Fans enjoyed some wild and crazy entertainment Saturday Night on Carter Express Night of Thrills presented by The Jane Pauley Community Health Center.
The night started with two exciting Figure 8 races. In the Marcum’s Welding Front Wheel Drive Figure 8, Nick Warner seemed to have it won until he and Rickie Craig made contact in the crossover on lap 17. Neither car was able to finish the race which gave fast qualifier, Elliott McKinney the pole position. McKinney went on to win over Michael Phipps and Randy Owen. An emotional McKinney said he was just happy to finally be in Riley and Sons Collison Victory Lane after being so close earlier in the season.
The Vintage Wrench Ford Division Figure 8 saw lots of adversity throughout the 15-lap feature event. Jordan Tharp and Matthew Benzenbower put on quite a show for fans switching the lead back and forth through the first half of the event. The race was red flagged on lap four when Matt Witty and Josh Tharp made contact in the crossover and again on lap eight when fast qualifier, Rickie Tharp II made contact with the turn four water barrels. Through a couple more cautions, Randy Owen was able to make his way up front and come home victorious over Tyler Dobbs and Benzenbower.
Fans got to see the return of Spectator Drags to the Night of Thrills lineup. Seven different fans took on the high banks of Anderson Speedway, but it was Kameron Graddy in his 1995 Honda Civic that visited Riley and Sons Collison Victory Lane.
New to this year’s event, The Hot Dog Race saw seven Anderson Speedway competitors take a qualifying lap, stop in the infield where their crew member would eat an 11-inch, quarter pound footlong hot dog and then completed another qualifying lap. Crew members had several different strategies, including soaking the hot dog bun and breaking the hot dog in half, but it was team of driver, Noah Allison and crew member, Matthew Benzenbower who was the fastest in the end.
The final event of the evening was the always exciting Prairie Farms Trailer Race. Fans got to see 17 trailers weave in and out the melee. The race saw only one caution to clear some cars from the track. Bruce McFall came home victorious, with a flat tire, over James Allender and Devin Lane.
