Noyes Flag to Flag for Thunder Raceway Win

Noyes Goes Flag to Flag for Thunder Raceway Win

By Ryan Neuharth

Show Low, Ariz (July 3, 2010) If you were not amongst what was possibly one of the largest crowds to ever gather at Thunder Raceway for night one of the Total Seal SWDRA “Summer Spectacular” I hate to be blunt but you didn’t miss anything…at least on the track. The tight ¼-mile oval in the Arizona Rim Country took rubber early in the main event, leading to single file racing, more than a few ruffled feathers and even more bent sheet metal.

 When Keith Noyes took the lead from fellow front row starter Tommy Hussek III on lap one the race was essentially over. With passing at a premium it would take a mistake for anyone to get past Noyes who steered his Westside Transmission, R&R Machine, Pyle Air Conditioning, GRT in the rubber-grove and cruised to the 25-lap main event win.

Hussek would challenge early but a flawless Noyes would not be heeded, and when Hussek’s car began to push late it was all he could do to hang onto second. Jerry Fincher lurked in third for the entire event, while one of the biggest movers of the race was Ricky Thornton, Jr.

 Thornton, Jr. would make the most of his early opportunities after starting in the eight spot. The 20rt would grab two spots on lap one followed by two more position by lap five to settle in fourth, his ultimate finishing position. That was enough for Thornton, Jr. to extend his points lead over Lonnie Parker, Jr. who started and finished seventh after running ninth for the events majority. Parker, who was left to diagnose smoke coming from his Russell Baker Race Engine after hotlaps and his heat race, was the beneficiary of late race trouble from Brad Williams, Mike Tahtinen and Art Lacy.

Tahtinen who occupied the fifth spot for the first 10-laps of the event, was regulated to sixth by Lacy on lap 11 and he found himself facing the wrong direction first on lap 18 and again just one lap later. That incident set-up by far the races most severe incident when Williams and Lacy made contact racing for fifth down the back straightaway.  

 Williams would sneak to the inside of Art Lacy who scrapped the way and then turned into right rear of Williams. That contact sent the 23 car out of control and driver-side first into the pit exit abutment in turn three. Williams new Rocket Chassis suffered heavy damage and his return for Sunday in that car is questionable. However, Williams was offered Tahtinen car if he could not make repairs.

While the racing up front was certainly uneventful, battles taking place towards the rear of the field would spillover into post-race shouting matches, several verbal threats of physical harm, and drivers having to be separated by series and track officials.

 John Romero first took-up his displeasure with Karl Tipton (and to a lesser extent track officials) to series director Lonnie Parker, Sr. That was followed-up by Bruce Duckett who attempted to cut-off Tipton as the two exited the racetrack, than he proceeded to display his unhappiness in a face to face manner at Tipton’s trailer. After Duckett was separated from the immediate area he continued his rant which included several threats of imposing physical harm by using is racecar and other assorted items which he might have handy.

 The following is my personal opinion, an editorial if you will, on the matter.

While I suspect Bruce Duckett is a lot more bark then he is bite, his actions after the race where very unprofessional and certainly uncalled for. Regardless of what you think of Karl Tipton and his driving style, if that sort of thing took place on a tour which garnered more national attention he would be levied some sort of penalty for threatening to use not only his racecar, and other things, as weapons. But since it’s not, he won’t, and I have a feeling that Tipton will be the one who lands under the series microscope rightly or wrongly.

And while I respect anyone who makes the financial commitment to race one of these cars and the time and money it takes to race and maintain one, this is not the first time Bruce has acted in this manner. Maybe if he took all of that aggression and channeled it in a positive direction, such as concentrating on making his racecar faster, he might have better results on the track. While he may have had a case to be upset, it was certainly not the way to express his anger. When you’re racing on a track that is tough to pass things are going to happen and as I’ve learned in the past it takes a thick skin to hang in the racing world.

 Bruce needs to take a cue from Brad Williams, who out of anyone had the most right to take umbrage with someone. After the event Williams stood calmly analyzing the damage to his racecar while contemplating his next course of action, which didn’t include creative ways to harm other drivers. We need more drivers who act like Brad Williams and less of those who act like Bruce Duckett.

 That ends the editorial portion of the program.

For Noyes it was his fourth career win and the first in more than three seasons.

Main Event

Keith Noyes, Tommy Hussek III, Jerry Fincher, Ricky Thornton, Jr, Cory Hemphill, Butch Reid, Lonnie Parker, Jr, Brad Whitfield, Justin Thornton, Karl Tipton, Joey Moriarty, Mike Tahtinen, Art Lacy, Bruce Duckett, Brad Williams, John Romero

Heat 1

Thornton, Jr., Parker, Jr., Noyes, Williams, Hemphill, Reid, Moriarty, Duckett

Heat 2

Hussek III, Lacy, Tahtinen, Fincher, Romero, Tipton, Whitfield, Ju. Thornton.