Past Results and More...

09.22.07 – Nick Mady Scores $500 Payday at Thunder Mountain.  The 600 Modified Series celebrated their final point season race with a 50 lap, $500.00 to win event at Thunder Mountain Speedway.  All Mike Keppler had to do was start the race to be crowned the 2007 owner and driver point champion. Keppler went out and annexed the first heat race while George Loux won the second heat race.  Ryan Higgs and Loux paced the 24 car field to the start and led at the outset for the first 2 circuits.  Nick Mady, subbing in Bucky Buczafusca’s mount, got by Loux and stalked Higgs.  Using the bottom groove, Mady made the pass stick between turns 3 and 4 to lead the 3^rd lap. Meanwhile, Keppler was moving up from his tenth place spot.  Dave Baldwin, Jr. running in the top ten, had mechanical problems bringing out the first caution on lap 6.  Kyle Gardner was on the move by lap 16 had passed ten cars to get to fourth.  Mady continued to lead until the lapped car of Nathan Dibble and Higgs made contact giving third place Keppler no place to go.  Heavy damage from the impact ended his night.  Gardner spun to in the incident and tagged the rear.  Mady continued to pace the field until the final caution of the night was displayed for John Landis who stopped on the track.  Hugging the bottom berm, just outside the yuke tires, Nick Mady hung on for the remaining laps to score a big $500.00 payday.  Brother, Brian Mady crossed the line second, with Higgs in third. Scott Washburn just barely fended off Kyle Gardner at the stripe for fourth.    

Notes: The 600 Modified Series drivers put on a great show with constant 2 and 3 wide racing throughout the entire pack for most of the night.  Bucky Buczafusca was estatic with his first win as an owner.  Kevin Gruber hustled the Xcel Chassis Rental Car nine spots to finish seventh.  Both Gruber and Kyle Gardner each advanced nine positions earning them the hard chargers of the night.  Bob Lobbe debuted his number 02 car.  Former northeast pavement modified and prostock driver John Bergenty wheeled Joe Auriemma’s second car.  Bergenty has been racing since the early 70s at Riverside Park Speedway, Stafford Speedway, Thompson Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl among others.  Ryan Higgs’s dad, Chris piloted Richie Everitt’s number 4jr. A vicious flip during a practice session after the 600 Modified Series race at Big Diamond Speedway found Rick McGeady taking a ride to the hospital.  Good guys, Ken Loux and Joe Fanelli got Rick and his bent up race car home real late.

Heat 1:  1. Mike Keppler, 2. Ryan Higgs, 3. Chuck Miller, 4. Scott Washburn, 5. Dave Baldwin

Heat 2:  1. George Loux, 2. Nick Mady, 3. Brian Mady, 4. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 5. Eric Witbe

Feature:  1. Nick Mady, 2. Brian Mady, 3. Ryan Higgs, 4. Scott Washburn, 5. Kyle Gardner, 6. Chuck Miller, 7. Kevin Gruber, 8. George Loux, 9. Chris Stockham, 10. Eric Witbe, 11. JJ Newman, 12. Joe Fanelli, 13. Junior Lebowski, 14. Dave Baldwin, 15. John Lakatos, 16. Nathan Dibble, 17. John Bergenty, 18. John Landis, 19. Bob Skoniecki, 20. Bob Lobbe, 21. Chris Higgs, 22. Joe Auriemma, 23. Mike Keppler, 24. Dave Baldwin, Jr.

09.18.07 – $500.00 to win set for Thunder Mountain this Saturday.  The 600 Modifieds will wrap up their point season at Thunder Mountain Speedway this Saturday with a big $500.00 win, 50-lapper show.  Thunder Mountain will feature racing all weekend with the Saturday night card featuring the 600 Modifieds as well as The Hurricane on the Mountain Harry Uhl Jr. Memorial 55 lap 'best of the best' Hurricane Street Stock/Pure Stock shoot-out. Also, a 'Run what you Brung' Sportsman/Late Model/IMCA style 40 lap open show, plus the 8 cylinder Road Warriors and 4 Cylinder Road bandits will also be on hand.  This will be the last time the 600 Modified Series will visit Thunder Mountain Speedway this year.

09.09.07 – Series returns to Black Rock in October.  Black Rock Speedway, located in Dundee, NY has added the 600 Modified Series to their schedule for October 12th and October 13th.  Coots Concrete is sponsoring the racing activities.  On October 12th, 600 Modifieds will join the Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, 4-Cylinders, and NYMM 600 micros.  On the 13th, the divisions include the DIRT Sportsman Modifieds ($5,000 to win), Street Stocks/Pro Trucks and the NYMM 600 micros.

09.08.07 – Rain wins at Thunder Mountain.  The track crews at Thunder Mountain fought the good fight, but the night's racing activities eventually succumbed to mother nature. A line of showers drenched the track just prior to the gates opening.  By 8:15pm, the track was ready for racing action as the 600 Modifieds got warmups in.  After that the skies opened up again, dooming the event for good.  The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series will return to action on Sunday, September 16th at Big Diamond Raceway.

