The 2nd and final Tennessee RV Thursday Night Thunder is in the books at 411! It was a great night of racing, and another barn burner in the Steel Head division, that left the fans well satisfied with the show! Crates were first to qualify, where David Crabtree would set fast time with a lap of 14.261. Next, was the Steel Heads, where Crabtree would repeat last Saturday’s showing by again sweeping Fast Time Qualifying, only this time by laying down a BLAZING lap of 13.926, good enough for a NEW TRACK RECORD! Greg Martin would claim the win in Crate Late Model, David Singleton would lead all 30 laps of the Front Wheel Drive to claim the win, and Brad Lowe and Rusty Ballenger battled tooth-and-nail for the win, with the “South Knoxville Superstar” Lowe claiming the win!
Crate Late Model – A-Main
Green flag in the air, Greg Martin and David Crabtree your front row as they sail into turn 1. They touch in 1 and 2, Martin with the lead with Crabtree on the inside outta 4, he’ll fall back in line. Mack McCarter looking for room around Jason Welshan as they click off 2 laps. Brad Hall on the inside of Brian Ownby at the rear of the field. R. Ryan King shoves Welshan up high, give King the 3rd spot. McCarter now in the 4th spot as caution flies in turn 4 as Bobby Giffin comes to a stop up high. First caution of the night.
Green flag in the air once again, 4 down, 26 remain, Martin fires and we’re underway. Crabtree in 2nd, R. King in the 3rd spot with McCarter in 4th with a mirror full of Welshan out of 2. Welshan now under pressure from behind as Chase King is closing in. Now 13 laps in the books, Martin still your leader, Crabtree in 2nd, King 3rd and McCarter 4th. Hall now moving up through the field as he works around Mark Rosner for position. Crabtree starting to close in on the race lead now as we’re halfway done with this one. McCarter starting to close in on R. King for the 3rd spot, as heavy lapped traffic is right in front of the windshield of Martin. Martin still showing the way, now 10 laps remain. Martin still working through lapped traffic. Now 5 laps to go, Martin still your leader, and he’s opened an advantage up over Crabtree through lapped traffic. Ujunkdit caution out now with only 3 laps remaining for a car stopped in 4.
Green flag back in the air one more time. Martin your leader over Crabtree and R. King. Checkers in the air. Martin takes the win, Crabtree 2nd, R. King 3rd.
Fast Qualifier: #C5-David Crabtree – 14.261
Cautions: 2
Leaders: 24-Martin(1-30)
Front Wheel Drive
Ready to rock the FWD! Daniel Lawson and David Singleton your front row. D. Singleton off with the lead in turn 2. Out of turn 2, Lawson sends Angie Young around, Ujunkdit caution but we’ll have a complete restart.
Green flag in the air one more time, Lawson and D. Singleton your front row. D. Singleton again with the lead out of 2. Lawson in the 2nd spot. Derik Duggan flying from the rear of the field, looking for a way around the Jeff Thatcher. Duggan now up to 5th as he makes contact with Thatcher and moves him out of the way. Back up front, D. Singleton your leader, Lawson in 2nd, Young in 3rd. Lawson doesn’t get a great run down the backstretch, and follows it up on the frontstretch and now he’s slow on the track as the field drives around and away. D. Singleton your leader after 5. Duggan now up to 3rd putting the pressure on Young for 2nd as Lawson pulls off. Daniel Sizemore now on the inside Thatcher for position, give Sizemore the 4th spot at lap 7. D. Singleton still showing the way over Young as Young has pulled away from Duggan. Now Duggan having some issues, now Sizemore closes in for the 3rd spot. Sizemore on the inside, falls in line in 2. Cars all over the speedway. Bobby McClain stops in turn 4 and brings out the caution here on lap 11.
Green flag in the air one more time. Duggan looking to challenge for the 2nd spot, but Young starts to pull away as she’s chasing D. Singleton. Sizemore closing in on Duggan for 3rd as they work out of 2. Now 14 laps down, Sizemore challenging for the spot but falls in line in the corners. D. Singleton your leader now at lap 21. Sizemore still challenges Duggan for the spot but the rest of the field is closing so someone might have to go here. Thatcher closing in on Sizemore, now Steve Owens, Jr. looks outside the Thatcher. Owens, Jr. getting a run down the backstretch. Sizemore now trying down low one more time, Owens, Jr. wants them to go because he wants to pass them all! Sizemore finally gets around Duggan and pulls away. D. Singleton your leader at lap 26. White flag in the air as D. Singleton continues to work lapped traffic. Checkers in the air, D. Singleton with the win, Young takes 2nd, and 3rd goes to Sizemore!
Cautions: 2
Leaders: #25(1-30)
Heat Race #1 Winner: #69er-Daniel Lawson
Heat Race #2 Winner: #25-David Singleton
Steel Head Late Model – A-Main
The Steel Head Late Models are ready to ROCK AND ROLL! David Crabtree, who set a NEW TRACK RECORD earlier in the night with a blazing lap of 13.926, and Rusty Ballenger your front row!! READY TO GO, 30 laps the distance, GREEEEEEEEEEN FLAAAAAAAG!!! Crabtree away with the lead as cars stack up off 2. Crabtree and Ballenger your top 2. Brad Lowe in 3rd with Josh Collins hot on his heels with Jason Cardwell and Scott Gardner in tow. Chase King making some moves toward the rear of the field. Back up front, Crabtree has opened up a little lead over Ballenger. C. King up a couple spots now as he’s slicing and dicing. Cardwell now closing in on Collins for position. Brad Hall now on the inside of Danny Yoder. 7 laps in the books. Crabtree and Ballenger in the top 2, Lowe and Collins your next 2. Cardwell still trying to make his way around Collins as they work into turn 1. Crabtree now suddenly pulls off the speedway in 2, give Ballenger the lead! Lowe now closing in as the action is heating up for the lead here on lap 11. Lowe gets sideways and hangs onto his machine. Lapped traffic gonna be a factor soon with no caution yet. Lowe now powers to the outside for the lead, give the lead to Lowe on lap 15! Lowe now slicing and dicing through lapped traffic now as Collins looks outside Ballenger out of 4, falls back in line. Now 20 laps down. Lowe your leader, Ballenger in 2nd, Collins in 3rd and now Collins looks outside, but now we have a big wreck in turn 2. Ownby slows in turn 2, C. King, Collins, and Henry all get a piece of the action, as well as Hall, tough break for all those drivers. Looks like Chase King and Josh Collins will get the worse of it, as well as Josh Henry. The first caution coming out here on lap 20, and we’ll go green here shortly.
Green flag back in the air one more time. Lowe powers away with the lead. Ballenger in the 2nd spot, Cardwell in 3rd, Hall now 4th. Cardwell gets a piece of the turn 4 wall, Hall pulls inside but falls back in line. Now 5 laps remain, and Ballenger powers to the race lead. But now caution flies here as Welshan slows in 4.
Now we’re green one more time, 5 laps remain. Lowe now on the outside in 3 for the lead, they’ll have a new leader here with 5 laps to go. Ballenger now in 2nd with 3 to go. Ballenger looks inside but has to fall in line outta 2. Cardwell in 3rd and Hall in 4th. Ballenger still trying to close back in on the leader, checkers in the air, Lowe takes the win, Ballenger comes home 2nd, and Cardwell comes home 3rd.
Cautions: 2
Leaders: #C5(1-10); #29(11-14; 25); #16(15-24; 26-30)
Fast Qualifier: #C5-David Crabtree – 13.926 (NTR)
Heat Race #1 Winner: #07-Jason Cardwell
Heat Race #2 Winner: #25-Scott Gardner