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RIDENOUR WINS AT THUNDERBIRD...AGAIN!

Muskegon, MI – The Kid Rocket, Chase Ridenour (Perry, MI), wins his 2nd feature of the 2017 season and his 3rd feature win in a row at Thunderbird Speedway Saturday night.

With a “chamber of commerce” Day, the Great Lakes Super Sprints rolled into Thunderbird Speedway after a night of racing up North at Manistee County Fair Grounds. The new red clay on the track was looking pretty inviting and the drivers were anxious to get on it!

After getting heat in the motors and letting the other classes get their hot laps out of the way, the sprints rolled onto the track to qualify. Rolling out in the second group, Devon “Double D” Dobie set a blistering pace and crushed the old track record with a 11.04 second lap or 108.57 mph in qualifying! In fact, when qualifying was over, 16 of the 18 cars that qualified were under the old track record!

In heat 1, Joe Geibe (Sturgis, MI) and Ridenour led the field on the track. As the green flag dropped, Ridenour was out front in a hurry, with Dobie and Phil Gressman (Helena, MI) in hot pursuit with Geibe falling back to 4th. Ridenour built a sizable lead and took the checkered flag, with Dobie, Gressman, Geibe and Mike Dunlap (Wapakoneta, OH) rounding out the top five.

Robert Huisken (Marne, MI) and Jared Horstman (Cloverdale, OH) lead the field out for Heat #2. Horstman was out to a quick lead with Huisken, Trey Smith (St Joseph, MI) and Linden Jones of Edwardsburg, MI) stuggling to keep Horstman somewhat close. As Horstman passed the checkered flag and the win, Huisken, Smith, Jones and Chris Pobanz (Sebewang, MI).

The third and final heat was lead out by poll setter Noah Dunlap (Wapakoneta, OH) and Gregg Dalman (Bellevue, MI). As the green flag flew, Dalman moved out front and Shawn Dancer (Delphos, OH) with him. Dunlap held 3rd for the first lap, but then Dustin Daggett (Portland, MI) gets around him in the 2nd lap. In the 6th lap as Dunlap came into turn 3 hot, his car got loose and moved up the truck and he literally drove around the top of the catch fence in turn 4, catching his wing on the end post, ripping the wing off and flipping the car sideways ending up facing the opposite direction in turn 4.

With Dunlap’s car taken to the pit, we had a single file restart where Dalman jumped out and held off Dancer for 3 laps and taking the checkered flag. Dancer, Daggett, Mike Astrauskas (Pierson, MI) and Tank Brakenberry (Pigeon, MI) rounded out the top 5.

Drawing a one, Dalman would sit on the pole with Dancer completing the front row. As Dalman led the field out of turn 4, Dancer quickly was in front of the field with Ridenour on his tail. With Dancer and Ridenour taking the high line into the turns and flying around lapped traffic, it was looking like the two of them would cruise to the winners circle. Unforturtunateltely in lap 5, Dancer got up into the wall in turn 4 as well, breaking off his front axle and bringing out the red flag.

When racing resumed, Ridenour jumped out to a big lead picking up where he started. With the field so close in speed, Ridenour had to be patient and pick his passes. As Ridenour picked his way thru the field and distancing himself from Dobie. That ended abruptly when Ridenour came up behind Gressman. Not being able to get around Gressman at that time, Dobie was gaining quickly. Ridenour, in spite of not getting around Gressman, was able to hold off Dobie, taking the double checkered flags.

Andrew Scheid, (Sparta, MI), was our hard charger tonight moving up 6 spots from 16th to a tenth place finish. Kyle Poortenga (Woodland, MI) also moved up 6 spots from 17th to 11th.

For more information go to our website www.greatlakessupersprints.com or Like and follow us on Facebook. Our next race is this Friday at Tri-City Motors Speedway.

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