09.01.07 – Stockham Scores First at Thunder Mountain.  Chris Stockham’s bested all challengers to score his first ever Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series win at Thunder Mountain Speedway.  It might taken all season, but Stockham gives the home town crowd a victory worth celebrating.  Brian Mady and brother Nick Mady (shoeing the Xcel Chassis Rental Car) each scored heat race victories. The inversion placed Stockham and Chuck Miller on the pole.  At the drop of the green, Bucky Buczafusca, Bruce Kindberg, and Dave Baldwin got together ending their night.  The next start, several cars got together, damaging Joe Fanelli and Larry Hoagland beyond repair for the race.  On next double file restart, Kyle Gardner used the extreme high groove to vault from sixth to first.  Stockham wasn’t going to give up the lead easily as he dove to the bottom in turn 3.  He made the pass stick and led lap 2.  Meanwhile Gardner was living and dying by the top groove.  On lap 6, George Loux gave Steve Comers the chrome horn, causing him to take out Rick McGeady.  McGeady was done for the night and Loux was placed in the rear for rough riding. By lap 10, Junior Lebowski had worked through the field using the middle groove and was on Gardner’s bumper challenging for second.  Stockham was unyielding, hugging the bottom groove, Gardner couldn’t get enough momentum around the top.  On the white flag lap, Lebowski while running third got inpatient and dove into turn 1 under Gardner but didn’t clear him, spinning both cars and ending Gardners solid run. This brought out the final caution.  Stockham was unfazed and scored his first in the 600 Modified Series competition.  Mike Keppler, who started tenth, finished second, followed by Brian Mady, Eric Witbe, and Rich Eisinger.   

Notes: Mike Keppler was involved in the first lap melee and bent the steering rod causing 3 inches of toe out. Despite those adverse conditions, he wheeled his mount to a solid second place.  Nick Mady showed no rust when he went out and wheeled the Xcel Chassis Rental Car to a heat race victory.  Good guy and karter, Larry Hoagland got behind the wheel of Richie Everitt’s machine.  Former mini-sprint driver, Rich Eisinger has Thunder Mountain figured out as he scored his second fifth place finish there.

Heat 1: 1. Brian Mady., 2. Bruce Kindberg, 3. Eric Witbe, 4. Rich Eisinger, 5. Chris Stockham

Heat 2: 1. Nick Mady, 2. Mike Keppler, 3. Kyle Gardner, 4. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 5. Chuck Miller

Feature: 1. Chris Stockham, 2. Mike Keppler, 3. Brian Mady, 4. Eric Witbe, 5. Rich Eisinger, 6. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 7. JJ Newman, 8. Steve Comers, 9. Chuck Miller, 10. George Loux, 11. Curt Amey, 12. Kyle Gardner, 13. Junior Lebowski, 14. Nick Mady, 15. Rich McGeady, 16. Joe Fanelli, 17. Larry Hoagland, 18. Bucky Buczafusca, 19. Bruce Kindberg, 20. Dave Baldwin

08.24.07 – Keppler Rockets at Big Diamond. Steamy conditions awaited twenty-four 600 Modifieds at Big Diamond Raceway Friday night.  Chris Stockham and Ryan Higgs scored heat race victories on a very tacky racing surface.  The inversion placed top gun Mike Keppler and seasoned veteran Butch Getz on the front pole.  Keppler launched off turn four and beat Getz into turn one as Rick McGeady edged his way past Getz for second by the opening lap.  Heat winner Stockham passed four cars and was leaning on Brian Mady for fourth when contact sent both spinning on the third circuit.  Mady joined the rear as Stockham was done for the night.   Chuck Miller was also collected.  On the restart, Keppler continued to dominate rocketing out to a ten car length lead.  On lap eleven, Nathan Dibble and Jeromy Guistwite crashed in turn 3 bringing out the caution.  On the restart, Getz reclaimed second from McGeady.  McGeady then pulled off with mechanical problems on lap 14.  Keppler cruised to victory as Gardner got by Getz on the 18^th lap. George Loux edged by Getz on the last lap to claim third.   Ryan Higgs rounded out the top five.

Notes: Curt Amey was the hard charger of the night passing nine cars to finish 8^th.  Eric Witbe had a top ten finish in hand until mechanical woes sidelined him on the 18^th lap.  Scott Washburn was another victim of gremlins. While running 7^th he threw a chain coming off turn 4 on the final lap and wound up 12^th.  Despite rough conditions, the track surface was very fast all night with the top groove being the preferred line.  Butch Getz and Richie Everett gave everyone a preview for next year as the two have announced that Getz will race the entire 600 Modified Series in Everett's race car.

Heat 1: 1. Chris Stockham, 2. George Loux, 3. Scott Washburn, 4. Rick McGeady, . 5. Mike Keppler

Heat 2: 1. Ryan Higgs, 2. Kyle Gardner, 3. Mike Pychinka, 4. Brian Mady, 5. Butch Getz.

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Kyle Gardner, 3. George Loux, 4. Butch Getz, 5. Ryan Higgs, 6. Mike Pychinka, 7. JJ Newman, 8. Curt Amey, 9. John Landis, 10. Joe Fanelli, 11. Chuck Miller, 12. Scott Washburn, 13. Dave Baldwin, 14. Gary Suchy, Jr., 15. Brian Mady, 16. Bucky Buczafusca, 17. Matt Green, 18. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 19. Eric Witbe, 20. Rick McGeady, 21. Nathan Dibble, 22. Jeromy Guistwite, 23. Chris Stockham, 24. Bob Skoniecki

08.21.07 – Rain Headlines Thunder On The Hill.  Remnants of Tropical Storm Erin worked through Pennsylvania and dumped over two inches of rain from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning rendering the racing surface a murky mess. At 10:30am, Grandview Speedway made the call to cancel the TOTH event for the night.  TOTH officials and Grandview Speedway are discussing a makeup date.  No day has been set currently.

