby, Doug Windhausen, Joe McCabe, Chris Kithcart, Drew Fallis, Nick Chase, Dana Davis, Jared Jordan, Will Eastman, Dusty Decker, Charlie Tibbitts, Bailey Boyd, Jamie Frantz, Kyle Fallis, Damon Henry, Eric Boyd, Mike Mahaney.
Did Not Start: Dave Baldwin Sr.
Four Cylinder Feature Finish (15 Laps): Postponed to August 8 due to rain
