Cullen Wins ThunderCar Feature
Shawn Cullen and Rod Phipps battled wheel to wheel for the top spot during Saturday’s WMDH Thunder Car feature, but finally Cullen prevailed and went on to victory.

Starting on the outside of the front row Phipps was able to lead the first two laps of the feature race, but on the third circuit pushed high allowing Cullen to claim the low groove. For the next six laps the two veteran drivers battled side by side.

Cullen edged ahead on lap five by the length of a fender, but on the next circuit Phipps had closed the gap once again. Finally on lap eight Cullen was able to pull ahead to a car length lead.

With the two leaders racing side by side there were several cars stacked up fighting for the third through fifth positions including Sam Folsom, Nick Warner, Rob Wyman Sr. and Hannah Lundy.

Warner was able to make an outside pass of Folsom for the third position coming off the fourth corner on lap 13 and the running order remained the same until lap 21 when Wyman used the inside groove to get past Folsom entering turn three and on the next circuit Lundy made a similar move in turn one.

Phipps, Warner, Wyman and Lundy followed Cullen to the checkers with Folsom settling for sixth place.

“It was good tight racing,” Cullen said following his victory. “He (Phipps) pushed up a little bit which gave me enough room to get under him. We ran door to door for several laps. It was real tough running the outside because it was a little slippery up there.”

Phipps led wire to wire to capture the first of two heat races with Cullen coming home in the second spot.

As in the feature event Folsom, Warner and Lundy were battling for the third position. Warner grabbed the fourth spot from Lundy with an outside pass down the front straight. But Lundy made a nifty move two circuits later to drive pass both Folsom and Warner to grab the third position. The final pass took place with Wyman used the same move made by Lundy to claim the fourth spot.

Chris Jennings won the second heat race after racing door to door with Jeff Saxon for the first two laps. Once the top spot was settled the race settled down with Earl Adams II coming home in third.