08.18.07 – Manmiller Survives Wild Night at Grandview.  You would have thought there was a full moon out Saturday night at Grandview Speedway.  Kevin Gruber and Modified hotshoe Doug Manmiller kicked things off with heat race victories.  The inversion placed George Loux on the pole who led the 26 car field to the green.  Loux led the first 2 circuits until Nick Mady broke on the backstretch leaving Gruber with no where to go.  Gruber impacted Mady sending both flipping with Gruber barrel rolling at least four times and landing on Chris Stockham entering turn three.  JJ Newman, Ryan Higgs, and John Lakatos sustained heavy damage and could not return.  On the ensuing restart, the leader, Loux just passed the starting cone when a rear axle snapped jamming up second place runner, Andy Ressler.  Both were done for the night.  Chuck Miller inherited the point as Kyle Gardner put on heavy pressure trying to make the low side work.  Several laps clicked off until Keith Jesburger suffered mechanical difficulties on the track bring out the caution on the 11^th circuit. On the restart, Gardner dove under Miller entering turn three.  The car didn’t stick sending him into Miller and stacking up Eric Witbe who did a rollover bringing out the second red. With the leader out and Gardner sent to the rear, this placed Manmiller (subbing in the Xcel Chassis Rental Car) on point. Manmiller used the extreme low groove to secure his first win in a 600 Modified. Mike Keppler edged Scott Washburn at the line for second as Brett Ardnt and Shawn Burd rounded out the top five.

Notes:   Hard Charger of the night was Shawn Burd who advanced fifteen positions to score his first top five of the year.  Kevin Gruber’s nasty tumble had everyone concerned.  Kevin offered, “I'm banged up pretty good, but I’ll get better. Special thanks to Doug Borger for building a safe car.”  George Loux wanted to thank sponsor Cambell Supply Company out of Edison, NJ for making the trip west to Grandview.  More action at Grandview coming up as the 600 Modified Series will be at the Thunder On The Hill event this Tuesday, August 21^st. Then it’s off to Big Diamond Raceway on Friday, August 24^th to conclude a hectic 4 races in 2 weeks.

Heat 1: 1. Kevin Gruber, 2. Brett Ardnt, 3. Scott Washburn, 4. Chuck Miller, 5. George Loux

Heat 2: 1. Doug Manmiller, 2. Eric Witbe, 3. Kyle Gardner, 4. Andy Ressler, 5. Nick Mady

Feature: 1. Doug Manmiller, 2. Mike Keppler, 3. Scott Washburn, 4. Brett Arndt, 5. Shawn Burd, 6. Jeremy Guistwite, 7. Brian Mady, 8. Joe Fanelli, 9. Kyle Gardner, 10. Gary Suchy, Jr., 11. Rick McGeady, 12. Nathan Dibble, 13. Chuck Miller, 14. Eric Witbe, 15. John Landis, 16. Keith Jesburger, 17. Curt Amey, 18. George Loux, 19. Andy Ressler, 20. Nick Mady, 21. Kevin Gruber, 22. JJ Newman, 23. Ryan Higgs, 24. Chris Stockham, 25. John Lakatos, 26. Dave Baldwin, 27. Bucky Buczafusca

08.16.07 – Ardnt closes out Fairgrounds with win at Kutztown. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series made their 2^nd stop of the season at Kutztown Fairgrounds to close out the racing for 2007 season at the Fairgrounds.  Kyle Gardner and Butch Getz scored heat race victories. The inversion placed Jeremy Guistwite on the pole and led at the drop of the green flag.  Modified standout, Getz, spun on the first lap and was forced to the rear.  Despite enduring several cautions, Guistwite remained on the point.  Brett Ardnt slipped by Rick McGeady and set his sights on Guistwite.  After several attempts, Arndt blasted over him on the outside in turns 1 and 2 on lap 8.  Ardnt then cruised to his first victory in a 600 Modified.  Guistwite finished a strong run in second followed by McGeady, George Loux and Getz who passed fourteen cars to garner a top five.   

Heat 1: 1. Kyle Gardner, 2. Eric Witbe, 3. George Loux, 4. Brett Ardnt, 5. Jeremy Guistwite

Heat 2: 1. Butch Getz, 2. Matt Groover, 3. Curt Amey, 4. Andy Ressler, 5. Rick McGeady

Feature: 1. Brett Ardnt, 2. Jeremy Guistwite, 3. Rick McGeady, 4. George Loux, 5. Butch Getz, 6. Bill Moffett, 7. Matt Groover, 8. Mike Pychinka, 9. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 10. Brian Green, 11. Kyle Gardner, 12. Nathan Dibble, 13. Andy Ressler, 14. Jon Landis, 15. Eric Whitby, 16. J.J. Newman, 17. Kevin Gruber, 18. Scott Washburn, 19. Dave Baldwin Jr., 20. Nick Mady.

08.11.07 – Higgs Gets Big Win at Black Rock.  The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series rolled into Black Rock Speedway as the NEXTEL Cup Series was visiting near by Watkins Glen. New York native, Chris Stockham dominated the first heat race as Ryan Higgs and Kyle Gardner scored heat race victories.  That trio would prove to be the combination to beat.  Stockham led the 24 car field from the pole as Higgs gave chase.  With one lap in the  books, Higgs clawed his way to the high side of Stockham.  They drag raced down the backstretch and Higgs used his momentum around the top of turn 3 to complete the pass.  Gardner then began to pressure Stockham and passed him for second on lap 8.  A single file freight train up front widened out from fifth on back as two and three wide racing were the norm.  Caution was displayed on lap 10 for a spinning Coleman Gulick.  Gulick did double duty in his 360 sprint car.  After the restart, the front four remained the same as Mike Keppler had advanced to fourth from his 8^th place start.  A final caution on lap eighteen set a green white checker finish.  Bob Dillner from the SPEED Channel jumped into the Xcel Chassis Rental Car and was running in ninth when he made contact with Chuck Miller.  The contact sent both to the rear.  Higgs was unfazed by the caution and scored the victory with Gardner, Stockham, Keppler and Eisinger rounding out the top five. 

