THOMPSON, Conn. — After heat race qualifying events set the night’s feature lineups, the Thompson Late Models took on the Big-T for the final event in its track championship season.
Ryan Morgan and champion hopeful Brian Tagg lined up alongside one another to lead the late models to the green flag with defending champ Nick Johnson holding a 13-point lead over Tagg following the heats. Morgan would get the jump on the dominant outside groove with Johnson in tow as Tagg fell under attack by Derek Gluchacki and Matt Lowinski-Loh. Gluchacki powered under Morgan to take third and set his sights on Johnson at the head of the pack, dueling lap after lap with three-wide racing behind them.
The three-wide racing between Lowinski-Loh, Corey Fanning and Tagg went sour in turn two with Lowinski-Loh taking a hard hit with the outside wall as rookie Kyle Gero piled into Fanning late to bring in a big clean-up effort. On the restart, championship in grasp, a flat right rear tire saw Johnson slide backwards across the line before finally spinning in turn one to bring out the caution. Johnson would maintain a fifth place run in the final 20 circuits to claim the championship by eleven points over Brian Tagg while Derek Gluchacki dominated to his fourth win of the season with Ryan Kuhn and Ryan Morgan rounding out the podium.
Pro Truck Challenge
The Evolve Bank Pro Truck Challenge returned to Thompson for their rain-delayed Jim Boyle Memorial 35. Tyler Chapman and Josh Stringer brought the field to green just before Chris Taylor went up in a shower of sparks mid-pack with one lap complete. Chapman kept the lead up front until lap eleven when Duane Knoll shot underneath off turn two and took over the top spot in the Deuce. While Knoll kept pace at the front, outside pole sitter Stringer dropped slowly on the bottom with a blown motor to call out the lap 22 caution.
The final circuits saw a dogfight that also included Ryan Kuhn with a last lap dash finding Tyler Chapman taking the win, Duane Knoll in second and Jaysin Beal getting third by a bumper over Ryan Kuhn.
Street Stock
The RLS Performance team cars of Ryan Lineham and Derek Gluchacki brought the R&R Race Parts NH Street Stock Open 50 to green with Lineham quickly launching to a growing lead. Things stayed calm until the lap 19 caution for Corey Fanning’s meet and greet with the turn three wall but Lineham once again powered away with the restart lead as Gluchacki fought hard with Andrew Gillis for second under the crossed flags.
The relatively clean and green event saw a dominant Ryan Lineham spank the R&R Race Parts Open Street Stock field to the $1,000 win over team-car piloted by Derek Gluchacki in second and Andrew Gillis in third.
Outlaw Open Modified Dash
By virtue of a plus-five in heat race qualifying, Ronnie Williams lined-up alongside the plus-four-earning Mike Christopher Jr. to lead the Outlaw Open Modified Dash for Cash 50-lapper to green. The prelude Tour-type Modified event of Sunoco World Series weekend certainly didn’t disappoint with Williams facing off with Patrick Emerling and Woody Pitkat early in the sprint.
After leading through the halfway point, Christopher made the power-move under Williams to nab the lead with Williams falling back, conserving in hopes of a caution flag. That caution never came and Christopher toppled the Outlaw Open Mod King Ronnie Williams for the $5,000 Sunoco World Series win with Teddy Hodgdon hanging tough to take home third.
Modified Feature
Hot off the Dash for Cash run, Tyler Barry and Derek Ramstrom led the Thompson Sunoco Modified feature to green but it was top rookie Isaiah Newcomb who would nab the lead on lap 2 as veterans Keith Rocco and Todd Owen quickly enveloped the young leaders. While Barry and Newcomb desperately swapped lanes to evade onslaught, Todd Owen would steal the lead on lap 8 until Rocco took over on lap 10.
Todd Owen kept his foot planted firmly to the firewall to claim his first Thompson Sunoco Modified win with the new 604-powered format with Keith Rocco and Jon Puleo joining him on the victory lane podium.