Final Night of Thrills Held

Story By Tom Hammond

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The Night of Thrills presented by the Herald Bulletin brought a little bit of everything to Anderson Speedway for the Chappy’s Rent to Own – MAX/WLBC Night at the Races on Saturday Night, October 14. Fans braved a cold fall night on the World’s Fastest Quarter Mile Oval to enjoy the craziness.

The Chappy’s Rent to Own Front Wheel Drive Oval Feature started the wild night with a regular 15-lap event. Anderson’s David Baker took the lead on the third lap from Anderson’s Hallie Glover and cruised to a huge win. Alexandria’s Kevin Harmon ended up second followed by Josh Tharp, Mark Funderburk and Bill Leisure.

If the Front Wheel Drive race was regular the irregular events then filled the evening’s card. The Powder Puff School Bus Figure 8 feature had four drivers entered. Anderson’s Becky Stanley withstood a late challenge from Muncie’s Kendra Burgess for the win. Anderson’s Jennifer Phillips ran third, followed by Anderson’s Roxanne Grissom.

The Herald Bulletin Delivery Challenge was next. Three HB driver/carriers competed against three Anderson Speedway drivers in an attempt to deliver a newspaper to a delivery tube placed in one leg of the figure 8 cross-over. A five-second penalty was issued if the paper fell out of the tube. Racer Jack Leisure won the event with a time of 14.384 seconds. Driver/carrier Seth Timmons was second at 15.519 seconds.

A fan favorite then returned with the Roll Over Contest. Drivers mounted a charge at a twisting ramp placed in the crossover in an attempt to make their cars roll over. Assuming their cars were still running drivers had three opportunities to build their scores. Muncie’s Josh Walker picked up the victory by making one complete roll, one-and-a-half rolls and one-and-a-quarter rolls for 18 total points. Fellow Muncie driver Nathan Burgess finished second with 11 points and Anderson’s Donnie Ellis Jr. was third with 10 points.

The Powder Puff Front Wheel Drive feature ended up being a six-lap dash between three Anderson drivers. Lisa Huffman picked up a commanding victory behind some solid lap times. Sue Burton was second and Mollie Fridley was third.

The Cork Screw Race then produced some incredible racing. The race involved drivers using half of the oval and one leg of the figure 8 course while making a 360-degree turn around a tractor tire in the crossover. The driver that had the inside line around the tire typically had the advantage heading back to the front stretch. Anderson drivers Josh Tharp and Robert Johnson constantly traded the lead throughout the eight-lap race, with Tharp having the final advantage. Johnson spun on the final turn heading to the finish line, giving Mark Funderburk the second spot. Johnson was followed by Ellis and Gaston’s Brian Harmon to round out the top five.

The School Buses then returned for another Figure 8 feature. Anderson’s Corey Elliott jumped out to a huge lead and then held off fellow Anderson driver Tony Grissom for the win. Two more Anderson drivers, Ranny Hinton and Basil Stanley, finished third and fourth respectively. Harmon also scored a top five finish.

Only two drivers entered the first-ever Trailer Figure 8 Race, but it did feature some wild and wooly action. Richmond’s Chris Jennings drove a Front Wheel Drive car towing a boat trailer, complete with a boat. Meanwhile Anderson’s Rick Tharp was towing a well-used small mobile home with a pickup truck. The object was to keep running while literally knocking the other trailer out of commission. Tharp was able to hit the boat trailer, but the collision disabled the mobile home.

Jennings, meanwhile, kept on moving even though the boat fell off the trailer in turn one of the oval. Jennings was declared the winner by virtue of being able to continue, even though the boat trailer was heavily damaged.

Anderson Speedway returns to racing action on Saturday, October 21 with the ThunderCar Enduro 200 and Front Wheel Drive Challenge.
For additional information contact Anderson Speedway at (765) 642-0206.