Notes: During post race inspection, the Series confiscated the rear shocks of the top three for random testing. Rich Eisinger scored his first top five of the year.  22 cars of the 24 field finished the feature with no one a lap down. The 15 year old, Coleman Gulick will run just about anything as he has experience racing 270cc, 600cc micros, 1200cc mini-sprints, 360 winged and 410 non-winged sprint cars.  Bob Dillner, a NASCAR analyst with the SPEED Channel, thoroughly enjoyed his night. Dillner has many laps in asphalt late models down south and passed eleven cars until he brought out the caution.  “I never worked so hard in a race car before, I’m plain whooped!”

Heat 1: 1. Chris Stockham, 2. Eric Witbe, 3. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 4. Scott Washburn, 5. Chuck Miller

Heat 2: 1. Ryan Higgs, 2. Rick McGeady, 3. Mike Keppler, 4. Brian Mady, 5. George Loux

Heat 3: 1. Kyle Gardner, 2. Rich Eisinger, 3. JJ Newman, 4. Nick Mady, 5. Joe Fanelli

Feature: 1. Ryan Higgs, 2. Kyle Gardner, 3. Chris Stockham, 4. Mike Keppler, 5. Rich Eisinger, 6. Scott Washburn, 7. Eric Witbe, 8. Rick McGeady, 9. JJ Newman, 10. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 11. George Loux, 12. Nick Mady, 13. Coleman Gulick, 14. Joe Fanelli, 15. Shawn Burd, 16. Brian Mady, 17. Chuck Miller, 18. Bucky Buczafusca, 19. Bob Dillner, 20. John Lakatos, 21. Joe Auriemma, 22. Bob Skoniecki, 23. Gary Suchy, Sr., 24. Joe Auriemma, Jr.

08.04.07 – Kindberg Collects at Thunder Mountain Speedway. After winning the first heat race, Mike Keppler’s coin toss placed Chuck Miller on the pole for the feature. Chris Stockham scored the second heat race victory.  At the drop of the green, Miller led George Loux into to turn one and led the first lap.  Sixth place starter Doug Borger was already busy working the high side and was in second when he blasted around the top and wrestled the point from Miller down the backstretch to lead lap 2.  Borger moved to the bottom and nearly spun out several times when he jumped back up to the rail.  Kindberg was in hot pursuit and showed a nose on the bottom for four laps until he dived under Borger for good on the 8^th circuit.  A lap nine caution for Stockham and Brian Mady bunched the field.  Mike Keppler was now in third after starting tenth.  Kindberg showed some muscle up front as Keppler finally got by Borger for second on lap 14.  Caution flags waved again for a spinning Eric Witbe on lap 15.  Kindberg led the final five laps and scored his third victory at Thunder Mountain Speedway.  Keppler, Borger and Goerge Loux jostled for position and were scored second through fourth respectively.  Joe Fanelli got his first top five of the year.  Post race inspection found Borger to be 6 pounds light and was disqualified.

Heat 1: 1 Mike Keppler, 2. Dave Baldwin, 3. Bruce Kindberg, 4. Eric Witbe, 5 Chuck Miller.

Heat 2: 1. Chris Stockham, 2. Brian Mady, 3. Doug Borger, 4. Joe Fanelli, 5. George Loux

Feature: 1. Bruce Kindberg, 2. Mike Keppler, 3. George Loux, 4. Joe Fanelli, 5. Junior Lebowski, 6. Chuck Miller, 7. Rick McGeady, 8. Eric Witbe, 9. Dave Baldwin, 10. Bucky Buczafusca, 11. Chris Mady, 12. Troy Donnelly, 13. Joe Witbe, 14. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 15. Chris Stockham, 16. Kyle Gardner, 17. Brian Mady, 18. Bob Skoniecki, 19. Doug Borger-DQ.

07.28.07 - Keppler waits for the white flag at Grandview Speedway.  The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series made their second stop at Grandview Speedway this year.  Bruce Kindberg and Brian Mady scored heat race victories.  Due to Kindberg’s win last week, he was unable to start from the pole, putting Dave Baldwin on the point.  At the drop of the green, Andy Ressler made a daring move and wrested the lead from outside pole starter, Mady.  Ressler led the next two laps, but Mady was gaining momentum on the high side and led lap 3.  Ressler then worked back into the lead as they slugged it out for the top spot over the next six laps swapping the lead several times a lap.  As Ressler and Mady were putting on a great show, Gardner was creeping into the picture in third.  By lap eight, Ressler began to pull away as Keppler passed Gardner for third.  Two laps later, Keppler advanced past Mady.  Steve Comers, Keith Jesburger, Dave Baldwin, and John Lakatos were involved in an altercation bringing out the caution on lap eleven.  Ressler pulled Keppler on the ensuing restart as Gardner regained third from Mady.  As the laps clicked off, Keppler commited to the high groove and built up momentum setting up Ressler who began to scrub speed trying to keep the bottom groove protected.  Coming off turn four for the white flag, Keppler passed Ressler for the lead and didn’t look back.  Gardner, Mady, and Eric Witbe finished third through fifth, with Kindberg in sixth.  Hard Charger of the night, Scott Washburn passed seventeen cars to finish seventh.  Mike Pychinka, George Loux and Chuck Miller also on a drive passed sixteen cars to score a top ten.

