Record-Breaker: Huge, Record-Setting Purse Set For Tuesday, May 20 Olum’s ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Event At Thunder Mountain Speedway; Payout Tops $27,000, Plus Bonuses & Lap Money Offered For 50-Lap Modified Spectacular
CENTER LISLE, NY – Records will not only fall – they will be shattered – when Thunder Mountain Speedway hosts the Olum’s ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ presented by Rochinski Contracting Services and Husqvarna on Tuesday, May 20.
The National Dirt Racing League (NDRL) Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP big-block/small-block Modifieds invade the Center Lisle, N.Y., three-eighths-mile oval for a first-time 50-lap special boasting a record payout for the facility, which held its first event in 1992. More than $27,000 has been posted for the NDRL Modified division purse: $5,100 to win (including a $100 bonus from Simplicity Design of Middletown, N.Y.), $1,500 for fifth, $1,000 for 10th and $500 just to take the green flag.
Additionally, there will be lap money, contingency awards, bonuses and product certificates distributed at the unprecedented event promoted by Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media LLC and speedway owner Karl Spoonhower.
“No, we’ve never had a race like this before,” asserted Spoonhower, a 59-year-old Berkshire, N.Y., businessman who constructed the speedway from hillside farmland just outside of Whitney Point, N.Y., in the early 1990s. “We’ve had a few big races over the years – some midweek shows and our ‘King of the Mountain’ race – but this is unheard of for the track.
“I can tell you we’ve been working all winter on the place. We’ll have it nice for that night for sure.”
Spoonhower, who sold the speedway in 2006, reacquired Thunder Mountain last fall and has implemented countless improvement projects including the resurfacing of the track, new lighting, a reworked entry road, clean-up of the grounds and buildings and much more. Spoonhower brings the big-block/small-block Modifieds back as a Saturday night headliner after several seasons away in 2014.
The NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP kicked off its inaugural season April 6 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., with the ‘Hard Clay Open’ event won by Massachusetts driver and Lebanon Valley (N.Y.)/Accord (N.Y.) star Andy Bachetti over a 59-car field. Bachetti – in addition to other podium finishers Tim Hindley (defending Orange County champion) and Danny Tyler (a short-track ace who competes at Accord) have already set plans to “climb the mountain” for the May 20 special (rain date: May 21).
“This will be our first event at Thunder Mountain and I couldn’t be more excited,” said event co-promoter and Short Track Super Series organizer Deyo. “I’ve been to the track this off-season and seen the work Karl has done. The speedway has been resurfaced and many of the attendees from the last few years won’t recognize the place.
“The ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ will be one heck of a show. Many of the drivers planning to race that night have never even seen the track. I guarantee they will love it. Karl is known for having an awesome surface. The size, layout and banking should produce some up-on-the-wheel action.”
A diverse field is expected to attend the Thunder Mountain event, as the battle continues for the $10,014 NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP championship. The Thunder Mountain event is round No. 2 of six on the first-year series which also includes the aforementioned Orange County event and stops at I-88 (N.Y., twice), Penn Can (Pa.) and Accord speedways.
For qualifying, drivers will draw for their starting positions upon entry to the speedway. Heat-race finishes utilizing staggered passing points will be calculated to set the redraw participants and qualified cars from 10-lap heat races. Consolations, 10 laps each, will set the remainder of the starting field via their order of finish. The heat-race finish/passing point combination will set the starting lineups for the consolations.
The passing points system, new to Modified racing but widely used in other forms of racing including Sprint Cars and the famed ‘Chili Bowl’ in Tulsa, Okla., aims to satisfy the desires of both racers and fans by easing the consequences of a poor draw for competitors and providing heat-race excitement for fans. The system made its debut at Orange County.
Sportsman (Open vs. Crate) will also be featured on the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ card in a 25-lap event paying a minimum of $1,000 to the winner and $100 to take the green flag. Sportsman will qualify via a traditional draw/redraw format.
Complete rules, general information and pricing have been posted on the BD Motorsports Media LLC website – www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com – under “Events” and “Lightning on the Mountain” from the main menu.
The ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ is the first major midweek event at Thunder Mountain since John Wight leased the speedway for a T3 All-Star Series event in August 2008.
Gates will open at 4 p.m. for the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ special. A drivers’ meeting takes place at 6:20 p.m. Hot laps begin at 6:40 p.m. with a 7:15 p.m. start time planned. The rain date is Wednesday, May 21.
Adult grandstand admission is $20. Seniors (ages 65 and over) and Students (ages 10-17) pay $18. Kids nine and under are FREE. Pit admission is $35, with no license required.
Lap sponsorships, $20 per lap, are currently on sale by contacting Brett Deyo via e-mail at Deyo99H@aol.com. All lap money collected will be distributed directly to the racers.
For further ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ information, contact Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media via e-mail at Deyo99H@aol.com or by phone at 845.728.2781. BD Motorsports Media is on the web at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. “Like” BD Motorsports Media on Facebook or “follow” @BrettDeyo on Twitter.
Thunder Mountain Speedway is located approximately 25 miles north of Binghamton at 91 Hunts Corners Road Center Lisle, NY 13797. The race day phone is 607.848.7899. To learn more, visit www.thundermtnspeedway.com, like “Thunder Mountain Speedway” on Facebook or follow @thundermtnspeed on Twitter. Fans will enjoy spacious concrete seating, a family atmosphere and a spectacular view off the backstretch as they ‘Feel the Rumble, Hear the Roar’ of Modified racing at Thunder Mountain!
Thunder Mountain Speedway ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Modified Payout (50 Laps): 1. $5,100; 2. $3,250; 3. $2,250; 4. $1,800; 5. $1,500; 6. $1,350; 7. $1,200; 8. $1,100; 9. $1,050; 10. $1,000; 11. $700; 12. $650; 13. $600; 14. $550; 15. $525; 16. $515; 17. $510; 18. $505; 19-Last: $500.
Note: Provisional starters, two highest in NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP points unable to qualify, receive $250 to start.
The National Dirt Racing League (NDRL) Short Track Super Series is presented by VP Racing Fuels, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., East Coast Speed/ECS Auto, Rochinski Contracting Services, Allstar Performance, American Racer/Lias Tire, Art’s Radiator, ATL Fuel Cells, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, BFP Specialty, Bicknell Racing Products, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, COMP Performance Group, Dirt Track Digest, DRACO Springs, Driven Racing Oil, ERK Steering, Finish Line Web Design, FOX Shox, H.B. Steele & Son, Henry’s Stainless Steel Exhaust, Hig Fab Chassis, Jack’s Used Race Car Parts & More, Kirkey Racing Products, PM3 Digital Imaging, Quarter Master, Race Pro Weekly, Schaeffer Racing Oil, Shiley Fabrication, Sleepy Hollow Golf, Teo-Pro Car, Troyer Race Cars & Vahlco Wheels.
Sources: BD Motorsports Media