ARCA OK Tire Sportsman Series Race 2 - Thunder Mountain Raceway

 IAN GRAHAM

The ARCA OK Tire sportsman series visited Thunder Mountain Raceway in Williams Lake for the second race of the season. After a week of rain, the weather cooperated and fourteen perfectly prepared sportsman cars revved up for the challenge.

Another very tight field qualified within one half of a second. Coming off a win in Vernon, Ian Graham set the fast time early on, holding off nearly every competitor with a 15.899 until past ARCA champion Mark Berriau qualified at a 15.850 setting a new track record.

Heat races set off with Bobby Mear holding off Darren Swaan and the 47 car of Trevor Adelman to win the B heat.

A heat action was fast and furious as Lee Thomas took the field to green. The tightly packed group chased and tested Thomas. The 1 car of Matt Stephenson and 52 of Garnet Grimard putting the pressure on. Nose to tail they chase hard, but Thomas was able to hold on for the win.

With the track lights shining and the sun setting the ARCA OK Tire sportsman cars gave the three wide salute to the fans. After a tight double up Trevor Adelman and Dave Oslen brought the field to the green. Olsen with a hard charge down the outside managed to take the lead for lap 1, but to no avail as the 99 of Cornett-Ching and the 38 of Thomas touch and bump out of corner four, sending Thomas hard into the front stretch wall, bring out a red flag to allow the heavily damaged Chevrolet to be towed from the track. Back to green, the field tight and Olsen is able to hold the lead.  Olsen starts to stretch out as the battle tightens behind him. Racing hard, Cornett-Ching contacts the 22 of Chris Babcock, spinning both in turn two. As the field runs through the wreck, both cars are bent and twisted. The 99 towed, and the 22 in the pits for repairs. Green again with Oslen holding the point. The 89 of Swaan has a hard pressuring group behind him. The 56 of Steve Lengert looks inside, buts holds off. Laps pass and Lengert looks again. He puts the 56 inside of Swaan off of turn four. The two touch sending Swaan spinning, the 52 of Grimard doges a bullet, takes some damage, but keeps the car off of the wall. Lengert stuck in the infield waits for a tow. The 89 to the pits for service. A restart and the battle resumes. Olsen holds the lead. Berriau, Seibert, and Graham are racing hard to catch the Olsen car. Berriau suddenly heads to the pits with the Left rear tire and axel trying to leave the car. Contact between the 47 and 74 car of Dan Ursel slows the filed briefly while they get sorted out. The epic battle begins with intermittent cautions tightening the field. Every restart brings a battle for a top three spot between Seibert, Olsen and Graham. They swap the top positions each restart. Graham makes a run on the high side and lap after lap Olsen and Graham battle. Seibert lies in the wait. Lap after lap the three show incredible patients and skill. A wiggle in turn two sends Olsen up the track Graham and Siebert pounce. Olsen with the save of the night keeps the car off of the wall and holds third. A late race caution sets up the green, white, Chequered. Graham brings the field to green and the battle continues. Nose to tail they cross the line, Graham number one, Seibert Two, and Olsen Third. Bob Mear grabs 4^th and Dan Ursel survives to complete the top five. Six is Swaan, seven Stephenson, eighth is Adelman. Ninth Grimard. Chris Babcock and crew thrashed the 22 car back together and collected the number ten spot. Berriau out to complete the last laps holds for eleventh. Twelve Lengert, thirteen Cornett-Ching, and Thomas in fourteen. The Championship battle is just shaping up. The next race is Prince George on June 18. See you there. 

 . Pics Doug Waller – ARCA Announcer

 RYLEY SEIBERT

DAVE OLSON