Heat 1: 1. Bruce Kindberg, 2. Dave Baldwin, 3. Andy Ressler, 4. Ryan Higgs, 5. Mike Keppler

Heat 2: 1. Brian Mady, 2. Kevin Hirthler, 3. Nick Mady, 4. Kyle Gardner, 5. Eric Witbe

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Andy Ressler, 3. Kyle Gardner, 4. Brian Mady, 5. Eric Witbe, 6. Bruce Kindberg, 7. Scott Washburn ,8. Mike Pychinka ,9. George Loux, 10. Chuck Miller, 11. Kevin Gruber, 12. Kevin Hirthler, 13. John Landis, 14. Curt Amey, 15. Bucky Buczafusca, 16. Nathan Dibble, 17. Nick Mady, 18. Jamie Hess, 19. Joe Fanelli, 20. Junior Lebowski, 21. Rick McGeady, 22. Steve Comers, 23. John Lakatos, 24. Keith Jesburger, 25. Dave Baldwin, 26. Bob Skoniecki, 27. Shawn Burd, 28. Matt Groover, 29. Gary Suchy Sr., 30. Ryan Higgs

07.22.07 - Engine Claimer Rule.  The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series announces an engine claimer rule. For $1,250.00 any team can claim a competitor's engine and includes the injectors, throttle bodies, wiring harness, voltage regulator and airbox.  The air filter and exhaust are not included.

07.21.07 - Kindberg Collects at Thunder Mountain.  The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series traveled to Thunder Mountain Speedway Saturday night.  Series championship contenders, Brian Mady and Mike Keppler annexed heat race victories.  Due to the inversion, Ryan Higgs started on the pole and led the twenty-two car field to the green.  Kyle Gardner slipped past Eric Witbe for second and pressured Higgs. Mike Keppler stopped on the track to bring out the first caution on lap 2.  On the restart, Gardner and Bruce Kindberg, on the move from seventh, tried both high and low on Higgs.  On lap 4, Gardner took a look on the outside of Higgs, while Kindberg stuck his nose under Gardner and made the pass stick. The top three were nose to tail until a lap 13 caution for contact between Miek Pychincka and Bob Luckenbaugh.  With the field bunched, Higgs again passed under the flagman for the green flag.  Kindberg in close pursuit waiting for an opportunity.  Exiting the third turn on lap 16, Higgs drifted high allowing Kindberg to get a run and secure the lead.  Kindberg wasn't home free as Chris Stockham got under JJ Newman spinning him and bringing out the caution for the third and final time on lap 18.  Kindberg staid glued to the bottom groove and scored his second win of the year at Thunder Mountain Speedway.  Higgs, Gardner, Nick Mady and Andy Ressler completed the top five.  Rick McGeady was the hard charger of the night hustling from twentieth to sixth. Brian Mady, Eric Witbe, Pychincka, and Chuck Miller completed the top ten.

Heat 1: 1. Brian Mady, 2. Bruce Kindberg, 3. Nick Mady, 4. Kyle Gardner, 5. Ryan Higgs

Heat 2: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Andy Ressler, 3. JJ Newman, 4. Junior Lebowski, 5. Eric Witbe

Feature: 1. Bruce Kindberg, 2. Ryan Higgs, 3. Kyle Gardner, 4. Nick Mady, 5. Andy Ressler, 6. Rich McGeady, 7. Brian Mady, 8. Eric Witbe, 9. Mike Pychinka, 10. Chuck Miller, 11. Joe Fanelli, 12. Bucky Buczafusca, 13. JJ Newman, 14. Chris Stockham, 15. George Loux, 16. Troy Donnelly, 17. John Lakatos, 18. Bob Skoniecki, 19. Bob Luckenbaugh, 20. Junior Lebowski, 21. Mike Keppler, 22. Dave Baldwin

07.13.07 - Keppler Cashes In On Pioneer Pole Building Money.  Twenty-nine 600 Modified drivers had a chance at a $1,000 payday, compliments of Pioneer Pole Buildings.  Kevin Gruber and Mike Keppler each scored heat race victories.   Due to last week's win, Keppler had to start the race in tenth.  Eric Witbe led from the drop of the green until a lap 2 caution bunched the field.   On the restart, Witbe got a great jump on Ryan Higgs and Kyle Gardner.  Witbe opened up a straightaway advantage while Higgs and Gardner began a back and forth scrap that lasted the entire race.   On lap 7, Matt Green, Eric Hoffman and Nathan Dibble made contact in turn two bringing out the caution. Witbe was unfazed as he again put distance on Higgs.   Travis Halabura, Rick McGeady, George Loux and Gary Suchy were involved in a frontstretch tangle that brought another caution on lap nine.   Meanwhile, Keppler had patiently worked his way up to fourth.   Witbe again stretched his lead on the restart as Keppler went to work on Gardner and then Higgs.  Dibble spun on lap twelve ending his night.   Keppler lined up behind Witbe and stalked him until Witbe drifted high in turn four on the sixteenth lap.  This allowed Keppler to gain momentum on the bottom and drive into the lead.   The race went green as Keppler scored a cool grand, followed by Witbe.  Higgs and Gardner swapped positions all race including multiple times per lap.   Higgs edged Gardner at the stripe for third.  Mike Pychinka rounded out the top five.  The scorers had a difficult time at the checkers as JJ Newman, Chris Stockham, Brian Mady and Chuck Miller crossed the finish under a blanket.   Curt Amey completed the top ten.  Stockham was the hard charger of the evening coming from 20^th to 6^th.

