Murray, Hudson, Shriver win Thunder Series opener
By Mike Hughes

RED CLOUD, NE (July 27)—The Speed Bowl in Red Cloud, NE, hosted the first night of the 3-night ‘Thunder Series’ Friday evening, July 27.

In the IMCA Modified A-feature, David Murray Jr. of Oberlin led all 20 laps to cash in the $1,000 winner’s check.  A late race caution on lap 14 when Robby Haines slowed let the field catch up as Lonnie Schriner, Corey Lagroon, Jason Schoenberger and Brandon Blochlinger lined up behind Murray on the restart.  Schriner tried to make the winning move with 2 laps to go, but Murray moved up and took Schriner’s line away and held on for the win.  Lagroon finished third, followed by Schoenberger and Mark Zorn.  Heat race winners were Tim Watts, Murray, Jordan Grabouski, and Lagroon.  Lance Borgman topped the B-feature. 

Josh ‘The Hammer’ Hudson of Kensington, KS, led all 20 laps of the IMCA Stock Car feature for his third win of the year at the 3/8-mile oval.  Hudson was chased all the way to the checkers by point leader Brett Behrends.  Cory Struckhoff finished third, followed by Doug Adamy and Jason McCartney.  Behrends and Wayne Walker were victorious in the two heat races.

The IMCA Hobby Stock feature turned into a rollover contest as 3 drivers rolled their cars in separate incidents.  No one was injured.  The caution flag also flew numerous times but it did not keep Mike Shriver of Hastings from leading all 16 laps to score his 4^th win of the season.  The top six cars were close throughout the race but Shriver was up to the task.  Jim Buss finished second, with Jared Lewis, Joe McDole and B.J. Dauer rounding out the top five.  Heat race winners included McDole, Lewis and Buss.

Adam Sidlo & E.J. Kothe of Hastings took the lead on lap 4 of the 10-lap Cruiser feature from Brandon Naasz & Colton Claussen to drive on for their 7^th win of the season at Red Cloud.  Naasz & Claussen finished second, followed by Drew Barry & Ethan Vogler.  Heat race winners Joe & Jim Carter finished fourth.

Heat race winner Matthew Ford of Juniata made his way to the winner’s circle in the 4-cylinder ‘Young Gun’ main event.  Ford took the lead from Alex Loveless on lap 4 of the 8-lap main for the win.  Loveless finished second, followed by Monte Benson.

The second and third night of the Thunder Series takes place at Elmwood Park Speedway in Norton, KS, Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29.

Racing returns to The Speed Bowl on Friday evening, August 3.  The regular five divisions return, along with another appearance of the GOTRA cars.

 RESULTS

IMCA Hobby Stock

Heat 1: 1. Joe McDole, 2. Jeromy Wagner, 3. Greg Hoing, 4. Pat Hersh.

Heat 2: 1. Jared Lewis, 2. Rocky Zimmerman, 3. Jerry Hudson, 4. Chuck Ledbetter.

Heat 3: 1. Jim Buss, 2. Mike Shriver, 3. Delbert Selvage, 4. Brian Hilbert.

Feature: 1. Shriver, 2. Buss, 3. Lewis, 4. McDole, 5. B.J. Dauer, 6. Hudson, 7. Selvage, 8. Hilbert, 9. Hoing, 10. Cole Emerson, 11. Ledbetter, 12. Ricky Runnion (DNF), 13. Kaid Calhoon (DNF), 14. Corey Cruzen (DNF), 15. Wagner (DNF), 16. Hersh (DNF), 17. Zimmerman (DNF), 18. Kyle Bond (DNS).

IMCA Stock Car

Heat 1: 1. Brett Behrends, 2. Matt Streit, 3. Josh Hudson, 4. Jason Smidt.

Heat 2: 1. Wayne Walker, 2. Doug Adamy, 3. Brant Beam, 4. Jason McCartney.

Feature: 1. Hudson, 2. Behrends, 3. Cory Struckhoff, 4. Adamy, 5. McCartney, 6. Nathan Glendening, 7. Jared Remus, 8. Walker, 9. Jason Davis, 10. Shane Stout, 11. Beam, 12. Streit, 13. Smidt (DNF), 14. Dan Lauer (DNS), 15. Chad Wulf (DNS).

IMCA Modified

Heat 1: 1. Tim Watts, 2. Brandon Blochlinger, 3. Jerry Phillips, 4. Jason Schoenberger.

Heat 2: 1. David Murray Jr., 2. Dave Hardesty, 3. Mark Zorn, 4. Marty Clark.

Heat 3: 1. Jordan Grabouski, 2. Brian Calhoon, 3. Lonnie Schriner, 4. Troy Johnson.

Heat 4: 1. Corey Lagroon, 2. Robby Haines, 3. Randy Wilson, 4. Ed Putman.

B-Feature (top 4 advance): 1. Lance Borgman, 2. Dusty Blake, 3. Larry Sutton, 4. Micaah Johnson, 5. Scott Smith, 6. Devon Housh, 7. Caesare Linner, 8. Chris Avery, 9. Jeff Linner (DNS), 10. Randy Fogo (DNS), 11. Dwight Housh (DNS).

A-Feature: 1. Murray, 2. Schriner, 3. Lagroon, 4. Schoenberger, 5. Zorn, 6. Blochlinger, 7. Blake, 8. Phillips, 9. Clark, 10. M. Johnson, 11. Borgman, 12. Calhoon, 13. Wilson, 14. T. Johnson, 15. Sutton, 16. Haines, 17. Hardesty, 18. Putman, 19. Watts (DNF), 20. Grabouski (DNF).

4-cylinder Young Gun

Heat: 1. Matthew Ford, 2. Alex Loveless, 3. Monte Benson, 4. Joshua Bodenus.

Feature: 1. Ford, 2. Loveless, 3. Benson, 4. Robert McAfee, 5. Bodenus.

Cruiser

Heat: 1. Joe Carter/Jim Carter, 2. Adam Sidlo/E.J. Kothe, 3. Terry Gradig/Jeremy Teselle, 4. Drew Barry/Ethan Vogler.

Feature: 1. Sidlo/Kothe, 2. Brandon Naasz/Colton Claussen, 3. Barry/Vogler, 4. Carter/Carter, 5. Josh Graczyk/Chris Graczyk, 6. Gradig/Teselle.