Outlaw Karts at Thunder Bowl

Outlaw Kart fields continue to grow as the season winds down at Thunder Bowl Speedway in Mound House.

Last Saturday night two divisions required B mains to set the A main field, and there was a 125cc division race for the first time in several months.

The battle for the Open division main was hard-fought and caution-fraught as Chad Vance, Jay Dargert, and Josh Ostler clawed their way around the short clay oval at the front of the 16-kart field. Tom Purcell, who was racing Box Stocks just a couple of years ago, brought out the first caution on lap five. Another yellow flew on lap eight for Danae Wilson, and Dargert took advantage of the restart to surge past Vance for the lead. After another caution for a flip by T. J. Dobson, Dargert dropped out on lap 12 as Mark Dempsey executed a full gainer with a twist while running three wide. Dobson was black-flagged after causing a second caution, and now the battle was between Vance and Ostler. The pair ran nose to tail for the remainder of the race, followed by Glenn Bock, Devlin, Bill Lyons, Dan Lind, Jerry Allec Jr. (driving Ron Williams' kart), "Hair" and Dave Sciarroni. This parade ran in order all the way to the checker. Dargert, Purcell, Dempsey, Dobson, and Nathan Johnson were not running at the finish. Sciarroni won the B main with Dempsey second, while Dargert took the trophy dash. Heat race wins went to Purcell, Dobson, Ostler and Vance.

The return of the 125cc class, albeit with just four karts, bodes well for the 2004 season. After a tough evening with no victories, Mackena Bell got dad to install the right gear, and snatched the lead from Jordan Dargert on lap five, never to be headed. Christian Steele grabbed second from Dargert on the eighth circuit and followed Bell to the flag. Dargert hung on for third ahead of Matt Vallarino, who lost a lap early on. As mentioned earlier, Bell was 0-for-3 in the trophy dash and heats. Steele captured the dash and one of the heats, while Tom Purcell won the second heat but didn't answer the bell for the main.

The Box Stocks held the second B main of the evening, with 5 karts transferring to the 15-kart A main. QRC All Star regulars Kellcy Bell and Zachary Heinz dominated the race, with Heinz running a backup kart. Bell won the main wire to wire, with Heinz glued to her rear nerf bar at the finish.

Rookie Zack Kisman ran a strong second, followed by Blayke Olson as the front-runners wound their way through traffic. Jenny Purcell moved from the back of the pack into third for a couple of laps at mid-race, but soocn faded back into the field. Jay Primm, another QRC regular, moved up from a rearward starting position to take over fifth in the late going. The finish order at the end of 25 laps was Bell, Heinz, Kisman, Olson, and Primm finishing in the top five, followed by Koree Kast, Shelby Price, Caleb Price, Cameron Millard and Adam Walters. Jenny Purcell won the B main, while Bell took the trophy dash and two of the heat races. The other two heat races were won by Heinz.

Georgie Tankersley's kart looked like the one to beat in the Beginner Box main, but Tanner Thorson reeled her in four laps from the checker to take the win. Willie Tankersley started fifth, but moved up smartly to take third after briefly taking over second spot for a lap in the late going.

Jamie Oberg finished fourth, with Keith Combs rounding out the top five. Macie Harjes in sixth and Mason Millard in seventh finished out the field. Georgie Tankersley won the trophy dash and a heat, with the Thorson taking the second heat race victory.

The Outlaw Karts season finale will be a benefit race for one of their own, Ron Williams, who is battling cancer. The race will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, with Amy Barnes making a guest appearance in Williams' Open kart. Call 265-7813 or 885-9751 for more information.