Heat 1: 1. Kevin Gruber, 2. Mike Pychinka, 3. Kyle Gardner, 4. George Loux, 5. Eric Witbe

Heat 2: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Nick Mady, 3. JJ Newman, 4. Ryan Higgs, 5. Brian Mady

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Eric Witbe, 3. Ryan Higgs, 4. Kyle Gardner, 5. Mike Pychinka, 6. JJ Newman 7. Chris Stockham, 8. Brian Mady, 9. Chuck Miller, 10. Curt Amey, 11. Kevin Gruber, 12. Andy Ressler, 13. Nick Mady, 14. Keith Jesburger, 15. Joe Fanelli, 16. Jeromy Guistwite, 17. George Loux, 18. Rich McGeady, 19. Bucky Buczafusca, 20. Steve Depski , 21. Matt Groover, 22. John Landis, 23. Nathan Dibble, 24. Travis Halabura, 25. Gary Suchy, Sr., 26. Matt Green, 27. Tim Hoffman, 28. Bob Skoniecki, 29. Joe Auriemma

07.07.07 - Keppler scores at Thunder Mountain.  Mike Keppler is no stranger to victory lane in 600 Modified Series competition.  On Saturday night, he didn't need to roll triple sevens at Thunder Mountain Speedway as he convincingly scored the win.  Scott Washburn and Junior Lebowski annexed the heat races.  The invert placed rookie Chuck Miller on the pole who led the field to the green as twenty three 600 Modifieds roared down the front stretch.  Miller beat Andy Ressler into turn one and held the top spot for five circuits.  By the third lap, Mike Keppler had worked his way up from his sixth place start to second and stalked Miller.  Entering turn two on the fifth lap, Miller bobbled which gave Keppler the opening he needed.  Ryan Higgs  and JJ Newman also got by.  Keppler quickly distanced himself from Higgs and consistently turned laps in the 15.10 bracket (.10 seconds quicker than the Modifieds).  On lap ten JJ Newman completed the pass on Higgs placing him in second.  Hard charger, Kyle Gardner, patiently worked traffic from his sixteenth place start.  By lap fifteen, Gardner was now in third and pressuring the young rookie for second.  A lap eighteen caution bunched the field for a green/white/checkered finish.  Keppler passed the single file cone with Newman and Gardner in tow.  Over the final two laps, Newman and Gardner swapped positions several times, by Newman edged Gardner at the line for second.  In typical fashion, you could through a blanket over fourth through tenth.  Junior Lebowski claimed his best finish of the year in fourth.  Chris Stockham scored another top five, followed by George Loux, Rick McGeady, Brian Mady, Eric Witbe, and Ryan Higgs.  The 600 Modifieds travel to Big Diamond Speedway this friday for the second of three $1,000 to win shows on the year.

Heat 1: Scott Washburn, Dave Robertson, Rick McGeady, Ryan Higgs, Chuck Miller

Heat 2: Junior Lebowski, Chris Stockham, Mike Keppler, JJ Newman, Andy Ressler

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. JJ Newman, 3. Kyle Gardner, 4. Junior Lebowski, 5. Chris Stockham, 6. George Loux, 7. Rich McGeady, 8. Brian Mady, 9. Eric Witbe, 10. Ryan Higgs, 11. Dave Robertson, 12. Bucky Buczafusca,13. Joe Auriemma, 14. Steve Comers, 15. Terry Bartik, 16. Chuck Miller, 17. Andy Ressler, 18. Nick Mady, 19. Bruce Kindberg, 20. Bob Skoniecki, 21. Scott Washburn, 22. Dave Baldwin, 23. Joe Fanelli

06.23.07 - Gardner grabs $1,000 at Grandview. Kyle Gardner scored the biggest win of his career by netting a cool $1,000 at Grandview Speedway Saturday night.  Twenty-nine 600 Modifieds signed in for action.  Both heat races ran caution free as Andy Ressler and Kevin Gruber won their respective qualifying events.  Mike Pychinka and Brian Mady led the field down to the green.  Coming off turn four, Mady got a great start and fourth place starter Scott Washburn followed close behind.  They cleared Pychinka in turn two and Mady led the field to the stripe to lead the first lap.  As the bunched field raced by the flagstand contact with Mike Keppler and another car caused Nick Mady to spin.  Most of the field got by until Nathan Dibble struck Nick Mady sending him flipping.  Both went off on wreckers and Keppler was relegated to the rear for his role in the incident.  With one lap in the books, racing resumed with Brian Mady at the point.  On the second circuit, Washburn blasted under Mady in turn one as Kyle Garnder had moved to fourth and then past Pychinka one lap later for third.  On a lap four restart, Washburn continued to lead as Gardner hustled under Mady for second in turn two and pressured Washburn in turn three.  The threesome dived into turn one as Gardner tossed his mount under Washburn hopping his right rear over Washburn's left front.  Gardner didn't miss a beat as he powered down the backstretch with the lead.  Wasburn battled back on lap six and drove under Gardner in turn three only to have Gardner cross under Washburn in turn one on the eighth lap.  As Gardner nosed under, Washburn looped his mount collecting Andy Ressler.  George Loux was turning in his best performance of the year as he was patiently working through the field. On lap eleven, Loux passed Curt Amey on the high side for fourth and then Pychnika for third without brakes.  Gardner was flawless the rest of the way and scored his first win of the year.  Brian Mady flashed across the finish line in second fending off the pesky challenges of Loux in third.  Pychinka finished fourth followed by Curt Amey.  Ryan Higgs, John Landis, Chuck Miller, Eric Witby, and JJ Newman rounded out the top ten.

