By Ken de la Bastide

(July 14, 2014) – It has been almost three months since Curtis Chapman won a NASH-FM Thunder Car feature but that all changed last Saturday at Anderson Speedway.

Monte Lewis took the early lead from the front row chased by Randy Hoppes, Rob Allman, Jessy Bilbrey and Chapman.

After two laps Chapman and Robbie Wyman, who have been battling for the top spot most of the season, slipped around Bilbrey and started to close on the three front-runners.

Chapman moved into the third spot on lap six with an inside pass of Allman on the back straight. Allman faded at that point in the race losing positions to Wyman and Lonny Burton before retiring.

The first caution flag waved on lap 10 for fluids on the track and on the restart Chapman got inside of Hoppes on the front straight to move into second and a lap later Wyman made a similar pass on the back straight.

Chapman took the lead on lap 13 with an inside pass of Lewis coming off the second corner. That’s when things got interesting with Wyman making contact with Lewis on the front straight. Wyman spun to the infield losing a lap in the process. Lewis retired on lap 15 with a mechanical problem.

Chapman survived a final restart on lap 23 following a spin by Kyle Allmond ro record the victory. Burton finished second followed by Wes Russell Jr., Hoppes and Allmond.

“We’ve done a lot of work on the car,” Chapman said of the return to the Tim Thompson Nationwide Insurance Winner’s Circle.

Racing in a new car Burton led the entire distance to score his second heat win of the year in the opening race on Herald Bulletin Cow

Appreciation Night. He was followed to the checkers by Wyman and Chapman.

Allmond won his first heat race of the year also leading the entire distance. During the early laps he was chased by Austin Russell, who was passed by Lewis on lap seven to finish second. Russell finished third followed by Bilbrey and Jimmy Hawkins.