Heat 1: Andy Ressler, Dave Baldwin, Curt Amey, George Loux, Mike Pychinka

Heat 2: Kevin Gruber, Kyle Gardner, Scott Washburn, Mike Keppler, Brian Mady

Feature:  1. Kyle Gardner, 2. Brian Mady, 3. George Loux, 4. Mike Pychinka, 5. Curt Amey, 6. Ryan Higgs, 7. John Landis, 8. Chuck Miller, 9. Eric Witbe, 10. JJ Newman, 11. Joe Fanelli, 12. Mike Keppler, 13. Rich McGeady, 14. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 15. Keith Jesburger, 16. Pete Knappenberger, 17. Junior, 18. Chris Stockham, 19. Dave Baldwin, 20. Tim Mineri, 21. Kevin Gruber, 22. Scott Washburn, 23. Andy Ressler, 24. Travis Halabura, 25. Bucky Buczafusca, 26. Bob Skoniecki, 27. Nick Mady, 28. Nathan Dibble, 29. Steve Comers

06.22.07 - Halabura and Keppler score double features at Big Diamond.   The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series had a busy night on tap at Big Diamond Raceway on Friday night.  First on the card was the June 1st rained out make up feature.  Matt Groover led the 27 car field to the green.  Being the first feature on the track, the surface was heavy.  The 600 Modifieds were locked down as Groover led from green to checker.  Travis Halabura, Kyle Gardner, Chris Stocham and Mike Pychinka were all locked in a tight battle.  Halabura secured the second spot late in the event which ended up being the money pass.  At the scales, Groover was light which handed the win to Halabura for his triumph on the year.  Halabura continued his good fortune by annexing the first qualifying event.  Kyle Garder scored the second heat race win. Scott Washburn led the field at the start of the race.  Mike Keppler tracked down Washburn and passed him for the top spot on lap five.  Chris Stockham advanced three positions to third as Eric Witbe was hard charging into the top ten from his 19th place start.  At the checkers, Keppler scored an impressive win, with Washburn, Stockham, Halabura and Joe Fanelli rounding out the top five.  This time the scales bit another two cars as Washburn and Fanelli both came up light shuffling the finishing order and handing Witbe a top five finish.

Make-up (06-01-07) Feature:  1. Travis Halabura, 2. Kyle Gardner, 3. Chris Stockham, 4. Mike Pychinka, 5. Mike Keppler, 6. Curt Amey, 7. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 8. Brian Mady, 9. Ryan Higgs, 10. George Loux, 11. Scott Washburn, 12. Kevin Gruber, 13. Chuck Miller, 14. Eric Witbe, 15. JJ Newman, 16. Bucky Buczafusca, 17. Rick McGeady, 18. Dave Baldwin, 19. Tim Mineri, 20. Joe Fanelli, 21. John Landis, 22. Keith Jesburger, 23. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 24. Matt Green, 25. Nathan Dibble, 26. Nick Mady, 27. Matt Groover-DQ.

Heat 1: 1. Travis Halabura, 2. Scott Washburn, 3. Mike Keppler, 4. Chris Stockham, 5. Rick McGeady 

Heat 2: 1. Kyle Gardner, 2. Brian Mady, 3. Joe Fanelli, 4. Chuck Miller, 5. Curt Amey

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Chris Stockham, 3. Travis Halabura, 4. Rich McGeady, 5. Eric Witbe, 6. Curt Amey, 7. JJ Newman, 8. John Landis, 9. Dave Baldwin, 10. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 11. Brian Mady, 12. George Loux, 13. Keith Jesburger, 14. Nathan Dibble, 15. Tim Mineri, 16. Matt Green, 17. KJ Gardner, 18. Chuck Miller, 19. Ryan Higgs, 20. Kevin Gruber, 21. Nick Mady, 22. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 23. Mike Pychinka, 24. Bucky Buczafusca, 25. Scott Washburn-DQ, 26. Joe Fanelli-DQ, 27. Matt Groover-DNS

06.14.07 – Pychinka scores first ever at Kutztown.  Mike Pychinka is no stranger to the bull rings.  He used that experience Wednesday night to score his first win in a 600 Modified at the tight but racy Kutztown Fairgrounds.  Twenty-three 600 Modifieds braved the threatening weather to race at the smallest race track on their schedule.  Pychinka and Rick McGeady reeled off the first and second heat race wins respectively which placed them on the pole for the feature.  At the drop of the green Pychinka out dragged McGeady to the first turn.   Mike had to endure several cautions and as the drivers adapted to 23 cars bouncing off each other in very tight quarters.  Even some of the veterans had trouble adapting to the tight 1/8th mile fairgrounds.  Once the 600 Mod pilots settled down, the fans were treated to 2 and 3 wide racing.  Brian Mady got by McGeady to put pressure on Pychinka once showing a nose.  Pychinka got his #55 lower as Mady tried to adjust eventually spinning .  McGeady and Chris Stockham were waging a torrid battle as McGeady assumed command of the runner-up spot and then tried his best to get by Pychinka.  Meanwhile micro-sprint standout and ARDC rookie, Brett Arndt was wheeling the Xcel Chassis Rental Car from his 23rd starting spot up into the top ten.  Kevin Gruber used patience from his 17th place start to crack the top ten by lap thirteen.  With 3 laps to go, Pychnika started to tighten up.  As he ran the car harder and harder each lap, his 600 Modified started get better side-bite and began to pull away from McGeady.  Arndt had worked his way to fourth when contact with Grandview Speedway 358 Modified regular Kevin Hirthler sent him spinning into the infield on the white flag lap.  Pychinka soared to his first win, with McGeady crossing the stripe second, followed by Stockham, Hirthler, and Gruber.  A jubilated Pychinka was amazed, "the harder I ran the car the better it felt, it was on rails once I did that." 

Heat 1: 1. Mike Pychinka, 2. Chris Stockham, 3. Kevin Hirthler, 4. Andrew Ressler, 5. Mike Keppler

Heat 2: 1. Rick McGeady, 2. Brian Mady, 3. JJ Newman, 4. Kyle Gardner, 5. George Loux

Feature: 1. Mike Pychinka, 2. Rick McGeady, 3. Chris Stockham, 4. Kevin Hirthler, 5. Kevin Gruber, 6. George Loux, 7. Curt Amey, 8. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 9. Matt Groover, 10. John Landis, 11. Chuck Miller, 12. Brett Arndt, 13. Matt Greene, 14. Eric Whitby, 15. Kyle Gardner, 16. Andrew Ressler, 17. Mike Keppler, 18. Nick Mady, 19. Ryan Higgs, 20. Brian Mady, 21. Keith Jesberger, 22. Tim Manieri, 23. J.J. Newman

Notes: Former 600 Modified winner McGeady had his best finish of the year with a solid second.  Chris Stockham is putting together an impressive season with his first top five of the year.  George Loux is shaking off the gremlins and scored his first top ten of the year.  358 Modified pilot, Kevin Hirthler will be running rookie Nathan Dibble's ride at Kutztown Fairgounds events along with the Grandview shows for the rest of the 2007 season.

06.04.07 – Updated Fuel System now available from Xcel. Xcel Chassis has developed an upgrade to existing fuel systems for teams running both Honda and Suzuki engines.  Xcel Chassis will offer upgrade parts at cost for existing teams wishing to modify there fuel system.  Please contact Doug Borger at Xcel Chassis for details at 610.681.2689.

06.03.07 – RaceCeiver one-way radios to be mandated. The 600 Modified Series will be requiring all drivers to use a RaceCeiver one-way radio device by July 13th, 2007.  Cost for the equipment is $100.00 and can be purchased directly from Xcel Chassis.  Tests were conducted over two races with different drivers who could hear race control clearly both under race and caution conditions.  Doug Borger offered, "The purpose of the RaceCeivers are to deliver a higher quality show to the fans and to reduce unnecessary accidents that occur after the caution comes out."   The Series requests that owners purchase the unit by June 23rd's race at Grandview Speedway.

06.02.07 – Witbe basks in history at Thunder Mountain Speedway on Ted Musgrave night. Eric Witbe hasn't had the season he dreamed of... until now.  Before the Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series visited Thunder Mountain Speedway Saturday night, Witbe has had mechanical woes, been knocked out of races and has usually had to start deep in the pack.  This night would be different.  Tonight Witbe parked his own car to drive the Richie Everitt entry.  Everitt is no stranger to victory lane as over the years drivers such as Frank Cozze, Buzzie Reutimann, Frankie Snyder and Rags Carter have all found first place glory in the legendary owner's mounts.  Dave Lewis, driving in the Kindberg racing stable scored his first heat race victory in heat number 1.  He had to hold off Mike Keppler to do it.   Dave Balwin, Sr. also become a new heat race winner by convincingly beating Nick Mady and the rest of the heat race competition in the second qualifying race.   Lewis flipped the coin which resulted in an inversion of the top ten qualifiers.  This placed Witbe on the pole.  At the drop of the green Witbe outdragged former Thunder Mountain feature winner Bruce Kindberg into turn one.  Kindberg wasn't going to let Witbe have an easy time as he put his nose under Witbe several times over the next four laps. Witbe didn't rattle and eventually began putting some distance as his car began to work better.  Kindberg had to change his focus to Kyle Gardner who was now dogging Bruce for second.  Gardner was persistent as it took until the eighteenth circuit to get by Kindberg.  While this heated battle raged, Mike Keppler was storming up through the ranks.  The racing action was so tight that you could put a blanket over second through eighth for much of the race.  Despite a heavy and very rough track, the 600 Modifieds ran caution free until Dave Lewis brought his mount to a stop on the speedway on lap 19.  This set up a green-white-checkered finish.  Witbe was starting hear all kinds of noises and feel vibrations he didn't notice before.  Putting that aside, he punched the gas and roared to his first victory.  Gardner crossed the stripe second with Keppler edging Kindberg for third by six inches at the flag.  Ryan Higgs put another impressive run together to finish fifth.  After the main event, Ted Musgrave climbed into the Rental Car while Thunder Mountain Speedway owner/promoter Dick Stark put on a match race. Stark was no match for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck star as Musgrave smoked Stark to the thrill of the crowd. Afterwards, Musgrave was tickled with the 600 Modifieds as they were "the coolest things I ever saw."

Heat 1: 1. Dave Lewis, 2. Mike Keppler, 3. Travis Hallabura, 4. Kyle Gardner, 5. Eric Witbe

Heat 2: 1. Dave Baldwin, Sr., 2. Nick Mady, 3. Chris Stockholm,  4. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 5. Bruce Kindberg

Feature:  1. Eric Witbe, 2. KJ Gardner, 3. Mike Keppler, 4. Bruce Kindberg, 5. Ryan Higgs, 6. Chris Stockholm, 7. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 8. JJ Newman, 9. Brian Mady, 10. Chuck Miller, 11. Dave Baldwin, 12. Rich McGeady, 13. Joe Fanelli, 14. Nathan Dibble, 15. Junior, 16. George Loux, 17. Travis Halabura, 18. Bucky Buczafusca, 19. Dave Lewis, 20. Bob Skoniecki, 21. Taylor Bartik, 22. Nick Mady

Contact Us

for more info, call Doug at:

610-681-2689

Last Weeks Top Five

09/22/07

Thunder Mountain Speedway

1. Nick Mady

2. Brian Mady

3. Ryan Higgs

4. Scott Washburn

5. Kyle Gardner

2007 Season Schedule